thank you for all the explination... it is now so much clearer...
im still a freshman so i still have high hopes.. im thinking even if i get a low grade in my pre cal, and make good grades in other subjects specially my science courses, and have a great GPA and high MCAT score... hopefully ill get into an MD program... if not ill do what you guys advised me and try the DO route...
by the way, this might be out of topic, when would you guys recommend taking the MCATS? i work full time and go to school part time, so it makes it hard for me to fit in so much courses in one sem. i have read people taking it after spring in their jr. year.... should i first get all my physics, bio and chem out of the way before taking it?
thnx again in advance
Actually here's what I would plan:
[Year 1~2]
Run full gear on your grades and extracurricular activities. Most, if not all, what's tested on the MCAT are completed in your 1st two years, including General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics, and General Biology (Calculus excluded). You must go full gear on these subjects and grind the basics HARD. Otherwise, no amount of self-study guides or review courses can make up for your lack of solid basics.
Also, go for extracurricular activites and have one or two special ones and STICK with it. Admission committees can smell fraud if you enter during your last year just to stick some extracurricular activities in. They'll think you're doing cramming them just for having them, but in reality you never did. Do you have any hobbies? Art? Music? DIYs? Sports? Reading? Join some clubs. I know you have interests. If you have leadership positions, then some bonus points for you! And if possible, start clinically related volunteer work in late year 2 or early 3 year.
[Years 3~4]
This is where I start recommending you starting to prepare for the MCAT. You're done with your courses that are MCAT related and basic knowledge. Now it's time for the two major things geared toward Medical School preparation:
1.
MCAT preparation: Start EARLY and prepare EARLY. No matter how many people say they studied in 3 months before they took the MCAT, they either LIED or got bad grades. You cannot review 2 years worth of stuff in just 3 months. Even with prep-courses. You need at least 6 months or even up to a year. I recommend taking the MCAT in either April of your junior year or the summer after your 3rd year, but before your 4th.
Here's a general rule: Review once, and you get MCATs in the low 20s. Review twice, upper 20s to low 30. And If you review three times or more, then you'll get into the upper 30s. For the best review guides, go on the MCAT section of SDN. There are HUNDREDS (if not millions) of threads that ask which prep books, courses, etc are the best. Buy some MCAT practice exams and take them every 1~2 weeks even before you finish reviewing. TAKE them. That'll assess your weakness and give you a general direction. Not taking practice exams are FATAL. You'll never know where you'll land and it's dangerous. Medical Schools will look at all your MCAT scores usually the 1st score will determine your direction. AND you'll be tired and fatigued after the 1st round of the MCAT. Unless you have hell of an endurance, you won't perform better on the 2nd round or 3rd or 4th. People get tired and that's why they pour all their efforts on the first. Take the MCAT once and pour your blood, sweat, and soul into it. Otherwise, you'll regret it and that you took the MCAT multiple times WILL linger over your head (and leave a mark in the Admission committee's profile of you).
2.
Clinical Volunteer: As some Adcoms will love to say, "How the !@$# do you expect to enter medical school without having stepped foot in the hospital?" This is for both interviews and pre-medical school learning. You learn about the environment, you learn about what they do, and you learn about the patient-doctor interactions. Also equally important is to find a doctor with a major that you find interest in, such as Cardiovascular surgery. Shadow the doctor (but ask permission first!) and learn about his life and job. That will determine whether you really want to be a doctor or not. And also, it will get you a letter of recommendation from a hospital, which will be a HUGE bonus for your grades.
This is also a good time to find your pre-med committee or career center or whatever the hell they call it and talk to them. They'll assess your qualities and test your interests. Just be yourself and you'll do fine. They'll tell you about medical school, about how to enter, and whether your direction is fine. It's essential you talk to them, because you need a letter of recommendation from them and you need to be on good terms with them. Start early with them, if possible, and get a good relationship with them. Go to their office often with questions or just to chat. If you're friendly with them, they'll be friendly with you. If you are their long time friend, they'll write a letter of recommendation with all their heart. If you just seize your chance at your last year because you need a letter of recommendation from them, then they won't put as much effort into it.
And finally, apply. And apply EARLY. Most medical schools accept students on a rolling basis. Which MEANS they take in students they like as time rolls along. Interviews are offered early. Positions will be filled as time rolls along. Say application begins in June. By July, for a class of 100, there will already be 5~10 positions filled. By August, 20 are filled. Etc... and the later you apply, the more people you will be competing with for a smaller amount of vacancies. As you approach the deadline, all you'll be competing for is for a spot on the waiting list. And even then you're pushed all the way to the back.
Apply for BOTH DO and MD, no matter how high your scores are. Some medical schools will like you and some won't. That's the truth. It's like finding friends. No matter how hard you try, you can't please everyone. There are bound to be some that will hate you. But on the other hand, there will be some that will definitely love you. It's whether you applied broadly enough so that those schools that may like you, you will find,
Get your personal statements and letters of recommendation EARLY. Find the professors that love you most (preferrably in the science area) and push them to write it. Make them meet an early deadline and if they don't meet it, write one yourself and ask them to sign it.
And then... the rest will be in the pre-med subsection and application section. There will be help every cycle. There are the "what are my chances" calculators, etc. And such. Good luck and if you have any more questions, PM me. But not too often to the fact that you're clingy, because I'll get annoyed. Otherwise, have fun at pre-med!
