Ec, volunteer, research

[Flamingo123]

I'm a junior premed.
-I did not take the MCATs yet
- over 100 hours as a volunteer in a hospital (using skills such as listening, companionship, interaction with medical staff)
- volunteering at a crisis text line (using skills such as listening, problem solving,collaborating)
- 10 hours shadowing doctor
I will be doing research next year. I have no experiences that qualify as leadership skills. What should I do to give me an edge in the application process?

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[candbgirl]

When do you plan to apply? When are you taking the MCAT? As the poster above said, keep working on your ECs. You need about 50 hours of shadowing. The rest of your RCs could use some work too , or better explanations from your descriptions.

 

[Flamingo123]

I will be applying in 2 years.
Any other suggestions besides for tutoring/teaching?

 

[The_J_Man]

Do research like you plan, but stick with it until you graduate, try to get published. Present your findings at a conference or two. Admissions committees want to see that you not only did research, but that it was a meaningful and consistent experience. Consider finding a clinical job to increase your exposure and help pay the bills. Working as a medical scribe is a pretty good option as you can really watch and learn from the physician-patient interactions as well as picking up lots of information on medical terminology, physical exams, drugs, dosages, symptoms, procedures, ect. Plus it tends to be easier to get good shadow experiences when you have a foot in the door. Another good option would be looking around the student government organizations and finding one that really resonates with something you care about, and then getting involved. Doing things you genuinely care about is best as you will be motivated to do it and you will develop better experiences from it. Start studying for your MCAT now, don't allow yourself to brain dump your material. Review your material every 3 months or so to keep it fresh. 'Vacations' are good times to do this. Also if you have hobbies that you are passionate about, don't be afraid to keep pursuing them on your down time, committees like to see diverse people who are true to themselves.

 

[Flamingo123]

Thank you for the advice.
1) If I graduate with a 3.7 gpa, what are my chances of getting into a top 20 md school?
(Assuming that I do research, gain 300+ clinical volunteer hours, 200+ clinical volunteer hours).

2) on a side note, I forgot to mention that I have around 100 volunteer hours of assisting mom of low income household with childcare which i did during my freshman year. Should I include that when applying?

3) If i dont have a chance, what other schools should I apply to on the east coast?