Year in school: Senior, Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry
Country/state of residence: Vermont
Schools to which you are applying: Still adding to and changing the list, but currently: UVM (current school, first choice),
Cumulative GPA: 3.72
Science GPA: 3.65 showing sustained improvement from B+'s to A's.
MCAT Scores: Took the 1/10 test and awaiting scores, expecting ~34, practice test average of 31 on four tests (27,30, 31, 36)
Research: Investigating growth factor signaling involvement during eye development in zebrafish, been at the same lab all four years of undergrad: Honor's thesis in progress (around 15 hours per week, 6 credit hours by the end of senior year). Recipient of competitive $5,000 summer research award for supplies and salary, allowing me to work 35 hours/week for 10 weeks the summer between my junior and senior year. Undergraduate researcher (6 credits, 10 hours per week during my Junior year. Acquired preliminary data as a lab assistant during my freshman and sophomore years (~5 hours a week volunteer while also working as paid lab assistant through Federal Work-Study)
Volunteering (clinical): None
Physician shadowing: ~112 hours as follows: 50 hours at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville Florida during spring break Junior year shadowing multiple MDs in Internal Medicine, 32 at the University of Vermont Medical Center under a radiation oncologist (sophomore year), 30 in various departments at the University of Vermont Medical Center and a local walk-in urgent care clinic (through a technical program junior and senior year of high school)
Non-clinical volunteering: Nothing prior to this month, just started assisting with guest check in and other various tasks at the Hope Lodge (housing for cancer patients receiving treatment)
Extracurricular activities: Ski and Snowboard Club, 5-15 hours per week attending snowboarding trips during winter
Employment history: 6-10 hours per week as a lab assistant during all four years of undergrad, in the same lab I have been conducting research in (through Federal Work-Study)
Immediate family members in medicine? (y/n) Yes, one aunt as a gynecologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, my twin sister is a licensed nurse assistant, and my father was a medic in the National Guard for 27 years.
Specialty of interest - Tentatively: surgery, internal medicine, emergency medicine, pulmonology/cardiology, hematology. However, I am largely undecided, I have some ideas of ones that may not interest me as much but nothing screams out at me.
Graduate degrees: none
Interest in rural health (y/n): No