From Square One to Application in 10 Months

[futuredoc331]

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Has anyone else done this or something similar? I have none of my prereqs completed right now since my B.A is in business. My plan is as follows:

Fall 2013: Chem I , Bio I, Physics I
Spring 2014: Chem II, Bio II, Physics II

Starting in March or April of 2014: Orgo I (online via UNE. I believe it is a 15 week self paced course and can be finished early)

June 2014: Apply to several D.O schools and complete Orgo II.

I will take my MCAT that spring as well.

All of my courses will be taken online so I won't have to worry about scheduling issues or things of that nature. That's why I can have it so condensed. Please don't turn this into a debate about online courses. I have had many discussions about it and am fully aware of pros and cons. I've also contacted the schools I am going to apply to and confirmed that they do accept them. I have taken intro classes to everything except organic chem so the course material is not new to me. I've also been studying for the classes for a little while now so I will be ahead of the game before they get started.

Has anyone else done anything similar?

 

[SN12357]

Has anyone else done this or something similar? I have none of my prereqs completed right now since my B.A is in business. My plan is as follows:

Fall 2013: Chem I , Bio I, Physics I
Spring 2014: Chem II, Bio II, Physics II

Starting in March or April of 2014: Orgo I (online via UNE. I believe it is a 15 week self paced course and can be finished early)

June 2014: Apply to several D.O schools and complete Orgo II.

I will take my MCAT that spring as well.

All of my courses will be taken online so I won't have to worry about scheduling issues or things of that nature. That's why I can have it so condensed. Please don't turn this into a debate about online courses. I have had many discussions about it and am fully aware of pros and cons. I've also contacted the schools I am going to apply to and confirmed that they do accept them. I have taken intro classes to everything except organic chem so the course material is not new to me. I've also been studying for the classes for a little while now so I will be ahead of the game before they get started.

Has anyone else done anything similar?

This schedule is fairly similar to the one-year career-switcher post-bacc programs, so the short answer is yes. You won't want to overload yourself too much with other activities so that you still have time to prepare for the MCAT - prereq courses can vary widely in how effective they are at prepping you for the MCAT, so you still need to be ready to need to do a certain amount of MCAT-specific studying.

 

[futuredoc331]

This schedule is fairly similar to the one-year career-switcher post-bacc programs, so the short answer is yes. You won't want to overload yourself too much with other activities so that you still have time to prepare for the MCAT - prereq courses can vary widely in how effective they are at prepping you for the MCAT, so you still need to be ready to need to do a certain amount of MCAT-specific studying.

Thanks for the reply. I feel good knowing it isn't that uncommon. I will probably take the MCAT in April of next year. I've begun studying already, but I will really focus on it after this first semester.

 

[SN12357]

Thanks for the reply. I feel good knowing it isn't that uncommon. I will probably take the MCAT in April of next year. I've begun studying already, but I will really focus on it after this first semester.

Particularly if you're only applying DO, which I understand has a longer cycle, I would recommend taking the MCAT in late May or June. That's still enough time to be 'early' applying, but will give you some more time to prepare, particularly with orgo. The orgo on the MCAT is something like most schools' first semester orgo and a few weeks of orgo 2. It's fewer topics than bio, chem, or physics but you can get really hosed if you get two orgo based passages on the MCAT and aren't prepared.

Overall I'd say there's little utility in studying for the MCAT very far out, particularly pre-prereqs. January is a good time to start for a spring MCAT.

Good luck!

