Bachelors degree in 3 years?

[SpeedySavior]

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Sorry in advance if I do something wrong, still a little new at this!

Thanks to an awesome high school, I'm technically a sophomore in College. I was not aware of this until contacted by an admissions office. So really, I have no choice but to go 3 years. My question is, will this affect Med School entry in anyway? I'll still have a bachelors degree, so I wouldn't think it would. I have a meeting with an admissions counselor soon, to see if I can get my masters in 4 years. Would that be the best option? Also I've put in about 300 hours of shadowing over my high school carreer, so I figured in 3 years I could shadow about 1,000 hours.

I've taken all the basics for a freshmen year and I finished it with an overall average of 99.67 (which doesn't round up, annoyingly) and a GPA of 4.0 at the university I'm attending.

 

[tiedyeddog]

You absolutely should not do 1000 hours of shadowing. 40-50 hours is more than enough.

How much volunteering do you have?

You will be looked at the exact same way someone who finished in 4 years will be looked at. So, you just have less time to get all that stuff done. Sounds like shadowing is good, work on the volunteer side.

 

[jagster92]

Sorry in advance if I do something wrong, still a little new at this!

Thanks to an awesome high school, I'm technically a sophomore in College. I was not aware of this until contacted by an admissions office. So really, I have no choice but to go 3 years. My question is, will this affect Med School entry in anyway? I'll still have a bachelors degree, so I wouldn't think it would. I have a meeting with an admissions counselor soon, to see if I can get my masters in 4 years. Would that be the best option? Also I've put in about 300 hours of shadowing over my high school carreer, so I figured in 3 years I could shadow about 1,000 hours.

I've taken all the basics for a freshmen year and I finished it with an overall average of 99.67 (which doesn't round up, annoyingly) and a GPA of 4.0 at the university I'm attending.

In terms of requirements the most important thing is making sure you take all the required courses that schools are looking for. I don't believe any will care or think negatively of you simply because your BS took 3 instead of 4. That being said, you will still be compared to 4 year BS students as well as those who took gap years, so make sure your activities are on par with your longer-tenured peers. If the master's is something that interests you there's no harm in pursuing it before medical school. You could also apply for admission after graduating with your BS or you could take a gap year. There are many viable routes to the ultimate goal of medicine.

 

[jagster92]

I agree with the sentiment above - 1000hr is too much time shadowing that could be better spent elsewhere.

 

[SpeedySavior]

You absolutely should not do 1000 hours of shadowing. 40-50 hours is more than enough.

How much volunteering do you have?

You will be looked at the exact same way someone who finished in 4 years will be looked at. So, you just have less time to get all that stuff done. Sounds like shadowing is good, work on the volunteer side.

Oh crap, I really didn't think you couldn't shadow too much.. Now that I think about it, 1000 hours is a little aggressive, So should I be done shadowing?

Well, since my senior year, I've only volunteered around 25 hours at the hospital and that is mostly on weekends when I'm not working or having to practice for whatever sport I'm playing that year. So less shadowing, more volunteering. Thanks!

 

[Lucca]

A friend last year graduated in three (thanks to her high school coursework) and she is now at WashU. I also know someone who graduated in three and was rejected everywhere.

The key, like others have said, is that every part of your application is top notch when compared to all other applicants. The expectations are the same. The only other thing to worry about is: Why graduate in three? That's a more personal question but I would not graduate in three given the opportunity for a variety of reasons, but it's up to you.

 

[Catalystik]

Sorry in advance if I do something wrong, still a little new at this!

Thanks to an awesome high school, I'm technically a sophomore in College. I was not aware of this until contacted by an admissions office. So really, I have no choice but to go 3 years. My question is, will this affect Med School entry in anyway? I'll still have a bachelors degree, so I wouldn't think it would. I have a meeting with an admissions counselor soon, to see if I can get my masters in 4 years. Would that be the best option? Also I've put in about 300 hours of shadowing over my high school carreer, so I figured in 3 years I could shadow about 1,000 hours.

