Premed Timetable/Battle Plan- Critique?

[SquishyMonster90]

I am a 25 year old non trad who just made the decision to go into medicine. I graduated from VCU in 2012 with a music degree. had a 3.94 undergrad GPA. I am currently training to be an EMT here in Atlanta to get some clinical experience. Here is my tentative plan for getting into med school. I want to potentially do academic medicine, so I want to apply to some top 10’s for actual medical school.

*I should also note that I am a vocalist for a prog metal band, run my own recording studio in my home, and compose music and sound design for indie films. I have already released one album by myself and will have released another with my band before med school apps. I plan to keep doing these activities on the side during this time for extracurriculars. I also pole dance competitively (NOT AS A STRIPPER).*


Fall 2015:

Take EMT certification course (November-April).

Apply to schools for prereqs to begin in Summer 2016 (GTech [1st choice], GSU, VCU)

Review all Math (Khan Acad) in preparation for Calculus course in Summer 2016(very rusty on math)

Study sciences (Khan Acad) to be ahead of the game for prereqs.

Start volunteering/shadowing 10 hours a week. (Volunteer at both hospital and animal shelter.)

Work 25-30 hours a week at current job(waitress)


Spring 2016:

Find full time work as EMT

Volunteer/Shadow

More study in prep to crush prereqs.

Get married <3


Summer 2016

Calculus I

General Chemistry 1 + Lab


Fall 2016

Calculus II/or Statistics

General Chemistry II + Lab

Biology I + Lab (took Bio in undergrad WITHOUT Lab, so not sure if it will transfer)

Physics I + Lab


Spring 2017

Organic Chemistry I + Lab

Biology II + Lab

Physics II + Lab

Research experience


Summer 2017

Organic Chemistry II + Lab

Biochemistry

Research experience


Gap year (s)-

Research experience- possibly research related job?

Work as EMT full time.

Volunteering/shadowing (Volunteer at both hospital and animal shelter.)

MCAT prep course?

Crush MCAT in January 2018.

Apply to med schools for Fall 2019


This would put me starting medical school at the age of 29. Does this look like a good plan? Is it too rushed? Not fast enough? Is this doable? Will this be enough to get me into a top 10 school? Should I take MCAT during Spring 2017 semester and apply Fall 2018 and enter medical school at age 28? (I would move orgo I into the fall if I did this, but I wanted to isolate it as much as possible since it is the “weeder” course.) I was afraid it would be too much which is why I did it this way. Any advice for me? Does my DIY post bacc schedule look good? Too heavy? Not heavy enough? Could I start research in a lab before the Spring? Is my music/pole experience enough as far as extracurriculars to make me a well rounded candidate and show leadership?


Thanks so much in advance for advice!

*Edited to add biochemistry per advice from AnotherLawyer

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[AnotherLawyer]

Just a few observations: Your Fall 16 and Spring 17 semesters are pretty demanding. I think that's fine if school can be your priority, but if you are truly working full time and have other obligations it might be tough. You should consider taking biochemistry. It's heavily tested on the new MCAT and some schools require it.

 

[SquishyMonster90]

Ok I'll put biochem in Spring 2017 or summer 2017. I wouldn't be working full time during school. Just this spring and then during the gap year. I might still try to keep an EMT job and/ or a restaurant job very part time during prereqs (like weekends or something).

Thanks so much for replying!

 

[Neuroplasticity]

I would recommend not to take MCAT spring 2017, this is before you have finished prereqs and you will be taking a heavy course load that semester so your time will be very limited. If your goal is a top school, I would recommend studying for MCAT full-time or only working for <30 hrs a week.
I think it'd be good to get involved in research as early as possible, the schools you are aiming for value research highly and in my experience, professors will not give you an independent project upon joining their lab, you need to spend time learning the techniques and their respect.

Also, you don't need go to a top 10 to do academic medicine, maybe to do academic medicine at a top 10, but this is still flexible. Nothing wrong with aiming for the top though.

 

[banana_phone]

Personally, I think your Spring 2017 schedule is suicide. I am almost done with my pre-reqs (6 more weeks!) and I absolutely cannot imagine doing Orgo + Lab, Bio + Lab, Physics + Lab, and Biochem in the same semester. You don't need two semesters of Biochem at any school that I've seen (and I've looked at a LOT of schools requirements). A single Biochemistry course should be sufficient, as most of them cover the material you need to know.

