finishing in 3 years

[zbruinz]

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Would finishing ugrad in 3 years and applying to med school really be frowned upon by the med school?

I'm seriously considering this, has anyone done it here and succeeded?

 

[C.P. Jones]

i graduated in 3 yrs, but am not in a school after 2 tries. however, i don't think it had anything to do with that.

 

[sentrosi]

Probably not in my opinion.

If you do take a year off (ie. your 4th year), before going to med school, make sure it's doing something significant (and not just hanging around watching TV all day).

 

[Law2Doc]

Would finishing ugrad in 3 years and applying to med school really be frowned upon by the med school?

I'm seriously considering this, has anyone done it here and succeeded?

First, college is going to be the BEST YEARS of your life -- don't cut it short. Second, a number of younger applicants have hit hurdles in the application process due to young age, and so getting out a year earlier can be disadvantageous. In medicine, you deal with death, disease, grieving families and other heavy emotional stuff. As such, maturity is sought out, and it is generally felt that the fewer years you have been on the planet, the less exposure you will have had to heartbreaking stuff and the more ill equiped you will be to dealing with such. You also need to interact with much older patients, and so having a few extra years under your belt would help with this. And most importantly, this is not a race. You don't want to be perceived rushing toward something without taking the time to figure out what you are rushing towards. Take the time to gain additional exposure, both to medicine and life.

 

[Caristra]

If you went straight from high school to college I would suggest taking a year off after college ie: fill out AMCAS summer of senior year. Work on something significant during the year off besides for filling out apps. I know of several people who did this and were successful.

 

[swtiepie711]

Would finishing ugrad in 3 years and applying to med school really be frowned upon by the med school?

I'm seriously considering this, has anyone done it here and succeeded?

My father graduated from MIT in 3 years and went straight to UCSF for medical school. I have never heard him mention that it was a problem, but then again that was about 30 years ago. I'd vote for you to spend 4 years in college, enjoy yourself & partake in enriching, fun activities. Life is a long road - you'll be working for most of it - live it up!

 

[Vizious]

I know a frat alumnus who finished most of his undergraduate work while in high school and got into and started med school at UCLA while under 20 yrs old. I also know someone who finished undergrad at LA in three years and got into Columbia dental school.

I would think you still have a decent chance to get in despite finishing early, depending on the rest of your app.

But do weigh in the benefits/disadvantages of getting a one year head start on your career vs. one more year of college, freedom, and/or making money.

 

[Law2Doc]

I know a frat alumnus who finished most of his undergraduate work while in high school and got into and started med school at UCLA while under 20 yrs old. I also know someone who finished undergrad at LA in three years and got into Columbia dental school.

I would think you still have a decent chance to get in despite finishing early, depending on the rest of your app.

But do weigh in the benefits/disadvantages of getting a one year head start on your career vs. one more year of college, freedom, and/or making money.

Schools have been known to let people in as young as early teens, but being young is a frequently mentioned hurdle to be overcome in the process. The nice thing about being too young is it is something you are almost guaranteed to outgrow, with very little effort. What's the rush -- enjoy college, or maybe spend some time working and making very certain what you want to do with your career.

 

[nosugrefneb]

A friend of mine graduated in 3 years and didn't get in anywhere on her first try. She took the opportunity to talk to the dean at Northwestern, who rejected her, to discuss why she was unsuccessful. She said the dean indicated that spending only 3 years in college hadn't given her nearly enough opportunity to gain experiences that would prepare her for (that) medical school. This is only one example of an applicant to one school, but it happened nonetheless.

I'd suggest doing 3 years only if you are really an outstanding student and feel confident that you can pack in the experiences and activities most people accomplish in 4 years in only 3. Otherwise, I won't help you much, and may even hurt you, as an applicant.

 

[Matth52]

I'm applying only after two years (graduating in three) and I feel that I'm in really good shape. I think it all depends on if you can get your pre-reqs in and have a solid activities list.

 

[zbruinz]

so how can I become more "mature" faster?

 

[Creightonite]

First, college is going to be the BEST YEARS of your life -- don't cut it short. Second, a number of younger applicants have hit hurdles in the application process due to young age, and so getting out a year earlier can be disadvantageous. In medicine, you deal with death, disease, grieving families and other heavy emotional stuff. As such, maturity is sought out, and it is generally felt that the fewer years you have been on the planet, the less exposure you will have had to heartbreaking stuff and the more ill equiped you will be to dealing with such. You also need to interact with much older patients, and so having a few extra years under your belt would help with this. And most importantly, this is not a race. You don't want to be perceived rushing toward something without taking the time to figure out what you are rushing towards. Take the time to gain additional exposure, both to medicine and life.

i thought grad school was way cooler than undergrad, at least for myself. One year would not change the level of maturity by that much. In addition whether you are 21 or 22 would not matter for med school anyways because at that age the level of serious clinical experience is very very limited for 99% of the applicants no matter what they say. And med schools understand that. I am finishing my PhD in 4 year instead of average 5, it does not mean I am lacking something in my exprience as a PhD student. All it means that I worked my a$$ off to finish it early.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

so how can I become more "mature" faster?

