What is the ideal premed student?

[YankeesfanZF5]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Just wondering what would be some things that should be on every premeds resume, avg. Gpa, science gpa, mcat, ECs, volunteering, shadowing, research, jobs, study abroad and so on? I am in a few clubs, I have a ton of hobbies (mostly outdoors stuff), have a technology fellowiship and work at a vet clinic, have done some shadowing planning to do more, honors society, applying for a research grant and trips over the summer that help people. What else should I be doing? Thank you in advance!

 

[Spinach Dip]

-4.1+ GPA
-101st percentile MCAT
-Rhodes Scholar
-Green Beret
-URM
-Concert violinist
-Fluent in 7 languages
-First author pubs in Nature, Science, AND Aeronautic Engineering Magazine
-Volunteer coordinator at ebola hospital in Liberia
-Challenger in solo queue in League of Legends
-President of Mensa
-Foundress of the missionaries of charity
-Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
-Olympic gold medalist
-Found Osama Bin Laden
-Made millions in stock market with software written from scratch
-Co-authored a paper on medical morality with Pope Francis
-Astronaut
-Batman


That should be a good start.

 

[Donald Juan]

-4.1+ GPA
-101st percentile MCAT
-Rhodes Scholar
-First author pubs in Nature, Science, AND Aeronautic Engineering Magazine
-Ebola hospital volunteer in Liberia
-Challenger in solo queue in League of Legends
-Foundress of the missionaries of charity
-Olympic gold medalist
-Astronaut
-Found Osama Bin Laden
-Made millions in stock market with program written from scratch before you turned 20
-Pope Francis has you on speed dial
-Batman


That should be a good start.

Hmmmm, sounds like a box checker to me...so less than ideal.

 

[ndafife]

-4.1+ GPA
-101st percentile MCAT
-Rhodes Scholar
-First author pubs in Nature, Science, AND Aeronautic Engineering Magazine
-Ebola hospital volunteer in Liberia
-Challenger in solo queue in League of Legends
-Foundress of the missionaries of charity
-Olympic gold medalist
-Astronaut
-Found Osama Bin Laden
-Made millions in stock market with program written from scratch before you turned 20
-Pope Francis has you on speed dial
-Batman


That should be a good start.

Finding Osama but not personally finishing the job definitely raises questions about your level of commitment. Huge red flag and clearly means you won't be a good doctor.

 

[jd989898]

IME, the most successful applicants have all the basics covered (excellent stats, clinical experience, volunteering, etc.) and then several unique passions that they excel in and can speak about eloquently.

 

[Psai]

http://www.pdsoros.org/current_fellows/index.cfm/yr/2008

 

[NotASerialKiller]

trips over the summer that help people

Don't do this. It's cliche'd and adds little to your application, you should only be doing this if you are really, really passionate about it and would be doing it for non-med school reasons anyway.

Also the ones that promise medical experience often let undertrained pre-meds perform procedures they're wildly unequipped for and it's extremely dangerous and ethically reprehensible. If you DO go for it, don't make it one of those.

 

[YankeesfanZF5]

Don't do this. It's cliche'd and adds little to your application, you should only be doing this if you are really, really passionate about it and would be doing it for non-med school reasons anyway.

Also the ones that promise medical experience often let undertrained pre-meds perform procedures they're wildly unequipped for and it's extremely dangerous and ethically reprehensible. If you DO go for it, don't make it one of those.

The trips would not be medically helping people, my school has great opportunities. I was looking into one where you teach some english in a foreign country then do a week or so of travel in that region. Looked fun and could meet some interesting people. Thanks for the info and noone wants to be a cliche haha

 

[YankeesfanZF5]

http://www.pdsoros.org/current_fellows/index.cfm/yr/2008

Thank you reading these were quite interesting. Everyone has a story worth telling.

 

[StudyLater]

Thanks for the info and noone wants to be a cliche haha

You're a premed so you already are.

Basically the idea is you do the box checkers (volunteer, research, shadowing) and then a couple extra things you like as hobbies and you're good.

3.7+ MD
3.2+ DO

for MCAT
80th+ percentile MD
60th+ percentile DO

50hrs+ shadowing.
200hrs+ volunteer
(if MD) 500hrs+ research with ability to explain said research

Start kissing prof a*ses for LORs. If going DO then shadow and get to know a DO. Getting the letters along the way instead of all at once right before applying is probably a less stressful strategy.

 

[YankeesfanZF5]

You're a premed so you already are.

Basically the idea is you do the box checkers (volunteer, research, shadowing) and then a couple extra things you like as hobbies and you're good.

3.7+ MD
3.2+ DO

for MCAT
80th+ percentile MD
60th+ percentile DO

50hrs+ shadowing.
200hrs+ volunteer
(if MD) 500hrs+ research with ability to explain said research

Start kissing prof a*ses for LORs. If going DO then shadow and get to know a DO. Getting the letters along the way instead of all at once right before applying is probably a less stressful strategy.

Does the volunteering have to always be in a medical setting? I get along really well with my ochem prof who is also my premed advisor is writing me a reccomendation for a chemistry research program with him. Already have 50 plus hours shadowing family practice and probably will do more because that is where I am interested. I am trying to get to see a few more specialties. Will a higher MCAT offset a somewhat low gpa like a 3.4 to 3.6? Or the other way around?

 

[CARCOSA]

-4.1+ GPA
-101st percentile MCAT
-Rhodes Scholar
-First author pubs in Nature, Science, AND Aeronautic Engineering Magazine
-Ebola hospital volunteer in Liberia
-Challenger in solo queue in League of Legends
-Foundress of the missionaries of charity
-Olympic gold medalist
-Astronaut
-Found Osama Bin Laden
-Made millions in stock market with program written from scratch before you turned 20
-Co-authored a paper on medical morality with Pope Francis
-Batman


That should be a good start.