I've taken all the basics for a freshmen year and I finished it with an overall average of 99.67 (which doesn't round up, annoyingly) and a GPA of 4.0 at the university I'm attending.

Start looking for an active clinical experience opportunity where you interact with sick and injured folks in a helpful way, rather than solely observing a doc doing his/her work. Find some nonmedical community service that helps those in need. Get involved in research. Consider leadership and/or teaching experiences. Find enjoyable hobbies and extracurricular activities. All these experiences benefit a med school application.

Edit: You'd be expected to gain more mature perspectives from shadowing during college than in the HS years. Consider adding another 40-50 hours closer to application time.

 

[SpeedySavior]

I agree with the sentiment above - 1000hr is too much time shadowing that could be better spent elsewhere.

So shadowing that many hours is more of a waste of time than a problem. At least I kinda know what I want to do in the medical field. After watching a Neuro perform Spinal Osteomyelitis surgery where a paravertebral abcess bursted, it was an intense moment. Once again, Less shadowing, more time spent else where.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Oh crap, I really didn't think you couldn't shadow too much.. Now that I think about it, 1000 hours is a little aggressive, So should I be done shadowing?

Well, since my senior year, I've only volunteered around 25 hours at the hospital and that is mostly on weekends when I'm not working or having to practice for whatever sport I'm playing that year. So less shadowing, more volunteering. Thanks!

I mean, if you really enjoy it go for it but getting more than 100 is not going to help your chances. The volunteering needs to be done while you are in college, Adcoms don't care as much if it was from high school.

Edit: as @Catalystik said, add more hours of shadowing during undergrad but you don't need any more than 100 at absolute most.

 

[Catalystik]

Edit: as @Catalystik said, add more hours of shadowing during undergrad but you don't need any more than 100 at absolute most.

You'll get more that will help you with interviews from shadowing time spent in an office-based, longetudinal care setting than by watching additional procedures.

 

[Mad Jack]

1000 hours of shadowing=100 hours of shadowing=100000000000 hours of shadowing

After 100, no one cares. Hell, even after 50 a lot of schools don't care.

You should focus on leadership, clinical experience, research, and volunteering rather than putting in more shadowing time.

 

[Promethean]

You also aren't absolutely compelled to be done in 3 years. You could choose to take 12 credits per semester and spend your extra free time volunteering and doing ECs. Or you could take a year or a semester off to do ECs. Being ahead of the game is not a disadvantage at all... you have more opportunities than someone who has to complete all 120+ credits in 4 years.

 

[SpeedySavior]

Start looking for an active clinical experience opportunity where you interact with sick and injured folks in a helpful way, rather than solely observing a doc doing his/her work. Find some nonmedical community service that helps those in need. Get involved in research. Consider leadership and/or teaching experiences. Find enjoyable hobbies and extracurricular activities. All these experiences benefit a med school application.

Edit: You'd be expected to gain more mature perspectives from shadowing during college than in the HS years. Consider adding another 40-50 hours closer to application time.

You prove a good point, I've never really seen anything besides the doctor doing his/her job. Wether it be, surgery or just a simple check up. The 25 hours I've volunteered were at a hospice for terminally ill people. That was a pretty moving experience to be honest.

 

[Catalystik]

The 25 hours I've volunteered were at a hospice for terminally ill people. That was a pretty moving experience to be honest.

Sounds like a great opportunity to continue with.

