what shape am I in?

[Green22]

Hi, I am currently finishing up my last semester of my sophomore year of undergrad. I attend a community college in Alabama, and I am going to transfer to the University of South Alabama this fall to start my junior year. It looks like my gpa is going to end up being 3.93(best case scenario) or 3.83(worst case scenario) upon starting my junior year. My major is biology. I also work part time at a local courthouse, and I have about 140-150 volunteer hours as a counselor at a camp for kids with autoimmune disorders. I am wondering.......in terms of getting into med school (to hopefully start fall of 2020)......am I in good shape? bad shape? any comments, tips, advice, etc would be greatly appreciated.

thanks.

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[Saifa]

Take the MCAT and get ~150 hours of clinical experience plus ~40 of shadowing and you're good. Avoid getting arrested.

 

[700825]

Just my opinion:
-GPA is good, though obviously higher is better, especially coming from a CC/lower tier state school.
-Volunteering is a decent start, however I'd try to start adding some clinical volunteering as well.
-If you're aiming to applying during the 2019 cycle, I would start planning when you will take the MCAT. Make sure you give yourself plenty of prep time and give it your very best shot. It can make or break your app.

Overall, you have a good start and if you do the above, you should be in decent shape come application time.

 

[Green22]

Just my opinion:
-GPA is good, though obviously higher is better, especially coming from a CC/lower tier state school.
-Volunteering is a decent start, however I'd try to start adding some clinical volunteering as well.
-If you're aiming to applying during the 2019 cycle, I would start planning when you will take the MCAT. Make sure you give yourself plenty of prep time and give it your very best shot. It can make or break your app.

Overall, you have a good start and if you do the above, you should be in decent shape come application time.

I was planning to take the MCAT in spring of 2019. Is this a good idea? If so, when is best to start studying?

 

[Forever Geebs]

Give yourself 3 months of study time.

Make sure you have completed all prereqs before taking MCAT and applying, too.

Volunteer, both clinical and non-clinical, should be roughly 150 hours each. For non-clinical, focus on underserved communities such as soup kitchen, homeless shelter, etc.

Get about 50 hours shadowing. Can be any speciality, but if you plan on applying DO, it would help if you shadowed one, too.

Only do research if you’re genuinely interested in it and plan on applying to research heavy schools.

Maintain GPA and remember to NOT rush the process; it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Best of luck to you.


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[el_duderino]

In addition to the above, I'd recommend you take 1-2 gap years and get some kind of real-world work experience. The difference in graduating medical students who have had real work experience vs those that haven't is dramatic.

 

[Green22]

In addition to the above, I'd recommend you take 1-2 gap years and get some kind of real-world work experience. The difference in graduating medical students who have had real work experience vs those that haven't is dramatic.

What do you mean by real world work experience?

 

[Toutie]

What do you mean by real world work experience?

A job.

 

[Saifa]

OP already has a job. 1-2 voluntary gap years is insane assuming they score well on the MCAT and meet/exceed clinical experience expectations.

 

[700825]

I was planning to take the MCAT in spring of 2019. Is this a good idea? If so, when is best to start studying?

I'd lean towards summer 2019 because I've seen people really struggle to study alongside classes. MCAT prep is really time consuming.

 

[Green22]

A job.

A job.

I already have a job. I’ve had it since a month after high school graduation.

 

[candbgirl]

You work part time at a courthouse. Maybe look for a job in health care. And when you graduate get a full time job. Do you have shadowing(you need about 50 hours including some shadowing of primary care docs)? Any clinical experience(you need at least 150 hours of direct patient contact)? Any research(not necessarily needed but some schools look for it)? You are in okay shape but I doubt very much you will be ready to apply in June 2019. You have too much to do including adjusting to a new school and keeping your grades up. You’re going to have a tough time doing it all.

 

[el_duderino]

I'd say look for a job outside healthcare. A real job. Maybe I'm wrong in your case, but I don't think a part-time job at a courthouse you've had since high school is really what I'm talking about.