But really.... is league rank relevant? Because I could have put diamond 2...

 

[wasteofspace323]

But really.... is league rank relevant? Because I could have put diamond 2...

League Rank is important so they know you're a scrub who can't play DOTA.

 

[tenblackalps]

 

[wasteofspace323]

ORM

 

[Spinach Dip]

Bet he bombed the MCAT.







(That was a joke. I bet he actually got a 44.)

 

[swindoll]

This guy always gets referenced whenever there's a thread about perfect applicants/type A personalities/hard work/ etc. etc.. lol

 

[swindoll]

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/william-hwang/22/163/928

Looks like that was only half of his resume.

 

[Stagg737]

The trips would not be medically helping people, my school has great opportunities. I was looking into one where you teach some english in a foreign country then do a week or so of travel in that region. Looked fun and could meet some interesting people. Thanks for the info and noone wants to be a cliche haha

Tutoring/teaching is always a plus. If you're doing it abroad, just make sure you can explain that was the primary purpose of the trip instead of tourism, otherwise it'll be seen as pointless. Doing extra teaching/tutoring/volunteering locally always helps solidify that cause.

You're a premed so you already are.

Basically the idea is you do the box checkers (volunteer, research, shadowing) and then a couple extra things you like as hobbies and you're good.

3.7+ MD
3.2+ DO

for MCAT
80th+ percentile MD
60th+ percentile DO

50hrs+ shadowing.
200hrs+ volunteer
(if MD) 500hrs+ research with ability to explain said research

Start kissing prof a*ses for LORs. If going DO then shadow and get to know a DO. Getting the letters along the way instead of all at once right before applying is probably a less stressful strategy.

I'd say 3.4+ GPA for DO if you don't want to be grasping for straws there. 3.6+ if you want to be really competitive at the better schools.

I'll also add that even though many DO schools consider applicants with lower stats, they expect you to have other life experiences that you can bring to the table. Even if you make the cutoffs for DO stats, if don't have significant other experience, you'll be in just as bad of shape as if you applied MD and barely made their cutoffs. There's a reason the average age of DO first years is higher than MD's, and it's not just because of people that reapplied because they couldn't go MD.

 

[Psai]

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/william-hwang/22/163/928

Looks like that was only half of his resume.

This thread is about the ideal premed, he's done an md/phd and now he is presumably the ideal resident

 

[swindoll]

This thread is about the ideal premed, he's done an md/phd and now he is presumably the ideal resident

An ideal human being.

 

[NeuResurgens]

Develop enough neuroticism and you'll have your choice of medical schools!

 

[YankeesfanZF5]

Tutoring/teaching is always a plus. If you're doing it abroad, just make sure you can explain that was the primary purpose of the trip instead of tourism, otherwise it'll be seen as pointless. Doing extra teaching/tutoring/volunteering locally always helps solidify that cause.



I'd say 3.4+ GPA for DO if you don't want to be grasping for straws there. 3.6+ if you want to be really competitive at the better schools.

I'll also add that even though many DO schools consider applicants with lower stats, they expect you to have other life experiences that you can bring to the table. Even if you make the cutoffs for DO stats, if don't have significant other experience, you'll be in just as bad of shape as if you applied MD and barely made their cutoffs. There's a reason the average age of DO first years is higher than MD's, and it's not just because of people that reapplied because they couldn't go MD.

So like a very good MCAT score and like a 3.5+ or 3.6+, some research, volunteering, shadowing, some clubs, hobbies, some experiences would be ideal? I know I get preference for being at state resident & graduating from a high school in state at the med school I want to attend. Only 2 students from out of state last year got in and they graduated from a high school in my state and went to an out of state school.

 

[Mad Jack]

The ideal premed is one that isn't like every other premed.

 

[allantois]

So much trouble to treat people's strep throat 🙄

 

[GiveMeThatMD]

The ideal premed is one that isn't like every other premed.

What? Can you not even read? Being unique isn't what'll get an acceptance. Being Challenger in solo queue is.

 

[StudyLater]

What? Can you not even read? Being unique isn't what'll get an acceptance. Being Challenger in solo queue is.

Does this have something to do with league?

 

[GiveMeThatMD]

Does this have something to do with league?

No. Just like admissions, it has everything to do with league.

 

[Holmwood]

Something like this?

 

[Lawpy]

Bet he bombed the MCAT.







(That was a joke. I bet he actually got a 44.)

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

When they were pre-meds:
@sunflower18
and @Leslie_Knope

 

[rsrs3739]

A doctor I shadowed earlier this month said that you want application materials that pop out and catch the reviewers eyes because most premeds have very similar stats and experiences. In other words, have a unique background.

 

[Theseus]

An idea premed is the one who isn't neurotic.

 

[LuluLovesMe]

Someone with empathy for others, a curiosity for science and a drive to succeed. Those personal characteristics paired with a strong academic acheivement (>3.7, >35) would be the ideal applicant.

 

[aegistitan]

Would be quite impressed if he wrote first aid before actually taking step 1

 

[drsaurus]

-Challenger in solo queue in League of Legends

Yes. That is all

 

[TooMuchPressure]

Ideal: 45 MCAT, 4.0 gpa, 250 volunteer hours, 250 non clinical volunteer, 100 shadowing, President of premed club, research.

Realistic: 30 MCAT, 3.7 gpa, 150-250 clinical volunteer, 100-150 non clinical volunteer, some research, decent EC, 50 shadowing hours.