Apply sophomore year?

[Encrypted]

I'm a pretty organized person, I have my whole four years of undergrad study planned out.

Originally, I was going for a BS and 2 minors. BUT then I heard that med schools don't care about minors. Is that true? (Just making sure)

If med schools don't care about minors then I can cut two semesters off of my undergraduate degree and still get my BS with all my requirements.

This leaves me with the question if I should apply to medical school next year to hopefully matriculate in Fall 2009? Or should I still stay in school the two extra semesters and be able to do more research and spread out my schedule more, I'll probably keep my minors if I do this. I think I'll make a small list of pro's and con's and edit it as people tell me what to do.

Pro's of waiting 2 semesters: 2 minors, more research experience(probably), more clinical experience, and more extra curriculars.

Con's: More debt, more boring classes, and having to wait another year for medical school.

Remember for the list, quality>quantity.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[smq123]

Will you be ready to take the MCAT next year? (I mean, take it and do reasonably well enough to have a shot of acceptance.)

And will you have enough time to fulfill med school requirements for matriculation? Please keep in mind that a) some med schools have weird requirements, and b) high school AP credits usually do not count.

 

[TakoCA]

I have a minor and I don't remember any application even having a space to mention it.

 

[NYyanx28]

Will you be ready to take the MCAT next year? (I mean, take it and do reasonably well enough to have a shot of acceptance.)

And will you have enough time to fulfill med school requirements for matriculation? Please keep in mind that a) some med schools have weird requirements, and b) high school AP credits usually do not count.

AP credits have counted at every school I applied to (see mdapps link). Most schools just want to see that you have taken upper-level course work in college to supplement that particular subject area. I AP'd out of Bio with a 5 and skipped both Intro to Bio courses. However as a Biochem major, I am required to take more than enough upper level courses (and did well) to justify the AP credit.

 

[alwaysaangel]

Its ultimately up to you. I would talk to the premed advisors at your school and see what they thing. A big factor is going to be maturity and how well you answer "why doctor?" Because some med schools tend to be wary about younger applicants.

 

[HumbleMD]

Wait, so are you applying your sophomore year or Junior year? I'm confused. I think the big thing for you is that if you are, make sure you can take the MCAT this spring or early summer sometime, rather than August. You really want to be early in this process for your best chances at acceptance to a top school. Anecdotally, I had a friend who wrapped up undergrad in 3 years and decided to go to med school right afterwards. He took the MCAT in August and was super smart with incredible numbers, and a great personality to boot (and good interviewer). But with a combination of his later MCAT/later application and his age (it did indeed come up in his interviews), he didn't end up in his top choice.

My 2 cents to add are that this last year has been the best I've ever had in school. I was debating graduating early and applying early, but ended up spreading out bit more and picking up a minor. I MCATed early, the August after soph. year, and then had a nice easy Junior year to perfect my application. Then, senior year, I'm taking a lighter load of classes that I've always wanted to take but were always too busy to fit in. If you are going into debt for Undergrad though, it definitely does give some encouragement to apply early.

 

[MadameLULU]

How old are you? I don't think most schools are willing to accept applicants w/only 2 years of college (assuming they went to college immediately after high school) due to the maturity issue. If you want to graduate undergrad early, I would plan on take a couple years off and doing something enriching to add to your life experiences. (travel, work, etc).

 

[mvenus929]

Having a minor might give you something more to talk about, but people don't care about them in general. It's not stopping me from minoring in history.

If you think you can do well on the MCAT after two years (which is entirely possible), then go for it. Have a nice backup plan just in case (I'm working on mine...). Many people on here will tell you to take your time through college, but it's really up to you. If you think you will gain something by staying another year, then stay. If you think you will gain something by taking a year completely off from school (giving you the extra time without the debt), go for that. If not, try and apply and see what happens.

 

[Stolenspatulas]

I'm a pretty organized person, I have my whole four years of undergrad study planned out.

