How Can I Show Med Schools That I’m Academically Capable?

Session 224

This student’s journey went from being interested in sciences and participating in athletics throughout high school – to wrestling in college and facing challenges due to COVID-19. Now, he has to transfer credits, take a gap year, and eventually find his footing academically to demonstrate his capability to handle the rigor of medical school.

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[00:28] Question of the Day

“All throughout high school I was interested in the sciences. I was an athlete growing up. Since the age of six, I was participating in sports. That is where my interest stems from and that is a big part of my story. I was lucky enough to participate in wrestling in college and COVID messed a lot of things up. I started at Ohio University. I wrestled there in the year of 2019 then COVID hit right before spring break as a national tournament was supposed to take place. That very next week, we were all told we had to leave.

After that, I had planned on going back to the university. Financially, it just wasn’t the best situation for me so I had to remove myself from the university. And with that, I had to transfer my credits to the new university that I would be attending. I had to take a gap year and figure out my situation and how to get back to the point where I wanted it to be. That took about nine months.

Long story short, things started to click. I got my financial situation figured out and put myself back into school. I also got the opportunity to apply for a job in an ICU at where I’m currently attending. I struggled with academics in my first year and that sent me back a lot, not only with my GPA, but moving forward as a premed. How can I approach a way in which I can show medical schools that I am capable of the rigor while I’m doing all these things?”

A: How do you show that you’re academically capable? Well, be academically capable. No matter where you start, it’s how you finish. As cliche as that sounds, it’s not whether if you fall down, but it’s if you get back up.

If you get a 2.0 your freshman year, you’re going to have to show that you can get as close to a 4.0 as possible, going on the rest of your journey.

There are plenty of stories that show that a student who struggles early on does just fine because at the end of their academic career, whether it’s junior senior postbac or SMP, they were able to show their academic capability. Now, their final number may not be super sexy. It may be a 3.2. But their last 40 or 50 hours is pretty close to a 4.0. That’s how you show academic capability.

“It doesn't matter what you say. It's what does your transcript show?”Click To Tweet

[04:55] Splitting Your Hours Between Clinical and Nonclinical

Q: “In terms of extracurriculars. Right now, I am doing some research, I applied for a program in the fall. In terms of clinical experience, and shadowing, I have about 70 hours in there, waiting to get more in.

Now, this is kind of where a lot of a lot of things clicked. For me, every doctor I’ve shadowed, I’ve come into contact with through my job, which allowed me to make connections. I’m wondering if my job would count as clinical experience. I’m a clerk in the medical intensive care unit. My job description is not for me to take care of these patients. I don’t take care of these patients, particularly. The nurses do that, obviously,

But my question is, on my own, and it’s very awesome. A lot of the nurses kind of take me in because they know that I’m a premed student. They allow me to go in if there if a bronch is going on, or intubation (turning patients, codes, CPR, etc.). I was just wondering what your thoughts are and if I could count those as clinical experience.”

A: The way this student describes it, it’s like a front desk person in an outpatient setting. You’re answering calls, you’re directing information, and running stuff, like blood or stats. That would not be a clinical experience. But if you’re turning patients and helping with codes, then that sounds like a clinical experience.

At the end of the day, the title doesn’t tell anything, but what you do and what you’re allowed to do. Whether it’s not in your title directly, or in your job duties directly. But if you’re acting as a medical assistant (doing CPR and helping turn patients and all this other stuff), you can split your hours into two activities.

Let’s say you have 1,000 hours total as this clerk and 25% of it is more of this clinical experience, where you’re doing codes and helping turn patients and doing other things. And so, 250 of those 1,000 hours could be put as clinical experience. Then maybe you title it “Medical Assistant” or “Clerk/Medical Assistant.” Then put your description of the more clinical stuff in there. Then for the other 750 hours of your 1,000 total, put clerk and you mark it as “not clinical.”Here, talk more about a lot of the other duties and impact that you have as a “clerk.”

Ultimately, this may or may not be the best job to get clinical experience as a premed. It’s up to you. But there are probably better opportunities for you to get more consistent, and more sustained clinical time.

[12:39] “Other Impactful Experiences” Essay

Q: “Do you think that I should elaborate on my situation in terms of my story in a couple of the issues that I’ve listed there? Because I had to withdraw from the university that I was at before COVID and just a bunch of withdraws? And I feel like I should elaborate on that. Would that be a place for me to do that? Could I speak about that in my personal statement, or would that not be wise?”

A: The disadvantaged essay is probably a good place to add context to the rest of your application. But the personal statement is about – why do you want to be a doctor. That’s why I love this change from the “disadvantaged essay” to this “other impactful experiences essay” as it broadens it. Then more people will have something more to say there.

[13:38] Applying Next Cycle

This student also expressed concerns about their intentions of applying next cycle. They wonder if it would be wise to apply due to factors such as their GPA and the uncertainty of their MCAT score.

While they have been advised to apply if they achieve a good MCAT score, they believe that there are deeper considerations to be made.

The student recently began volunteering and aims to accumulate 100 hours with a specific volunteer organization. They also plan to adjust their position in the hospital to a more patient-centered role.

The student wants to emphasize the importance of their volunteer work on their application and hopes it won’t come across as merely checking a box. However, they feel that if they have a year of volunteering experience by the time they apply, any concerns about the number of hours should be alleviated.

They were advised by the admissions committee members to apply if they achieve a good score on the MCAT for the next application cycle in May. However, they express that they are not currently prepared academically, as they are not close to completing their required classes.

Due to personal circumstances and a disorganized academic journey, they are just entering their sophomore year credit-wise at their current university. They mention that they still need to take courses in biochemistry and physics, indicating that they have some catching up to do in terms of their academic progress.

From a graduation standpoint, this student could apply in 2024, to start in 2025. The goal moving forward is to get as close to a 4.0 as possible.

“You don't have to be perfect, but get as close to 4.0 as possible. Do well on the MCAT, keep getting your experiences, and go tell your story on your application.”Click To Tweet

[19:28] Advice on Personal Statement

The student also expresses concerns about whether the should apply for the next cycle. He is concerned about his perceived weaknesses as an applicant, such as his GPA and not having taken the MCAT yet. He mentions that they have recently started volunteer work at a community care clinic and would like to accumulate 100 hours before applying.

He plans to transition to a more patient-centered job in the hospital. The student seeks advice on how to structure their personal statement, mentioning two potential themes: their experience with wrestling and the impact of a family member’s battle with epilepsy. But he’s unsure which direction to take.

While he had early exposure to healthcare due to having a sick parent, it wasn’t until they experienced his own injury and went through physical therapy that he discovered his passion for helping others in the medical field.

Everyone’s story is unique. Ultimately, you just have to reflect on your own experiences that led you to consider a career in healthcare.

As for this student, he mentions the recent loss of a family member and the impact it had, but also acknowledges the significance of having a family member who was chronically ill. Therefore, he just has to do some introspection to determine which aspect of his journey should be highlighted in his personal statement.