<p>Hi! So I'm a rising premed junior majoring in bio and psyc. I've volunteered at a hospital for 50hrs, will be volunteering at a hospice this summer, have 60hrs of shadowing experience and will get more from a psychiatrist during the fall semester and from a surgeon in India this summer (super excited for this!) I've recently joined a psychology research lab, and I work as a pharmacy technician. Oh and my current gpa is 3.63 (I'm trying to improve it after bio screwed me over). I know everyone keeps asking this but...how are my chances in getting into med school? Do I need to do more? Will not having a study abroad experience be looked upon unfavorably?</p>
<p>Also, I'll be taking biochem, physics, religion, and physiological psychology, researching, and working next fall. I was thinking about studying for the MCAT during this so I can take it in January. Is this a good idea or should I not try to avoid the 2015 MCAT?</p>
<p>No, study abroad or no study abroad will not make a difference. You seem like a fairly average applicant, you’d probably get into some lower to mid-tier med schools (pending acceptable MCAT scores, obviously) but not any of higher ranked. Whether you take the 2015 MCAT or not is really up to you. I wouldn’t be a huge fan of being part of the first group of students to apply with it, but considering that you will be taking biochem and have the necessary psychology background for the new parts, I don’t think the new one will hurt you</p>
<p>Whatever it is that you love to do or are interested in, do it. Stop counting the hours, it’s the quality of your experiences and not quantity. Yes a longitudinal experience is much preferred (over a year or so). I think this neuroticism of “I NEED to go over seas to to serve under served communities or else med school won’t notice me” is obscene. In fact, doing this matching game of getting the thousands of hours in volunteering does nothing but make you even more common to the thousands of premeds who also do this. Get some clinical experience to show you know what you’re getting yourself into, but there is not exact number you must reach.</p>
<p>Get good grades and kill that MCAT, and do something you’re interested in, not what you think AdComs are looking for.</p>