Gap year?

[confusedstudent2195]

Hey guys!

I recently changed my major from nursing to exercise science to pursue medical school. I was in the clinical portion and hated it. This new degree fulfills most requirements I just have to add in a few classes. The problem is.... My schools chemistry and physics department is awful to say the least. Picking a professor requires you to hopefully get the best of the worst. Needless to say I wanted to take those classes at another university during the summer but that would completely destroy the prospect of taking the mcat the second semester of my "junior" (I'll be a senior technically because of the major change...) year. So I was thinking of taking the mcat my graduating spring semester in hopes for applying in the fall or the fall after that! Is this a good idea? Around which semester would I even be able to start? What exactly is a gap year? I am involved in my sorority as recruitment, fundraising, and intramurals chair, in 2 honor societies, will be starting my shadowing during Christmas break, I work in an office in the hospital, my gpa is a 3.7 with room to grow, and I'm very motivated. Sos! Help!

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[foxm1]

Based on my experiences thus far into the application process, I would suggest a gap year. I've known that I wanted to go to med school far before coming to college and I'm still having trouble figuring it all out.

A gap year is an opportunity to strengthen the quality of your application as well as prove your commitment to medicine. Shortly after you graduate, you could take the MCAT, then start your med school applications, being sure to explain how you'll be spending your time. You could do some kind of medically-related volunteering, do a master's program, research... it's up to you.

 

[allanMED15]

I would make sure you know what you're getting into and how to articulate that well. Especially the reasoning for making the switch from nursing to medicine.
As far as the MCAT, only take it when you're ready. Don't try and force it to fit a certain timeline because if you do, you may not end up happy at the end with a score you'll regret. You really only want to take it once.

 

[deleted647690]

Based on my experiences thus far into the application process, I would suggest a gap year. I've known that I wanted to go to med school far before coming to college and I'm still having trouble figuring it all out.

A gap year is an opportunity to strengthen the quality of your application as well as prove your commitment to medicine. Shortly after you graduate, you could take the MCAT, then start your med school applications, being sure to explain how you'll be spending your time. You could do some kind of medically-related volunteering, do a master's program, research... it's up to you.

Keep in mind that you are suggesting two gap years

 

[foxm1]

Keep in mind that you are suggesting two gap years

Not necessarily. If she graduated in May, she could take the MCAT later that month, then begin her applications in June. She could discuss her plans for the rest of the year in her application.

 

[confusedstudent2195]

Keep in mind that you are suggesting two gap years

If I took the mcat my graduating semester spring of 18 and did well I could potentially start fall of 19? Is that correct?

 

[HybridEarth]

May I ask, what exactly did you hate about the clinical portion of your nursing experience thus far? Sorry that struck me as odd

 

[foxm1]

If I took the mcat my graduating semester spring of 18 and did well I could potentially start fall of 19? Is that correct?

Yes. If you took the MCAT around graduation time in the spring of '18, you could begin your applications in the summer of '18. You'd hear back from med schools fall '18 through spring '19 and could start med school in fall '19.

 

[confusedstudent2195]

May I ask, what exactly did you hate about the clinical portion of your nursing experience thus far? Sorry that struck me as odd

I wanted more. I'm interested in the medicine, the disease, why this happens, what makes them better. I felt like I wasn't rising to my full potential. Nursing is not the practice that I want, I want to practice the medicine. The whole time I'm in my classes I sit there and listen to what they say the doctors do and want that to be me. I came to realize that I chose nursing as a "quick"-er way into the healthcare world not realizing nursing wasn't what I was looking for.

 

[HybridEarth]

Cool cool, thanks for clarifying. As someone who has retaken the MCAT, I highly recommend not rushing it. Take it when you graduate. The average age of someone beginning medical school is around 25 (at some schools it's even higher), so if you're a traditional student, don't feel like you need to rush. Gap years are awesome, many people do it to travel / do other experiences / research. You should look into it.

 

[confusedstudent2195]

Cool cool, thanks for clarifying. As someone who has retaken the MCAT, I highly recommend not rushing it. Take it when you graduate. The average age of someone beginning medical school is around 25 (at some schools it's even higher), so if you're a traditional student, don't feel like you need to rush. Gap years are awesome, many people do it to travel / do other experiences / research. You should look into it.

Would you recommend me starting to look over things now for the mcat? Like maybe some practice books or research things since everything is new now? I'm definitely shadowing this winter break so I'll get started with that and I'd love to do some research with microbiology (favorite class, I'm taking pathogenic bacteria next semester too! This would also allow me to take the cool bio classes without stressing as much!)

 

[HybridEarth]

Nah I wouldn't start looking at MCAT review materials in depth yet. If you have the financial resources, you might wanna pick up a review book from one of the MCAT prep companies (Kaplan, Princeton Review, etc.) and just look at some of the topics. If I were you, I would just plan on memorizing as much information as possible from your prerequisite courses and do well in them. If you have a good foundation of the knowledge, reviewing for the MCAT won't be all that bad when you finally get into it. I'd look into longitudinal research experiences as well. From what I've read on this website from people far wiser than I, the most successful applicants have a "theme" to their application. Find what you like, whether it be research, sports, hobbies, etc. and be amazing at it, and you will be just fine

 

[deleted647690]

Not necessarily. If she graduated in May, she could take the MCAT later that month, then begin her applications in June. She could discuss her plans for the rest of the year in her application.

Oh yeah you could do that