What else should I focus on?

[doc_hulk]

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I am heading into my final months as a senior, hoping to apply 2020 cycle. Currently scribing at a Family Practice since May 2019 and will have accumulated almost 500 hours by the beginning of October. I plan on taking the MCAT in Spring 2020, occasionally volunteer at a retirement home as well as the local hospital along with the community center close to where I live. What else should I be focusing on? My GPA is kind of low but I am working on that while taking science classes full time along with scribing full time.

TLDR: Low GPA, how long should I continue scribing and what else should I focus on to improve application for 2020 cycle?

Thank you

 

[Cornfed101]

I am heading into my final months as a senior, hoping to apply 2020 cycle. Currently scribing at a Family Practice since May 2019 and will have accumulated almost 500 hours by the beginning of October. I plan on taking the MCAT in Spring 2020, occasionally volunteer at a retirement home as well as the local hospital along with the community center close to where I live. What else should I be focusing on? My GPA is kind of low but I am working on that while taking science classes full time along with scribing full time.

TLDR: Low GPA, how long should I continue scribing and what else should I focus on to improve application for 2020 cycle?

Thank you

What is a "low GPA"? How is your GPA trend? Your volunteering and clinical experience seem good. Focus on the MCAT.

The current cycle is 2020, so I am assuming you mean the 2021 cycle.

 

[doc_hulk]

What is a "low GPA"? How is your GPA trend? Your volunteering and clinical experience seem good. Focus on the MCAT.

The current cycle is 2020, so I am assuming you mean the 2021 cycle.

below 3.3, gradual upward trend after disastrous freshman year. How long should I continue to scribe? Do I need any additional shadowing and volunteering hours? How long should I study for MCAT since I will have full time class schedule alongside? Sorry, yes I meant 2021 cycle.

 

[Lampy]

How long should I continue to scribe?

As far as I can tell the rule of thumb is at least six months to show consistency, even though you do already have a lot of hours

Do I need any additional shadowing and volunteering hours?

You probably don't need explicit shadowing hours, but could you split up ~50 hours from your scribing job and list them as shadowing? I'm not sure if either situation is okay, but they sound okay to me. However, if you have 0 volunteering hours you really, really need to get started giving back to the community.

How long should I study for MCAT since I will have full time class schedule alongside?

This changes based on who you ask. Minimum 3 months, but 6 months would be a safer bet. This of course depends on how much time you can dedicate to it, what classes you're taking (taking biochem might actually help you study), and how much knowledge you already have.

 

[Cornfed101]

below 3.3, gradual upward trend after disastrous freshman year. How long should I continue to scribe? Do I need any additional shadowing and volunteering hours? How long should I study for MCAT since I will have full time class schedule alongside? Sorry, yes I meant 2021 cycle.

I would recommend continuing what you are doing. Don't just stop everything to take the MCAT. Try to continue having meaningful clinical and non-clinical experiences. It will remind you why you are studying so hard for the MCAT. If you don't have any shadowing, then get some. Most people recommend around 50 hours, but I had less because I had lots of clinical work experience.

I studied part-time for 9 months for the MCAT while working full time and going to school part-time. It sounds like you may be doing something similar. It's doable. The total hours spend studying for the MCAT is more important than the time it takes to do that. I studied for about 650 hours total. My general rule of thumb is about 40 hours of study per point you want to increase from an initial diagnostic test.

 

[doc_hulk]

As far as I can tell the rule of thumb is at least six months to show consistency, even though you do already have a lot of hours


You probably don't need explicit shadowing hours, but could you split up ~50 hours from your scribing job and list them as shadowing? I'm not sure if either situation is okay, but they sound okay to me. However, if you have 0 volunteering hours you really, really need to get started giving back to the community.


This changes based on who you ask. Minimum 3 months, but 6 months would be a safer bet. This of course depends on how much time you can dedicate to it, what classes you're taking (taking biochem might actually help you study), and how much knowledge you already have.

I have been given an offer to scribe at an outpatient clinic, but this is not at a primary care facility. Does it make a difference if I scribe for a primary care physician or a physician who works in a specialty (gastroenterology, cardiology, orthopedics)?

I have shadowed around 50 hours in my first couple of years, was just wondering if I need to shadow more in addition to the scribe hours.

I have already finished prerequisites, I am taking science electives to increase sGPA such as Genetics, Evolution, etc. Any other classes you would recommend that med schools would look favorably upon? Thanks

 

[doc_hulk]

I would recommend continuing what you are doing. Don't just stop everything to take the MCAT. Try to continue having meaningful clinical and non-clinical experiences. It will remind you why you are studying so hard for the MCAT. If you don't have any shadowing, then get some. Most people recommend around 50 hours, but I had less because I had lots of clinical work experience.

I studied part-time for 9 months for the MCAT while working full time and going to school part-time. It sounds like you may be doing something similar. It's doable. The total hours spend studying for the MCAT is more important than the time it takes to do that. I studied for about 650 hours total. My general rule of thumb is about 40 hours of study per point you want to increase from an initial diagnostic test.

I tried studying for the MCAT over the summer while scribing full time but it did not work out, hence the reschedule. My plan is to continue scribing until the spring semester starts January 2020 and then focus on MCAT studying along with full time classes during the spring semester, and continue volunteering every weekend. Does this seem like a good plan?

 

[Cornfed101]

I have been given an offer to scribe at an outpatient clinic, but this is not at a primary care facility. Does it make a difference if I scribe for a primary care physician or a physician who works in a specialty (gastroenterology, cardiology, orthopedics)?

That's fine

I have shadowed around 50 hours in my first couple of years, was just wondering if I need to shadow more in addition to the scribe hours.

No, you should be fine

I have already finished prerequisites, I am taking science electives to increase sGPA such as Genetics, Evolution, etc. Any other classes you would recommend that med schools would look favorably upon? Thanks

Upper-level bio is great.

I tried studying for the MCAT over the summer while scribing full time but it did not work out, hence the reschedule. My plan is to continue scribing until the spring semester starts January 2020 and then focus on MCAT studying along with full time classes during the spring semester, and continue volunteering every weekend. Does this seem like a good plan?

That seems like a fine plan. You just need to continually gauge where you are at as far as a score and continue studying until your practice exams are there.

 

[gyngyn]

Scribing should never take precedence over gpa or MCAT.

 

[doc_hulk]

Scribing should never take precedence over gpa or MCAT.

Of course not. However, it did give me the insight and exposure I needed to solidify my passion for medicine, and I have maintained a 4.0 while scribing. However, I do plan on discontinuing scribing by December/January so I can focus on MCAT prep.