So how am I doing? Right track?

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Catalystik said:
Makes you look interesting. Do it. There's no reason you can't group a few hobbies you think of as minor into one slot.
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Gasp.

*puts down collecting guns on AMCAS*
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No, I just go here for med school. I did a postbac that has a committee letter.

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Diggidy said:
Did you go to Madison for undergrad? I don't believe they have committee letters here, but I could be mistaken. (That would be a TON of letters to write).

Do you think my ECs are going to set me apart? I hope to pick up some non-clinical volunteering over the next year and a half, and do some shadowing. I figured they would be pretty average though. It seems like my competitiveness is really hanging on my MCAT this summer, which is almost a good thing, because I'll have that fire under my ass my when it's 80* out and I want to go biking, but force myself to the library instead.

That reminds me. I race mountain bikes as an EC. Not something I planned on putting on an app because I just do it for fun, but it seems like a lot of people put stupid stuff like that on their apps so I might go for it.
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For LORS, specifically from science faculty, would an Ecology professor count?

I had to take an Ecology class last semester, and it was a smaller class, I got to know the professor pretty well, and, I smashed the piss out of this guys class. If that would work, I'll get on it and go talk to him.
 
Diggidy said:
For LORS, specifically from science faculty, would an Ecology professor count?

I had to take an Ecology class last semester, and it was a smaller class, I got to know the professor pretty well, and, I smashed the piss out of this guys class. If that would work, I'll get on it and go talk to him.
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Sure, Ecology is fine. The more personal a letter is the better.
 
If I took the class last semester, do you think it's a little late to go back asking for a LOR now?

The reason I want to ask him was because he was a pretty personal professor, and I feel like he would write a nice LOR. He's an Ecologist though, so I'm just a little irked about asking him for a med school LOR. Do adcoms really not care what kind of professor the LOR comes from, as long as they're considered in the sciences?
 
Diggidy said:
If I took the class last semester, do you think it's a little late to go back asking for a LOR now?

The reason I want to ask him was because he was a pretty personal professor, and I feel like he would write a nice LOR. He's an Ecologist though, so I'm just a little irked about asking him for a med school LOR. Do adcoms really not care what kind of professor the LOR comes from, as long as they're considered in the sciences?
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I don't think it's late at all. Adcoms are concerned that the person can evaluate your performance, not their field of study. Non-science LORs are ok too, but Ecology is definitely a science.
 
drizzt3117 said:
I don't think it's late at all. Adcoms are concerned that the person can evaluate your performance, not their field of study. Non-science LORs are ok too, but Ecology is definitely a science.
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Yes, definitely not late at all to ask for LOR. People go back a year (even few years in some cases) to ask for LOR from a professor.
 
So it's that time of the semester again, giving my little update.

Neuro II: A
Human Biochem: A
Neurobiology of Disease: A
Physics: AB
Econ: B

The B in Econ really pissed me off, but I'll live with it. This was honestly the hardest semester I've ever taken. That Neuro class was a monster, and had the hardest tests I've ever taken. Biochem too, we had 3 mid terms that were 15 pages long and took 3 hours. I couldn't believe I pulled an A off in both of them.

Semester GPA: 3.66
cGPA: ~3.45
sGPA: ~3.45

Next monday I start my TPR class, and will be taking the MCAT in August. Hopefully with 3 months of good studying, I can pull off a score in the mid 30s. I think doing poorly this semester will light a fire under my ass and give me the drive I need through summer.

I'm still EMTing a lot. Putting in ~100 hours/month.

Volunteering at the hospital is done next week, thank god. The most useless experience of my life.

Research, busier than ever. I'm in lab 10-15 hrs/week, and just found out the other day that I will be getting the 3rd or 4th spot (I don't think it matters) on a publication going in The Journal of Neuroscience, so I'm pretty happy about that. Also have my name on an Abstract (4th Auth.) already. I'm assuming the next year I'll have at least another pub.

Community Service. Haven't started anything yet because I wasn't to focus on the MCAT this summer, but next year I'm looking to try and start tutoring kids (middle or highschool) once a week.

Shadowing. Again, not yet. Since I'm taking a year off, I'm not too worried about rushing into this or Community service. Through EMTing and Research I've met a lot of physicians that have told me they would love for me to shadow them (Neurosurgeon, Critical care pediatrician, ER doc, etc...). Again, something I'm planning on getting into within the next year.

