What did you do to get into med school?

[Smileyfrowned]

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Hi people who have gotten into med school, I'm currently a pre-med junior. I have pretty good grades and am studying for next year's MCAT. But I'm not involved in alot of extracurriculars as I am an introvert. I just would like to know, if you don't mind sharing, what you guys did in college that got you accepted into med school? research? volunteer hours? shadowing hours? etc. And who you ask for letter of recommendations? I want to see how I am doing compare to others.

Thanks for all the responses

 

[WedgeDawg]

Mdapplicants.com

 

[Prometheus123]

Hi people who have gotten into med school, I'm currently a pre-med junior. I have pretty good grades and am studying for next year's MCAT. But I'm not involved in alot of extracurriculars as I am an introvert. I just would like to know, if you don't mind sharing, what you guys did in college that got you accepted into med school? research? volunteer hours? shadowing hours? etc. And who you ask for letter of recommendations? I want to see how I am doing compare to others.

Thanks for all the responses

Get 200-1000 hours each of clinical exposure and non-clinical community service where you're serving people who are less privileged than you. Research is not helpful unless applying to research focused schools, but even then a high MCAT can make up for lack of research experience. Get LORs from people who you know and like you.

Also, read up about all this online and get educated. The search box on SDN is a great place to start.

 

[21Rush12]

Good grades, commitment to nonclinical community service, clinical exposure, research (with or without publications), and leadership experience.

Those are, in my opinion, the things to do arranged in order of descending importance. Any of the very knowledgable adcoms will certainly have good advice about this I'm sure.

Take a good look around, search through these forums and take the advice you find with a grain of salt. This is the internet after all.


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[Govols22]

Good MCAT
Good GPA
Clinical Experience
Shadowing Experience
Consistent Community Service Experience
Leadership Experience
Research Experience

 

[Lost in Translation]

Got on my knees.






































And picked up a piece of paper a patient dropped in the ED I volunteered at.

Basically:

Good grades (you want a 3.6+ cGPA and a 3.7+ sGPA)
Solid MCAT (>30 on the old scale)
Plenty of volunteer hours (I had almost 1000 clinical and non clinical hours combined)
Good PS (it's okay if it's a cliched topic as long as you make it yours)
Good LORs
Hobbies I was passionate about no matter how lame they sounded (for example, I was asked about MTG at one of my interviews, DnD at another)
Research (with no pub but I spent a whole year in that lab which showed commitment)

 

[Boogy'sChick15]

Got on my knees.






































And picked up a piece of paper a patient dropped in the ED I volunteered at.

Basically:

Good grades (you want a 3.6+ cGPA and a 3.7+ sGPA)
Solid MCAT (>30 on the old scale)
Plenty of volunteer hours (I had almost 1000 clinical and non clinical hours combined)
Good PS (it's okay if it's a cliched topic as long as you make it yours)
Good LORs
Hobbies I was passionate about no matter how lame they sounded (for example, I was asked about MTG at one of my interviews, DnD at another)
Research (with no pub but I spent a whole year in that lab which showed commitment)

If I may ask, how did you list MTG on your application?
I'm a secret MTG fanatic, collect cards, play with friends and have participated in a few local community events at the local card shop lol didn't think that was something to put down in the hobbies section

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[Pagan FutureDoc]

If I may ask, how did you list MTG on your application?
I'm a secret MTG fanatic, collect cards, play with friends and have participated in a few local community events at the local card shop lol didn't think that was something to put down in the hobbies section

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Sometimes I wish I had put my mtg stuff on my app. But I felt it was too nerdy and likely to be misunderstood.
Shame too because I was grinding Grand Prix for a year or more

 

[Lost in Translation]

Just list it as a hobby/extra curricular activity.

 

[mistafab]

I took it slow. I did not apply at all until I knew I was ready.

Do not blow your load early. If you have nothing on your CV besides a GPA and an MCAT score then you need to delay applying until you have more stuff. If I were you, I would have volunteering and clinical experience on there at the minimum. I would also do research - not because it will help you. I say do research because I love research and I am biased.

Also, stop using your introversion as a crutch. Nothing is worse then someone pointing to something about their character and using it as an excuse for poor behavior. BTW I am an introvert so I am calling you out. No excuses, it is not acceptable to not be involved in anything. At the minimum get involved with community service at your school. Not just for med school apps, but because it is good for your character.

Anyway, all the best. I hope the road ahead treats you kindly.

 

[stickgirl390]

Got on my knees.






































And picked up a piece of paper a patient dropped in the ED I volunteered at.

Basically:

Good grades (you want a 3.6+ cGPA and a 3.7+ sGPA)
Solid MCAT (>30 on the old scale)
Plenty of volunteer hours (I had almost 1000 clinical and non clinical hours combined)
Good PS (it's okay if it's a cliched topic as long as you make it yours)
Good LORs
Hobbies I was passionate about no matter how lame they sounded (for example, I was asked about MTG at one of my interviews, DnD at another)
Research (with no pub but I spent a whole year in that lab which showed commitment)

I talked about MTG at my interview too! Nerds unite!

 

[Planes2Doc]

 

[Mad Jack]

I made a serious mistake is what I did.

 

[Turkishking]

Ate a poop hotdog

 

[Dandine]

As far as doing things outside of school goes, a lot of it has to do with finding something you're interested in and pursuing it. If you're really unsure, you can't go wrong with community service or doing something to show your commitment to something that's meaningful. But don't think of it as crossing off something off a list: if you're going to do anything, including community service, do it because you're interested in learning more about the work involved and getting experience. This goes for any activity that is typically "required" for pre-meds (organizations, research, volunteering, work...).

Don't think so much about "will I become a doctor by doing this" and more "how will this get me to learn about life better?. It may seem counterintuitive since realistically you do have to understand what medical schools value, but all of those things are building blocks to gain experience, not guaranteed tickets into medical school. Just take it gradually and find something you like to do or want to learn to do.

If you're wondering what medical schools are looking for, I would strongly recommend checking the "Essential SDN Wisdom" page here. It's a lot of info on the page but worth checking out. Also realize every medical school is different and certain subsets may value some things over others.
A Compilation of Essential SDN Wisdom

 

[DoctorSwagger]

Just list it as a hobby/extra curricular activity.

Yo Nichijou funny stuff


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