Hi
@InTypical, great question! I won't list out every single thing I did in detail but I'll give you a general idea of some things I pursued based on what you asked!
Clinical Experience - I had about 300+ hours in the ED department and clinical lab of a major hospital in my area which really gave me a chance to interact with patients independently most of the time before the nurses/physicians would see them. I near the end of first year of college, and I can honestly say that this experience confirmed my desire to pursue medicine. Until you get your hands dirty in the field, you really don't know if this is something you truly want to pursue.
Non-clinical volunteering / ECs - I volunteered with the Boys and Girls club in my local area for about 3 years. I served as a peer mentor at my university for 3 years helping freshmen students over the course of an entire year as they adjust to college. I also served as a lab assistant in General Biology courses and Immunology. I was a member of Theta Chi fraternity throughout all 4 years, and I served on the exec board of clubs during my time at my university.
Shadowing - I was fortunate enough to shadow 2 MDs and 1 DO.
Family Medicine MD - 75 hours / Internal Medicine MD - 24 hours / OMM DO - 50 hours
Research - Depending on where you attend, it may be more difficult to get involved in research and it certainly isn't necessary, but if you can, why not give it a shot. I was fortunate enough to participate in Bioinformatics research on hypothetical proteins with one of my professors and was able to have something published before graduating from college. It was actually a really neat experience, and I also had the opportunity to attend an international conference in Las Vegas with graduate students!
MCAT score/GPA - I consider myself an underdog in this category because my science GPA was below average, and my MCAT score was sub-500. So, I obviously recommend you do better in this department, but at the end of the day, if you work hard and keep grinding, you'll make it.
sGPA 3.19 / cGPA 3.57 / MCAT 498
My biggest suggestion is remain organized as you progress through college, and don't be afraid to adjust your situation in order to help yourself be successful. For example, if you had to lessen some your ECs one semester to conquer certain science courses. If you ever have any more questions feel free to ask!