My schedule next year is going to be very relaxed, so hopefully I can pull off two 3.8+ semesters to finish out undergrad and go into applications with a strong upward trend and a GPA around 3.55. Besides that, what do you guys who've been posting in here regularly think? Should I think about adding or doing anything else in the next year?

Thanks.
 
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This thread is a good representation of "Continuity of Care." You've come a long way since first posting in 1/09 by raising your GPA from 3.15 to 3.45.

Congrats on the pending pubs.

Aside from MCAT prep, I assume you'll still be in the lab and EMTing this summer? Would it be impossible to tutor one kid for 1-2 hours a week now (it looks like you planned to start in the fall anyway)? If you haven't found a leadership activity yet, more longevity with such a program might make it easier to move up into a leadership role.
 
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Because of the week to week uncertainty of how much I'll need to be in lab, I really don't want to push it and sign up for more volunteering. We have a lot of projects finishing up right now and lab, and already this week I've been in lab for 20 hours. The last thing I want to happen is to have to push aside studying for the MCAT because I took on more stuff to do.

I figure with my relaxed schedule next year, I'll be able to take on the tutoring role, continue with research, and EMT just as much. I'm also going to fit some shadowing in there, but that might have to wait until next summer where I have no responsibilities with school anymore.

Also, for leadership, next year (2011), I'm planning on taking the Vice President spot on our EMS Association board. The board manages all the volunteers, what the volunteer commitment needs to be, planning events, and all the finances of the association.

I put together hopefully what my application will look like by the time I apply. How do you think it looks as far as competitiveness? Think I have a shot at MD schools (Ideally UW Madison)?


cGPA: 3.5-3.6
sGPA: 3.5-3.6
MCAT: Mid 30s (hopefully)
EMT: 2 years, 1000+ hours
Hospital Volunteer: 1 semester, ~50 hours
Research: 1.5 years, 1 year of own project, as well as handling all glial cell culturing for the lab and maintaining cell lines. At least 1 Pub
Shadowing: 2-3 Docs. ~50-100 Hours?
Community Service: ~1 Year
Leadership: Vice Pres of EMS Association
Hobby: I race mountain bikes in the WORS circuit (Wisconsin off road series, the largest mountain biking circuit in the country), as well as 1-2 races in Minnesota. Also an active member of local mountain biking club that works towards creating new trails and making the sport more assessable to people who want to get into the sport.
 
With stats as projected, you'll have a shot at MD schools, whether UWisc will be one of them remains to be seen.

I think your activity list is shaping up fine, with good balance in multiple desirable areas..

Consider starting the shadowing (60-80 hours) over winter and spring break so it won't all be last minute. Aren't you planning to submit June 2011?
 
Yeah I plan applying at the end of my senior year. I'm just trying to get all my bases covered and making sure I've got a solid app. Do you think I'm going to have to consider DO school? I'm not on the whole kick about DO schools being worse, it's just there's not any in a location I'd want to be in, and would like to avoid having to apply to one. With that said, if it comes to that, my app is pretty competitive for DO schools, yes?

As for UWisc specifically, I know drizzt is in med school there, so hopefully they can give me more pointed info on it
 
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Diggidy said:
my app is pretty competitive for DO schools, yes?

As for UWisc specifically, I know drizzt is in med school there, so hopefully they can give me more pointed info on it
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Yes, you are competitive for DO schools, if you get an MCAT fo 26+ with a 3.5 GPA.

With UWisc acceptee medians at 3.8/31 you should be competitive with a 3.6/33 or 3.5/34. Why not PM Drizzt and ask him to weigh in?
 
So to bump this thread, I'm curious as to how detrimental it would be if I discontinued my research? I am not enjoying it at all anymore, it is almost a burden to me at this point having to go into lab every week. It also is really fragmenting my time studying for the MCAT, which is not good, and to add to it I'm not on terrific terms with my PI.

I'm supposed to have a meeting this week with my PI, and I'm thinking about telling her I'm done and then possibly trying to find another lab for my last year.

Do you think I would be better off taking the ~10hours/week I would be spending this next year and putting it towards volunteering?

