Advising Needed - Planning Courses, MCAT, and Application Date

[Audoren]

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I hope this is the right place to ask these sort of questions. Right now, I am nearing the end of my second year in college. Registration is coming up fast and I am lost on what I should be doing. My major concerns are my schedule for the next two years, the MCAT testing date, and the application date.

My schedule mainly depends on what I plan on graduating with. Which would be the best degree to focus on; Biology BA or Biology BS? Should I graduate with or without Honors? Would aiming for either BS or Honors aid me with medical school? Every advisor I had came into contact with (just two) had encouraged me to take Honors, which mainly focuses on doing research and writing a thesis/proposal. But, from what I have found on the internet, graduating with Honors would not really matter much.

When would be the best time to take the MCAT? If I were to take it during this upcoming January, then I plan on taking Biochemistry this fall semester. If needed, I would have time to retake the MCAT before applications open. I figured this would give me time to immediately submit my information for applications and hopefully benefit from rolling admissions.

Thanks for all your replies!

 

[ski89]

1. It does not matter what your degree is. It really really doesn't. Do what you will enjoy the most and/or what you will be most successful doing because GPA >>>>>>>> type of degree or with/without honors. So just pick whatever degree program suits your interests.

2. Regarding honors. If you would like to do honors then go for it. But remember, your GPA is of upmost importance. If you cannot complete the honors requirements while maintaining an excellent GPA then don't bother.

3. Are you interested in doing research? As you mentioned, some type of research project is often required to graduate with honors in most science departments. So for a lot of applicants, they do research because they are interested in the experience and find that they can graduate with honors if they write a thesis about their research project. I for one had this option and chose not to write a thesis and go for honors because I was happy with the research experience I had and decided to spend my time getting more clinical experience. I was accepted this cycle so obviously it wasn't the wrong choice for me.

4. Take the MCAT at the moment you feel like you can achieve the highest score you are capable of. For most people this is usually a semester following their completion of their prereqs. So for example, I finished my prereqs in a spring semester and took the summer to study for the MCAT and I sat for the exam in August. I really think the end of the summer is the best time to take the MCAT so you don't have to study for the MCAT during a regular fall or spring semester (assuming you are taking classes still).