With that in mind, I would recommend removing Biochem II from your plan, and moving one of those heavy science classes from Spring 2017 to the summer semester. As Orgo I is almost always a prerequisite for Biochem, perhaps move Biochem to the summer and take it with Orgo II? Although at my school, and many others, the entire Orgo series is a prerequisite for Biochem. If that is the case, you could take Biochem in Fall 2017 and still be on track with your schedule.

Only other problem I see: you say " Crush MCAT in January 2018. Apply to med schools for Fall 2018" You would be applying in 2018, to begin in Fall 2019. You apply in June to join the medical school class of the following year.

 

[New_Slang]

Why are you set on taking calculus? Most medical schools don't require it. I never took it and took general physics that didn't require calculus. I had a stats credit on my transcript from undergrad that satisfied every school's "math credit". I'm fairly certain VCU requires math, but not necessarily calculus? I'd look it up before you put yourself through calculus without need. (PS: I'm a Spider! Yay RVA!)

I had some old bio credits from undergrad and Gen Chem I in undergrad, so this was my schedule:

Summer 2014: Gen Bio II, Gen Chem II (both with lab)

Fall 2015: Physics I, Cell & Molec Bio, Organic Chem I (all with lab)

Spring 2015: Physics II, Organic Chem II (all with lab) + MCAT

**Note, I did not take Biochem. I taught myself Biochem for the MCAT and that, coupled with Organic Chem II, was enough for me to get a great MCAT score. I don't recommend this for everyone, but its what I had to do to make my schedule work.

I did not work in the summer and fall term, and only worked part time (~15 hours/week). I took the April 2015 MCAT and did not retake.

I'm now taking a free EdX Biochem course to help review before med school.

ETA: I'll be 28 when I matriculate, FYI.

 

[Apollo1]

Calculus II is not necessary for most med schools, and replacing it with an upper-level science course may look better on your transcript. Since you're needing to brush up on your math skills, I'd recommend pushing back Calculus 1 until after you've taken Gen Chem 1; plenty of students think they'll hold to a self-study plan, but when you're doing it on your own with no disincentive for falling behind it sets people up for failure.

Your scheduling of classes makes it seem like you have to get into med school now, so why the hurry? Starting off with two classes is fine, but build up slowly from there; your tentative plan has you jumping from two to four after only one semester in. In addition to this, you're coming from a music background, and as a fellow liberal arts graduate I can tell you there's not an automatic switch of mentality.

10 hours a week of volunteering is excessive; you can rack up hours by volunteering only 1 day a week over a year to two year period of time. Adcoms will understand that you have a job on the side while going to school, etc.; no need to overkill.

Finally, why EMT? Unless you're considering one of the allied health professions at this time as well, it takes up valuable time that can be directed elsewhere. While a meaningful position, it won't be the thing that makes you stand out versus other applicants.

 

[Bru]

Considering the increased emphasis in med school (and on boards) on Epi/Biostats, statistics is better choice than Calc II.

 

[SquishyMonster90]

I'm mostly doing EMT so that I can get clinical experience while getting paid. I really really really want out of the restaurant industry like yesterday.

I know at least a handful of med schools I was looking at required at least a semester of Calculus and then had the option of Calc II or Stat (UCSD, Harvard, Johns Hopkins just to name a few). I wanted to get it out of the way in the first summer so that I could just focus on it since I find that prereq the most scary along with ochem. I'll get rid of biochem II as it looks like only Florida State requires two semesters of it.

Whoops, meant Fall 2019, my bad! Edited to fix it.

I don't want to be too old when going into med school. I'm getting married soon and my fiance is 15 years older than me. I want to have a good bit of schooling done before we have kids and he'll be too old for kids if I wait too long. That's part of the reason I'm trying to move it along as quickly as possible without failing. I also just don't want too old by the time I'm done with everything. As it is, for the specialties I'm most interested in, I'll be pushing 40 by the time I'm done.

Thanks for replying everyone! You've all been extremely helpful and I really appreciate it!!