 

[deleted480308]

I did a slightly extended version, no bachelors yet and was going back to complete a degree. Took 2-3 misc classes besides the pre-req sciences below (had bio 1 7 years ago). Had a brief thought for physical therapy which is why I took the anatomy/physiology. Mcat april 2013, which was without orgo 2, phys 2 and bio 2. Still came out 30+ but I could have done better if I waited to apply a year but as a non-trad, I thought it might be good enough to get in somewhere and I just want to get this train moving.
will graduate spring 2014

summer 2012: chem 1, anat/phys 1
fall 2012:chem2, anat/phys 2
spring 2013: orgo 1, phy 1
summer 2013: orgo 2, phy 2
fall 2013: bio 2
spring 2014: biochem (only if needed)

 

[theseeker4]

Thanks for the reply. I feel good knowing it isn't that uncommon. I will probably take the MCAT in April of next year. I've begun studying already, but I will really focus on it after this first semester.

I would just comment that the best MCAT prep is done after completing the pre reqs. You obviously won't have them all done if you are applying next cycle, but studying for the MCAT now, before you complete any pre reqs and when the exam is so far away, is not the best use of your time. The best strategy is use that time to learn the course material in greater detail, then there will be less "studying" needed for the MCAT when you get to that point, since your foundation will be more solid than if you try to study for the MCAT now, before you have been exposed to the material. Hope that makes sense.

 

[midnight0il]

Has anyone else done this or something similar? I have none of my prereqs completed right now since my B.A is in business. My plan is as follows:

Fall 2013: Chem I , Bio I, Physics I
Spring 2014: Chem II, Bio II, Physics II

Starting in March or April of 2014: Orgo I (online via UNE. I believe it is a 15 week self paced course and can be finished early)

June 2014: Apply to several D.O schools and complete Orgo II.

I will take my MCAT that spring as well.

All of my courses will be taken online so I won't have to worry about scheduling issues or things of that nature. That's why I can have it so condensed. Please don't turn this into a debate about online courses. I have had many discussions about it and am fully aware of pros and cons. I've also contacted the schools I am going to apply to and confirmed that they do accept them. I have taken intro classes to everything except organic chem so the course material is not new to me. I've also been studying for the classes for a little while now so I will be ahead of the game before they get started.

Has anyone else done anything similar?

I won't comment on the online nature of these classes, but I was wondering how you were going to complete the lab component? Most, if not all MD schools (not sure about DO), require lab to accompany the pre-reqs.

 

[brownbaglunch]

.

 

[sliceofbread136]

That schedule is doable. The real question is how are your ECs? Stuffing all the needed ECs, this schedule, and the MCAT all in less than one year will be very difficult to pull of.

 

[DocWinter]

I would rethink the idea of pushing all those science courses into 10 months.
13-15 credits of science (including labs) is one heck of a schedule if you aren't used to science coursework.

And as someone who tried to double run both MCAT study and pre-reqs, believe me you don't know what you are asking for...

Better to do one thing well than try and do it all with crappy results. Considering you are trying to stuff MCAT study in on top of all pre-reqs, and ditto sliceofbread on ECs, it seems like too much too fast.

 

[QofQuimica]

'

I always asked the same question with aggressive schedules like this? Is your goal to get into medical school or to get into medical school quickly?

Agree.

OP, you're not going to be a 21-year-old applicant no matter what you do. Better to take an extra year and do things right the first time rather than taking an extra year and doing them over (along with maybe digging yourself out of a hole if anything doesn't go right with your plan). Seriously, where's the fire? You have the rest of your life to be a physician. It's not going anywhere.

 

[futuredoc331]

Agree.

OP, you're not going to be a 21-year-old applicant no matter what you do. Better to take an extra year and do things right the first time rather than taking an extra year and doing them over (along with maybe digging yourself out of a hole if anything doesn't go right with your plan). Seriously, where's the fire? You have the rest of your life to be a physician. It's not going anywhere.

Thanks for the advice. I ended up changing this plan up a little bit. I knocked out the first semester of Bio, Chem, and physics during the fall. I'm currently finishing the second halves of each of them now and will tackle orgo I and II during the summer.

I think my initial plan was to finish up my business administration degree, but I've decided to go into biochemistry. It will take 4 semesters to finish after this summer if all goes well.

I'll be applying June 2015 if everything works out.

Thanks again.