Hi everyone! I’m currently a junior from Massachusetts and was wondering if you could assess my chances for getting into a BS/MD program. Currently, my theme for applications is migrant healthcare accessibility.
ORM, Asian Female
UW GPA: 3.98
W GPA: 4.62 (according to my calculations, I will end up with a 4.77 GPA next year or a 4.79 GPA if I get an A+ in APUSH/AP Lang)
ACT Score: 35
Class Rank: My school doesn’t rank.
Concerns with College Costs: None.
Extracurricular Activities:
Research Fellow in a Prestigious Research Program in Massachusetts (currently conducting analytical research on assessing healthcare literacy among refugees)
Research Fellow at a local university’s virology lab (analyze protein structures and connections)
Medical Clinic Volunteer at a local Urgent Care Clinics (450+ volunteer hours as of now)
Hospital Volunteer at a local hospital (50+ volunteer hours as of now)
Director of a program that educates refugees about healthcare and public health in the United States
Public Benefits Volunteer for Refugees at a local organization (170+ volunteer hours as of now)
Intern at a local anti-immigration detention organization where I monitored the organization’s social media and organized rallies for some of its clients’ campaigns (300+ hours as of now)
Tutor for immigrant children who resettled in the United States (110+ hours as of now)
Awards:
Received an award from a refugee organization for my creation of the program at which I am now a director (educates refugees)
Received the Pat Rowell Award from Massachusetts General Hospital due to my extensive healthcare service at my local clinic and the hospital
Received an NSLI-Y summer scholarship to study Arabic in Jordan (learned Arabic to communicate with large Afghan refugee pop. in Massachusetts who come to the clinic)
Personally, I feel really worried about doing interviews for BS/MD programs. I plan on applying to research programs this summer, and although they do have an interview component, BS/MD interviews are making me jittery. My long-term goal is to become a cardiologist and learn fluent Arabic to give back to my immigrant community.
As you know, admission to BS/MD programs is highly competitive. So…apply and see. You appear to be a good candidate, but the acceotance rates are very very low.
My only suggestion is that you not mention becoming a cardiologist. Most programs want you to come in with an open mind about specialties. You will do clinical rotations in many fields, and your decision about specialties needs to be solidified after those. So…go on with an open mind about specialties.
You look like great applicant. Readjust your reason to learn arabic to being able to communicate with Arabic speaking refugees. Most Afghanis dont speak Arabic.
Arabic is a less common language in Afghanistan. Dari (Afghan Persian) and Pashto are the most common. Both are written in a script that resembles Arabic script.
Most Afghan refugees do not speak Arabic. If she interviews with anyone who is educated regarding these languages, and this part of the world, she needs to have her facts straight.
Yup sorry about that; I meant to write Syrian Refugees. My area also has a large afghan refugee population (accidentally mixed the two names). But thank you for your feedback!
BTW, the interest in Arabic will look very cool to colleges and med schools, so keep it up; however, the language that will be FAR more useful when dealing with patients is Spanish, and it’s very, very easy to learn Spanish. People who speak Arabic and not English will show up with a family member to translate, but people who speak Spanish only, will very often not bring a translator. Arabic is very difficult, and while standard Arabic is universal across the Arab world, most people speak dialects, some of which are mutually unintelligible. Those who are most likely to not speak English will likely be speaking dialect. Usually, you first learn academic modern standard Arabic, and then a dialect (at which point your MSA will immediately deteriorate into the dialect you’re learning/living, unless you’re doing something to keep it up). Jordanian and Gulf Arabic are fairly close to MSA, Egyptian farther from it, and Moroccan really far from it. All of which makes it more fun!
I would urge you to take Spanish, too, if you can. You can master enough Spanish with two years of college Spanish plus a class in medical Spanish to be able to communicate with Spanish speaking patients in a clinical setting. Add in a month’s volunteering in a medical setting in a Spanish speaking setting in central America, and you’ll be in good shape.
I work in healthcare and worked at MGH. If you check their website and many big teaching hospital sites, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic are the three main languages it can be translated in due to the patient populations being the largest. I don’t disagree with the importance of Spanish, but the OP is absolutely on the right track with Arabic as well.
The refugee population, particularly in Boston is enormous and will only continue to grow.
To the OP, I applaud your work with refugees and the immigrant population, it’s one that is dear to my heart and that I’ve been part of as well. However, it’s a delicate line going from wanting to genuinely help and looking like a savior. Just be sure your essays don’t reflect a hero mentality of saving, but learning also. All the best!