sounds wishy-washy?

[Catatonic]

Hi everyone. I would like some honest opinions on how to strengthen my applicantion. (Sorry, it's a long post)

I've applied to med school twice already, last year and the year before. The first time, I applied while studying abroad in the Philippines (no I'm not Filipino). I didn't even get an interview, but I thought maybe it was because I applied late. I applied again last year, but again I didn't get an interview. I'm planning to apply again this summer.

Previous MCAT: 10PS 10V 10BS R
General GPA: ~3.5
Major: Anthropology
Double Minor: Chemistry, Public Service

I am taking the April MCAT and have been consistently getting 38-42 on the AAMC practice tests. This summer I am taking classes through an extension program at a local university, volunteering, and maybe tutoring the MCAT through Kaplan.

The problem is I have not done too much over the last 2 years after I graduated. I actually applied to law school and was supposed to go to UC Hastings this year, but changed my mind. I worked in an internship for 3 months, took the LSAT, taught LSAT classes at Kaplan for half a year, got a real estate license, and now I am working part-time (~30 hours) at my dad's office while studying for the MCAT.

Does it look bad to be doing so many unrelating activities? Especially since none of them are medically related?

Thank you in advance.

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[neurodoc]

Hi everyone. I would like some honest opinions on how to strengthen my applicantion. (Sorry, it's a long post)...
Does it look bad to be doing so many unrelating activities? Especially since none of them are medically related?

Thank you in advance.

Well, you sound like a motivated go-getter. That's positive. Hastings is a good law school, probably as prestigious as Boalt across the bay. But you seem more interested in being an MD than a JD (or a Realtor), ao you might as well focus your efforts on the MD. So yes, your [medically] unrelated activities might "look bad" to some AdComs.

Nick

 

[deleted113029]

Hi everyone. I would like some honest opinions on how to strengthen my applicantion. (Sorry, it's a long post)

I've applied to med school twice already, last year and the year before. The first time, I applied while studying abroad in the Philippines (no I'm not Filipino). I didn't even get an interview, but I thought maybe it was because I applied late. I applied again last year, but again I didn't get an interview. I'm planning to apply again this summer.

Previous MCAT: 10PS 10V 10BS R
General GPA: ~3.5
Major: Anthropology
Double Minor: Chemistry, Public Service

I am taking the April MCAT and have been consistently getting 38-42 on the AAMC practice tests. This summer I am taking classes through an extension program at a local university, volunteering, and maybe tutoring the MCAT through Kaplan.

The problem is I have not done too much over the last 2 years after I graduated. I actually applied to law school and was supposed to go to UC Hastings this year, but changed my mind. I worked in an internship for 3 months, took the LSAT, taught LSAT classes at Kaplan for half a year, got a real estate license, and now I am working part-time (~30 hours) at my dad's office while studying for the MCAT.

Does it look bad to be doing so many unrelating activities? Especially since none of them are medically related?

Thank you in advance.

please do some shadowing and other volunteer activities ASAP! your GPA and MCAT are strong enough to receive invites, but you haven't received any in prior years. this can usually mean only a couple of things. one of which is volunteering in a medical setting...this is not to be underestimated considering you really don't know what you're getting yourself into until you have some experience. adcoms look for substantive volunteer experience.

sounds to me you may want to explore being a full time Kaplan instructor.

 

[Catatonic]

Thank you for the responses.

I had some medical volunteering experiences while in undergrad. I volunteered through pre-med clubs, and shadowed an ENT doctor for a quarter while in undergrad. I also did an internship for a quarter at my undergrad university's cancer center (although it wasn't a lab setting).

My question is, is it bad that I haven't done much medical related activities after I graduated?

Thanks!

[Edit] Should I focus on getting more volunteering experience or should I try to get some research experience (although I hate lab work)?

 

[madscientist50]

I did research, but the thing that my interviewers focused on the most was my shadowing and volunteering. I shadowed 6 physicians, 2 MDs and 4 DOs, as I applied all DO. I volunteered for the American Cancer Society back in undergrad as well. So I would say with your grades and MCAT they cannot doubt your scolastic ability, but they may want to see if you know exactly what you want by going to medical school. Good Luck!

 

[PepperMD]

Hi everyone. I would like some honest opinions on how to strengthen my applicantion. (Sorry, it's a long post)

I've applied to med school twice already, last year and the year before. The first time, I applied while studying abroad in the Philippines (no I'm not Filipino). I didn't even get an interview, but I thought maybe it was because I applied late. I applied again last year, but again I didn't get an interview. I'm planning to apply again this summer.

Previous MCAT: 10PS 10V 10BS R
General GPA: ~3.5
Major: Anthropology
Double Minor: Chemistry, Public Service

I am taking the April MCAT and have been consistently getting 38-42 on the AAMC practice tests. This summer I am taking classes through an extension program at a local university, volunteering, and maybe tutoring the MCAT through Kaplan.

The problem is I have not done too much over the last 2 years after I graduated. I actually applied to law school and was supposed to go to UC Hastings this year, but changed my mind. I worked in an internship for 3 months, took the LSAT, taught LSAT classes at Kaplan for half a year, got a real estate license, and now I am working part-time (~30 hours) at my dad's office while studying for the MCAT.

Does it look bad to be doing so many unrelating activities? Especially since none of them are medically related?

Thank you in advance.

