Accelerating college to graduate in 3 years

[Az1698]

I was thinking about graduating college in 3 years instead of 4, so as to save a year of tuition and start med school early. I will have taken 10 AP classes and will have the necessary amount of credits to graduate in 3 years. From the med school side, what would I have to do to get admitted? What would they look for?

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[TheMagicCookie]

You don't get extra points from adcoms for graduating early. The same factors go into selecting students as with any other student...as long as you have your prereqs complete and all other things necessary for your application, you should be fine. I, personally wouldn't want to rush the process based on the possility that I might get to start med school sooner, I'd rather gain the life experience and maturity. Use the "Search" tool on this site and it'll give you all the info you need in terms of applying.

 

[PremedIowa]

Many students at my school that have tried this have been unsuccessful in their applications. It is difficult to accumulate the extra curricular experiences and letters of recommendation that are needed to be accepted to med school. I would suggest that you take the full four years and study abroad or intern in unique programs like government and international fellowships.

If you do try to graduate in three years, know that you will really only have the first two to get everything done that most students do in three to four years.

 

[phorun]

I wouldn't do it. Reason being: from what I've been told the biggest thing med schools are looking for is maturity. You need the life experience that comes with that extra year. Also, I think it would suck to miss out on a year of undergrad. I'm loving every minute of it. And finally, that bit you save on a year of tuition will NOT matter in the long run after the debt of medical school🙄

 

[lhtran07]

If you have AP credit for any of the pre-req's, especially a science course...I recommend taking those over at a university. AP credit doesn't count much to adcoms.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

As a matter of fact, many schools don't accept AP credits for pre reqs. Check the MSAR and school sites for more details, but I'd be curious to know what your AP credits are for.

 

[ToldYouSo]

Use your AP credits to get rid of the core classes in college you need to graduate with your bachelors, not for Med School pre-requisite classes, that way you can focus all of your time on pre-requisites. Take more credits each semester and as long as you can handle it you will be fine.

 

[Maygyver]

Yeah, try to do like AP history, english, etc exams and do well on them. I think AP calc credits can be used too, not completely sure. However, you should DEFINITELY take Bio and Chem is college. Not sure about physics but I would suggest it.

 

[Az1698]

I have 3 AP histories, 2 english, 1 psych, and the rest spanish and sciences. Why would maturity be a factor? Would't I be more mature if I graduated early?

 

[Maygyver]

No. You mature as you go through life experiences. Graduating earlier just means you studied more pretty much.

 

[TheMagicCookie]

I have 3 AP histories, 2 english, 1 psych, and the rest spanish and sciences. Why would maturity be a factor? Would't I be more mature if I graduated early?

book learning and life skills are two VERY different things. Graduating early just shows that you maybe took a few extra classes during the semester than others may have. You need to think about what those other students are doing outside of class. You may be earning class credits at a faster rate than another student, but that other person might be working full time and supporting themselves or a family. The other person is gaining life experience and skills that you don't get until you go through it. IMO, an applicant who graduated in 3 yrs. but clearly has no life experience other than studying, going to class, and basically living the life of a glorified high schooler is not going to be as impressive as a student who may have taken 5 yrs to graduate, supported themselves throughout, and comes to the table with a set of life skills and can obviously hold their own in the "real world".

It's like the story of the Tortoise and the Hare...Slow and steady wins the race.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

book learning and life skills are two VERY different things. Graduating early just shows that you maybe took a few extra classes during the semester than others may have. You need to think about what those other students are doing outside of class. You may be earning class credits at a faster rate than another student, but that other person might be working full time and supporting themselves or a family. The other person is gaining life experience and skills that you don't get until you go through it. IMO, an applicant who graduated in 3 yrs. but clearly has no life experience other than studying, going to class, and basically living the life of a glorified high schooler is not going to be as impressive as a student who may have taken 5 yrs to graduate, supported themselves throughout, and comes to the table with a set of life skills and can obviously hold their own in the "real world".

It's like the story of the Tortoise and the Hare...Slow and steady wins the race.

This. 👍

Thanks for saving me the time, Cookie!

 

[TheMagicCookie]

This. 👍

Thanks for saving me the time, Cookie!

No prob, do I get a cookie as a reward?!

 

[Chocolate Bear]

No prob, do I get a cookie as a reward?!

You should have plenty. I got chocolate, though! 😉 😀

 

[TheMagicCookie]

You should have plenty. I got chocolate, though! 😉 😀

hey i'm female, can't ever get enough chocolate! lol 😀

 

[Bacchus]

More than likely, you'll regret graduating in three years. Too much pressure is applied and you're losing a year of the college experience.

 

[Az1698]

From the medical side of view, I have already done:
500 hours volunteering
125 hours shadowing
Working w/ researching doctors ( 2 publications)
On board of 4 clubs
All while maintaining a job.

 

[broken tibula]

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that med schools could care less what you did in high school...

 

[Dr Lyss]

From the medical side of view, I have already done:
500 hours volunteering
125 hours shadowing
Working w/ researching doctors ( 2 publications)
On board of 4 clubs
All while maintaining a job.

did you do all of this while in high school? Medical schools won't consider extra curricular activities from high school. They want to see what you have done while in college. Unless it is an activity that you continued while in college (ie, you continued to volunteer at the same hospital or continued doing research with the same PI) you won't be able to include it on your med school application. You will have to do shadowing and volunteering in college on top of your course work.


