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1) The only "stat" you mention is your cGPA. What is your BCPM GPA? Do you have an upward grade trend in the sciences?I graduated last year (2012) with a BS in Microbiology. I took a year off to see if I would really go for medical or pharmacy school. I weighed the pros and cons and concluded that I would go for medicine. Also, I have issues that made me hesitant on applying: my age (19), my GPA, and pre-pharm dilemma. Lastly, I applied to pharmacy schools this year and got denied! Things happen for a reason I guess. My ultimate goal is to become an Infectious Disease Doctor, Orthopedic or ER Doctor.
Anyway, I'm going to share some of my experiences to help me gauge my application. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Personal:
Age - 20
Under Represented Minority
Education:
Pharmacy Technology Certificate - 2009
BS in Microbiology - 2012 (GPA: 3.40)
Clinical Laboratory Science Training (Will start in July 2013 and will end July 2014)
Work Experience:
Pharmacy Tech (600 hours)
Industrial Microbiologist in medical/pharmaceutical company (Current)
Volunteering:
Hospital Volunteer (330 hours)
HIV/AIDS Clinic (60 hours)
Sporadic Club/Org volunteer events (100+ hours)
Organizations:
Pre-Pharmacy Club (1 year)
Associated Student (6 months)
Honors Program (2 years)
Phi Theta Kappa (2 years)
Shadowing:
ER Doctor - ~15 hours
Orthopedic Doctor - ~15 hours
Research:
Microbiology/Genetics Research. No publications. (1.5 years)
________________________________
Okay now the questions.
1. Should I apply this upcoming cycle with these stats or should I wait for next cycle? (By that time I will be done with my Clinical Science training and be licensed)
2. If I work and train in the Clinical Lab, I will be working side by side with pathologists and physicians. Will this be sufficient in lieu of shadowing or should I just do shadowing?
3. With my experiences, is this sufficient enough to show my drive for medicine?
4. I can't really go back to school and improve my GPA. What other factors in med school application should I focus on besides GPA/MCAT?
5. I am studying for the MCAT. I'm usually a good test taker. What score should I target to increase my chances? When is the latest month I can take the MCAT for 2013-2014 cycle?
6. How badly will it hurt me that I have pharmacy experience? How can I tie it as to why I pursue medicine instead of pharmacy?
7. I want to stay in SoCal as much as possible. Do I have a chance at USC, UCI, UCR and UCLA? My top choice is UCI and USC. My cGPA is 3.40
1) The only "stat" you mention is your cGPA. What is your BCPM GPA? Do you have an upward grade trend in the sciences?
I have 3.55 BCPM GPA using the template. Actually, there is a downward trend in my GPA. My first 2 years I had 4.0 GPA. My senior hurt me really bad and I got 2.80 GPA. Something personal and life changing happened to me here. I didn't receive a D, F, withdraw or drop.
I can't comment on how important this is (I didn't do it, and neither did many of my friends who are in/got accepted to med school), but your total shadowing hours are low. 50-100 hours are numbers I see tossed around as the minimum.2) I suggest you also formally shadow a primary care doc.
How important is this?
Yes, private tutoring is great - you can classify it as a teaching activity on the AMCAS activities section.3) 4) What activities demonstrate your leadership, teamwork, and nonmedical community service that helps the poor? Teaching (TA, tutor, coach, mentor) is another activity that helps your application.
I did some private tutoring for 3 years. Can I list that? I already signed up for community volunteers. Most of my volunteering are medical oriented ones.
If your MCAT score before serious studying/practice is 28, you can probably hit 35+. Of course, the new test will be a liability.I did some practice test with hasty reviewing and pulled a 28 (This was an MCAT review book from last year). I also saw that they are changing the MCAT format but I will look more into it.
These are good, but will not be your saving grace. Focus on getting that MCAT score, doing some more shadowing, and proving your commitment to your community.Lastly, would Clinical Laboratory Training and work experience count something significant? Will this be an asset for my application?
I don't quite understand what you're trying to say. I got my certificate through ROP in high school and CA/nationally licensed as a pharm tech.
Anyway, Thank you guys for the advice! It is highly appreciated.
More questions:
Is it better to focus on one volunteer site or diversify? I really like volunteering at HIV/STD Clinic because it relates to infectious diseases (woot!). I basically provide sex education counseling etc. What other volunteer opportunities should I look into?
PS: I don't really have that much time. I work full time during the weekdays 8AM-5PM. I only have time during the weekends~
Thank you!!
Sorry to be confusing, I just mean that "tech." is short for "technician," and not "technology"
right...?