Last year my application was very rushed and I only ended up applying to two schools. I got an interview, but ultimately got rejected from both. This year I applied to 13 schools and so far I have one II, one II hold, and silence from the other 11 schools. I submitted my primary the second week of June, and all the secondary were completed within the month of August.
Anyway, my enthusiasm is not very high for this cycle and I need to find something productive to do so my application is better next time. I just don't know what activity will give me the best ROI at this point. I quit my job as a medical assistant about a month and a half ago because it was driving me crazy, and I was no longer gaining anything from it. I traveled, caught up on some reading I wanted to do, hit the gym a lot. Now I need to find a new activity to start doing.
The two main options I'm considering right now: MA at a psychiatry office (psychiatry is the specialty I'm most interested in) OR personal trainer/nutrition coach.
The MA job could be good... but I already have 3000 clinical hours. So I don't know if that would move the needle much.
The personal trainer/nutrition coach I personally think is a good idea, but I worry how the admissions committee will perceive it. I think exercise and nutrition are really important, and I believe some practical experience in that field would be good to have as a physician. I just wonder if this is considered "medical" enough or if it will cause the adcom to question my commitment to medicine.
Stats:
bcpm GPA: 3.3
cumulative GPA: 3.5
MCAT: 506 (last cycle) 510 (retake)
Clinical Hours: 3000 as an MA/Scribe, but it was all in one clinic
Shadowing: 64 hours, 4 specialties
Volunteering: 600 hours, ~500 of the hours are at habitat for humanity the rest are from boys and girls club. Also I just recently started at the foodbank since I have so much free time.
Research: ~250 hours, second author on one publication
Leadership: ~4000 hours, I was shift supervisor at a local restaurant
I also have 4 LOR from MDs, 4 from professors, and 2 from employers for a total of 10 LOR (i.e. I can't imagine I'd need anymore than that)
I think my GPA is my weakest attribute, but I already did a DIY post-bacc of 24 bcpm credits and got a 3.5 gpa.
I'll definitely retake the MCAT, I think I can squeak out a score in the mid-teens.
Anyway, what would be the best use of my time right now? What could I do that would make the biggest difference in my application? I'm still volunteering, reading and learning a ton, and hitting the gym, so I'm not actually doing nothing... but from the perspective of an adcom I'm basically doing nothing.
Anyway, my enthusiasm is not very high for this cycle and I need to find something productive to do so my application is better next time. I just don't know what activity will give me the best ROI at this point. I quit my job as a medical assistant about a month and a half ago because it was driving me crazy, and I was no longer gaining anything from it. I traveled, caught up on some reading I wanted to do, hit the gym a lot. Now I need to find a new activity to start doing.
The two main options I'm considering right now: MA at a psychiatry office (psychiatry is the specialty I'm most interested in) OR personal trainer/nutrition coach.
The MA job could be good... but I already have 3000 clinical hours. So I don't know if that would move the needle much.
The personal trainer/nutrition coach I personally think is a good idea, but I worry how the admissions committee will perceive it. I think exercise and nutrition are really important, and I believe some practical experience in that field would be good to have as a physician. I just wonder if this is considered "medical" enough or if it will cause the adcom to question my commitment to medicine.
Stats:
bcpm GPA: 3.3
cumulative GPA: 3.5
MCAT: 506 (last cycle) 510 (retake)
Clinical Hours: 3000 as an MA/Scribe, but it was all in one clinic
Shadowing: 64 hours, 4 specialties
Volunteering: 600 hours, ~500 of the hours are at habitat for humanity the rest are from boys and girls club. Also I just recently started at the foodbank since I have so much free time.
Research: ~250 hours, second author on one publication
Leadership: ~4000 hours, I was shift supervisor at a local restaurant
I also have 4 LOR from MDs, 4 from professors, and 2 from employers for a total of 10 LOR (i.e. I can't imagine I'd need anymore than that)
I think my GPA is my weakest attribute, but I already did a DIY post-bacc of 24 bcpm credits and got a 3.5 gpa.
I'll definitely retake the MCAT, I think I can squeak out a score in the mid-teens.
Anyway, what would be the best use of my time right now? What could I do that would make the biggest difference in my application? I'm still volunteering, reading and learning a ton, and hitting the gym, so I'm not actually doing nothing... but from the perspective of an adcom I'm basically doing nothing.
Last edited:
