General Universal Semester Timeline

[Kenshinsan]

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Hey! I was searching through old SDN threads but I couldn't quite find a universal timeline that was detailed enough and covered all of a persons undergrad career. A lot of them were too short and/or too dependent on when a person was going to matriculate. So I decided to start one.

Put things in it like when you should be volunteering, asking for LOR's, when you should start studying for the MCAT, when you should take the MCAT, when you should start looking for a research position, when you should submit primaries, etc.

I don't know enough about this though so your help is desperately needed. This is the format I like and you can just copy and paste the format so that you can include the previous persons information and put more information in where you think it belongs.

Freshmen Year
-1st Semester



-2nd Semester




Sophomore Year
-1st Semester




-2nd Semester




Junior Year
-1st Semester




-2nd Semester




Senior Year
-1st Semester




-2nd Semester




You can even put what month in the semester if you feel like it. And If you don't like this format or are feeling very lazy you can just write a short blurb of information and I can put it into the format so you don't have to do it yourself(just remember to tell me where in the timeline it goes), or you can make your own I guess. And if something like this has already been done could you please direct me to it. Thanks for all of the help.😀

 

[Jaded03]

I would expect this thread to be popular. We can't walk it out for you. You just have to do it. Here are a few suggestions: (wouldn't want you to have a blank thread)

Freshmen Year
-1st Semester
Begin MCAT studying
Find Research

-2nd Semester
Continue MCAT studying
Research

Sophomore Year
-1st Semester
Continue MCAT studying
Research


-2nd Semester
Finish MCAT studying
Research

Junior Year
-1st Semester
Take the MCAT
Begin Personal Statement
Ask for LORs
Research

-2nd Semester
Send in Transcripts to AMCAS
Fill out AMCAS
Ask for LORs
Research

SUMMER OF FUN

Senior Year
-1st Semester
Interview

-2nd Semester
Interview/Prepare Next year/Reapply

 

[variablistic]

I would expect this thread to be popular. We can't walk it out for you. You just have to do it. Here are a few suggestions: (wouldn't want you to have a blank thread)

Freshmen Year
-1st Semester
Begin MCAT studying
Find Research

-2nd Semester
Continue MCAT studying
Research

Sophomore Year
-1st Semester
Continue MCAT studying
Research


-2nd Semester
Finish MCAT studying
Research

Junior Year
-1st Semester
Take the MCAT
Begin Personal Statement
Ask for LORs
Research

-2nd Semester
Send in Transcripts to AMCAS
Fill out AMCAS
Ask for LORs
Research

SUMMER OF FUN

Senior Year
-1st Semester
Interview

-2nd Semester
Interview/Prepare Next year/Reapply

I'm not in agreement with the above post. It's simply stupid to begin studying for the MCAT when there's material on there you haven't covered yet and you do not take it the first semester of your junior year. Like I said, that's just stupid.

Freshmen Year
-1st Semester
Settle into college. Find some things you like. Begin volunteering. Maybe join some clubs.
Take intro biology and general chemistry.
Maybe calculus.

-2nd Semester
Evaluate your ECs, keep doing the ones you like, stop doing others. Just make sure you're not doing them because you're premed and you're expected to.
Continue intro bio and gen chem.
Get some of those core classes out of the way.

Summer: Maybe do some research.

Sophomore Year
-1st Semester
Make sure you're volunteering and heavily involved with ECs of your choice.
Take O-chem or Physics and classes for your major.

-2nd Semester
Continue with O-chem/Physics (I prefer o-chem for sophomore year since it's less heavily weighted on the MCAT than physics and more weighted towards the material at the end of second semester).

Summer: Research, volunteer, shadow doctors.

