<p>Hi,
I'm an undergraduate premed junior. I'm applying for med schools this summer. I have a GPA above 3.9 and could probably get very high MCAT scores. However, I don't have any volunteering experience. I just got a position, but I will not have worked there for more than two months before I apply to med school. Do I still have a good chance of getting into med school? Would getting something like 42 on the MCATs tip the scales? If anyone out there could please help me out with some advice, it would really be appreciated.
Thank You,
Al</p>
<p>So no volunteering or community service at all? What about non-medical volunteering or service? What about physician shadowing?</p>
<p>Al, if you’re seriously in the stratosphere of premeds who get scores 40+, your MCAT score should help your application. A buddy of mine’s MCAT score was in that range, and if memory serves, he collected acceptances to some really great schools (but he also had a remarkable application aside from his MCAT score). </p>
<p>I hope you’re not serious when you say you have no volunteering. I hope that means you have held multiple jobs, had summer internships in research labs, started a club, and shadowed consistently. If that’s the case, lack of volunteering might not be all that huge of a deal.</p>
<p>If WOWMom’s suspicions are correct, and you have no volunteering, no community service, no clinical experience, no shadowing, etc…then my recommendation would be to take this summer and all of next year to build up those experiences and wait to apply until the next cycle.</p>
<p>Applying to medical school is daunting, challenging, exhausting, stressful, anxiety-inducing, etc. Sometimes I’d even say it’s pretty miserable. Having just gone through the process myself (and I’ll be an M1 in July…), it’s all still fresh in my mind, and I absolutely cannot fathom how someone with just high stats (and no other experiences) would have the moral fiber to cope with this obnoxious process because I cannot imagine the results of applying with no experiences would be positive. </p>
<p>Unfortunately for you, it seems like meaningful extracurricular experiences are of critical importance to medical school admissions. I have friends with high stats (3.9/35+) and limited extracurriculars who were flat out rejected from all schools except two where they’re waitlisted. On the other hand, I personally have somewhat mediocre stats (3.8/30) and extensive extracurriculars, and I enjoyed 3 top-20 interviews, an interview at my state school, and an early (December) acceptance.</p>
<p>Knowing what I do now, if I were in your shoes, I would absolutely and without a doubt wait a year or more before applying. (You might note that MCAT scores expire after 3 years, so should you decide to take time to build up your application, you may want to postpone your MCAT too.)</p>
<p>Kristin nailed it.</p>
<p>:) thanks somemom!</p>
<p>
Hmmmm. 
I don’t remember writing this. But I must have. And how did it come up under kristin’s name? ;)</p>
<p>Hi,
Thank you so much kristin. Your response is very helpful. I actually don’t have any experience at all.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I actually wrote that too, but deleted it after I posted it because I wasn’t sure if meant he ZERO clinical exposure or just had no volunteering.</p>
<p>But my rec would to be wait a year until you had a stronger application.</p>
<p>Wish we had better news for you, Serroll. </p>
<p>I think you should peruse this board–there’s a ton of information here, and if you’re patient enough to read through it, you will have a much better idea about what you’re getting yourself into with med school applications. (Feel free to skip all the BS about “Should I go to X or Y for premed!?! Which one has a higher percentage of kids getting into medical school right away?! Decide which college I should go to!”)</p>
<p>Next, I don’t think you should lose hope or think that this means you’ll never be a doctor. There’s nothing to say that you’ll never be one; you just probably will have to wait a year or so to apply. There’s nothing wrong with waiting to apply–in fact, many of my future classmates are “non-traditional” students and are coming to medical school after having started a career/job/etc in a different field. So by no means will waiting a year mean you’re out of luck.</p>
<p>Another thing I think you should realize is that medical school is a HUGE investment–of time, money, resources, etc–from both the student’s and the school’s perspective. What you need to do to be admitted is show the schools–beyond any shade of doubt–that you are definitely worth their investment, and that you are willing to make an investment in yourself also. You can begin to do that by exploring the medical field and gaining a better understanding of what you’re getting yourself into.</p>
<p>While you’re at it, see if there’s something you can do to really distinguish yourself–so that medical schools might really believe, “Hey, we need this kid.” I personally believe that distinguishing yourself is the absolute key to med school admissions–and that it’s possible to distinguish yourself in a variety of ways. The people I met along the interview trail were probably there because they’re all impressive in a unique way, and I don’t doubt that many of them picked up acceptances along the way.</p>
<p>A high GPA and MCAT score will probably open many doors for you, and obviously that’s the first step. But it’s what you do once you get there–as evidenced by your personal statements, essays, LORs, extracurriculars, shadowing, leadership, clinical, scholarly endeavors and volunteering (shoot for all of them)–that seems to make the most difference. </p>
<p>What you really need to work on is building up the “total package.” Doing that takes time, but I can’t say it enough–taking extra time is not a bad thing! If med school’s your dream and you’re willing to work hard to get there, an extra year won’t be any big deal in the long run. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>