Apply to med school this year or wait?

[hope_to_match]

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Hello everyone. I am new to this so I am not sure whether any of this was posted before, so I decided to ask. This is my 5th year in college. And I will be graduating after fall semester 2011 (only one class left after this semester).My initial plan was to take the MCAT in the summer/early fall (august/september) and apply to med school to be admitted for next year (2012). I have been wondering whether I should postpone and apply/take the MCAT next summer in order to work on my strengths as an applicant. I have a decent GPA (3.4) and I am planning to work as an EMT starting very soon before the med school (the initial plan was to work for a year, that is why I received my license recently). Also, I will be starting doing research in the summer. Before that I did a lot of volunteering and also shadowed a Radiologist for about 2 years+ worked in a medical office. I was wondering whether I should wait to apply and take the MCAT until next summer or try to do that now. One of the reasons that's holding back from waiting is the fact that I will be wasting 2 years (if I apply next summer I will go to med school in 2013 and not 2012 as I planned before). I know that I will be working on developing myself into a much stronger applicant but is it worth to wait? I am 22. Thanks and if you have additional questions regarding my post feel free to ask as I want to give as many details as possible for you guys to give me a better advice. This is very important to me because I have to decide soon (whether I should start studying for the MCAT?) and it's been very stressful thinking about what I should do.

 

[Barcu]

Hello everyone. I am new to this so I am not sure whether any of this was posted before, so I decided to ask. This is my 5th year in college. And I will be graduating after fall semester 2011 (only one class left after this semester).My initial plan was to take the MCAT in the summer/early fall (august/september) and apply to med school to be admitted for next year (2012). I have been wondering whether I should postpone and apply/take the MCAT next summer in order to work on my strengths as an applicant. I have a decent GPA (3.4) and I am planning to work as an EMT starting very soon before the med school (the initial plan was to work for a year, that is why I received my license recently). Also, I will be starting doing research in the summer. Before that I did a lot of volunteering and also shadowed a Radiologist for about 2 years+ worked in a medical office. I was wondering whether I should wait to apply and take the MCAT until next summer or try to do that now. One of the reasons that's holding back from waiting is the fact that I will be wasting 2 years (if I apply next summer I will go to med school in 2013 and not 2012 as I planned before). I know that I will be working on developing myself into a much stronger applicant but is it worth to wait? I am 22. Thanks and if you have additional questions regarding my post feel free to ask as I want to give as many details as possible for you guys to give me a better advice. This is very important to me because I have to decide soon (whether I should start studying for the MCAT?) and it's been very stressful thinking about what I should do.

Your GPA is a little low, but good ECs and a good MCAT score could make up for that.

Your MCAT timing is off. If you want to apply to enter the fall of 2012, you really shouldn't take the MCAT much later than this May. Getting your app in early (submitting in June or July, secondaries in July and August) provides you a HUGE advantage, especially with your below-avg GPA.

I think you would be fine applying this year or next, but I would definitely try take the MCAT earlier this summer. But of course, never take the MCAT before you are ready (a bit contradictory there I know).

 

[hope_to_match]

Your GPA is a little low, but good ECs and a good MCAT score could make up for that.

Your MCAT timing is off. If you want to apply to enter the fall of 2012, you really shouldn't take the MCAT much later than this May. Getting your app in early (submitting in June or July, secondaries in July and August) provides you a HUGE advantage, especially with your below-avg GPA.

I think you would be fine applying this year or next, but I would definitely try take the MCAT earlier this summer. But of course, never take the MCAT before you are ready (a bit contradictory there I know).

I will definitely not be taking the MCAT in May/June, because I want to be well prepared for it. I am planning to start studying in early March. I understand that my MCAT score needs to be high considering my GPA...My grades have improved a lot over the past year, so maybe that will also be a plus when they look at my application. My only concern about waiting to apply is to work on becoming a stronger candidate (i.e doing research, taking post-bacc classes, working as an EMT, and more volunteering), because my GPA is not that good. Then again if I apply this summer/fall I will be doing all that for a year before fall 2012. Is it semi-ok that I didn't do research and only started right before I was applying? Same with EMT...