If you are looking to graduate in 3 years then that means you would have to be ready to apply by the end of your sophomore year -- unless you want to apply after you graduate and take a year off, which I assume you wouldn't since you are looking to rush. That's a very short period of time to get all of your prereqs done and get a significant amount of ECs. Your competition will not only have an extra year of refinement but many will have many years of life experiences. Don't rush. Once you start med school your life is effectively over & you won't be able to turn back and live life burden free. Enjoy your freedom while you can!

 

[Chocolate Bear]

Med schools don't usually ask about the high school timeframe. That being said, if you have done things continuously, beginning in high school (i.e., shadowing, volunteering, researching), it shows a huge amount of commitment and dedication that you've continued with these same activities for such a long time, rather than starting on them your sophomore year in college. Plus your experience could allow you to do even more meaningful things in college if you stay at the same places, since you'll have seniority.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

Also, things in high school CAN have a significant impact on who you are as a person, later on. My personal statement was a success, and a large part of it was about some things I did in high school that profoundly changed me and influenced my decision to pursue medicine.

 

[TheMagicCookie]

From the medical side of view, I have already done:
500 hours volunteering
125 hours shadowing
Working w/ researching doctors ( 2 publications)
On board of 4 clubs
All while maintaining a job.

I'm going to play devil's advocate for a minute and ask you another question. You're still in HS and from the looks of it have been spending a decent amount of time around the medical community...have you considered something other than medicine at any point so far? I only ask this to get your mind thinking about all possibilities. Many students who have completely submerged themselves in studying and doing things necessary for med school get there and then begin thinking "I wish I had the chance to try something else" or "What if there is something else I would enjoy more than this?" It's not because they start doubting there love for medicine, it's because there never had the time or opportunity to experience other career avenues because they were so focused on getting to med school.


Having said that, when I was in HS I had two passions, horses and medicine. I was much more confident in my abilities with riding and training horses and was 100% sure that's what I was going to do for the rest of my life...fast forward 5 years, and where am I standing? I'm completing undergrad and pursuing med school. What changed in those 5 years post graduation? I moved to Indiana and groomed horses for a year and generally paid my dues, was offered a training position in Ky and spent a year there before traveling to Missouri to begin my undergrad studies in Equine Sciences. During the summer following that school year, I once again traveled back to Ky and completed an internship at a farm. I ended up getting injured by a young horse and went through a very long recovery(forced me to take a year off of class). I then sat back and really thought about what was important to me and where I saw myself 10 years down the road. I decided that my previous certainty that the equine industry being my purpose in life was incorrect and I began my premed journey.

What does this very long story basically mean? It means that despite my passion and interests in my original career path, it ended up not being what I truly wanted to do with my life. I am comfortable knowing that I won't run into the problem of getting to med school and doubting my devotion to it. It was actually my second choice and I found that out by experiencing another career before comitting to medicine.

Just take some time and do a bit of soul searching. Is there anything else that you might enjoy the same or more than medicine?

 

[lord_jeebus]

College is expensive and I think graduating in 3-3.5 years can be a good idea. It will not give you an advantage in the med school application process.

Instead of applying during the third year of college, I would recommend graduating early, and using your post-graduation year to pursue an exciting project of some sort while applying. You will be even with your peers in age and coursework, have less debt, and will have something extra to talk about.

Once you start medical school you will never again have this degree of freedom to do whatever you feel like doing.

 

[Az1698]

Wow, thanks for all the replies.

About med schools not caring about HS - I don plan on continuing this into college ( 2 more papers will be published w/in 1/2 year) I will continue volunteering and shadowing and research, and will start basic science research.

About if I have considered anything else - Yes, I am very good at business. I took numerous business classes, and loved it. I also love sports. I was thinking of owning my own sports med practice ( like 30 years in the future lol, the chances I stick to this is pretty low...).

 

[cpants]

College really isn't just a means to getting to med school. It is about becoming a well rounded, well educated person. It will probably be your only opportunity to study pretty much anything you want. Losing a year of college is cutting yourself short. If you a really worried about the money thing, go to a state school and focus on getting scholarships. Regardless of what you hear, attending a state school will not hurt you in the slightest in the admissions process.

I know you are sure you want to be a doctor, and maybe you've been sure for your whole life. But I encourage you to keep an open mind and to try out some different areas of study. A very small percentage of the students who enter college as pre-meds finish as pre-meds. Your experiences may confirm your dreams, or turn you on to new dreams. Either way, the world is your oyster, my friend. Don't waste your opportunity.

 

[135892]

From the medical side of view, I have already done:
500 hours volunteering
125 hours shadowing
Working w/ researching doctors ( 2 publications)
On board of 4 clubs
All while maintaining a job.

I don't know what year you are... but you could apply to those fast-track bs/md programs. That will basically save you a year or 2, although personally, I wouldn't recommend them for pretty much the same reasons everyone else has given. You certainly seem to have the stats for it though... hell, you have a better resume than a lot of pre-meds applying in college

 

[Az1698]

Ha, I've applied to those bs/md programs, and its not looking great right now.

 

[shishka32]

Just take it slow.