CA ORM (with physician parents)!!
Going into this cycle, I almost didn’t apply. As an ORM applicant from California, I constantly compared myself to applicants online with near perfect stats, thousands of clinical/research hours, and what felt like “better” applications overall. I was SUPER worried that my lower clinical and nonclinical volunteer hours would hold me back despite the experiences meaning a lot to me personally. My premed advisor also told me my MCAT score was too low and that it would be a waste to apply :')
Looking back now, I’m really glad I applied anyway! I think this application cycle taught me that numbers and hour counts only tell part of the story and that the ability to communicate the impact of your experiences matters so much!
If anyone has questions about balancing athletics with premed, applying with lower hours, interviews, or anything else, I’m more than happy to talk more about my experiences and hopefully help someone else feel a little less discouraged!
MCAT:
511: (130/122/129/130)
Retake: 512 (129/124/131/128)
PREview: 9
CASPER 2nd quartile
cGPA: 3.95
sGPA: 3.92
1 gap year
D1 Athlete
Research:
- 650 hours, no pubs, ~3 poster presentations/research conferences
- Summer research stipend/scholarship
Clinical:
- Medical Assistant 250 hours
- Volunteer Medical Assistant at a free Clinic: 55 hours
- Hospital Volunteer: 250 hours
Shadowing:
- 128 hours
Leadership/Mentorship:
- 100 hours total
Teaching/Tutoring:
- 135 hours
Nonclinical Volunteering/Advocacy:
- 60 hours
Bible study:
- Fellowship: 180 hours
Athletics:
- 3200 hours, NCAA Division I Athlete
- One major athletic award
Hobbies:
- I actually haven’t told anyone this besides my family, but one of my hobbies is songwriting, and I literally included one of my song verses in the description section of my application (its so cringy I know but hey it worked out in the end)
Edit: I forgot I wanted to comment on the physician parents thing. My parents actually did not, and still do not, want me to become a physician because they know firsthand how difficult the lifestyle can be, how much debt comes with it, and how many sacrifices it takes to get there. Because of that, I honestly did not have much help when it came to connections or navigating the application process. But despite all of that, I’m really grateful this is the path I chose, and I genuinely hope to make a meaningful difference as a future physician :)