life experience consideration

[ny911]

Hi everyone. I'd like some input on how much weight life experiences carry with admissions commitees? I'm referring to being an EMT for 3 years and working full time while going to school.My stats are as follows:3.8 nonscience GPA, 3.1 science GPA MCAT 27Q (9 on all three sections) I have also done research in a lab for the past year(on P53). I'm getting ready to apply this June, and wanted some input as to how competitive an applicant I am?

thanks for any info you guys can give.

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[turtleboard]

Numbers alone, you're a little on the borderline. You didn't disclose your cumulative GPA, which can be more revealing, or your major and which undergraduate college you attended.

"Life experience" is something that's fairly new, and I'm not sure how most admissions committees react to it. The TRADITIONAL view is that osteopathic med schools are more open to candidates with a ton of "life experience" but who may have a little trouble with numbers.

So you were a full-time EMT at the same time while going to school?


Tim of New York City.

 

[baylor21]

I think you definitely have a shot, but alot depends on what school you apply to. I've heard that NY schools are very competitive, (assuming from your screen name that you are from there).

If you are from NY, its good and bad in different ways, as is the same for California. There are significantly more med schools in those states than in the others, but there are also a ton of more people that apply to them also since they're so populated. I'm not sure if the extra number of med schools evens out the huge number of applicants or not.

I can say that if you were in my home state I'd say you definitely have a better chance than in the NY schools.

------------------
"There is nothing more powerful on this Earth as a man who has nothing to lose. It does not take ten such men to change the world--one will do." Elijah Mohammed

 

[hoozle]

I don't agree with Tim in that I don't believe it matters nowadays what your major was (unless your cumul. GPA is low). As for undergraduate institution, unless you went to Harvard, Yale, etc. (which may explain a lower GPA) I'm not sure it really matters.

I like your profile. I've known 3.8-4.0'ers who couldn't buy their way into med school because they they had no "life experience", no research/volunteer experience. If you went to school full time while working full time then, even though the GPA isn't stellar, it shows how motivated you are.

I think you have a great chance. Go for it and be proud!

Hoozle (California)

 

[Paulac]

Yeah I was wondering about the whole experiance thing as well. I'm a Bio major with a 3.57 cumlative GPA, slighly lower grades in sciences, but i'm also an Art minor and an Art History minor and have taken an average of 21 credits every semester to be able to graduate in 4 years. I'm also involved in a lot of extracurricular things--marching band, working on environmental campaigns, and spend my summers touring the country with a drum and bugle corps. I havent taken M-Cats yet, but i'm still kinda worried cause it seems most people's overall GPA is better than mine. Any thoughts?

 

[reed0104]

I'm not an allopath, but I think some work at a hospital with direct patient care would round off your resume very nicely. Some ideas:

1) NA
2) Psych Tech
3) ER tech

Bryan

 

[SCRU]

I'm applying to medical school right now and what people want to know in the interviews is what you do outside of medicine/science. Do you play an instrument? Do you like to draw, write, sing? Where have you travelled?

Doing extracurriculars means going beyond the classroom. Find something special about yourself and focus in on that during your interviews and in your essays. Good luck!

[This message has been edited by SCRU (edited 01-25-2000).]

 

[ny911]

Hi guys, thank you all for your posts. It's great to see some maturity in this medium.

I like to believe that if a person has done meaningful things outside the classroom, things which are directly applicable to medicine, he or she has a definite advantage over a 4.0'r with nothing to show but their GPA. Maybe this is just wishful thinking. As we all know there are a lot of politics involved in the admissions process.

Hey, I'll just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. Take care guys.

 

[KimR]

Majors matter! A 3.7 w/a biochem degree looks better than a 3.7 w/a bio degree; a 3.5 w/a chem engineering looks better than a 3.5 w/a bio degree. Some degrees are more challenging and require more upper division science coursework. I've heard this from adcoms, residents, MS's, & advisors. Not that all of us should run out and change from biology to biochemistry!

 

[TobyOrNotToby]

Paulac,

Which corps? I'm a MAJOR Santa Clara Vanguard fan myself.

Toby