Originally, I was going for a BS and 2 minors. BUT then I heard that med schools don't care about minors. Is that true? (Just making sure)

If med schools don't care about minors then I can cut two semesters off of my undergraduate degree and still get my BS with all my requirements.

This leaves me with the question if I should apply to medical school next year to hopefully matriculate in Fall 2009? Or should I still stay in school the two extra semesters and be able to do more research and spread out my schedule more, I'll probably keep my minors if I do this. I think I'll make a small list of pro's and con's and edit it as people tell me what to do.

Pro's of waiting 2 semesters: 2 minors, more research experience(probably), more clinical experience, and more extra curriculars.

Con's: More debt, more boring classes, and having to wait another year for medical school.

Remember for the list, quality>quantity.

medschools dont traditionally like really young applicants. it means something to go to college for 4 years for a maturity aspect as well as an academic one. i see it more as a negative than a positive to apply early.

 

[smq123]

AP credits have counted at every school I applied to (see mdapps link). Most schools just want to see that you have taken upper-level course work in college to supplement that particular subject area. I AP'd out of Bio with a 5 and skipped both Intro to Bio courses. However as a Biochem major, I am required to take more than enough upper level courses (and did well) to justify the AP credit.

That's what I meant. Most schools just require "1 year of physics," but they don't really care which physics courses you take, as long as you take 1 year of them. This pissed me off in undergrad, because I AP'd out of Calc 1 and Calc 2. I had no intention of taking another math course ever again, but then had to take Calc 3 and Calc 4 for my med school requirements. Same thing for Physics 1 and 2, because most med schools wouldn't accept my AP Physics credits as a substitute.

 

[mvenus929]

That's what I meant. Most schools just require "1 year of physics," but they don't really care which physics courses you take, as long as you take 1 year of them. This pissed me off in undergrad, because I AP'd out of Calc 1 and Calc 2. I had no intention of taking another math course ever again, but then had to take Calc 3 and Calc 4 for my med school requirements. Same thing for Physics 1 and 2, because most med schools wouldn't accept my AP Physics credits as a substitute.

A lot of schools are only picky about Chemistry and Biology, though. And they usually want you to have taken a semester if you APed out of a year of English.

 

[smq123]

A lot of schools are only picky about Chemistry and Biology, though. And they usually want you to have taken a semester if you APed out of a year of English.

All I remember is that when I applied, I had to show that I was planning on fulfilling the matriculation requirements before graduating. Seeing as how Jefferson (the school that I go to now) gave me a hard time about sending them all 4 LORs, I wasn't going to jeopardize my acceptance by not fulfilling their requirements to the letter. Then again, this was a couple of years ago, and things may have changed.

Anyway, this is all besides the point. OP: Make sure that you fulfill your GRADUATION requirements as well as your MATRICULATION requirements, as they're not necessarily the same.

I really enjoyed my last year of college, because it let me do things that I can't do in med school. I took a lot of fun classes, did some interesting volunteer work, and earned some money. As a med student, I haven't really done any of those things lately. But, I can understand that you have undergrad loans, so...it's your call. Good luck.

 

[Mayday]

If you can cut 2 semesters off, I would say do it, and take that time off to relax between undergrad and medschool. This will also give you plenty of time to go on interviews without having to stay away from class for it. This is what I would do if it was me 🙂

 

[etf]

medschools dont traditionally like really young applicants. it means something to go to college for 4 years for a maturity aspect as well as an academic one. i see it more as a negative than a positive to apply early.

yeah, because they are all talk about wanting to do something about the physician shortage. so they shun applicants who would be able to practice medicine longer by virtue of their youth. it sucks.