I'm hopefully going to be starting to volunteer at the Humane society for a few hours a week, and also still want to get into tutoring kids. I also need to find time to shadow next year as well, and being that I have such a distaste for research at this point, I really think my life would be easier accomplishing those three things if I were not in lab.

So what do you think? Is my time in a lab (October '09-June '10) enough for applying? Should I just drop it? Find another lab?
 
Hey Diggidy, I just read the whole thread cuz it got bumped and I don't know if it is a good idea to discontinue your research because a LOR from your PI is almost necessary after spending such a long time working in that lab. Don't drop your research, it takes a long time to build a strong relation with a faculty member

Maybe you can talk to your PI and tell her that you need to take a break or reduce your hours during the summer to be able to concentrate in the MCAT. Start volunteering now. Try to do it during the weekends.

Good luck man..
 
Isn't this the same PI that offered you a paid postion for the summer? What happened to your apparently amicable relationship?

Eight months of research is enough for general purposes if you aren't aspiring to a acceptance by a strong research institution. Leaving the lab without a strong LOR could be a problem, though, as one will be expected. Trying to substitute for its lack with a second research gig might work, but you don't have much time left before applying. Is it possible to mend the relationship with PI #1?
 
It was more another person in the lab that I didn't get along with, and because they were in lab far before I was, it just wasn't going to work out (If you're interested in the story, I can PM you). I talked to her earlier this week and will no longer be working in the lab. She told me she was confident in my training and what I have learned, and that she would be happy to write a reference letter detailing what I did and learned in lab.

Honestly, I never felt much of a relationship with my PI. She seemed confident in my abilities from what the post-docs in lab told her, but she was far too busy to really be in contact with me first hand.

I'm for sure volunteering at the Humane society now. I have my orientation next week; however my weekly dedication to that is unknown to me at this point, I'm assuming 2-3 hrs/week in Wildlife rehabilitation.

So at this point I need to decide if I want to get into another lab, or focus more on shadowing and getting into another volunteering position (I still want to tutor kids). If I get into another lab, with EMTing and the work at the humane society, I don't see there being any time for me to get any more community type volunteering in. Would a year at the humane society suffice? I'm also, this next week, going to be in contact with my GP to see if him or any of the docs in his practice will let a student shadow them.
 
Diggidy said:
I'm for sure volunteering at the Humane society now. I have my orientation next week; however my weekly dedication to that is unknown to me at this point, I'm assuming 2-3 hrs/week in Wildlife rehabilitation.

So at this point I need to decide if I want to get into another lab, or focus more on shadowing and getting into another volunteering position (I still want to tutor kids). If I get into another lab, with EMTing and the work at the humane society, I don't see there being any time for me to get any more community type volunteering in. Would a year at the humane society suffice? I'm also, this next week, going to be in contact with my GP to see if him or any of the docs in his practice will let a student shadow them.
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One consistent gig for nonmedical community service would be regarded as sufficient. If you are excited about carrying through on both opportunities, even two hours of each per week would be considered "consistent."

For the shadowing, schedule it mentally so you get it all in before you submit your application. Winter and spring breaks are other good times, as that is an activity that can be sporadic. With the planned leadership activity for the fall and your ongoing EMT job, that seems sufficient to me.

I'm happy to hear that a good letter will come out of the laboratory effort.
 
Like I said earlier, I'd like to shadow 3 docs. With that said, I'd like to get a good relationship with one (hopefully this primary care doc), and really start consistently shadowing him every couple of weeks for the next year. That way I can get a good letter, but more importantly to me, actually get a good experience out of it.

I think what I'll do is start off with the humane society thing, and if I feel like my time isn't so divided that I can't take another few hours a week tutoring, I'll start doing that after the Spring semester. I've got a good chance with a pretty lax schedule next year to get a 4.0, which would put me at a 3.6 graduating, and really solidify my upward trend since second semester sophomore year, where I haven't had anything below a 3.65 since.

