Could someone please explain (or link me to a good online source)...?

[PreMed86]

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Okay, I'm still a freshman in college, and I just finished my first semester. I'm a biology major if it matters any. I just want to know what steps I'll need to take(and when) during the course of college.

For one, I want to start volunteering soon (we need volunteer hours to get into medical school, right?) but I'm wondering how this works. Is this what you refer to as "shadowing"? Also, how many volunteer hours should I try to go for?

When do I register to take the MCAT? (And where do I register to do that anyway? Do they have different testing locations across my town, kinda like with the SAT's and ACT's during high school? or does it work differently?)

When do I start applying to medical schools?

That's all I can think of for now, but thanks a lot if you're reading this.

 

[Fermata]

If you read the last 20 or so pages of this and the MCAT forum then all your questions should be answered.

There's a lot of redundancy in this forum.

A LOT.

 

[Spankete87]

Okay, I'm still a freshman in college, and I just finished my first semester. I'm a biology major if it matters any. I just want to know what steps I'll need to take(and when) during the course of college.

For one, I want to start volunteering soon (we need volunteer hours to get into medical school, right?) but I'm wondering how this works. Is this what you refer to as "shadowing"? Also, how many volunteer hours should I try to go for?

When do I register to take the MCAT? (And where do I register to do that anyway? Do they have different testing locations across my town, kinda like with the SAT's and ACT's during high school? or does it work differently?)

When do I start applying to medical schools?

That's all I can think of for now, but thanks a lot if you're reading this.

To save you from having to read through this entire forum, if you haven't already, I'll just answer your questions.

Yeah you need to volunteer. And no that's not the same as shadowing. Shadowing is when you follow a physician around - volunteering you actually DO something. If you want to volunteer in medicine, a good place to look is your local hospital. Most hospitals have a volunteer services place that will let you pick from certain departments and track your hours for you. And you should try to volunteer as much as you want - I'd probably recommend at least a semester. Most people do more than that though. I volunteered for almost 2 years including the summers.

People differ on when they say to take the MCAT - The earliest you probably want to take it is the fall of your junior year, that way if you have to retake it you can retake it the spring of your junior year and still be able to apply that fall for admission to med school. You'll want to apply the fall of your senior year to med school if you want to potentially start the next fall. You register to take the MCAT at: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/registration.htm
And yeah they have multiple test sites - in your STATE. So if you want one of the tests sites close to your home, sign up as early as you can. Those test sites often times fill up quickly...or at least they did in my area. If you take a MCAT prep class, they'll give you all this information again.
PM me if you have any more questions. Hope this helps!

 

[Avenue Q]

People differ on when they say to take the MCAT - The earliest you probably want to take it is the fall of your junior year, that way if you have to retake it you can retake it the spring of your junior year and still be able to apply that fall for admission to med school. You'll want to apply the fall of your senior year to med school if you want to potentially start the next fall. You register to take the MCAT at: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/registration.htm
And yeah they have multiple test sites - in your STATE. So if you want one of the tests sites close to your home, sign up as early as you can.

The MCAT is offered in August and April. Generally, you should take the test after you complete the required material (1 year bio, 1 year general chem, 1 year orgo, and 1 year physics). For many people, this is the end of sophmore year, and for these students (myself included) it seems like I good idea to take the MCAT the following August and study over the summer. This is pretty much the ideal situation, because you have an entire summer to study and have the chance to retake the test before you apply. Most pre-med students take the MCAT the spring of their Junior Year.

Just to give you an idea of how many test sites there are, in New York City there are 4 sites (there are hundreds for the SAT). And yes, they do fill up quickly, although some are larger than others.

Does your school have an office of preprofessional advising? if they do, talking to them may help you with your timeline and other questions.