 

[Barcu]

That's good not to rush the MCAT. But applying too late can reduce your chances. With a lower than avg GPA, that may or may not end well. You can take the risk, but the application season is long and stressful. Best to do it once.

You didn't go into too many specifics with your ECs, but you could be ok without research and EMT experience. However, if your ECs are just average, then that is another strike against you with a low GPA and late application.

You may want to consider waiting a year. That would give you plenty of time to study for the MCAT (you can really take it any time, including this summer, it lasts 3 years). You want to make sure and do well. It will also give you time to get some research experience and EMT experience which will boost your ECs and save up some money. Then, make sure you APPLY EARLY during the summer of 2012. If you do all that, I bet you will have a very successful cycle.

Even with time taken off, you will be the average of med school matriculants. It won't be too late, and there will be many classmates older than you. Taking of a year or two (or more) is very common these days.

If you really don't want to wait, you can try and apply next season. You might get in somewhere. But, the combo of late application, low GPA, and average ECs will make that difficult. Though, it's hard to speculate without knowing your ECs for sure or your MCAT score.

 

[hope_to_match]

I want to make sure I am a strong candidate before I apply. I want to have a good experience with research and take some post-bacc classes (genetics, physiology, anatomy, biochem 2)+work on the ambulance. Also, what would be an MCAT aim with my GPA? Im aiming to get 38-40.

Also why applying too late would reduce my chances? I thought that early decision works the other way around, meaning that you have to be a very strong candidate if you apply early in the summer?

 

[Barcu]

I want to make sure I am a strong candidate before I apply. I want to have a good experience with research and take some post-bacc classes (genetics, physiology, anatomy, biochem 2)+work on the ambulance. Also, what would be an MCAT aim with my GPA? Im aiming to get 38-40.

Post-bacc classes will be good. They count toward your ugrad GPA, plus it will show med schools that you can handle upper division bio classes.

Getting a 38-40 would be quite impressive, but is very difficult and not necessary.

There is an AAMC chart floating around this website that has GPA/MCAT combos and the percentage chance they have of being admitted. Try to find or google that.

 

[Astarael]

OP, it sounds like you really need to wait a year. Taking the MCAT in August puts you in a bad situation applying for that cycle-I know, I did it and it didn't turn out well. Going that late makes it a rush to get your primary application in, a rush for your secondaries, and then you'll be late and that can/does affect your chances at many/most schools. Your GPA is below the average for matriculants and there's no guarantee that your MCAT will be stellar. Additionally, if you are just starting as an EMT right now, you won't have a ton of experience to put on your application.

Now look at the picture if you decide to wait a year: You'll be able to get the application in early, since the MCAT will already be done, and you'll have more than a year of EMT experience under your belt. I would even recommend not graduating (if that is an option financially) so that you can pull your GPA up a little. With five years down already, you could be sitting on a 3.5 if you got all A's in two semester's worth of classes.

Also, don't count on a 38-40 MCAT. That's about the 96-97th percentile, and the people you're competing against are also all very intelligent. Do your best, study hard, and give yourself some time to present the best application you can the first time around.

 

[hope_to_match]

You meant to say that post-baccs count toward undergrad GPA even after I graduate? I never knew about that.

 

[Barcu]

You meant to say that post-baccs count toward undergrad GPA even after I graduate? I never knew about that.

Pretty sure post-bacc counts in the ugrad GPA. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[hope_to_match]

OP, it sounds like you really need to wait a year. Taking the MCAT in August puts you in a bad situation applying for that cycle-I know, I did it and it didn't turn out well. Going that late makes it a rush to get your primary application in, a rush for your secondaries, and then you'll be late and that can/does affect your chances at many/most schools. Your GPA is below the average for matriculants and there's no guarantee that your MCAT will be stellar. Additionally, if you are just starting as an EMT right now, you won't have a ton of experience to put on your application.

Now look at the picture if you decide to wait a year: You'll be able to get the application in early, since the MCAT will already be done, and you'll have more than a year of EMT experience under your belt. I would even recommend not graduating (if that is an option financially) so that you can pull your GPA up a little. With five years down already, you could be sitting on a 3.5 if you got all A's in two semester's worth of classes.

