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Hi,
I am an international premed student studying at University of Ottawa and I plan on applying to medical schools in the next cycle. Right now I am about to begin my fourth semester at university. I started with a few advanced credits so I have 5 (15 credit) semesters left till my graduation but I am planning on taking 21 credits per semester instead so I can graduate in 2 years. I definitely want to apply to medical schools next year but I am worried because I do not have any volunteering or clinical experience and I haven't even begun studying for the MCAT at all. I was planning on doing volunteering this year but with a 21 credit course load per semester I am worried if I'll even have the time to do it. I have a high cGPA and getting good grades (while taking 21 credits per semester) is not a problem for me. Whether or not I will have time to volunteer while studying is what's stressing me out. I can easily squeeze in some hours per week for research so that's okay. Right now, I am choosing my courses for the fall semester so I'd like your advice. I have two options. If you could please tell me which one is better, I would be really grateful.
1) I could either take 21 credits per semester this year and not volunteer much. This way I can save the tuition fee for one semester. Then during the summer of 2017, I will spent my time volunteering, taking part in research, and I would do the MCAT in June 2017. If I do this, I will have completed 81 credits and can possibly apply to medical schools by July.
or
2) I could take 15 credits per semester this year and spend time volunteering a few hours per week and I can complete the MCAT by January 2017. If I do this, I will have to study full time during the summer. Again, I will squeeze in a few hours of volunteering during the summer. By doing this, I will be able to earn 90 credits by the end of September. I have noticed that a lot of medical schools require 90 credits during the time of application. So if I take summer courses, I would probably be applying to medical schools in mid-September. Will applying in September ruin my chances of getting in, especially since I am an international student? Also, if I take summer courses and apply early in June with 75 credits, will I be considered for admission if I let the medical schools know that I would have completed 90 credits by September?
Please let me know which option is better for me. I am only asking this right now because I have to decide whether I should take 15 or 21 credits this semester. Also,this is my first post on StudentDoctor so please excuse me if I made some mistake while posting this.
I am an international premed student studying at University of Ottawa and I plan on applying to medical schools in the next cycle. Right now I am about to begin my fourth semester at university. I started with a few advanced credits so I have 5 (15 credit) semesters left till my graduation but I am planning on taking 21 credits per semester instead so I can graduate in 2 years. I definitely want to apply to medical schools next year but I am worried because I do not have any volunteering or clinical experience and I haven't even begun studying for the MCAT at all. I was planning on doing volunteering this year but with a 21 credit course load per semester I am worried if I'll even have the time to do it. I have a high cGPA and getting good grades (while taking 21 credits per semester) is not a problem for me. Whether or not I will have time to volunteer while studying is what's stressing me out. I can easily squeeze in some hours per week for research so that's okay. Right now, I am choosing my courses for the fall semester so I'd like your advice. I have two options. If you could please tell me which one is better, I would be really grateful.
1) I could either take 21 credits per semester this year and not volunteer much. This way I can save the tuition fee for one semester. Then during the summer of 2017, I will spent my time volunteering, taking part in research, and I would do the MCAT in June 2017. If I do this, I will have completed 81 credits and can possibly apply to medical schools by July.
or
2) I could take 15 credits per semester this year and spend time volunteering a few hours per week and I can complete the MCAT by January 2017. If I do this, I will have to study full time during the summer. Again, I will squeeze in a few hours of volunteering during the summer. By doing this, I will be able to earn 90 credits by the end of September. I have noticed that a lot of medical schools require 90 credits during the time of application. So if I take summer courses, I would probably be applying to medical schools in mid-September. Will applying in September ruin my chances of getting in, especially since I am an international student? Also, if I take summer courses and apply early in June with 75 credits, will I be considered for admission if I let the medical schools know that I would have completed 90 credits by September?
Please let me know which option is better for me. I am only asking this right now because I have to decide whether I should take 15 or 21 credits this semester. Also,this is my first post on StudentDoctor so please excuse me if I made some mistake while posting this.
