advice for fixing low ECs/creating a narrative?

[premedbarista]

hi, sorry if this is a little neurotic, i'm just really stressed out right now lol

So I'm a spring sophomore right now and I'm a bit worried because I don't really have anything done. Freshman year I was working as a barista 20-30 hours a week bc i needed money so i didn't really have much time for anything else. Right now, I only have two ECs, I have ~600 hours of research, third author on a publication, and ~150 hours volunteering at a student-run shelter for unhoused college students, going to have a leadership role in that club next year. I also did 50 hours of volunteering at a hospital, but I felt like it wasn't really meaningful as I just kinda answered the patient call lights and phone, didn't really get any valuable experience out of that and I don't know if i'll even include it on my application.

I guess my main concern is that I don't have any volunteering that I could tell a story about, shadowing, or clinical experience. I love my research and the shelter, but I feel like I just don't have anything that would make me a compelling applicant. I've been looking for a clinical experience job and applying to positions for over a year now with absolutely no luck. I don't know any doctors, have no family friends or anything that are doctors, and even asked my own doctor if I could shadow and she said no. I've been emailing places but nobody even responds. I've started an EMT class and should get certified by July, but it is likely that I'll just be doing inter-facility transport jobs as those are what are available where i am and I'm not sure if that really would give me anything to talk about on my app.

I am at a loss for what my next steps should be. I know I need to kinda reinvent myself and my resume in order to get into med school at this point, not sure how though. I'm really trying to stay in California for med school as the legal protections for my minority group are best here and rapidly declining elsewhere in the country. Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks

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[chilly_md]

I'm really trying to stay in California for med school as the legal protections for my minority group are best here and rapidly declining elsewhere in the country.

Do keep in mind that California is the largest exporter of accepted med students. The in-state MD schools are very difficult to get into.

Hospice volunteering is an option that is often overlooked. CNA or MA certification would get your foot in at a hospital. The EMT can work too, you may have to be open to commuting if there are limited opportunities available in your area.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I guess my main concern is that I don't have any volunteering that I could tell a story about, shadowing, or clinical experience. I love my research and the shelter, but I feel like I just don't have anything that would make me a compelling applicant.

Do you journal? If it is about writing a narrative, you need to begin understanding reflective writing as that is one area that will really help you with applications and beyond (you'll be writing more).

It means you have to tap into your observation skills for the experience you are in and the clinical experience you are looking for.

Not knowing anything about where you go to school, are you near an academic medical center? What do the older premeds do for clinical experience? How are you asking for shadowing? Do you have a prehealth advisor or club? Community engagement office? Student health office? EMT experience will help.

 

[LizzyM]

One overlooked opportunity for shadowing is linking with your college's alumni office. Ask if they can connect you with alumni who are physicians who are practicing in your area (either near you will spend the summer or the area near your school).

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

There's a story in everything. You just can't see it yet. But when someone points it out to you, it'll sound like fiction.

Source: clueless writer turned less-clueless writer

 

[Rachapkis]

Very few undergrad ECs are truly unique. And very few medical school personal statements make for compelling reading. For most applicants, it's a mistake to approach the PS like a creative writing assignment. Use simple declarative sentences; ordinary vocabulary; and focus on what you're trying to get across in your PS and application. They are merely vehicles to: (1) answer the question "why medicine?"; (2) show that you have enough experience to know what you're getting into; and (3) show that you have the experience, traits, and self-awareness to make an strong medical student and doctor.

 

[canarystones]

To create a narrative, everything you do must connect in some way, and you should learn from each of your experiences and identify problems you want to solve.

What did you learn from volunteering in the 'student-run shelter for unhoused college students'? How did those students end up in that situation? What were their family backgrounds like? What can you do for people experiencing homelessness where you live? What nonclinical organization can you join that addresses some of those problems you observed? What clinical opportunities are available that provide care to unhoused populations? What can you do to make their lives easier?

You're viewing these things incorrectly; you're not supposed to tell a story or even think about a story to tell as a college sophomore. You should pursue what you are passionate about, have a reason why you do what you do, and relate how your experiences will help you be a good doctor and how they changed you as a person. Then your story should be evident when its time to apply.

You should be fully informed of every metric medical school judges applicant by. Very few undergrad ECs are truly unique, but some are more unique than others. I did all of this and had a great cycle. Good Luck on your journey.

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

Very few undergrad ECs are truly unique. And very few medical school personal statements make for compelling reading. For most applicants, it's a mistake to approach the PS like a creative writing assignment. Use simple declarative sentences; ordinary vocabulary; and focus on what you're trying to get across in your PS and application. They are merely vehicles to: (1) answer the question "why medicine?"; (2) show that you have enough experience to know what you're getting into; and (3) show that you have the experience, traits, and self-awareness to make an strong medical student and doctor.

I have years of creative writing classes and ECs so I almost at this point feel like the adcoms will be let down if I don't take them on a journey of whimsey and magic through my PS.

 

[gyngyn]

I have years of creative writing classes and ECs so I almost at this point feel like the adcoms will be let down if I don't take them on a journey of whimsey and magic through my PS.

You are kidding, right?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I have years of creative writing classes and ECs so I almost at this point feel like the adcoms will be let down if I don't take them on a journey of whimsey and magic through my PS.

This would be so profitable as a podcast/channel to help with insomnia. 😁

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

"The crackle of the wizard's magic wand reverberates throughout the air, as his long white coat ruffles in the wind. An ancient rune is forged upon the slate--a prescription pad they call it in this world--as the potion maker "fills" this order and retrieves the salve for the sufferer. 'Thank you, oh wise wizard, for it has taken you many a year of hardships to learn your craft' he says. 'But your magic is no longer a secret to anyone, for indeed there are many a tome and manual now with said medical spell.'"

Not my best work. Sorry for derailing but it's good to lighten up this place every once in while, eh?

 

[gyngyn]

"The crackle of the wizard's magic wand reverberates throughout the air, as his long white coat ruffles in the wind. An ancient rune is forged upon the slate--a prescription pad they call it in this world--as the potion maker "fills" this order and retrieves the salve for the sufferer. 'Thank you, oh wise wizard, for it has taken you many a year of hardships to learn your craft' he says. 'But your magic is no longer a secret to anyone, for indeed there are many a tome and manual now with said medical spell.'"

I wish I could say I've never seen a PS like this...
I save them in a special file.