<p>I am in a bit of a predicament here, and I want your opinions. Currently, I am majoring in biomedical engineering with a GPA of 3.7. It is my sophomore year summer and I'm going to take the MCAT in August. I took a couple of practice tests and am confident that I can get at least a 35 on the test. That is all sunshine and roses however, I haven't been that active extracirricularly. I have done the following: </p>
<p>1 year of bio research with prof
1.5 years of electrical engineering research with prof
100 hours of volunteering in sophomore year and now this summer, just more research and MCATs
Study abroad for 1 semester</p>
<p>I feel that with this, I dont have a good shot of getting into med school--I have bad extracirricuars, and no letters of rec. </p>
<p>To top all of this anxiety off, I am now questioning if I even want to become a doctor. I would have to get schooling for the next 4 years, plus residency, and all to make about 100K after taxes, insurance, etc, with a crippling debt until I'm 50. Would it be better to become an engineer? to finish my undergrad, get a job and then get my masters in EE or BME.</p>
<p>Take a deep breath and step back. There is no decision you can make right now that can’t be undone later.</p>
<p>There are many, many routes to medical school. You don’t need to go directly to med school from undergrad. (Neither of my Ds did.)</p>
<p>Medical school is a huge commitment of your time, energy and money. It’s not a path you should be considering if you’re not certain this is what you want more than anything else. </p>
<p>Go ahead and take your MCAT this summer if you want to do that, but with the understanding that if you don’t apply soon, you may have to re-take the test since the new MCAT goes into effect in 2015 and schools are not obligated to accept scores from the old format exam after the 2014-15 application cycle.</p>
<p>I would very strongly suggest that you also try to get some physician shadowing done this summer. This so you can see close-up what a physician’s life and duties entail and you’ll be able to make a more informed decision about whether you want to pursue medicine as a career.</p>
<p>Because your ECs are weak and because you’re not sure if medicine is a career you want pursue, you may want to consider postponing any application to medical school until you’ve had more time to think this big commitment over more thoroughly, preferrably after some shadowing and more clinical volunteering.</p>
<p>Medical school will still be there 2 years from now, 5 years from now if that’s what you want. You don’t need to decide right now.</p>
<p>I do not see any problem. Not clear what you see as a problem either.<br>
However, it is a good idea to remane calm. It will help you to sit thru MCAT and at Med. school interviews. So, I would suggest to work on this side to improve. There is no reason to be jumpy, it never helps.</p>
<p>I would suggest shadowing. It will give you more clinical exposure (boosting your ECs) and will really help you decide whether or not you want to be a doctor.</p>
<p>All right, I want to thank WayoutWestMom for helping calm me down, I was having a bit of a anxiety attack which is really uncharacteristic of me. What set me off was having to pay 2k for a MCAT prep course and then realizing that if I don’t go into medicine, that’s 2 grand wasted.</p>
<p>Anyway, what concerns me mostly is the lack of other “school ec’s” like being prez or vp of so an so club. I have joined a few clubs–namely parkour and premed society, but still am a member. Will that matter? Can you give me your opinions on things I can do to help bolster my EC’s. I plan on volunteering at 2 hospitals this summer and shadowing a doctor as well this summer. Anything else that would help improve my chances of getting into med school?</p>
<p>There are tons of things everyone can do to improve their chances but they only help if you’re not doing it just to improve your chances.</p>
<p>You have lots of time to figure it out. Questioning if pursuing a career in medicine is the right path for you is a good thing. Some people “know” what they want and it turns out not to be the case and others reach a decision seemingly out of the blue. My D always expressed an interest in medicine but I always encouraged her to not hesitate to explore something else - didn’t matter what- just to make sure med school was the right choice. Other kids I know decided very late in college to even apply to med school. If you do decide to go the med school route then the best advice you can get is to be yourself, do ECs that you are truly interested in- not because they “look good” Adcoms really want to admit future doctors, not just high achievers- Enjoy your college experience and if you find some other passion in a different career- don’t be afraid to change your mind- that’s why you are in college- to see what your options are</p>
<p>That two grand isn’t wasted if you don’t go into medicine. You may spend $2000 on a prep class, but if you decide not to apply, you’ve just saved yourself $10K on application expenses (travel, clothing, meals, primary and secondary fees, etc).</p>
<p>You have to look for the positives! </p>
<p>Like D2’s BFF who lost her deposit at a med school plus 3 months rent on OOS apartment because she was taken off the waitlist for the state med school last week. She’s out $6K, but she’ll save $35K/year going instate.</p>
<p>~~~~</p>
<p>As for finding activities. Don’t try to fill out your pre-med bingo card. Checklist applicants aren’t the ones that catch the eye of the adcomm. Find activities that match your interests. Then go from there. </p>
<p>For example, one D is a sport climber so she worked as a search & rescue EMT. She’s also a swimmer and lifeguard so she organized free water safety/swimming classes in a rural, low income community where drowning deaths happen every year during thunderstorm season. The other D has a lifelong interest in how the brain works. She has a long history of volunteering with the mentally ill and mentally disabled. Stroke center, Special Olympics, Big Sister to mentally ill teenager, grief support group leader for elementary school kids.</p>
<p>See? Very different kids. Very different interests. Very different activities. </p>
<p>tl;dr Find your passion and use that as a springboard to find meaningful-to-you volunteer opportunities.</p>
<p>And there are as many ways to be a leader as there are individuals. Leadership doesn’t need to be the traditional club officer. Think outside the pre med box.</p>
<p>“that’s 2 grand wasted.”
-The least of your worries. You really need to calm down. This one is a microscopical (invisible) drop in a huge (ocean size) bucket. Erase this one from your mind.
Which one is your next worry? Looks like we have to go thru entire list.</p>