 

[moemoekyun]

I'm sort of in the same boat. I graduated college in 2.5 years due to AP and Dual Enrollment. From my adviser, there shouldn't be a problem, as long as you maintain GPA, good MCAT, volunteering, research, etc. I remember I TA'd a lab and there was this dude who was set to get his BS in 1.5 years after HS. He got a 31 on MCAT, about 250 hours volunteering at a hospital (not to mention nonclinical activities like food bank), worked as a Calculus tutor, and is expected to have a paper published (something about bacteria-fly interaction iirc). Last I talked to him, he had interviews at a couple state schools, if that answers your question. I'm not saying you need to do what he did, but I'm going along with everyone else saying you'll be held to the same standard as everyone else applying.
If you want my opinion, if you can stay for 4 years to work on a minor or a double, take it (I wish I did). Enjoy college as long as you can, the real world is not an easy place to be in, unless an opportunity like acceptance to med school or a good job comes along.

 

[moemoekyun]

You also aren't absolutely compelled to be done in 3 years. You could choose to take 12 credits per semester and spend your extra free time volunteering and doing ECs. Or you could take a year or a semester off to do ECs. Being ahead of the game is not a disadvantage at all... you have more opportunities than someone who has to complete all 120+ credits in 4 years.

Not to hijack this thread, but towards the latter half of my college career I took ~12/13 credits a semester, and I've always been told 15 is "expected". Reasons for me taking 12 is due to work conflicts and I didn't need that many classes (about 1-2 classes required a semester due to one needed for another or available only in spring). I'm pretty sure taking 12 a semester is not a problem as long as you're productive, good grades, etc, but if anyone has anything to add, I would like to hear.

 

[Promethean]

Not to hijack this thread, but towards the latter half of my college career I took ~12/13 credits a semester, and I've always been told 15 is "expected". Reasons for me taking 12 is due to work conflicts and I didn't need that many classes (about 1-2 classes required a semester due to one needed for another or available only in spring). I'm pretty sure taking 12 a semester is not a problem as long as you're productive, good grades, etc, but if anyone has anything to add, I would like to hear.

No one cares.

Really. We overthink so many things and spend so much time worrying that our every decision is going to be scrutinized by everyone.

If the rest of your application is interesting and competitive, no one will even notice how many credits you took per term. If it isn't, then you could have taken twice that and it still won't help you. If any adcom is looking that closely at your app, congratulations. You must have been really interesting to get that much attention. If they are having to look that hard to find a flaw to ask you about, then you are in.

 

[SpeedySavior]

No one cares.

Really. We overthink so many things and spend so much time worrying that our every decision is going to be scrutinized by everyone.

If the rest of your application is interesting and competitive, no one will even notice how many credits you took per term. If it isn't, then you could have taken twice that and it still won't help you. If any adcom is looking that closely at your app, congratulations. You must have been really interesting to get that much attention. If they are having to look that hard to find a flaw to ask you about, then you are in.

Well that makes me feel a little bit better. I talked to a 3rd year med student about an hour ago and his medical school application wasn't wonderful (3.6 gpa, 3.2 science gpa, 40 MCAT, ~ 60 hours shadowing, ~ 111 hours volunteering) And he was still granted acceptance straight out of college. I figured he might have a had a reallyyyyy good essay

I work at the UTHSC in Chattanooga so I have a lot of helpful resources, plus SDN. Thanks for the replies!

 

[DarthKat]

Well that makes me feel a little bit better. I talked to a 3rd year med student about an hour ago and his medical school application wasn't wonderful (3.6 gpa, 3.2 science gpa, 40 MCAT, ~ 60 hours shadowing, ~ 111 hours volunteering) And he was still granted acceptance straight out of college. I figured he might have a had a reallyyyyy good essay

I work at the UTHSC in Chattanooga so I have a lot of helpful resources, plus SDN. Thanks for the replies!

That might have something to do with it....

 

[Keladry]

Is your school forcing you to graduate in 3 years? I had enough credits to do so, but I chose to stay for 4 years so I could take more classes/go abroad/do things I liked.

 

[ZedsDed]

From my understanding, adcoms care little (if at all) about EC's from high school. I would start that tally over when you begin volunteering/shadowing in college. As for the graduating early situation, take your time. Your so young, enjoy life a little and experience some cool activities, it will show on your application.