- Joined
- Jul 14, 2010
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Hi everyone,
Here's my situation. I just started my last semester of undergrad. I was planning on studying for the MCAT this spring and hopefully taking the exam in April or May depending on how my practice scores were. Even though I was going to take the exam this spring, I was planning on waiting a year to gain some clinical experience (hopefully working as a medical interpreter) and applying in June 2014. However, I just had coffee with a friend today who is also pre-med and he tried to convince me to apply this summer. His reasoning was that I wouldn't need a whole year to gain clinical experience, that I'd do fine in this coming cycle.
For some background info on me, I'm a non-traditional student. I left school for a year and a half a few years ago to be my dad's caretaker. I'm a Spanish major. 3.92 cumulative gpa, ~3.9 sci gpa, 30 hours shadowing two surgeons (planning on shadowing more this semester), volunteering twice with Habitat for Humanity over the past two summers (1 week each, planning on going again the next two summers), fairly decent work experience tutoring chemistry, biology and Spanish and I studied abroad in Spain last spring. Either way I'll be doing some kind of clinical work this coming year, but I was planning on having clinical experience before applying. Right now, Mayo is my dream school, but I haven't visited so I can't say that with certainty.
So, my question is, is it okay to apply this cycle? Or would it be better to wait, not rush and have more clinical experience before I apply?
Note: Sorry if this should be in the what are my chances thread. I'm not really as interested in what my chances are, but rather I'm looking for advice on what would be best.
Here's my situation. I just started my last semester of undergrad. I was planning on studying for the MCAT this spring and hopefully taking the exam in April or May depending on how my practice scores were. Even though I was going to take the exam this spring, I was planning on waiting a year to gain some clinical experience (hopefully working as a medical interpreter) and applying in June 2014. However, I just had coffee with a friend today who is also pre-med and he tried to convince me to apply this summer. His reasoning was that I wouldn't need a whole year to gain clinical experience, that I'd do fine in this coming cycle.
For some background info on me, I'm a non-traditional student. I left school for a year and a half a few years ago to be my dad's caretaker. I'm a Spanish major. 3.92 cumulative gpa, ~3.9 sci gpa, 30 hours shadowing two surgeons (planning on shadowing more this semester), volunteering twice with Habitat for Humanity over the past two summers (1 week each, planning on going again the next two summers), fairly decent work experience tutoring chemistry, biology and Spanish and I studied abroad in Spain last spring. Either way I'll be doing some kind of clinical work this coming year, but I was planning on having clinical experience before applying. Right now, Mayo is my dream school, but I haven't visited so I can't say that with certainty.
So, my question is, is it okay to apply this cycle? Or would it be better to wait, not rush and have more clinical experience before I apply?
Note: Sorry if this should be in the what are my chances thread. I'm not really as interested in what my chances are, but rather I'm looking for advice on what would be best.