4.0 GPA, 520 MCAT, No research

[Kerplop]

Colorado resident, white, male, non-trad student

GPA: 4.0

MCAT: 520 (131, 130, 130, 129)

Clinical volunteering: 300 hours hospital

Non-clinical volunteering: 40 hours

Shadowing: 30 hours

Research: none


I’m mainly wondering if my lack of research will hurt me so much that I should hold off on applying until I can get some research under my belt. If I apply this year though here’s the start of a list:

CU
UChicago
USC(Keck)
UCLA
UVM
Dartmouth
NYMC
OHSU
Mayo
Tulane

Any and all help is appreciated!

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[deev04]

It'll probably hurt you at the top, research-heavy schools. Your list seems like a very reasonable start and I'd imagine your state school will bite. I'd include more mid/upper-mid-tier schools. These schools might be more likely to drool over your stats and you'll have less competition from the Rhodes Scholar/First Author Nature types. You should still throw in a bunch of reaches.

Hard to fully appreciate ECs online, but that sounds like the weakest aspect of your application. Taking a gap year would only make your app stronger. I don't think you need one though. Might not get as much interest at the top, but there are plenty of great (even top 20) schools that consider applicants with no research, provided they have other ECs going for them. Unclear whether your ECs are of that caliber, but anything you get involved with now or plan for next year can be listed on your app/included in updates.

 

[kneeshoe]

I would definitely recommend investing a gap year into research and pumping up your clinical/nonclinical hours (mainly nonclinical). A perfect GPA and amazing MCAT such as yours should not go to waste on low-tier schools since top schools will most likely reject your current app.

 

[precisiongraphic]

I don't think lack of research would kill your app. If you look at MSAR, even the top schools don't matriculate 100% of students with research experience: This ranges from 90-95%. But @LizzyM @Goro @gyngyn might have better input than I.

Kerplop- do you mean OHSU (Oregon) or OSU (Ohio State)?

Colorado resident, white, male, non-trad student

GPA: 4.0

MCAT: 520 (131, 130, 130, 129)

Clinical volunteering: 300 hours hospital

Non-clinical volunteering: 40 hours (tutoring low income elementary students)

Shadowing: 30 hours (orthopedics and family practice)

Research: none

Other extracurriculars: curling throughout undergrad, co-founder of a hiking website, worked a variety of jobs throughout and after undergrad

I’m mainly wondering if my lack of research will hurt me so much that I should hold off on applying until I can get some research under my belt. If I apply this year though here’s the start of a list:

CU
UChicago
USC(Keck)
UCLA
UVM
Dartmouth
NYMC
OHSU
Mayo
Tulane

Any and all help is appreciated!

 

[LizzyM]

Did you have a profession and then leave it or have you had random jobs after college and while doing post-bac classes?
Did you have a gap between HS and college? Could you be more specific about being non-trad?

Your grades and scores are good enough to get you into the top 20 research intensive schools if you like that sort of thing but you haven't done any research so your chances of being interviewed for those schools shrinks considerably. When applicants get in without research at schools such as that it is often because they were a D-1 athlete, military officer, or had some other unusual hook.

I'd suggest getting a research job for 2017-2019 and apply in June 2018. This is far better than applying in 2017, getting nothing and being at the point in 2018 of needing to reapply. Save yourself the angst and apply after you have a year of research experience.

 

[Kerplop]

I've come up with an idea based on advice so far. I'm thinking I may apply to only my state school this year. I'd be very happy to attend there, and applying to only one school would save me from a stressful cycle. During the glide year I can get a research position and work on some other ECs. If I'm not accepted, then I'll just have a stronger application to send out to a range of schools in 2018. Thoughts?

 

[deev04]

You should find out if you have to disclose that you are a reapplicant (even to schools that you're a first time applicant) should you not get into CU this cycle. Other more informed people on here probably know these sort of things.

If you really are only applying to one school, you should apply Early Decision. It's usually not recommended because you can't apply to other schools until you hear back on October 1, which would mean applying super late to other schools should you get rejected. However, in your case since you are an above average stat applicant, applying EDP would probably increase your chances since they'd know that they're your first choice. It would also mean you would know whether or not you're accepted to medical school by October 1.

Here's more info (click on early decision): AMCAS® FAQs

 

[Kerplop]

Thank you for the help @deev04. It looks like you're only considered a reapplicant at schools you've already applied to.

I like the Early Decision idea, but unfortunately CU doesn't participate in the Early Decision Program. I'm going to give a lot more thought to what I'll be doing, but you've all been a great help.

 

[BombsAway]

When applicants get in without research at schools such as that it is often because they were a D-1 athlete, military officer, or had some other unusual hook.

Curious about the civilian/adcom perception. Does the officer title carry more weight/incur more leniency than non commissioned officer military applicants?
Appreciate you insights, as always.

 

[LizzyM]

Curious about the civilian/adcom perception. Does the officer title carry more weight/incur more leniency than non commissioned officer military applicants?
Appreciate you insights, as always.

More often we see officers... e.g. military academy grads. Someone who enlisted after HS and then went to college... about the same but generally less leadership in those situations. Either way, I've estimated that vets and active duty get a bump equivalent to 0.5 increase in GPA. Huzzah!

 

[MareNostrummm]

Did you have a profession and then leave it or have you had random jobs after college and while doing post-bac classes?
Did you have a gap between HS and college? Could you be more specific about being non-trad?

Your grades and scores are good enough to get you into the top 20 research intensive schools if you like that sort of thing but you haven't done any research so your chances of being interviewed for those schools shrinks considerably. When applicants get in without research at schools such as that it is often because they were a D-1 athlete, military officer, or had some other unusual hook.

I'd suggest getting a research job for 2017-2019 and apply in June 2018. This is far better than applying in 2017, getting nothing and being at the point in 2018 of needing to reapply. Save yourself the angst and apply after you have a year of research experience.

Say the OP did have some volunteer research experience in their undergraduate lab, how much time would they have had to have to be considered adequate for research heavy schools, assuming they don't have any publications?

 

[LizzyM]

Say the OP did have some volunteer research experience in their undergraduate lab, how much time would they have had to have to be considered adequate for research heavy schools, assuming they don't have any publications?

Minimum (better than nothing) would be 10-15/hr/wk over 15 weeks (semester). Slightly better would be a full-time project over a summer.