Also, don't count on a 38-40 MCAT. That's about the 96-97th percentile, and the people you're competing against are also all very intelligent. Do your best, study hard, and give yourself some time to present the best application you can the first time around.

I also forgot to mention that I wrote a medical related research paper which was published in my school's Public Health Review magazine.

I never knew that applying early is a plus. I thought only strong candidates can apply early. Thanks for that information. Also, maybe if I decide to wait to take the MCAT, I could take it in Jan of 2012? Will this be ok? And then apply early? That way I will have even more time to study.

 

[hope_to_match]

Pretty sure post-bacc counts in the ugrad GPA. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I will check this with my school. If it does it will be great if I decide to wait.

 

[Astarael]

I also forgot to mention that I wrote a medical related research paper which was published in my school's Public Health Review magazine.

I never knew that applying early is a plus. I thought only strong candidates can apply early. Thanks for that information. Also, maybe if I decide to wait to take the MCAT, I could take it in Jan of 2012? Will this be ok? And then apply early? That way I will have even more time to study.

Anybody can apply anytime between when AMCAS opens up (in June, I think) and the deadline (sometime between October and December for most schools). At some schools, it doesn't make a huge difference when you apply because the admissions committee is really, really good at predicting what their applicant mix will be like for the year. Most places, however, it seems like you have a better shot the earlier you get it in. And it's way less stressful.

As for when to take the MCAT, you really just need to have your scores back by the time you want to apply. So if you wanted to get your application in during June, you could take the MCAT as late as the beginning of May (it takes ~4 weeks to get scores back if I remember correctly). That being said, taking it in January would allow you to study more and retake it if you need to. But the answer to your question is that January would be fine.

Edit: It sounds like you could present a decent application if you chose to do so this year. But you shouldn't count on any EC's you are starting right now (EMT, summer research) being a strong part of your application if you choose to submit this year. Those could make for good update letters throughout the year, and you should definitely list them on AMCAS (if you have already started them). Unfortunately, I don't think being an EMT for a couple months before you submit your application is going to be enough for it to get a lot of consideration. If you think your application can stand on its own without the stuff you're starting right now, then you might consider submitting this year.

 

[CecilJacobson]

This is my 5th year in college. And I will be graduating after fall semester 2011 (only one class left after this semester).My initial plan was to take the MCAT in the summer/early fall (august/september) and apply to med school to be admitted for next year (2012). I have been wondering whether I should postpone and apply/take the MCAT next summer in order to work on my strengths as an applicant.

Five years of credits mean that your GPA is unlikely to budge.

I have a decent GPA (3.4)

As crushing and messed up as this is to say, you do not have a decent GPA. I am a re-applicant (3.6/30/strong ECs), and I have done plenty to research this process. I believe a 3.4 is below average for matriculants at all US MD programs, as well as most (if not all) DO programs. While a 3.4 is "deans list" most places, it is something adcoms will question. Many will rule you out unless you turn in a stellar MCAT performance.

and I am planning to work as an EMT starting very soon before the med school (the initial plan was to work for a year, that is why I received my license recently). Also, I will be starting doing research in the summer.

This is excellent, and the best thing you mentioned. Work as an EMT and grow from the experience. It will pay dividends on the interview trail. The research will also do you well. Try to put away some money, and be sure to have a great time.

I would recommend waiting a year, studying for the MCAT as if it's Step I, and shadowing both an MD and a DO. Applying late hurts... a lot. You should submit your AMCAS App by August 1st. This is not something premed advisors just say--It will help you get more interviews, earlier, and demonstrate commitment and preparation.

You meant to say that post-baccs count toward undergrad GPA even after I graduate? I never knew about that.

Post-baccs and Special Masters Programs (SMPs) count directly towards your undergraduate GPA. For DO schools, grade-replacement through an SMP can pull a GPA up real quick. Unfortunately, grades just average into your GPA for MD apps.