As for the letter from my PI, I'm kind of hoping that my rec letter from 3 professors (For UW specifically, they require 2 science faculty and 1 non-science), my letter from one of the full-time staff I EMT with (One guy here who I'm very close with was an English/Comp major in college, so I have no doubt his letter will be anything less than phenomenal) and a letter from a doc I shadow that I won't need to rely on my PI's letter. That way, if asked in an interview or something I can say:
"Although I had a good time in research, and certainly learned a lot from the experience, I felt a closer connection to my other activities and felt my letter writers from them were more able to write a letter explaining why I should go to medical school"

Also, were you referring to the EMT leadership next year in our EMS association, or did you see something else that could be considered leadership?

As always Catalystik, thanks for your help.

EDIT: Do you think my extreme amount of hours EMTing will be any more beneficial than just the average applicant who has say around 150 hours? I don't plan on stopping, heh, because I really enjoy it. It would just be nice if an Adcom also saw it and said "God damn!, that's a lot" Haha.
 
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Diggidy said:
Also, were you referring to the EMT leadership next year in our EMS association, or did you see something else that could be considered leadership?

EDIT: Do you think my extreme amount of hours EMTing will be any more beneficial than just the average applicant who has say around 150 hours? I don't plan on stopping, heh, because I really enjoy it. It would just be nice if an Adcom also saw it and said "God damn!, that's a lot" Haha.
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Yes, I was referring to the EMT leadership activity.

High quality, intense clinical experience can override other weaknesses in an application, including stats. So, yes, I'd say you have an advantage there. But I'm glad you also have some clinical environment volunteering to broaden your experience working with other health-related professionals.
 
MCAT scores back today. 36S; V11,P10,B15. I'm not happy with my PS because I was scoring higher on AAMCs (13 average on the last 4 exams), but I'll take a 36S!. Should I be worried about a skewed score?

Anyways, how am I looking now? I know I said before that I was assuming I was going to do well on the MCAT, and you guys made sure and give me a reality check and say most people don't score that high. Well, I sat my ass in the library all summer, putting in 8 hour days studying for the thing and it paid off!

Other stuff; I'm volunteering at the humane society now, and I'm going to start training/orienting for middle/highschool tutoring for next semester. I'm also lining up shadowing with various doctors. The medical director for my EMS association is a primary care doc so I'm going to shadow him, and I've been emailing with orthopedics seeing if any surgeon allows shadowing, as well as cardiology.

This specific question is for drizz, hopefully he still check these forums. Drizz, I took your advice and fought to get into anatomy even though it's supposed to be for Pre-nursing, PA, PT and OT. Do you have any suggestions on which professor I get a LoR from? Bersu or Krabbenhoft?

So, how am I looking still? Did the MCAT help me out?
 
With the 36S, and my projected GPA and ECs, how competitive am I looking now at my state schools, UWisc and MCW? How about other schools? Now with my MCAT scores in, I'd like to start thinking about/research where I should apply. Any ideas?
 
Well done. With a 3.55/36, the steep upward grade trend, and your ECs, you'd be a reasonable applicant for both your in-state schools.

For your projected stats, others with a good OOS acceptance rate to research for "fit" might be:

UCF, USCal, Boston, Tufts, SLU, Einstein, Rochester,
UConn, Georgetown, Miami, Iowa, Maryland, UMinn, Stony Brook, Wake, Cincinnati, Penn State,
Loma Linda, Loyola, RFU, UKentucky, Creighton, Albany, SUNY Downstate, Hofstra (new), Jefferson,
UIllinois, Wayne, Buffalo, Toledo, Drexel, Temple, Vermont, VCU, Virginia Tech Carilion (new).

It would reflect well if this last year showed GPA improvement from last year's, so go all out to attain that 3.8+ we're hoping for.
 
Do you think I should look at applying DO, or can I be fairly confident on getting into an MD school? I'm going to apply pretty broadly, to around 25-30 schools (~5 reaches, ~15 matchs, ~5-10 safeties) and see where it goes from there.
 
This is one amazing thread!

You've done so well! You're doing everything! And it's just amazing to see how things turned out...

You should keep this thread going till you get into med school (which i'm sure you will)... And then maybe start your own blog lol..

Great work though, you're pretty darn amazing :)
 
Diggidy said:
Do you think I should look at applying DO, or can I be fairly confident on getting into an MD school? I'm going to apply pretty broadly, to around 25-30 schools (~5 reaches, ~15 matchs, ~5-10 safeties) and see where it goes from there.
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Those with your projected stats have had about a 70% chance of an acceptance to an AMCAS school in past years, which is a pretty solid chance.
 
