What should I do?!

[neelers11]

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Hey everyone,

I'm a sophomore right now with with a 3.6 GPA. I've taken the 8 hours of bio with lab, general chemistry with lab and the first semester of organic chemistry with lab.
I plan on taking the MCAT in the summer of 2014 but I'm worried about extracurricular activities.

As of right now, I've done about 50 hours of tutoring and 65 hours of shadowing.
I also am working on a research project in for a psychology lab and another research project in computational and data sciences.

This summer I plan on shadowing more and volunteering at a free clinic. I'm just worried about all the competition Which I know I shouldn't be, but I just want this so badly because I cant think of a better way to help humanity.

What else can I do to stand out or increase my chances of being accepted?

 

[NontradCA]

Continue doing what you're doing as planned and As in the rest of your coursework. Take the MCAT very seriously. MCAT and GPA are the things that are going to separate you the most, especially for DO schools.

 

[DrEnderW]

Hey everyone,

I'm a sophomore right now with with a 3.6 GPA. I've taken the 8 hours of bio with lab, general chemistry with lab and the first semester of organic chemistry with lab.
I plan on taking the MCAT in the summer of 2014 but I'm worried about extracurricular activities.

As of right now, I've done about 50 hours of tutoring and 65 hours of shadowing.
I also am working on a research project in for a psychology lab and another research project in computational and data sciences.

This summer I plan on shadowing more and volunteering at a free clinic. I'M SO STRESSED ABOUT ALL THE COMPETITION Which I know I shouldn't be, but I just want this so badly because I cant think of a better way to help humanity.

What else can I do to stand out or increase my chances of being accepted?

I think you're setting your self up nicely for a strong application. This will be especially true if you do well on the MCAT.

It seems you have identified your weaknesses - lack of volunteering and lack of clinical volunteering. Working in the free clinic is a great solution to the problem. Definitely continue your research project and ask your research professor if there is more involvement possible -- perhaps the chance to present a poster at a conference, etc?

Research was a huge positive component my app and was very well received during interviews so continue with that. The tutoring is also great, continue with that as well. It seems like you're racking up some nice shadowing hours - a lot more than I had so you look like you're in good shape there. Get on the volunteering and I think you have a competitive app with your set of ECs and GPA.

 

[Goro]

Your school or your parent's health plan must have some counseling services; go see them and talk tabout ways to deal with stress.

Medical school will be more stressful than what you're dealing with now.

Hey everyone,

I'm a sophomore right now with with a 3.6 GPA. I've taken the 8 hours of bio with lab, general chemistry with lab and the first semester of organic chemistry with lab.
I plan on taking the MCAT in the summer of 2014 but I'm worried about extracurricular activities.

As of right now, I've done about 50 hours of tutoring and 65 hours of shadowing.
I also am working on a research project in for a psychology lab and another research project in computational and data sciences.

This summer I plan on shadowing more and volunteering at a free clinic. I'M SO STRESSED ABOUT ALL THE COMPETITION Which I know I shouldn't be, but I just want this so badly because I cant think of a better way to help humanity.

What else can I do to stand out or increase my chances of being accepted?

 

[EnergyDrink]

Having a story is not nearly as important enough as having the grades and scores. I have some top-notch ECs and LORs, but didn't fare very well this cycle because I didn't put the effort into undergrad until too late.

 

[virtuoso735]

Sounds like you will be applying summer of 2015, or 2014 at the earliest. Either way, you have plenty of time to get involved with more activities. If you're interested in clinical volunteering, free clinics and hospices are both great places to get experience. Hospices in particular need more volunteers since a hospice doesn't register on a lot of people's radars when they think of places to volunteer.

If you're going to apply in 2014, do realize that your application may be a little late (by SDN standards) since you are taking the MCAT in the summer. If you're only shooting for DO schools, that shouldn't be a problem. If you are shooting for MD schools, it really is advantageous to apply as soon as possible, which means having your MCAT score before you submit your primary.

 

[MedPR]

Hey everyone,

I'm a sophomore right now with with a 3.6 GPA. I've taken the 8 hours of bio with lab, general chemistry with lab and the first semester of organic chemistry with lab.
I plan on taking the MCAT in the summer of 2014 but I'm worried about extracurricular activities.

As of right now, I've done about 50 hours of tutoring and 65 hours of shadowing.
I also am working on a research project in for a psychology lab and another research project in computational and data sciences.

This summer I plan on shadowing more and volunteering at a free clinic. I'm just worried about all the competition Which I know I shouldn't be, but I just want this so badly because I cant think of a better way to help humanity.

What else can I do to stand out or increase my chances of being accepted?

You've got a long time until applying. Keep volunteering, do well on the MCAT, and keep your grades up.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

 

[neelers11]

Thanks. I was planning on taking the MCAT May of next year. My main concern was how to stand out with extracurriculars. All of your advices were great appreciated! 🙂