BEWARE OF POST-BACCS: They are a sure-fire way to demonstrate academic performance and bolster a resume. However, they are not a ticket in to the school of your dreams. Many do not guarantee interviews, and you are expected to perform above the level of your M1 peers. It should be considered a last resort, or should be done specifically to address poor academic performance (especially if it was towards the end of undergrad).

A 38-40 is nearly unattainable. That said, write it on an index card and look at it every day. Visualize that score. Aim for that score. Do not plan for anything above a 30. You are setting yourself up for heartbreak. Go to the KAPLAN website right now and take the free practice test. Check yourself. Measure yourself. And push yourself to study hard.

Good luck. PM me if you have any questions about my experiences. Time does mean one less year of 6-figure income after graduation, but you need to make sure you're both ready for medical school (I imagine you are) and set to do well in the admissions process (which takes a bit of maneuvering and S&M).

-C.J.

 

[Astarael]

Post-baccs and Special Masters Programs (SMPs) count directly towards your undergraduate GPA. For DO schools, grade-replacement through an SMP can pull a GPA up real quick. Unfortunately, grades just average into your GPA for MD apps.

BEWARE OF POST-BACCS: They are a sure-fire way to demonstrate academic performance and bolster a resume. However, they are not a ticket in to the school of your dreams. Many do not guarantee interviews, and you are expected to perform above the level of your M1 peers. It should be considered a last resort, or should be done specifically to address poor academic performance (especially if it was towards the end of undergrad).

I think you have SMPs and Post-Baccs backward. The post-bacc is credits that you take after you graduate that still count towards your undergrad GPA. These typically do not confer any sort of degree, and frequently do not have any linkage with a medical school, since they are meant for students who have changed career paths and need to go back to school just to do basic science pre-reqs. An SMP, on the other hand, has you taking classes with medical students to prove that you have the ability to handle those kinds of classes. SMPs confer a master's degree upon completion, and thus credits earned in one count towards your graduate, not undergraduate, GPA. In addition, you would not replace grades with an SMP because they are all classes you have never taken before.

A 38-40 is nearly unattainable. That said, write it on an index card and look at it every day. Visualize that score. Aim for that score. Do not plan for anything above a 30. You are setting yourself up for heartbreak. Go to the KAPLAN website right now and take the free practice test. Check yourself. Measure yourself. And push yourself to study hard.

The OP absolutely should plan on getting more than a 30 on his/her MCAT. With a 3.4 GPA, anything less than a 30 will likely be a no-go at most MD schools, and probably a fair number of DO as well (although I am less familiar with what is competitive for DO).

 

[azide10]

I'm 23 and in a similiar position (taking a year even though I can apply this summer), except I already have a year of post-bac classes. I decided on this path late and my application isn't great next to others. Like you after 4 years I had about a 3.4, with A's this semester and maybe a biochem class next semester I will break the 3.5 mark. I've already started some volunteering but am calling up a new place tomorrow. By starting that now I will have 1.5 years of it by the time I apply which will definitely help my application. I am starting my MCAT studying this semester and with an extra year have as much time as I need to hit a score that will make my app competitive . Making and saving money is also nice and I'm hoping to save up enough to put a nice dent in my first year of loans. On top of that the work experience only further helps the app. The one problem I'm having is obtaining research experience as a post-bac, you already have that so no worries for you there.

Do what you need to do to put together a solid app. Apply and hopefully get accepted to places you would be happy at. There's no rush and losing a year of physicians salary won't leave you homeless.

 

[raltima07]

3.4 = good in general, but not for med school.

Do some more EC's, get that 45T, and apply next year.

 

[addo]

Anything that you are going to do for next cycle you can do to apply this June. However, you will rush through things more and thats not ideal. I would also advise you to take your time, work on your mcat, personal statement, letters of recommendation, and keep doing your ECs. Also, get an MSAR to research schools and put together a suitable list of schools for your GPA/MCAT once you get your score.

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

3.4 is not that low, if you get a +30 MCAT then apply....that is if you have STRONG EC's. Not everyone's situation is the same, so just because above poster had 3.6/30 (which is the avg stats) doesn't mean you won't have a shot. I would apply broadly and have strong essays.