Junior Year
-1st Semester
Take Physics/O-chem, begin studying for the MCAT
Shadow/Volunteer/Research

-2nd Semester
Study for MCAT, enroll in prep course
Send in Transcripts to AMCAS
Fill out AMCAS
Ask for LORs/Committee Evaluation
Begin personal statement
Shadow/Volunteer/Research
Take MCAT in April or May

Summer: Apply beginning of June, Fill out secondaries, Continue everything you've been doing.

Senior Year
-1st Semester
Interview
Continue ECs

-2nd Semester
Interview/Prepare Next year/Reapply

 

[Jaded03]

I didn't mean that you were actually studying for the MCAT so much as you were taking the MCAT prereqs. Essentially this is studying for the MCAT if you thought about it that way. The OP didn't ask for courses, which is why I said studying for MCAT. Also, about when to take MCAT...really?! Everyone at my institution were timing it like the paper MCATs that no longer exist. Taking it the summer/fall after your second year is common for those who were "on the ball." You do make a good point that you can take it during the school year, but most people from my school hated doing this.

Having said that, thanks for including the committee letters, I don't have that program at my school.

Wow, is semester really that different from quarter system? For us, we would finish the MCAT classes by second year. No one really starts their major until third year usually. Junior year should be all the upper division courses, where the letters come from (usually).

 

[Kenshinsan]

So this is what we have so far...

Freshmen Year
-1st Semester
Settle into college. Find some things you like. Begin volunteering. Maybe join some clubs.
Take intro biology and general chemistry.
Maybe calculus.
Think about the MCAT
Look into research options

-2nd Semester
Evaluate your ECs, keep doing the ones you like, stop doing others. Just make sure you're not doing them because you're premed and you're expected to.
Continue intro bio and gen chem.
Get some of those core classes out of the way.
Start looking into research seriously

Summer:
Maybe do some research.
Try to have a research position by now.
Try to start volunteering.

Sophomore Year
-1st Semester
Make sure you're volunteering and heavily involved with ECs of your choice.
Take O-chem or Physics and classes for your major.
Be volunteering by now.

-2nd Semester
Continue with O-chem/Physics (I prefer o-chem for sophomore year since it's less heavily weighted on the MCAT than physics and more weighted towards the material at the end of second semester).

Summer: Research, volunteer, shadow doctors.
Study for MCAT if you want to take it for the August date I think?

Junior Year
-1st Semester
Take Physics/O-chem, begin studying for April/May MCAT
Take MCAT if you want to take it early.
Shadow/Volunteer/Research

-2nd Semester
Study for MCAT, enroll in prep course
Send in Transcripts to AMCAS
Fill out AMCAS
Ask for LORs/Committee Evaluation
Begin personal statement
Shadow/Volunteer/Research
Take MCAT in April or May

Summer: Apply beginning of June, Fill out secondaries, Continue everything you've been doing.

Senior Year
-1st Semester
Interview
Continue ECs

-2nd Semester
Interview/Prepare Next year/Reapply

This seems pretty good so far, though I wonder if anything is missing from it. And should you not ask for LOR's earlier since many professors are notorious for taking their time in writitng them? And shouldn't you start writing your personal statements a little earlier. And how does the new testing dates for the MCAT effect the timeline.

This is pretty good so far. Thanks for all of the help.

 

[Jaded03]

LORs. They will be slow. Unless your professor in your lower division knows you well, I'd say you'd need to wait until you take advanced classes third year. You must obtain quality letters. Lower division usually does not offer that; it all depends on your institution. Also, I do not recommend having the letter dated so that it is two years before you apply (eg. apply during summer 2009 and having a letter dated 2007) It makes the comments on the letter less applicable.

The new MCAT holds it almost every month. This effects things drastically as you can take it whenever throughout the school year. For my school though, you'll find studying for MCAT during lecture extremely taxing. Most people decided to take it during summer after they learned all the material. Ideally, you just want to get your score ASAP when you are most prepared to do well. That's the final word on that.

People say they will write their PS earlier; do it when you can. I doubt you will OR you will have enough experiences to make it your final draft. Although, more power to you if you can.