Forgot to respond to that last post. So I've got a little updating to do here and a few volunteering questions.

cGPA: 3.5-3.6
sGPA: 3.5-3.6
MCAT: 36S
EMT: 2 years, 1500+ hours
Hospital Volunteer: 1 semester, ~50 hours
Research: ~8 months. Fall, spring and into summer semester. While this was cut short, I was still very involved during the time I was there and could talk indepth about the work that was done.
Shadowing: 1 Primary care doc, 1 pediatric neurologist, 1 orthopedic surgeon. 50-100 hours.
Community Service: ~1 year of wild life rehab through Human Society; more (possibly) explained below
Leadership: Vice Pres of EMS Association
Hobby: I race mountain bikes in the WORS circuit (Wisconsin off road series, the largest mountain biking circuit in the country), as well as 1-2 races in Minnesota.

So I have two questions revolving around volunteer opportunities.

1) So I was just kind of oblivious to this for some reason and didn't really think it was something that would be valuable to my application until I talked to some people about it and figured I would come here and ask. So, since about junior year of highschool until present, I have been very involved in our local not-for profit mountain biking club. We work to raise money and continuously build more and more mountain biking trails around the county. I'd say I donate around 3-500 hours per spring/summer to building trails, doing up keep, participating in club meetings and what not. The main reason I never though about using this was because it's not an official title, and we don't have registered volunteers through the NFP. So what says you? Put it down? I'm just confused because it's certainly public service, but I'm involved with it because mountain biking is a passion (hobby) of mine.

2) This winter and next spring I'm going to be getting involved with a science outreach program. I'm going to post the volunteer description because I know I wouldn't describe it any better, but I'm just curious as to whether it would be considered tutoring or leadership, or both?

"Volunteers lead after-school science clubs weekly in the area's elementary and middle schools and community centers. Volunteers also occasionally assist elementary teachers with hands-on science activities, serve as mentors for students, work with students on research projects, help with science fairs and family science nights. This program targets high needs schools and students who may not otherwise be exposed to science in their lives"

Also, Cata, as to your last post, do you get that % based solely off GPA/MCAT. Do you think my ECs are above average or good and broad enough that they will pull me up from my low GPA and raise my chances?

Again, thanks to all who have helped.
 
1) Absolutely put it down. That' a terrific activity.

2) "Leadership" refers to peer leadership. This sounds like something to put under "Teaching".

3) That statistic was taken off the 2009 AAMC grid and is based on cGPA and MCAT alone. Your ECs are very good and will help you be on the + side of the statistics if you apply to the right schools. For example, with 8 months of research, you might not want to plan on an acceptance from one of the research giants.
 
Man, and here I've been thinking that since I had to focus so much on getting my GPA up, that I ignored my ECs too much. Not the case though? Being stuck in Milwaukee for two years where I had no opportunities available to me didn't help either. That won't hurt me will it? That I really only have two years of volunteer work?

I've tried to go down the checklist of areas I should have:

Clinical experience:
-Hospital volunteer (6 months, ~50 hours)
-EMT(2 years; 1500+ hours)
-Shadowing: 3 doctors (Ortho, Primary/Urgent care, Pediatric Neurology; ~100 hours)

Research:
-Neurosurgery lab researching stroke. Handled all cell culturing, (15-20 hours/week for ~8 months)

Community Service:
-Humane society (~1 year)
-Public trail building/development/management (5 years)

Leadership:
-EMS Association vice-president (Year commitment, ~6 months active by the time I apply)

Teaching:
-Science outreach program (~6 months by the time I apply)

I don't know if I'm missing anything, or if any spot is fairly weak in experience. I don't really have the time to fit anything else in so I guess this is pretty much my EC list that I'll be applying with in June. Since you've seen 100s of applicants and their EC lists, how good is the quality of my ECs compared to average?

Also, since I'll have had a 3.7+ GPA over the past 3 years, how much will my freshman year grades weigh on me? Is it something I should address in my PS? I'd hope it would be apparent that the student I am now and the student I was freshman year is not even close to the same. I'd like to think the 36S will make up for a poor GPA too, but don't know how much.

