I’ve spent a great amount of time browsing through the forums and have seen a common theme of some that reflect my own concerns. I just recently returned to complete my undergrad, after five years of absence. Some background: I spent a year and a half at the University of Georgia, ended up with a 1.87 GPA. I have noted that competitive applicants have GPA’s of above 3.3. After my return, I have been able to maintain a GPA of 4.0 at Columbus State University and should be able to eventually reach a 3.3 overall- but who knows. Though a smaller, less prestigious school, the difficulty is no less here than at my previous institution. During my absence, I spent 4 years on active duty in the U.S. Army as a food service specialist, 1 year spent in Iraq. I currently serve in the National Guard as a combat medic and work part time as a security officer for an orthopedic hospital.
My concerns are as follows: with most of my time consumed with work, I have no time for volunteer work. An issue? Also, will the GPA of my younger years haunt me?
I have also noticed that there appears to be a desire for some med schools to more readily admit minority applicants. I am hispanic. Will this really affect an admission decision? If so, at which universities?
Is there anything more I can do to make myself a more qualified applicant? Is my military service considered volunteer work? Will my veteran status help me to be viewed as well rounded?
Upon transfer to my current university, I decided to switch my major from biology to computer science. Good idea?
hey jeremias welcome
i can try and give you my opinion on some of your dilemas however, i dont think i can speak toward anything military related. (Although I do think your experience as a combat medic could be a great addition)
In another thread I’ve actually gotten some advice in regard to volunteer experience etc somewhat related to your issue. With your GPA I think it would do you a service to try and find a volunteer opportunity. Check out your local hospital for more information.
Im not sure what the quotas are at particular schools for hispanic applicants. Im not even sure if ethnic quotas are even legal anymore. But certain schools probably do have their numbers…As far as you being hispanic I cant imagine that that could hurt or help your chances for admissions. There are however (at least in my area) minority student pre-med ogranizations, and minority student physician shadowing networking groups etc…
Have you started your pre-reqs yet? How far along are you? It doesnt matter what your major is. Could be history, art, or computer science. As long as you complete the pre-reqs you should be fine. (I dont think the switch could hurt you btw) I think then you’ll have to explain very well why you chose to make the switch…Even I’m wondering that now.
Hope this helps!
Also, Jeremias, have a look at this link I found. I think it might help you with your Hispanic applicant question.
It gives you the percentage of how many students enrolled in medical school, broken down by state and school, based on race. That should help you narrow things down.
http://www.doctorpremed.com/medical-schools-blog.h…
- jeremias.duarte Said:
My concerns are as follows: with most of my time consumed with work, I have no time for volunteer work. An issue? Also, will the GPA of my younger years haunt me?
I have also noticed that there appears to be a desire for some med schools to more readily admit minority applicants. I am hispanic. Will this really affect an admission decision? If so, at which universities?
Is there anything more I can do to make myself a more qualified applicant? Is my military service considered volunteer work? Will my veteran status help me to be viewed as well rounded?
Upon transfer to my current university, I decided to switch my major from biology to computer science. Good idea?
Hi Jeremias and welcome!
First, in regards to your grades, you'll see that there are a few of us that might not have started out well in our education journey when we were younger, but upward trends are definitely possible (you are already doing it with the 4.0 since you came back).
While it may be possible to have your ethnic background to be a plus, but I think that would depend on the school, although I can't pinpoint any. But I don't think that you should rely on that but just have a good application and it won't matter.
Volunteering really doesn't require that you put in excess amount of hours every week, Even just doing 4 hrs a week over a year, will garner you 200+ hours.
Since you already have some kind of clinical exposure with the medic position and working in a orthopedic hospital, look for some nonclinical type of volunteer work.
One of the things I did was request transcripts from all the schools I attended and do a side by side check. Unfortunately for me, I had a few false starts (never made it past the first few weeks into the semester). I received a lot of Ws, but unfortunately also some F's because I didn't take the proper steps to withdraw. In my later years, I have been doing very well and my science GPA is my strength (thank god, I didn't take any early science classes!).
Are you open to looking at both MD and DO schools? MD schools will pretty much just average your grades, so if you get a D in a class the first time and an A the second time, the avrage will work out to be a 2.5, which is a C+...still not that great. For DO schools, that retake will be part of your calculated grade and you will get an A (4.0). DO schools are a little more nontrad friendly than allopathic schools.
Just continue to do your best, and you'll get there!
Kris
Thank you for your responses. As far as the switch to computer science, there are many reasons. The first of which, is practical. As the first attempt at an undergrad degree left my gpa tarnished, I can’t think of anything other than medicine I would enjoy doing. So if you can’t do what you want, do what you’re good at, right? If by chance I don’t get into med school, at least I’ll still be able to succeed. The other is, it’s easy and concrete- I know I can make “A’s”. Yet another is, I don’t want to be the average applicant. I’m sure that numerous adComs see bio and chem majors constantly- I want to stand out, and I have more to offer.
As for pre-req, I took only two while at UGA. I took calc and gen chem (“B” and “C” respectively). Neither of which reflect my understanding of the subjects, but my grades did relfect the level of effort I was willing to put forth at the time. I have retaken a psych course for an “A”. When I return in the spring after training, I’ll attempt to retake gen chem and take bio.
As for the MCAT, I’ll see that beast when the time comes. While I won’t underestimate its difficulty, it doesn’t scare me. A friend of mine who has never compared to me in academic ability or standardized test scores managaged a 29- I think I should be fine.
