Totally confused, need advice!

[Imani44]

Hello All,

This is my very first post on this forum. I have been viewing and reading literally hundreds of threads on here for a while. I was extremely happy when i found it, its extremely helpful
With that being said, I hope im not putting this in the wrong place.

I am currently a sophmore at UGA. Im majoring in exercise and sports science which may seem weird however, I am really interested in ortho and im really into fitness and nutrition so i felt that the classes this major was offering would fit me best. Anyway, i had an appointment with the counseler in that major just to talk about my future and to make sure im on track for medical school.

Went in there completely excited and happy about my life and left disappointed, frustrated, and confused.
She pretty much told me there was no shot in hell that i would be able to get into med school without a gap year or two. I told her over and over that i would like to atleast try to get in at a regular time but she literally refused to advise me on that. She told me no one would accept me without a gap year. im confused because my freshmen year i didn't mess up, my GPA was 3.66, I had a job, i'm joining 2 clubs this year, and Ive been volunteering and shadowing doctors so why am i not good enough, i mean im only a sophomore?

What i wanna know is if that's true? Does everyone do gap years? are you considered abnormal if you try to get in at a regular time?

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[future_dr]

You definitely do not need a gap year.

 

[Being]

i would like to atleast try to get in at a regular time

Average matriculant age is 25 or 26, so taking a few gap years actually IS the "regular time" these days.

 

[LizzyM]

Not having a gap year means that you must be ready to apply to medical school in the Spring/Summer after your junior year. This means, ideally, that you have taken the MCAT not later than May of that year and that you have completed a year of biology, a year of chemistry, a year of organic chemistry and a year of physics. There may be some changes in pre-reqs to include coursework in social science, biochemistry and statistics. Got all of that finished by the end of junior year? If not, a gap year might be a good idea. This also gives you a chance to do some research. Ideally, you should do at least one summer of full time research after sophomore year so that you can show it as "done" when you apply in the summer after junior year. Continuing that research into jr year and even a senior thesis is all the better.
This is an exhausting and expensive process. You want to do it once and be successful and not have to come to the realization in spring of senior year that you need to reapply. Listen to your counselor and make an informed decision about the best route to take.

 

[Imani44]

Average matriculant age is 25 or 26, so taking a few gap years actually IS the "regular time" these days.

Okay well i definitely understand that however i was just wondering if my counseler was right and i had no chance of getting in anywhere?
She told me i wasnt gonna get in without a gap year bc "med schools are looking for students who had 2 jobs work 40 hours a week, took all the required classes and got A+ in all of them, have a gpa higher than 3.8, great LOR's, have done extensive research, shadowed doctors since they were 12(seriously?), have volunteered over 2,000 hours and are presidents of 3 clubs.
LIKE DAMN, is she for real? is this really normal? literally that is what she said word for word.

 

[samsunimomo]

Okay well i definitely understand that however i was just wondering if my counseler was right and i had no chance of getting in anywhere?
She told me i wasnt gonna get in without a gap year bc "med schools are looking for students who had 2 jobs work 40 hours a week, took all the required classes and got A+ in all of them, have a gpa higher than 3.8, great LOR's, have done extensive research, shadowed doctors since they were 12(seriously?), have volunteered over 2,000 hours and are presidents of 3 clubs.
LIKE DAMN, is she for real? is this really normal? literally that is what she said word for word.

Is UGA a school that only lets the most competitive students apply to protect their medical school acceptance rate?

 

[tiedyeddog]

Okay well i definitely understand that however i was just wondering if my counseler was right and i had no chance of getting in anywhere?
She told me i wasnt gonna get in without a gap year bc "med schools are looking for students who had 2 jobs work 40 hours a week, took all the required classes and got A+ in all of them, have a gpa higher than 3.8, great LOR's, have done extensive research, shadowed doctors since they were 12(seriously?), have volunteered over 2,000 hours and are presidents of 3 clubs.
LIKE DAMN, is she for real? is this really normal? literally that is what she said word for word.

its not true. Many of the kids starting medical school every year have never worked a real job in their lives. You're doing fine, just try to take the MCAT on time and try to bring your GPA up a bit more. If you're only a sophomore now you have time.

 

[LizzyM]

Okay well i definitely understand that however i was just wondering if my counseler was right and i had no chance of getting in anywhere?
She told me i wasnt gonna get in without a gap year bc "med schools are looking for students who had 2 jobs work 40 hours a week, took all the required classes and got A+ in all of them, have a gpa higher than 3.8, great LOR's, have done extensive research, shadowed doctors since they were 12(seriously?), have volunteered over 2,000 hours and are presidents of 3 clubs.
LIKE DAMN, is she for real? is this really normal? literally that is what she said word for word.

Do look in the dictionary under the word, "exaggerator". Do you see her picture? If not, you might need a better dictionary. It is a jungle out there and less than 50% of all applicants are admitted; consider that the 43% who are admitted are a very, very small proportion of all the students who are "pre-med" at some point in college. You don't have to be a super star but it helps.

 

[Goro]

Not correct, and I suggest finding a new advisor.

The avg GPA for MD matriculants is 3.6.
The avg MCAT is 31.
You should have 20-50 hrs of shadowing
>100 hrs of non-clinical EC
>100 hrs of clinical ECs (patient contact volunteering)
and research. You don't need a Cell paper.

Okay well i definitely understand that however i was just wondering if my counseler was right and i had no chance of getting in anywhere?
She told me i wasnt gonna get in without a gap year bc "med schools are looking for students who had 2 jobs work 40 hours a week, took all the required classes and got A+ in all of them, have a gpa higher than 3.8, great LOR's, have done extensive research, shadowed doctors since they were 12(seriously?), have volunteered over 2,000 hours and are presidents of 3 clubs.
LIKE DAMN, is she for real? is this really normal? literally that is what she said word for word.

 

[Afford]

Median age for matriculants is 23, so many people don't take a gap year.

 

[Imani44]

yeah UGA has definitely become a more scholarly school. They love their statistics lol.
Thank you to everyone who replied, I definitely feel a little better and not totally distraught and hopeless. I still have alot of work to do but atleast now i know its possible

 

[Aerus]

Your counselor is misinformed or over-exaggerating. A gap year can never hurt and is always recommended if you want one or need one, but she's insane if she thinks you need all that or you won't get in.

I don't plan on taking a gap year and I definitely don't have all that.