So, and I know you can't know for sure, but if I apply intelligently (which I will, because you know I'll be back in 6 months bugging you about what schools to apply to) do you think I'll get accepted to an MD school? Should I consider DO schools at all? I'd like to stay in the midwest if that gives any insight into the type of schools I will be applying to; specifically MCW and Wisc, if you know anything specifically about their selection process.
 
Diggidy said:
1) That won't hurt me will it? That I really only have two years of volunteer work?

2) I don't know if I'm missing anything, or if any spot is fairly weak in experience. I don't really have the time to fit anything else in so I guess this is pretty much my EC list that I'll be applying with in June. Since you've seen 100s of applicants and their EC lists, how good is the quality of my ECs compared to average?

3) Also, since I'll have had a 3.7+ GPA over the past 3 years, how much will my freshman year grades weigh on me? Is it something I should address in my PS?

4) So, and I know you can't know for sure, but if I apply intelligently (which I will, because you know I'll be back in 6 months bugging you about what schools to apply to) do you think I'll get accepted to an MD school?

5) Should I consider DO schools at all? I'd like to stay in the midwest if that gives any insight into the type of schools I will be applying to; specifically MCW and Wisc, if you know anything specifically about their selection process.
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1) I don't think so.

2) You'll be fine, even though the research is below average and the leadership could have been stronger.

3) You might address the freshman year grades in a Secondary essay on Blips in the academic road, Discuss a challenge you overcame, or Tell us about a stress and how you handled it.

4) See post #75 for preview. You have a good chance of an acceptance (I cited 70% previously), better if your LORs are good and you interview intelligently (hint: practice counts).

5) If you want a higher chance of an acceptance in one season, then go for it. We discussed your in-state chances at some point inthe past. I'd think you'd be in good shape for them, but I have no personal insight into those two schools.
 
This was a great thread to read. Great work diggidy, you've really put in the effort to turn it around.
 
It's that time of the semester.

Black Music: A
Neuroethology: A
Stats: A
Conservation Biology: AB
Anatomy: A
Mountain Biking: A

GPA: 3.9
cGPA: ~3.5

Everything else is the same as a month ago.
 
Nicely done! This thread was certainly a great read. I think the application cycle will have good things in store for you.
 
Freshman Year:

First Semester: 2.98
Introduction to chemistry(4): C
College English(3): A-
Freshman Biology Seminar(3): A
Spanish 1(4): B-

Second Semester: 3.00
Gen Chem 1(5): B
Trigonometry(2): B
College Algebra(3): C
Spanish 2(4): B
Guitar(3): A

Sophomore Year:

First Semester: 3.35
Calc 1(4): C+
Gen Chem 2(5): A-
Bio 1(4): A
Spanish 3(3): B+

Second Semester: 3.92
OChem 1(3): A
Intro to Psych(3): A
Bio 2(4): A-
Bio-Stats(3): A
Genetics(3): A

Summer: 3.6
OChem 2(3): A
OChem Lab(2): B

Junior Year:

First Semester: 3.75
Physics 1(4): AB
Neurobiology 1(3): AB
Ecology(4): A
English elective(3): A

Second Semester: 3.67
Econ(3): B
Physics 2(4): AB
Neurobiology 2(3): A
Biochemistry(3): A
Neurobiology of Disease(2): A

Senior Year:

First Semester: 3.9
Black Music(3): A
Neuroethology(2): A
Stats(3): A
Conservation Biology(3): AB
Anatomy(3): A
Mountain Biking(1): A

Second Semester: We shall see
Development of the Nervous System (2)
Intro to Philosophy (4)
Music Theory 1 (3)
Comparative Physiology Lecture (3)
Comparative Physiology Lab (2)
Nuclear Engineering Seminar(1): Pass/Fail class
Neuroscience Seminar(1)

cGPA: 3.509 (3.57)
sGPA: 3.517 (3.561)

Well, I'm on winter break and bored at work so I figured I would officially list out all my grades and do a precise calculation for my GPAs. The numbers in parenthesis being my final GPA's should I get a 4.0 this next semester, which I plan on going all out and doing.

With everything all laid out, how strong of an upward trend do I have?
 
I'm no expert, but that looks like just about the strongest upward trend you could have. Keep it up.
 
