Will I get into med school/Will this particular kind of extracurricular help me?

[Rolling]

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I'm a 3.75 Chemical Engineer, ~3.8 Science GPA and I went to a top 10 Engineering school. I am studying for the MCAT.

I have good extracurriculars, but I was wondering if a teaching program (not Teach for America) but something very similar will help me when applying to med school. I just graduated and was offered a position at a consultant or a position to teach underprivileged kids in an urban city. The teaching program may not be very well-known, so I'm not sure if garners a lot of "brand recognition", but it's still a good cause, and I think should help me for med school.

The only drawback is I'm 22 years old and I want to apply to med school now, but my friends are telling me I should take the MCAT this summer, apply, and do some volunteer work in the fall as opposed to doing this teaching thing. I figured it would help me a lot for getting into a good med school, but what do you guys think?

What kind of MCAT score do I need? Does name recognition for humanitarian/volunteer/extracurriculars really need a name or does it not matter? Am I making a mistake by devoting the next two years of my life to doing this? I felt like it would help me get into med school, and I really think I would like to do the job. Is it worth it or should I just take the MCAT this summer then apply?

 

[twentyten]

In my opinion, you should do this program only if it's what you want to do/you think you'll enjoy doing and not because you want medical schools to notice it. Do you even like teaching? Working with children under less than ideal circumstances? A lot of times, programs similar to TFA are very hard on the student teachers, so it's something that you should be relatively committed to and have thought a lot about.

Do you have enough clinical experience (not shadowing, though this is important too) under your belt? Have you shown commitment to other volunteer and/or leadership activities? Have you done research (this is especially important if you are applying to highly competitive schools because they tend to be academic/research powerhouses)?

You'll want a balanced MCAT score above 30 for most MD schools, above 34(?) for highly competitive schools. You should check out some school stats in the MSAR if you haven't done so already to get a general feel for what score you need.

 

[Rolling]

I've checked out a lot of stuff. I know I need a well-balanced MCAT score to get in.

this is what I've done

Research
One summer at an ivy league (REU)
One summer at UCLA (REU)

Extracurricular/Volunteer
All throughout college I have a bunch of different student orgs I was a part of, working in underprivileged communities, social orgs, non-profit orgs
I've done a lot of volunteer work at hospitals (ER) (~200 hrs)

Shadowing
I shadowed in a cancer clinic for a month and a half (~240 hrs)

What kind of Clinical experience can I get? What do I need? How do I get it? Is there something lacking from my Resume?


I would like to teach underprivileged kids and I have a strong desire to do so, but I am very weary that it's going to burn me out.

 

[twentyten]

For it to be considered clinical experience, you need to have patient contact. You can volunteer in a hospital (but not in a gift shop where you will likely not see any patients), at a nursing home, in a hospice, in a free clinic, wherever, but you need to interact somehow with sick people. Medical schools want to see you devote some time to this so that they know that you know what you're getting yourself into and that you can handle working with sick people. Search the forums for ideas and more insight.

 

[Catalystik]

You said you would be participating in the teaching program for two years. Would it give you the flexibility you'd need to attend interviews?

Name brand recognition isn't necessary. You would be gaining a Teaching activity and though I assume you'd be paid, it wouldn't be much, right? So there is a component of community service to the experience. But you could acquire the same elements for your application by tutoring local kids at a middle or high school for 4 hours a week. Being unpaid, it would clearly be a community service and not employment. If you need time away for interviews, you can take it.

The decision comes down to whether you really want to do it to get some time away from academia before you start med school. You could also get a job in engineering and volunteer a few nights a week, if that is your purpose.

You already have nonmedical volunteerism to list on your application. If you aspire to acceptance to more selective schools, additional research would serve you well, as what you have now is a below average for such institutions (but fine for general purposes). Your clinical experience is fine. Your shadowing is well above average.

You don't mention leadership or teaching. If you were to start one or both before submission, you could list it as an ongoing experience, sending in updates to schools about your continued involvement.

I think you'd be fine to apply this summer, so long as you take the MCAT early enough not to be considered a "late" application. But don't be pressured by your friends to apply prematurely if you really need some time off of school. There are many options for what you could do with that extra time that will have a positive impact on a med school application process, depending on what you feel it would take to be happy and fulfilled.

 

[Rolling]

What I have so far wouldn't get me into a top 10 school? What do I need to get into a top 10 school?

Assuming my MCAT score is good enough, what more do I need? I could volunteer at a hospital, clinic, hospice on weekends I suppose. You honestly think I don't have good enough research to go to a top 10 school? That's fair, I just didn't realize it was lacking.

I DO have leadership from my student orgs, and I have some tutoring experience

 

[Catalystik]

What I have so far wouldn't get me into a top 10 school? What do I need to get into a top 10 school?

I'd aim for an MCAT score of 35+ and try to get in another 1 1/3 years of substantive research, ideally with publication. I'd be sure my leadership had been strong (not just running meetings). I'd continue gaining clinical experience and do some sort of weekly nonmedical community service with one organization. Top Ten schools aim to train the future leaders in medicine, so your application would need to reflect that you had that potential.