Hi all,
This question is mostly geared towards the people who have applied to medical school and gotten in. . . but all are welcome to respond, especially many of my fellow non-traditional pre-meds who may be going through the same thing.
I am about half-way through with my pre-med course requirements and I have about a year and a half left to complete my pre-med ‘portfolio’ before applying. Wanting to create the best application possible during the first go-around of applying to medical schools and knowing how competitive the med school admissions process is, I wonder what sort of thought process you went through to make your med school application complete?
Just to provide a little background, my undergraduate GPA was roughly a 3.1 (business degree) from a very respectable university. After 3 years of employment in customer service oriented positions, I landed a job at a medical school working in the ‘Information Technology’ department. I spent 5 years working my way up the ladder to the position I am at now as a network admin. After being admitted to an MBA program in the early summer of 2003, I decided to decline my seat at the school I was accepted at in order to pursue a nagging desire for a more meaningful career. Medicine seemed like a natural fit, especially after a rocky 2001 and 2002 where I battled several medical issues of my own that exposed me heavily to the field of healthcare. I shadowed two physicians at the Cleveland Clinic during the summer of 2003, and since then have plunged head first into the pre-med electives. I have volunteered about 40 hours thus far in a pediatric hospital and have continued to work full-time (partially because I don’t want to sell my house quite yet, i.e. I have bills to pay, partially because my job is willing to flex my hours around my school schedule and pays for me to go to school for free, and partially because I have worked for so long that it would feel really irresponsible for to me to quit working with so many uncertainties ahead).
Part of me believes so strongly that medicine is my true calling in life and that I will make it to medical school whether I get in the first time I apply or whether it takes me 10 years to get in. Another side of me is scared to death of having devoted so much effort into this endeavor with the possibility of failure.
Just because a person has a good MCAT score and high GPA, it does not guarantee by any means that they will get into medical school. When you applied to medical school, what things did you do outside of school to strengthen your application? Did you create a sort of ‘portfolio’ focused on a central idea or passion for medicine (I am especially interested in this concept for people who got into medical school after pursuing a career in a non-medical background)? For example, if your strong interest was caring for cancer patients or doing cancer research because you lost a family member to cancer, did you spend your free time volunteering or doing research in these areas? How important do you think it is to create this sort of focused portfolio or is it enough or even better to just expose yourself to as many aspects of medicine as possible?
In my case, my own battles with upper and lower GI issues along with my desire to have a career that allowed me to help others is what initially provoked my interest in medicine. Since my interest initially stemed from my own GI issues (genetically inherited) and how it might dispose me to certain types of cancers, I have spent much of my volunteer time dealing with children in the radiation/oncology wing of the hospital. Assuming I end up with a 3.8-4.0 post bacc GPA, a decent MCAT score, have 150 hours of volunteering at the pediatric unit by next spring, how strong of an application will I have? What other things should I do to strengthen my application? What MCAT score should I shoot for? Should I continue to focus on my interest in cancer through cancer research or volunteering at a local cancer center or should I diversify my volunteer experience?
Sorry, this e-mail has so many questions. If you can answer any of these questions to ease my uncertainty about the upcoming year and how to create the complete application, it would be much appreciated.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post,
Kermit
Kermit -
Personally, I think that with strong post-bac grades and a decent MCAT you will be a very competitive candidate.
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Just because a person has a good MCAT score and high GPA, it does not guarantee by any means that they will get into medical school.
You are correct, it doesn’t. However, I think you are selling yourself much too short. From what you said in your post, you already have most of the background that medical schools are looking for. They want to see a passion for medicine, the ability to do the coursework, and evidence that you really understand what a career as a doctor is like.
With your job at a medical school, shadowing two physicians, your personal experiences with the medical field (due to your illnesses and etc), and volunteering, I don’t think you will have any trouble demonstrating that you have a good idea of what the medical field is like and your interest in it.
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When you applied to medical school, what things did you do outside of school to strengthen your application?
Honestly, I did very little. I counted on my EMT experience to give me needed clinical and volunteer background. I was also a teacher, firefighter, and worked many other miscellaneous jobs over the years. The only comments I have gotten about my background while applying have been about my not having any shadowing time with a physician.
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Did you create a sort of ‘portfolio’ focused on a central idea or passion for medicine
No, but I wrote my personal statement around it.
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For example, if your strong interest was caring for cancer patients or doing cancer research because you lost a family member to cancer, did you spend your free time volunteering or doing research in these areas?
Yes and no. EMS is what inspired me to pursue medical school. So, when I returned to school full time, I continued with EMS. Where I moved to, though, the only EMS option was working for a private service vs. being able to volunteer.
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How important do you think it is to create this sort of focused portfolio or is it enough or even better to just expose yourself to as many aspects of medicine as possible?
I think there are pros and cons to both approaches. A wide range of experience shows that you have a range of interests and probably have a good idea of what different aspects of medicine are like. A focused approach shows a dedication and passion for a particular aspect.
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In my case, my own battles with upper and lower GI issues along with my desire to have a career that allowed me to help others is what initially provoked my interest in medicine. Since my interest initially stemed from my own GI issues (genetically inherited) and how it might dispose me to certain types of cancers, I have spent much of my volunteer time dealing with children in the radiation/oncology wing of the hospital.
I think you will find that adcoms will not have any problem with what called you to medicine. Use your story to build your personal statement.
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Assuming I end up with a 3.8-4.0 post bacc GPA, a decent MCAT score, have 150 hours of volunteering at the pediatric unit by next spring, how strong of an application will I have?
Personally, I think you will have a very strong application.
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What other things should I do to strengthen my application?
If you have time, maybe some type of clinical experience or research experience. I don’t know what you do in the pediatric ward - it may count as clinical experience.
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What MCAT score should I shoot for?
It may sound trite, but I think you should just focus on being prepared and doing the best that you can. The average is around 28-29, so obviously you want to try and have an average score
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Should I continue to focus on my interest in cancer through cancer research or volunteering at a local cancer center or should I diversify my volunteer experience?
Do whatever makes you happiest. Don’t volunteer for things just for the sake of diversifying your experience. If cancer research/volunteering is your passion, I say stick with it.
Good luck. I think you will be fine.
Amy
Amy,
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my post. It has reassured me that I should just keep doing what I am doing and try to enjoy the process. I can put it all together come application time and hopefully my passion for medicine will show from the experiences I have enjoyed.
Thanks again,
Kermit
Kermit -
I should also mention (and you probably already know) that different schools have different levels of competitiveness. It’s not too early to start scheduling appointments with admissions people at the various medical schools you are interested in applying to. I have found some to be very helpful in talking to you about your potential as a candidate and some who just give you the standard “volunteer, clinical experience, research experience, shadowing . . . will make your app stronger”.
Apply to a wide variety of schools. Realize that you may not have the research background that a top tier school looks for in it’s candidates, and apply to schools that you think will make the best fit. Don’t overlook DO schools. I didn’t look at them simply due to the time factor of shadowing a DO and getting a LOC from one. I also didn’t apply to one of my in-state schools just because they are well known for wanting research experience and I have none.
Since you shadowed at Cleveland Clinic, I am assuming you are from Ohio?? That will help . . . since we have so many state medical schools you will have a little better odds than some folks from other states. Also, several of the Ohio schools are non-trad friendly or at the very least not unfriendly.
amy