<p>So through my research and talking to advisors I have found so much conflicting information that I would like to get the opinions of people who have already dealt with similar circumstances or who are currently dealing with them. I am a mechanical engineering major and I thought that my application for med school would be very competitive given my pretty good GPA and extensive extracurriculars however I come to hear that pretty much none of it will be considered in the initial screening (i.e. all they care about is GPA and MCAT scores) I'll give my quick 'bio' and then share what an advisor recently told me.</p>
<p>I am a 3rd year (of 5) mechanical engineering major at Drexel University completing a BS/MS dual degree with a concentration in biomechanics and I'm trying to pack all the med school pre-reqs in as well</p>
<p>I am in the honors college with a 3.56 GPA and will graduate with distinction so long as I continue to maintain a 3.5 or higher</p>
<p>I have a year of work experience as a product development engineer for the largest trauma company in the world (Synthes) designing orthopaedic implants and surgical instruments</p>
<p>I am currently doing biofabrication and tissue engineering research to create hybrid tissue scaffolds and will continue until I graduate (2 years of experience by med school interview)</p>
<p>I have just applied to volunteer at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) and again will have two years of service by the interview: I also do a ton of other volunteer work for various organizations and 5k runs etc.</p>
<p>I am in a fraternity and have held leaderships positions from officer positions to committee chairs (4 different officer positions and 3 committee chair positions) and will until I graduate for a total of 5 years leadership within my organization</p>
<p>I studies abroad in the UK for 4 months (I feel like schools like culturally diverse and rounded applicants)</p>
<p>I intend to participate in an alternate winter break community service trip</p>
<p>I have not yet taken the MCATs</p>
<p>I have been in contact with my pre-med advisor and he said that med schools won't care that I have a master's or the fact that since it is engineering it is a decent bit more difficult than alot of majors and therefore no leniance will be applied to my GPA. He also told me that the research I do really isn't all that important and is mainly a good conversational topic for an interview but won't actually help me get the interview and the same goes for my medical product design experience. If you take all that away all you have is an ok GPA with volunteer work. Thats doesnt sound like an application that stands out very much. I wanted to apply to Johns Hopkins but at this point it feels like even mediocre med schools would be a reach. Has anyone else experienced otherwise or is it unforunate fact that the initial screeing is reliant on just a couple numbers. Please share whatever you have found or if you have been accepted to medical school I'll take any advice that can be offered</p>
<p>Thanks for the help.</p>
<p>First of all…there is no “pre-med” major.</p>
<p>If you’re pre-med, you’re pre-med and taking the required pre-reqs…that’s it. </p>
<p>I have been in contact with my pre-med advisor and he said that med schools won’t care that I have a master’s or the fact that since it is engineering it is a decent bit more difficult than alot of majors and therefore no leniance will be applied to my GPA.</p>
<p>True…no leniency for engineering…</p>
<p>GPA and MCAT seem to get people thru the “non-human” screening that is done for first-round eliminations.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply…seems to be what I feared. When I say pre-med major I refer to any major that satisfies the med school pre-reqs such as bio or biomedical engineering. Mechanical engineering doesnt even cover half so I have to load my schedule up with courses that count for nothing toward my graduation so I dont consider it to be a pre-med major. From your user name I assume you have 2 college children and at least one is planning for med school. Have you found any useful information to help boost my application? Is shadowing a physician really that important? It is something I would love to do but I literally don’t have enough hrs in my day :(</p>
<p>You should shadow. Not only will a lot of places expect it, but it is probably one of the best things you can do to make sure for yourself that medicine is something you really want to do.</p>
<p>If you’re not shadowing, hopefully you are doing some sort of clinical volunteering. Without it, your chances drop like a stone.</p>
<p>Ill be starting the clinical volunteering shortly. Between fulltime classload for undergrad, grad, and pre-reqs, research, work and now weekends at the hospital I dont know when I will have the time to shadow. For how long should one typically shadow? I dont think it is feasible now but possibly an upcoming term…</p>
<p>From your user name I assume you have 2 college children and at least one is planning for med school. Have you found any useful information to help boost my application? Is shadowing a physician really that important? It is something I would love to do but I literally don’t have enough hrs in my day</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I have one son who just graduated and is starting his PhD in August.</p>
<p>I have a younger son who is pre-med. He’s a junior and his major is Chemical Engineering. He has 3 minors…Chemistry, Biology, and math. </p>
<p>This summer he is doing a REU at another university. The research involved bio-medical engineering.</p>
<p>When he comes home in July, he’s going to shadow a couple of doctors that we know.</p>
<p>your advisor is correct. Not all med schools have an automatic gpa cutoff, but some/many do. </p>
<p>Without a mcat score it is too early to even be thinking about which schools to apply to. Hopkins’, one of the top med schools in the world, has a mean gpa is a 3.8+ with a very high mcat. Sure, they rely primarily on two numbers bcos there are plenty of attractive candidates – even engineers – that have such numbers. Those with lower quartile numbers bring a big hook, perhaps All American Lacrosse player, for example. :)</p>
<p>Engineers and science majors tend to do worse on the mcat VR, which brings down their composite, so prep well. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Im sure your very proud. That is quite impressive 
I guess I will need to find time to shadow. My unfortunate situation is that I attend Drexel University and we are a year round school. We run on a quarter system and after freshman year, half the year is spent in class and the other half is spent working in industry. Do you know how long it is recommended to shadow. We normally only get a week off at a time or so but winter break is longer. Is three weeks a decent amount of time to shadow? Also do you have any suggestions for finding a physician to shadow and do you know how receptive practitioners usually are to having a tag along all day?</p>
<p>Three weeks is decent amount of time to shadow in order to decide if medicine interests you enough to pursue further. But if you decide on med school, admission committees will expect more than a mere 3 weeks shadowing.</p>
<p>To find doc to shadow–start by asking your PCP. Drexel also has an associated medical school, try asking there. Also see if there’s a pre med club on campus, sometimes they will help arrange shadowing experiences. But I gotta tell you that shadowing over the winter holidays is lousy timing and people are busy. Don’t be surprised if you get turned down. Alot.</p>
<p>Go dragons!</p>