What steps should I take to improve just over a year out from applications? (ORM/519/3.98)

[Ad C]

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Sorry if this is a bit of a cliche post, and not exactly a WAMC, but I was wondering how I could take steps to improve my application for when I apply. I am currently a junior in university, and plan to apply just after my senior year (a single gap year). For reference, my stats are as follows:

CA ORM (Indian), Current Junior Undergraduate
Stats:
GPA: 3.99 cGPA, 3.98 sGPA
MCAT: 519 (definitely took this a bit too early, Sep 2024 date)

Clinical Hours:
173 total (100 from my CNA licensing course, 15 from my time as a hospital volunteer in the ER, and the rest from Hospice Volunteering)

Non-clinical Hours:
240 Hours, from my time as a hospital volunteer (I spent my time mostly in the non-clinical side of the hospital from my junior year of high school through freshman year, then continued in a clinical volunteering role in the ER for a short while till during the summer after freshman year)

Research Experience:
Currently around 400 hours as a research assistant in a wet lab, currently working on a project that if successful will result in a publication, but no publications/posters/conferences as of yet

Shadowing:
Currently zero at this point.

Leadership:
Nothing as of right now

Extracurriculars:
Current Volunteer at a low-income school coaching students to participate in Science Olympiad (~20 hours), may get leadership here next year

While I am keenly aware of some of the flaws in my current application, I am currently thinking about ways to utilize the remaining time (roughly 1 year and a few months) to best bolster my resume in a way that I can actually be passionate about.
For my clinical hours, although I did have a CNA license, I felt my body was not able to keep up with the physical workload and thus decided not to pursue that. Instead, I am going to pursue scribing as a part-time job starting this summer through my gap year to significantly improve my clinical experiences apart from my current experiences (hospice volunteering will continue as well, which I greatly enjoy).
For non-clinical volunteering, I am also keenly aware of my lack of experiences in community service here. To rectify this, I am planning to join a volunteer program that feeds people at a local homeless shelter, and possibly may try to volunteer at the local food bank (although I prefer the former more).

Apart from cold-emailing for shadowing, are there any other things that I am currently missing in my strategy to improve that I am overlooking? Advice and guidance are greatly appreciated, as I am unsure about how to progress other than these steps.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

Thank you for paying attention to our collective advice. You have the main areas of concern identified. Here are some other things I can think of to make sure you are closely prepared as possible.

With the MCAT score, you are on the clock to submit your application over the next three-ish years (2027 matriculation). Plan your strategy with letters and recruitment visits to develop an optimal school list where you resonate on mission fit. Meet with your prehealth advisors as needed.

Get out of your comfort zone. Make sure you enjoy being around uncomfortable situations. Sure, you may know your limits with being a CNA, but I will let others comment how they compare.

 

[Ad C]

Thank you for your advice!
I also have a question regarding non-clinical hours. While I do have those 240 hours from my hospital volunteer experience, I am aware that medical schools may not care much about that experience, as it occurred mostly during my high school years, with some of it taking place in my freshman year (fully continuously). Thus, I was planning to try and hit at least 150 hours (roughly 50 weeks x 3 hours) at the homeless shelter volunteering. Would this be considered sufficient non-clinical experience?

Apart from that, my university unfortunately does not have any pre-health advising on campus. Apart from connecting with peers who have gone through the application process, is there any other way I could gain advice on steps to take (apart from SDN forums itself), especially as I get closer to my application time?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

150 hours is a threshold to avoid getting screened out at most schools, but if is no guarantee your application moves forward to interview. You must clearly describe your purpose as a physician and your mission fit with schools on your list. Some will want more hours and dedication to serve the community than 150 hours allows (3 hours a week for a year).

Have you attended recruitment sessions hosted by the schools or AMSA/SNMA/student chapters? Have you heard of APAMSA or SAMSA?

National SAMSA

Welcome Founded by medical students in 2020, the South Asian Medical Student Association (SAMSA) is a national organization determined to unify medical students' efforts to address South Asian health. We are committed to supporting medical students, promoting research initiatives and advocacy...

nationalsamsa.org

 

[Ad C]

Thank you for the quick response! I am aware that some schools would expect more, and I was planning to create a school list that accommodated my stats and experiences closer to the 2026-27 cycle, in addition to getting advice about my writing. However, I have not attended recruitment sessions nor any AMSA/SNMA/APASMA/SAMSA events, and I will be keen to look into these ASAP to try and better understand what schools I can apply to based on mission fit as well as these organizations for further advice.

Furthermore, I did see you mention that 150 hours was a threshold to avoid getting screened out, but I am sure you are aware of my previous 240 hours that I have earned volunteering at a hospital in a non-clinical position. Would I be doing a disservice to my application by adding these hours?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for the quick response! I am aware that some schools would expect more, and I was planning to create a school list that accommodated my stats and experiences closer to the 2026-27 cycle, in addition to getting advice about my writing. However, I have not attended recruitment sessions nor any AMSA/SNMA/APASMA/SAMSA events, and I will be keen to look into these ASAP to try and better understand what schools I can apply to based on mission fit as well as these organizations for further advice.

Furthermore, I did see you mention that 150 hours was a threshold to avoid getting screened out, but I am sure you are aware of my previous 240 hours that I have earned volunteering at a hospital in a non-clinical position. Would I be doing a disservice to my application by adding these hours?

Remind me how many of those hours you did after you started college?

 

[Ad C]

It seems I've done 55 hours in the ER counting the summer after I graduated through Feb. of freshman year (when I switched over to the ER, and completed another 15 or so hours there), and around 30 not including the summer hours. I understand it isn't a lot on its own, but when including my entire time in the hospital it sums up to a lot more.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

It seems I've done 55 hours in the ER counting the summer after I graduated through Feb. of freshman year (when I switched over to the ER, and completed another 15 or so hours there), and around 30 not including the summer hours. I understand it isn't a lot on its own, but when including my entire time in the hospital it sums up to a lot more.

Here's what I like to ask people: would you want me to consider your admission to medical school based on your 9th grade high school grades? Being an independent adult (post-high school) matters, and what you have done most recently should be weighted more in an ideal world. Very few things matter before college, but community service (which at many high schools is a graduation requirement) is not one of them.

Effectively you had < 100 hours since high school. Bump this up more. You have at least a year.

 

[Ad C]

Yep, that makes sense. Thank you so much for all the help!

 

[LunaOri]

High school activities only count if they are continued through college.

 

[Ad C]

High school activities only count if they are continued through college.

Yes, that was what Mr.Smile12 was trying to imply, I think. While my high school activity was continued for a duration during college, and could be counted, they mentioned that I would be far better served to pursue a new experience to increase my non-clinical hours exclusively completed in college itself.

 

[Ad C]

This does bring me to my other point. The volunteer program has offered me multiple options, one which is serving these people directly (in the canteen serving meals, 2 hours per session) or being an information/referral volunteer for 3 hours per week (I can’t do this multiple times a week due to class and other commitments noted above). While I do like the canteen option more, I understand that my hours are already weak, and earning more hours may be better in my scenario, prioritizing hours over the experience. Is there one option that seems better than the other in this case?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

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