What does it take to get into med school (md)??

[hs2013]

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Would a 3.8+ GPA
300+ volunteer hours
and maybe 75 shadowing hours suffice for getting into medical school?

Plus of course a good MCAT, haven't taken that tho

 

[bananafish94]

Those extra-curriculars would be severely lackluster.

 

[hs2013]

Those extra-curriculars would be severely lackluster.

What should they be more like?

 

[ChrisMack390]

Those are sufficient, but you need to have like...actual passions. Don't jut be a robot and check off the boxes, and definitely don't be afraid to do something you enjoy that has nothing to do with science or medicine.

Also you should prob have at least a little research experience. Med school is all about scrutinizing scientific articles.

 

[sharpstickie]

Those are sufficient, but you need to have like...actual passions. Don't jut be a robot and check off the boxes, and definitely don't be afraid to do something you enjoy that has nothing to do with science or medicine.

Also you should prob have at least a little research experience. Med school is all about scrutinizing scientific articles.

I agree with research for sure. I'd also recommend some real leadership experience.

 

[takeurmeds02]

Meh, research is +/-

It won't benefit you much if you're only minimally active in a lab over the span of the most recent 6 months before actually applying. Adcom will see right through this. BUT If you think you have time to get some quality research experience, then go for it.

Otherwise, use your time to engage in other worthwhile ECs. The possibilities are almost endless if you're willing to search for them.

 

[bananafish94]

Those are sufficient, but you need to have like...actual passions. Don't jut be a robot and check off the boxes, and definitely don't be afraid to do something you enjoy that has nothing to do with science or medicine.

Also you should prob have at least a little research experience. Med school is all about scrutinizing scientific articles.

I disagree...I don't think that 300 volunteering hours is anywhere near sufficient. I do agree that one should have actual passions. To answer the OP's original question, a successful applicant would probably in general have a few hundred hours of clinical volunteering, a few hundred hours of non-clinical volunteering, research experience, shadowing, etc. But you want to have something that sets you apart a bit.

 

[Saxappeal1]

OP, medical school applications aren't cookie cutter. If you have a passion for medicine, and you have idea for EC's, shadowing, volunteering, keep your GPA up, and get a good MCAT with good recommendations, you have a good shot, but everyone is different. I mean some people think that 300 hours isn't enough for volunteering. To some schools, it may not be, but in my experience, after a certain point, quality matters much more than quantity. Like, if you have 300 hours of volunteering at a homeless shelter 3 times a week over 3 years, I think that means more than 400 hours of pushing papers at a place like Shands. Perhaps thats oversimplifying it, just my 2 cents.

 

[Turkishking]

Research
Exotic EC's
Very good PS
Life experiences