Realize that your GPAs and hours (both cGPA and BCPM GPA) will be displayed year-by-year on the application rather than semester by semester, so the minor ups and downs won't be noticable.

Your cGPA will be more like
HS
FR 2.99
SO 3.63
JR 3.71
SR 3.9
Postbac
Cumm undergrad
Grad
 
Ahh, good to know. In your opinion is that a strong enough upward trend to work in my favor?

Also, I got suckered into another long shift on the ambulance so I decided to start looking into schools I want to apply to. I've made a list of around 20 schools, but this is still preliminary and certainly will change with more advice. Mayo and UCSD are obvious reaches, but what do you think of my list so far?

Wisc, MCW, Utah, Penn State, UMinn, Iowa, Mayo, Loyola, RFU, UIllinois, UC Davis, UCSD, USCal, OHSU, Loma Linda, Colorado, Tufts, Indiana, Vermont, Virginia,
 
Keeping post #75 in mind, which is my list, some comments on your list: Utah wants 500 hours of community service, Iowa has had a minimum cutoff for GPA in the past for OOSers, you might research what it is these days, Mayo tends to expect substantive research experience, Loyola likes heavy involvement in service to the poor, OHSU and Colorado prefer nontrads, Indiana wants strong state ties for OOSers. Davis and UCSD? They take about 2% and 10% OOS respectiviely, and I was thinking you're from Wisconsin. Loma Linda: check the required lifestyle contract.

Your upward grade trend is excellent.
 
Would you consider those schools reach schools then? I've looked at most of them, and stats wise I seem to be pretty competitive from what I can tell. I am from Wisconsin, but was going to take a shot at a few Cali schools just because I'd love to go to school out there; I forgot to add UCLA to my list as well. Mayo, well that's just dreaming; I doubt I'll send one off there come June.
 
Besides the stats, one must look at each school for "fit" and be sure that one's ECs are consistent with the mission of each school, along with many other factors.

Everyone's risk tolerance varies. To me, a school taking less than 15% OOS matriculants is too much risk, but that is not to say that you must have the same cut point. IMO, Cali schools are all reach schools, even for Californians. UCLA is at about 10% as well, BTW. I'm not trying to talk you out of applying anywhere. I'm just bringing up factors that might change your mind if money is tight and you want the best chance for your buck.
 
Thinking about doing Healthcorps over my gap year. Good idea? Or should I focus on doing something else, like getting into another lab and doing more research?
 
Adcomms tend to view public service positions like this very positively despite the fact that you get a basic stipend that may almost cover living expenses. Be sure it will be flexible enough to allow for attending interviews. I know that Americorps is, but I am less familiar with Healthcorps.
 
How would I put something like this down on an app if I apply this summer, because the program wouldn't start until mid to late summer, which would be after I send primaries out? Just say I'm planning on doing it in my app over my gap year?

Do you think it's any more beneficial to do Healthcorps over just Americorps? I'm looking at the NCCC program also, which is more environmentally targeted it seems, at least out west which is where I'd like to end up. Whereas Healthcorps is targeted on improving health care access to underserved populations (Out west it seems to be Latin and rural communities that are targeted). I'm still at the planning stages of all of this, and I'm meeting with my counselor tomorrow to see if he knows any researchers that are looking for a full time research assistant for the next year, so we'll see what end up happening.

Based on your experience and knowledge though, and seeing the list of schools I'd like to apply to and my ECs as they are now, do you think it would be better to do Americorps next year, or stay here and get a Lab job, at least as far as building my application is concerned.
 
Diggidy said:
1) How would I put something like this down on an app if I apply this summer, because the program wouldn't start until mid to late summer, which would be after I send primaries out? Just say I'm planning on doing it in my app over my gap year?

2) Do you think it's any more beneficial to do Healthcorps over just Americorps? I'm looking at the NCCC program also, which is more environmentally targeted it seems, at least out west which is where I'd like to end up. Whereas Healthcorps is targeted on improving health care access to underserved populations (Out west it seems to be Latin and rural communities that are targeted).

3) I'm still at the planning stages of all of this, and I'm meeting with my counselor tomorrow to see if he knows any researchers that are looking for a full time research assistant for the next year, so we'll see what end up happening.

