I have a 4.0 GPA and I’m on track to slay the MCAT. This has come at the cost of extracurricular hours. To be more precise I have around 57 shadowing hours, 225 patient exposure hours, 130 tutoring hours, 180 non-medical volunteer hours, some paid employment experience, and only 30-40 research hours spread over two different experiences. I have some church-related leadership experience which I’ve heard will be written off by some adcoms. To be clear, I’ve journaled after activities and have had some really special experiences but I feel my hours aren’t up to par, especially with research. Dr. Gray always talks about students with low GPA and MCAT score and how they can still get in, but he doesn’t sympathize much for those of us who focused harder on the scholastics. Should I still apply in May with this portfolio and try to write a great personal statement/secondaries using Dr. Gray’s book? Or do I need to wait a cycle until May 22’ and build some more research experience and get more hours in other areas. What does everyone think?
Premedperson1,
How consistent is your volunteering and clinical experience? The amount of hours you have may be enough, but they need to consistent and show commitment.