What to focus on improving within my app? Junior, Non-Trad

[mellamotokyo]

Hello, SDN!

I (28F) am hoping to get some advice on what I should be focusing on right now (aside from volunteering). I have been working in medical settings for three years, and decided last year to go back to school and finish my bachelors with the eventual goal of applying to medical school. I am currently a junior studying biotechnology, and found out last month that I have received a full ride to my state university. Previously, I did not have a lot of financial flexibility and so I never had time to volunteer. I am currently volunteering a few hours every weekend at a local foodbank.

Here are my current stats and ECs:

URM (Latina), First-generation student
3.8 cummulative GPA (4.0 since returning to school in 2020, 3.7 at previous college 2012-2013)

Shadowing (all within past 3 years):
Family Medicine - 6 hours
Phlebology - 12 hours
Interventional Radiology - 48 hours

Clinical Experience (2019 - Summer 2022)
500 hours (phlebology assistant and emergency room attendant)

Volunteering (Fall 2022)
12 hours (every Saturday AM at local food bank)

Research - 0 Hours

Leadership - I have managed two businesses for a total of 5 years (2012 - 2020), and I am the lead assistant in my current job (1 year).

Currently, I work as an assistant (non-clinical) to a group of Interventional Radiologists and Cardiologists part time (~20 hours/week) at a local hospital. I have received a job offer to work as a PCA for one of the interventional cardiologists in their clinic part-time. They will pay for my training.

Although I love my current job, I want to make the most of my scholarship. I have been working full time and going to school part time until this semester, since I am self-supported. I am worried this will look bad on my application, since I have not had time to volunteer. There were several times I worked 2-3 jobs while going to school to cover my bills and tuition.

My question is, should I quit my job to focus more on volunteering and research? An alternative, should I accept the PCA job and take a gap year after I graduate to gain more research and volunteering experience? Should I focus on something else, or in addition to these two things? I look forward to reading your responses. Thank you in advance!

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[lumya]

Do you need to work to help support yourself financially or does the scholarship cover cost of living as well? Will you still be financially secure if you quit your job? If you need this job, you shouldn’t put your med school app above being comfortable financially.

Volunteering is always a good thing to work on. Research is something you should do if you’re interested in it. It’s not that big of a focus, and you usually have to commit quite a bit of time to do any meaningful research.

When are you planning on taking the MCAT?

It seems like you really like your current job. If I was in your situation I think I would try to work fewer hours and spend more time on volunteering and studying for the MCAT. I don’t think I would dedicate time to research unless there was a specific project I really wanted to work on.

 

[mellamotokyo]

Do you need to work to help support yourself financially or does the scholarship cover cost of living as well? Will you still be financially secure if you quit your job? If you need this job, you shouldn’t put your med school app above being comfortable financially.

Volunteering is always a good thing to work on. Research is something you should do if you’re interested in it. It’s not that big of a focus, and you usually have to commit quite a bit of time to do any meaningful research.

When are you planning on taking the MCAT?

It seems like you really like your current job. If I was in your situation I think I would try to work fewer hours and spend more time on volunteering and studying for the MCAT. I don’t think I would dedicate time to research unless there was a specific project I really wanted to work on.

 

[mellamotokyo]

Thank you for your reply!

I will be less financially secure if I quit my job, but I will still be able to cover housing and food through my scholarship. Unfortunately, this job requires 20 hours minimum, so I'd have to find a job elsewhere in order to work less hours.

To be honest, I am not terribly interested in research. My state school does not require research. However, since it appears to be a requirement at some schools, I don't want to have this missing from my application and it count against me.

I have been studying for the MCAT since March and plan to take it late 2023 - January 2024.

 

[Chardeemacdennis60]

Thank you for your reply!

I will be less financially secure if I quit my job, but I will still be able to cover housing and food through my scholarship. Unfortunately, this job requires 20 hours minimum, so I'd have to find a job elsewhere in order to work less hours.

To be honest, I am not terribly interested in research. My state school does not require research. However, since it appears to be a requirement at some schools, I don't want to have this missing from my application and it count against me.

I have been studying for the MCAT since March and plan to take it late 2023 - January 2024.

Wait, have you been studying for the MCAT since March 2022 and are planning on taking the exam in January 2024 (~20 months)?