4) Based on your experience and knowledge though, and seeing the list of schools I'd like to apply to and my ECs as they are now, do you think it would be better to do Americorps next year, or stay here and get a Lab job, at least as far as building my application is concerned.
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1) If you haven't yet started, you can't put it down in the Experiences section, so you'd either have to gracefully work it into the Personal Statement, discuss it in Secondary essays if given the opportunity, or mention it in Update Letters after you've been doing it for a few months. I expect you can also work it into interview conversations.

2) No opinion.

3) You'll have ?8 months of research when you apply, which is fine for general purposes. Usually research gigs are also flexible when it comes to attending interviews. It would be a talking point before you accept a job in a lab.

4) I think you'd get more "points" with adcomms with an Americorps type program for the schools that aren't so much into research. And more cache with additional research for the others. Since I think your best chance is with the former, I'd lean more toward the public service type job.
Wisc, MCW, Utah, Penn State, UMinn, Iowa, Mayo, Loyola, RFU, UIllinois, UC Davis, UCSD, UCLA, USCal, OHSU, Loma Linda, Colorado, Tufts, Indiana, Vermont, Virginia
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So, a little update. I'm almost certain I will be doing the Americorps NCCC program during my year off, which is a 10 month program, and will be doing it out of Sacramento or Denver. It was recommended to me that I try and fit the experience into my secondaries and hold off on sending them back until I've started the program, which will be late August/Early September. Is that too late to submit secondaries? I want to apply as early as possible to try and benefit my lowish GPA as much as possible. What do you think Cata? Is it an important enough experience that you think I should wait to fit it in so Med schools know about it pre-interview (to possibly sway them into inviting me to interview), or is sending secondaries back in September too late?

Also, through my Senior/Capstone research class I've joined a profesor in entomology helping him with research. He offered me a side-study that he wants done as part of a much larger study he's doing in agriculture/pesticide research, and basically said he'll throw my name on the paper if I help him out with this. Basically, a publication fell into my lap. I'm curious how it will be looked at though because the work going into my part of the research is only a semester long. With my previous research experience, as well as this semester long experience that will produce a publication, do you think my research experience is stronger now? Is it improved enough that I could possibly look at applying to (realistically) the more competitive schools I included in my list previously, or is my GPA still going to be a limiting factor for me even with my steep upward trend?
 
Diggidy said:
1) It was recommended to me that I try and fit the experience into my secondaries and hold off on sending them back until I've started the program, which will be late August/Early September. Is that too late to submit secondaries?

Is it an important enough experience that you think I should wait to fit it in so Med schools know about it pre-interview (to possibly sway them into inviting me to interview), or is sending secondaries back in September too late?

2) Also, through my Senior/Capstone research class I've joined a profesor in entomology helping him with research. He offered me a side-study that he wants done as part of a much larger study he's doing in agriculture/pesticide research, and basically said he'll throw my name on the paper if I help him out with this. Basically, a publication fell into my lap. I'm curious how it will be looked at though because the work going into my part of the research is only a semester long. With my previous research experience, as well as this semester long experience that will produce a publication, do you think my research experience is stronger now? Is it improved enough that I could possibly look at applying to (realistically) the more competitive schools I included in my list previously, or is my GPA still going to be a limiting factor for me even with my steep upward trend?
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1) September is too late to be complete at a school, especially when there is a weakness in the application. Also, you can't rely on every school having a Secondary essay where it's convenient to mention your planned activities. Rather, I suggest rearranging your Primary Statement so that mention of the Americorps experience works in gracefully at the end somewhere. Of coure, if things fall through and you never start the Experience, that will look bad.

2) A publication will be great, but chances that it will be accepted and you can cite it by the time you submit are nill. You might already have been accepted places by the time you can include a pub in an update letter. And you will still have only about 8 months of research when you apply. My approach is conservative regarding schools one should apply to (based on fiscal limitations of most applicants), but that doesn't mean you can't include dream schools that seem outside your reach, even if they are in the research-heavy or highly-selective categories , if you can afford it.
 
I would definitely tell you to do very well in the rest of your science classes and start studying for the MCAT the summer between your sophomore and junior years. Just focus and dedicate yourself, raise your GPA and get a good MCAT score and you should be on the right track! Good luck!
 
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