Well...I've been described as a 35 y/o trapped in a 25 y/o's body, but I don't recommend the approach I took to get this way (namely seeing my best friend die right in front of me and working a nationally known mass casualty event within 7 months of one another). Post traumatic stress disorder is a real bitch.

You can't force maturity. It's just like wisdom, it is something that some people acquire relatively early in life, some achieve it later in life, and a lot of people never become neither mature nor wise. In fact, if you try to force yourself to be mature, often times it just highlights your own lack of maturity.

 

[Law2Doc]

i thought grad school was way cooler than undergrad, at least for myself. One year would not change the level of maturity by that much. In addition whether you are 21 or 22 would not matter for med school anyways because at that age the level of serious clinical experience is very very limited for 99% of the applicants no matter what they say. And med schools understand that. I am finishing my PhD in 4 year instead of average 5, it does not mean I am lacking something in my exprience as a PhD student. All it means that I worked my a$$ off to finish it early.

Disagree. Grad school may be cooler, but med school is going to be significantly more work and less social life -- foolish to rush there until you have had your fun in college (or grad school or whatever). One year is huge if it's early 20s, as those are still formative years. Also a year earlier into med school means you get to the wards a year earlier, which is what the schools worry about.
There is really no good reason to go to med school a year early. The average age at every med school has been gradually increasing. This isn't a race where you win if you get there first.

 

[Law2Doc]

You can't force maturity. It's just like wisdom, it is something that some people acquire relatively early in life, some achieve it later in life, and a lot of people never become neither mature nor wise. In fact, if you try to force yourself to be mature, often times it just highlights your own lack of maturity.

We are talking emotional maturity, which only comes from exposure to life/people and heavy issues, and spending years dealing with such. It's not an issue of acting like an adult versus a kid we are talking about; It's not something you can force or fake -- it happens over time. The longer you've been on the planet, the better defense mechanisms you have had a chance to come up with, the more comfort you have with hard subjects. So no, it's not like wisdom -- some people never get wise, but pretty much everyone learns to deal with things. And in most cases, the older they are, the better they deal. Sure, there are exceptions to this, as with everything, such as someone who had to deal with rough circumstances very young, but even then, most people can still benefit from 4 years of college. Honestly, the fact that someone is in a rush to fly through college and into med school may give someone pause -- you are not stopping to smell the roses, and may be losing out on formative experiences that will make you more mature. College is a time for all that social interaction that is going to help you become the kind of person (and doctor) you are going to be. Skip a quarter of it, and you lose a lot of that experience. I haven't heard a particularly compelling rationale for getting ahead a year at this stage.

 

[Creightonite]

I am just going to let grad school vs. med school thing slide for now.

the biggest problem I find with SDN is the conflict of interests thing. People are asking advice here from mostly their competitors. Would I trust that kind of advice? I do not think so. Anyhow, I am done arguing here, time to move on and study for the MCAT.

 

[Law2Doc]

the biggest problem I find with SDN is the conflict of interests thing. People are asking advice here from mostly their competitors. Would I trust that kind of advice? I do not think so. Anyhow, I am done arguing here, time to move on and study for the MCAT.

Some of us are not competing with anyone applying now or in the coming cycles. 🙄 No conflict, only strong opinions.

 

[Hard24Get]

Would finishing ugrad in 3 years and applying to med school really be frowned upon by the med school?

I'm seriously considering this, has anyone done it here and succeeded?

If you are done with your requirements, consider taking classes in history, sociology, language, or arts. This could be your last chance to learn this stuff, and it will make you more cosmopolitan. I can't even remember the last med student at my school who didn't take a bunch of interesting college courses, and even years out we draw from these experiences to have intelligent conversation.

Medicine is a long road either way, so don't cheat yourself.

 

[chewsnuffles]

Got a friend who had a 3.8/30 and graduated in 3 get only one interview (and one acceptance)... kinda lucky in my opinion. Schools definately don't give you much love when you havn't spend 4 years in college...

 

[MossPoh]

My father graduated from MIT in 3 years and went straight to UCSF for medical school. I have never heard him mention that it was a problem, but then again that was about 30 years ago. I'd vote for you to spend 4 years in college, enjoy yourself & partake in enriching, fun activities. Life is a long road - you'll be working for most of it - live it up!

It also doesn't sound like he was on the borders of being accepted. 😛 But yea....30 years ago it seemed to be a little bit easier when you did your simple little paper application to a couple of schools....

 

[MossPoh]

I am just going to let grad school vs. med school thing slide for now.

the biggest problem I find with SDN is the conflict of interests thing. People are asking advice here from mostly their competitors. Would I trust that kind of advice? I do not think so. Anyhow, I am done arguing here, time to move on and study for the MCAT.

While I don't disagree that there could be some bad advice because of competition I think SDN is generally very good in helping others. For every person in the current application cycle there seem to be 2 or 3 that aren't. ALL advice should be taking with a grain of salt anyway but this place can be very good for getting in the right direction....and if you say something stupid people jump all over you anyway. Good luck on the MCAT by the way. 😛