Monthly What are My Chances? Thread

  • Graduated with a B.S. in Human Biology from Top 15 University
  • Currently enrolled at Rutgers Newark SMP, working towards M.B.S.
  • NJ Resident
  • For MD, thinking about NJMS, Cooper, RWJMS, NYMC, Hofstra, Temple, Commonwealth, Drexel
  • For DO, thinking about Rowan SOM, NYIT, TouroCOM, PCOM, LECOM, UNECOM
  • Undergraduate GPA: 3.20
  • Graduate GPA (so far): 3.61
  • Science GPA: 3.1 based on AACOMAS, 3.0 based on AMCAS
  • MCAT Score from August 2014: 28, 10/10/08 (PS/VR/BS) and will be retaking this May
  • Research: Completed 1 year as RA in undergraduate college, mostly running studies as well as cold calling, screening, and scheduling potential participants; Currently working as RA in local research and teaching hospital/Level 1 TC where I work in the ED, and participated in a presentation and poster session (8 months, ongoing); Currently working as an RA at med school associated with my SMP with potential for publication this summer (just started this year)
  • Volunteering (clinical): Volunteered at local hospital ED in college (3 hrs/week) ~75 hrs; If my current position as an RA in the ED counts (4 hrs/week interviewing patients regarding their past medical history/exam history to participate in studies consisting of surveys and potential followup calls) ~100+ hours
  • Shadowing: Orthopedics- Hip and Knee Surgery ~16 hrs; Urology ~56 hrs; Oncology/Hematology ~40 hrs= Total ~112 hrs
  • Non-clinical volunteering: I think some of my other ECs might qualify, but most of my volunteer work is clinical
  • ECs: Regularly trained with student-run mental health resource on campus; student advisor for two years, met regularly to help incoming student transition into college life; writer and editor for premed society’s biannual magazine that features current events and controversial topics in healthcare; elected member of committee that selects teaching award recipients; TA for one semester (but I received credit hours, so this may not count?)
  • Employment history: Library Assistant at undergraduate library ~10 hrs/week for 4 years (not a difficult job, but time consuming and needed some form of income for expenses in college); Lab Tech in neuroscience lab (job is much less technical than it sounds) ~1 year 10 hrs/week
  • No immediate family members are doctors; almost all women in my family are involved in healthcare (BSN/RNs, PharmD)
  • Specialty of interest: Several
  • Rural health is not my top choice because I prefer urban settings, but I would not put it out of mind

  • Side note: A lot of the activities I considered ECs have been placed into other categories like Research and Employment History, so it’s hard to tell whether I’m lacking solid ECs. Similarly, I feel like some of my experiences fulfill multiple requirements. For example, by working as an RA in ED allows me to interact with patients one-on-one. But it’s also a research position in which I enroll patients into varies studies being conducted at the hospital. I don’t know where something like this would ultimately end up on AMCAS or AACOMAS.

/r/premed Thread