I’ve looked at MSAR. Like @WayOutWestMom it wasn’t really obvious. I just thought I was missing something and there’s a clear description somewhere else.
Need help classifying couple of son’s activities. From what I understand you can classify each activity as one thing only. So if something is clinical it can’t be community service, right?
He has a lot of shadowing and tons of research, so no issue there. What I’m having issue with is clinical vs community service hours. He’s been volunteering in the hospital since September, so about 60 hours. And will continue doing that next school year. So that’s clinical right? But if he puts that as clinical I’m not sure he has community service hours. He volunteered in a hospital summer after his freshman year. But I’m not sure how he should classify that. He was volunteering in a pulmanlogist office. Doing some paperwork, some research and seeing patients with her, or whatever else she needed to get done. It’s about 150 hours. Is it clinical, community service?
I’m worried about his lack of non hospital related community service. He volunteered as a DJ at his school his first semester. Should he put that in?
Thanks for all your help. You guys have been amazing with all your great info.
I am not certain this would be considered volunteering since a pulmonologist’s office is a private business. This is mostly shadowing in my opinion and if he were to be paid, a medically relevant job.
He wasn’t paid. And the pulmanlogist’s office is in the hospital if that makes any difference.
Maybe he can classify that summer experience as clinical since he was dealing with patients and his hospital volunteering as community service?
Your son can classify any activity any way he wants. No one is going to reclassify it for him or argue about it.
Clinical volunteering involves patient contact. So any activity where he was in contact with patients (however remotely) is usually considered clinical. If he was stocking supply cabinets or doing paperwork–that would be non-clinical volunteering.
However, adcomms want generally want to see some community service that does not revolve around a clinical setting. They’re looking for evidence of altruism/service to the needy.
Hi Parents - Posting here to gain some wisdom from those who have gone thru the process. This is our family’s first time trying med-school so it’s fair to say we are confused and I (dad) am not sure how to provide guidance to son. S2 is a junior at UMD-College Park (honors/bio major). His current GPA© is 3.92, GPA(s) is about 3.9 - had a little bit of issues first semester of freshman year but 4 straight semesters with straight As. Looks like he will end the current semester well so I expect GPA to go up a little higher by the end of May. Works (volunteers) at the biology lab (2 years), volunteers at a local hosp ER room (about 400 hrs so far), and about to start doctor shadowing over the summer (may be 100-150 hours by the end of summer). He also has a few hundred hours of other volunteer service hours - teacher’s aid for weekend school for mostly under privileged kids (5 years).
We are both unsure on how to move forward from this point on in terms of his MCAT test prep (which one?), application prep, determining schools to apply… etc. I hate to sound so clueless but any advise you can give is greatly appreciated. What should he focus on over the summer? TIA!!
- signed Lost Dad (& Kid)
@EastCoast1
You may want to start your own thread since this thread is for students who are applying in the cycle that starts in May 2015.
Will your son be applying this cycle (which opens next week)?
Here’s a good thread about the timing of things before applying–Lots of solid advice.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/282027-timing-alert.html
If you son will be applying this cycle, his application is going to be very late if he hasn’t already scheduled a MCAT exam date within the next 8 weeks. In fact, his app will be late enough, he may want to consider postponing his application until next year. Many med schools use rolling admissions and applying late puts one at severe disadvantage. Schools start tendering interviews in mid to late August.
MCAT test prep–largely a matter of personal preference/convenience. Many students do well prepping on their own using various test prep books available. Others prefer the structure of in-person course. Still other like the flexibility of on-line class.
Prep company provider–matter of personal preference/convenience. One is not demonstrably superior over another.
He really can’t start developing a list of schools to apply to without a MCAT score. He should apply to UMD SOM, of course, but the rest of his list will depend on his MCAT and his career goals.
Your son should also be talking to the health professions advisor at UMD. UMD uses a committee letter of recommendation and he needs to make arrangements to obtain one.
“which one?),”
I think that’s really student dependent. To my knowledge some kids can obtain prep materials, study on own. S did better with more structured environment of review course. He choose Princeton Review (PR) because he was still working and needed a course that could fit into his schedule and PR met this need. As a note, in the term leading up to MCAT, although he maintained FT status, he only took 3 courses (albeit UD bio courses) instead of usual 4 course term to provide study time. Good luck.
@WayOutWestMom - Thank you. Honestly, I knew he was behind but I didn’t realize how far behind he was. Looks like it’s wise to take a gap year and get ready for next year’s cycle. For students applying 2015 cycle, have they taken new MCAT or old MCAT? I will look over the link you provided. So much to learn, everything is so confusing.
@Jugulator20 - If he wants to study on own, would you recommend PR for new MCAT takers?
Students applying this cycle can have either version. Most med schools are accepting both the old MCAT and the new 2015 MCAT.
For next year’s cycle, more schools require/prefer the 2015 MCAT.
https://www.aamc.org/students/download/398586/data/mcatexampolicy.pdf
D1 & D2 used a variety of test prep books. Mostly Kaplan. D1 took a Kaplan course because it was the only prep course offered near her college. Both girls were working FT (on gap years) while they prepped for the MCAT.“If he wants to study on own, would you recommend PR for new MCAT takers?”
I’m a parent of a resident. After S did well on MCAT in 2007, this topic disappeared quickly from my radar. Others may be able to supply answer to question
DS is studying for the new MCAT. He has primarily been using Kaplan and PR materials, with old Examcrackers for verbal (now CARS). From what he can tell me from hearing about the April test-takers is that no prep company got it right. Many said Kaplan was fine and PR was good for some sections and not the others. Khan Academy was pretty good for the psych/social section. I will have a better evaluation when DS takes it in a month, but he is scoring well in CARS and Psych/Social but just average in the Chem/Physics and the Biochem.
If your son hasn’t taken Biochemistry yet, he really should before attempting the new MCAT.
I will also say that his friends from high school that took the Kaplan course are not scoring any higher than he is while only doing self-study.
My son studied on his own using the Princeton Review books. He took the old MCATS on 8/2014 before starting his junior year because he wanted to avoid the new MCAT format. He is applying this cycle. He said that PR questions were much harder than the actual MCAT exam. The PR questions predicted a lower MCAT score for him. The AMCAS questions predicted a more accurate MCAT score. If you are not disciplined to study on your own, taking an MCAT score will help.
TMDSAS opens up at 8 AM on Friday May 1st.
AMCAS says May 5th.
Good luck everyone!!!
Ok…it was my understanding that the app opened up in early may and first submissions were in June. Has that changed? App opens up May 5th - can you submit right after this year?
go to www.aamc.org for all the information you need for this most current application cycle.
App opening up does not allow submission. They have timelines in June for that.
DS said he won’t touch it until after his MCAT, but I expect he will be perusing it during study breaks.