Potential red flag alert: The fact that you were accepted to law school and changed your mind at the last minute might be a problematic issue to overcome. It suggests to adcoms that you truly haven't made up your mind, and that there's a distinct possibility that if accepted you'd bolt again. Whether or not this happens to be the case (and you should do some serious self-reflection to determine if it might be), you will need to find an extremely compelling explanation for your past grad school misfires. Med schools like to accept people they are reasonably confident will actually matriculate. They won't waste time and resources pursuing applicants that might end up flaking on them. In this regard, significant healthcare experience certainly would help justify your pursuit of medicine in the wake of all this law school nonsense.

Of course, all this assumes you discuss your brief law school bender in your applications in the first place. If you didn't actually attend law school classes, adcoms wouldn't necessarily know anything about it, however this would involve leaving out what appears to be a fairly sizeable portion of your post-undergrad life. The void would look more shady than anything, most likely. In any event, good luck!

 

[Catatonic]

Thanks for the input PepperMD.

Potential red flag alert: The fact that you were accepted to law school and changed your mind at the last minute might be a problematic issue to overcome. It suggests to adcoms that you truly haven't made up your mind, and that there's a distinct possibility that if accepted you'd bolt again. Whether or not this happens to be the case (and you should do some serious self-reflection to determine if it might be), you will need to find an extremely compelling explanation for your past grad school misfires. Med schools like to accept people they are reasonably confident will actually matriculate. They won't waste time and resources pursuing applicants that might end up flaking on them. In this regard, significant healthcare experience certainly would help justify your pursuit of medicine in the wake of all this law school nonsense.

Of course, all this assumes you discuss your brief law school bender in your applications in the first place. If you didn't actually attend law school classes, adcoms wouldn't necessarily know anything about it, however this would involve leaving out what appears to be a fairly sizeable portion of your post-undergrad life. The void would look more shady than anything, most likely. In any event, good luck!

Just to clarify, I did not actually attend law school. I had a seat deposit at Notre Dame and received an offer for a seat at UC Hastings, but I declined the seat and withdrew from ND around May/April before the term started.

The reason why I considered law school is because I was bummed from being rejected from med school. I know that's a stupid reason to go to law school, and thankfully I realized that before school started. I guess you can say I gave up on medicine for a while, but now I've regained my motivation.

It seems like I have a lot of explaining to do in my personal statement, and I need to show that I've reaffirmed my commitment.

 

[Orthodoc40]

My question is, is it bad that I haven't done much medical related activities after I graduated?

Thanks!

[Edit] Should I focus on getting more volunteering experience or should I try to get some research experience (although I hate lab work)?

I'm no expert, but yes, I think the thing that hurts you is your lack of continued medical experience - be it volunteer or paid. A short stint a few years ago here & there doesn't show consistent interest or effort. It looks more like the typical premed who did these things just to have done them. (Not saying that is why you did it, just saying what it looks like.)

Clinical research is not lab work, and can sometimes get you decent patient exposure.

 

[Catatonic]

I don't like to say this, but my dad's a doctor specializing in gastroenterology and internal medicine. I have been working at his office on and off since high school, and have done everything from watching his procedures (upper GI endoscopy, colonoscopy), transcribing medical records (my dad's not a native English speaker), working the front desk, etc. I've pretty much done everything you can in a private clinic except for the physician & nursing staff work.

I don't like revealing this because I know that some people are going to assume that I want to be a doctor to follow my dad's footsteps. Either way I guess I should get some more clinical experience elsewhere.

 

[Orthodoc40]

I don't like to say this, but my dad's a doctor specializing in gastroenterology and internal medicine. I have been working at his office on and off since high school, and have done everything from watching his procedures (upper GI endoscopy, colonoscopy), transcribing medical records (my dad's not a native English speaker), working the front desk, etc. I've pretty much done everything you can in a private clinic except for the physician & nursing staff work.

I don't like revealing this because I know that some people are going to assume that I want to be a doctor to follow my dad's footsteps. Either way I guess I should get some more clinical experience elsewhere.

Okay, but you were asking if we think that not having recent experiences (since graduating) may hurt your application. I think that to some degree it probably does because if you had been & currently were working in health care, there would be some tangible sign of longer term commitment. Is it significantly hurting your application? I have no idea. Probably not, but maybe somewhat.

 

[Catatonic]

Okay, but you were asking if we think that not having recent experiences (since graduating) may hurt your application. I think that to some degree it probably does because if you had been & currently were working in health care, there would be some tangible sign of longer term commitment. Is it significantly hurting your application? I have no idea. Probably not, but maybe somewhat.

You're right, it is strange that my recent activities doesn't reflect a longer term commitment. Thank you, and I'm sorry that I was a bit defensive. I kind of lost track of my own original question, and I really do appreciate everyone's advice.

 

[Orthodoc40]

You're right, it is strange that my recent activities doesn't reflect a longer term commitment. Thank you, and I'm sorry that I was a bit defensive. I kind of lost track of my own original question, and I really do appreciate everyone's advice.

Not a problem. This is a trying process, and it's hard to know for sure without asking schools directly how you can improve your application in their eyes. Hopefully I wasn't being dismissive of what you HAVE done, which sounds like a lot! What you could be pretty sure of is that it wouldn't hurt you if you were working in health care right now.

Good luck with your applications & remember to finish them early (JULY) this time!!!

 

[RAD11]

To OP:

I think as long as you can show your commitment to medicine from now on by volunteering and getting more clinical/research exposure, you should be ok.

 

[Catatonic]

Thanks Orthodoc40 and RAD11. It has been a stressful time and it's good to hear that there's still hope for me after my rejection experiences.

So once again, thank you everyone and good bye for now. It's crunch time and I am imposing a internet/tv/general fun activities ban on myself until after test day. Here's to having some good news to share when I come back!