 

[turkleton]

Maturity goes a long way in going to med school and becoming a doctor. I would stroooooongly encourage you stay in college not just to enjoy- which you should- but also to mature. There is a difference between a 22 year old and 20 year old, believe me. And it will be magnified when you hit the wards as a 3rd year. Between garnering trust and confidence amongst your colleagues, teachers, and patients, and the real life lessons you need to appreciate the ridiculous amount of real life lessons you're gonna get in medicine I really would encourage you to finish undergrad- do something to broaden your exposure to the outside world: travel, volunteer, take a non science major. One major without a minor to me sounds very, very narrow minded and reflects, not desire to get to med school, but lack of curiosity for other fields. If I were on an admissions committee I would flatly reject a 20 year old, even if he is some sort of genius.

 

[Encrypted]

I don't see the difference between applying to med school a year earlier in maturity.

I will have met all requirements for matriculation and the MCAT in the time. I'll be 20 when applying to medical school than 21 which would be the next year. I only lucked out of history, math, and computer science with AP exams so most Med schools dont ask for those.

I'm thinking about dropping 1 minor and graduating just a semester early. This will allow me to have more research experience and still get some time off before the real work starts for a loooonnnngggg time. I'll also be 21 which shouldn't make a difference but like you guys said, med schools don't like young applicants. How does this sound?

 

[smq123]

I don't see the difference between applying to med school a year earlier in maturity.

I will have met all requirements for matriculation and the MCAT in the time. I'll be 20 when applying to medical school than 21 which would be the next year. I only lucked out of history, math, and computer science with AP exams so most Med schools dont ask for those.

I'm thinking about dropping 1 minor and graduating just a semester early. This will allow me to have more research experience and still get some time off before the real work starts for a loooonnnngggg time. I'll also be 21 which shouldn't make a difference but like you guys said, med schools don't like young applicants. How does this sound?

Check on the math requirement. It's been a while, but I think that some schools "strongly recommend" college level calculus if you haven't already taken it. Does your school have a copy of the MSAR?

Honestly - if you have a good GPA and a good MCAT score, being 21 probably won't make THAT big of a difference. It's still pretty early for you yet - wait and see how well you do in O. Chem, upper level Biochem, and on the MCAT before seriously thinking about graduating early.

 

[Encrypted]

Check on the math requirement. It's been a while, but I think that some schools "strongly recommend" college level calculus if you haven't already taken it. Does your school have a copy of the MSAR?

Honestly - if you have a good GPA and a good MCAT score, being 21 probably won't make THAT big of a difference. It's still pretty early for you yet - wait and see how well you do in O. Chem, upper level Biochem, and on the MCAT before seriously thinking about graduating early.

I passed the BC AP exam so that gets me over Calc 1,2, and 3 for my undergraduate school.

 

[natusss]

If I were on an admissions committee I would flatly reject a 20 year old, even if he is some sort of genius.

I am glad not everyone thinks like you. I think maturity involves more than just age.


If you want to apply as a 20 year old, be ready to show that you are mature and ready for med school. Best of luck to you! 🙂

 

[MattD]

Ugrad = lots of fun hanging out with people, partying, sowing oats, etc.

Med school = slave away over books all the freaking time, maybe do something fun once every few weeks.

Don't be in such a hurry to 'grow up'. Have fun with your chance to be an irresponsible undergrad! There will still be sick people a year later, medicine isn't going anywhere.

 

[Stolenspatulas]

yeah, because they are all talk about wanting to do something about the physician shortage. so they shun applicants who would be able to practice medicine longer by virtue of their youth. it sucks.

by virtue of youth? come on. He's gaining 2 years more to practice.

Im not on an adcomm so I cant say for certain, but from my interviews I can say that many interviewers or directors at the places i've been to have looked positively on taking a year off (what i am doing now) and gaining a feel for the real world after college utopia.

Many have actually told me personally that they can see the stark difference bw an applicant who has never left the bed of education and actually lived on their own vs one that has taken even a little time off after college (by the way they act to their peers, patients, etc). My point is if you are cutting 2 years of college out, its going to be even more difficult to convince adcomms that you have the mental maturity to handle a career in medicine at this time in your life.