Can shadowing be a substitute for volunteer work? Given my two part time jobs I am constantly exposed to physicians, but not to volunteer opprotunities. Also, if I did attempt to consume 4 more hours of my week, that would mean sacrificing study time, which I am not willing to do.
Can anyone tell me the deciding factor in choosing an MD program over a DO?
Jeremias, welcome to the site. I can appreciate your situation, but it bothers me that you say you can’t find time to volunteer. I work FT in a demanding professional job. I have two kids (6th gr & kdgtn), and my husband also works FT. He has his own business. This summer, I am taking Chem 2 (5 hrs with lab) on top of 50 hr/week employment. I tested out of Chem 1. I am taking O-chem and A&P in the fall - 10 hrs credit - still working FT.
And I also volunteer in an emergency department 4 hours per week. Ta da! It can be done.
Hopefully you will be able to volunteer during some future semesters. But if you NEVER volunteer, there will be someone with an amazing story and equally complicated busy life, stellar grades, AND volunteer experience who will prove to the adcom that it can be done.
You could at least get involved with an organization that does some charity walks or something and help with those events a few times per year. Maybe find something that has events during your breaks between semesters. Good luck!
A quick note about testing out of Chem I - according to the MSAR, some medical schools do not accept AP credit and require completion of general chemistry before admission. Since each school has different requirements, it’s probably best to check with your school of choice.
Jeremias, I am also trying to work out a schedule to fit in volunteering. There are plenty of opportunities available, but I prefer to do something I’m passionate about - and some of those things require a pretty big time commitment (one reason is that, living outside the nation’s capital, simply getting from one place to another can be time-consuming and unpredictable!) One thing I might suggest is Meals on Wheels, which I’ll be starting this summer. Unlike the hospice volunteering I’ve looked into which requires a 3- or 4-hour commitment every week for at least a year, Meals on Wheels (at least in our area) only asks a minimum of once per month (of course, you can do more). My grandfather used to receive this service when I was a kid, so I understand how important it is. And they have things for volunteers to do other than delivering meals (which is done during the week) - you can do grocery shopping for an elderly person (can be done in evenings or on weekends), package meals, etc. Rather than overwhelming myself all at once and risk petering out, I’m going to gradually add things and build up my “stamina.” As I’ve seen with the work/school load during semesters, once I’m in the midst of it, it just becomes the norm and I wonder what I used to do with all my “free” time!
I think you all are misunderstanding the various points of volunteering. When I evaluated applications to my med school (I was a student member of GWU’s Admissions Committee), I wanted to see someone who lived a concept of service. In individual applications, I saw that service described in lots of different ways. In one person, it might be volunteer service of a fairly typical sort: working with the play therapist on a children’s oncology ward, being an ER liaison to help patients and families, serving in a support role for Hospice patients. In another, it might be past experience in the Peace Corps, or Teach For America. In still another, it might be previous military service or even service as a member of a religious community. It could even be service to pre-meds through administration of a forum for non-traditional students. 
Regardless, it said to me that this was a person who cared about others - whose own life was enhanced by serving others, and who enhanced the lives of others.
Volunteering provides opportunities to the volunteer to figure out what they like, see medicine and hospital work “from the inside,” and make connections. Doesn’t sound like Jeremias is lacking in these areas.
Jeremias has nothing to apologize for and presents a strong, interesting, unique set of life experiences. If he decides that he feels compelled to volunteer for something that is important to him - NOT volunteering because it checks off a box on his application - then he should do so. But I think that his military service speaks volumes of his dedication to others, and his selflessness.
Mary
- Mary Renard Said:
Regardless, it said to me that this was a person who cared about others - whose own life was enhanced by serving others, and who enhanced the lives of others.
Volunteering provides opportunities to the volunteer to figure out what they like, see medicine and hospital work "from the inside," and make connections. Doesn't sound like Jeremias is lacking in these areas.
Jeremias has nothing to apologize for and presents a strong, interesting, unique set of life experiences. If he decides that he feels compelled to volunteer for something that is important to him - NOT volunteering because it checks off a box on his application - then he should do so. But I think that his military service speaks volumes of his dedication to others, and his selflessness.
Mary
Very true, Mary. I definitely think that Jeremias' service to our country definitely seems head and shoulders above other volunteer options.
I agree with Mary on the issue of service. My military service was separate from my hospital volunteer service as I needed the hospital time for two reasons. First, I had to make sure that medicine was for me (though three years into residency I don’t think a year of volunteering can answer that question, especially the details/politics of daily work-life). The other was to show admissions people that I had done something medically related.
My military service served me well in both applying for med school and residency. Many of my interviewers wanted to talk about my overseas experiences. Others wanted to know my opinion of military action in the wake of 9-11 (I applied to med school in the fall of 2001). I had to tiptoe my answers in some of them because I could sense their political views and needed to be careful.
Good luck and welcome!!
- tec Said:
My military service served me well in both applying for med school and residency. Many of my interviewers wanted to talk about my overseas experiences. Others wanted to know my opinion of military action in the wake of 9-11 (I applied to med school in the fall of 2001). I had to tiptoe my answers in some of them because I could sense their political views and needed to be careful.
Good luck and welcome!!
Tara, if I've worked in the medical field for quite some time, would that cover the medically-related necessity? I've worked the past few years as a cardiac monitor tech and most recently as a health unit coordinator. I'm currently looking at volunteering at the Red Cross as a caseworker and assist in medical-emergency shelters during hurricane season (starts tomorrow).
That would meet the requirement that admission officers would be looking for to answer the question about whether you know about what is involved in medicine-- being around patients, what doctoring is about, etc.