Graduate in THREE years....Anything ELSE I SHOULD DO????

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indiasfinest said:
I'm a freshmen at OSU. I will be able to graduate in three years and I'm about to finish my first year. I have a few ECs so far besides volunteering at my local YMCA around 100 hrs. I plan on shadowing and volunteering at a hospital this summer. I'll be able to get 100 hrs of volunteering and 50 hrs of shadowing. I will start research at the beining of my second year and apply at the end of my second year. My GPA should be 3.7+ and I think I'll be able to get above 30 on the MCAT. Will I get in to OSU Med School? Should I do more?
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What you should do is spread everything out and do the full 4 years. College should be the best 4 years of your life, not something to rush through. And the goal is to come out well rounded, not take the minimum. So don't rush this. Med schools don't reward the folks who do college the fastest. In fact, the folks who take an extra year to do postbacs and more ECs sometimes do better.
 
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If he wants to graduate in 3 years, why tell him otherwise? Not everyone wants to stay in college for 4 full years. I personally have financial issues that require me to graduate in 3.5 years.
To the OP, you are going in the right direction. Keep doing what you are doing and keep those grades up.
 
Agree with L2D and Bacchus, and not just out of some idealistic view that you should enjoy college as much as possible (though that is true as well). Frankly, most people who hurry through college in three years either have to study so much that they don't get in the ECs that are expected of them, or they get distracted by their ECs so much that they stumble on the GPA/studying for the MCAT side of things. Your plan sounds reasonable in theory, but you just said that you were only able to get in a little volunteering during freshmen year while taking the easiest classes you'll ever see as a pre-med; how are you going to find time for research AND volunteering AND studying for the MCAT AND presumably keeping up with the Bio, Chem and Physics classes that you will have to take simultaneously?

Like the others said, you get no bonus points for finishing early. Take your time to make sure that you have as strong of an application as possible, otherwise you may find that the 3.7+ that you were planning on didn't pan out because you overtaxed yourself. Of course, only you know if you'd be able to handle all of those demands on yourself simultaneously, so if you're POSITIVE you're the exceptional person who can juggle all those demands at once, go ahead... just be careful.
 
The year I spent at OSU was one of the worst of my life. Also who wants to pay for an extra year just so they can continue to soak up the "experience" of being a lowly undergrad and living in some of the worst dorms on earth?
 
binko said:
The year I spent at OSU was one of the worst of my life. Also who wants to pay for an extra year just so they can continue to soak up the "experience" of being a lowly undergrad and living in some of the worst dorms on earth?
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Exactly. I think extra half-year or extra year could be better spent NOT paying that extra tuition and instead finding a job. I would never ever spend another meaningless semester taking useless courses and pay the university thousands of dollars.
 
Its all a matter of opinion. Unless one enters an accelerated BS/MD or BS/DO I see no point to rush through undergrad. More time to develop your application is a good thing as is enjoying college.
 
I've decided to graduate in three years and I'm sticking with it..
I just want to know how many hours of ECS and such I need to be successful in my endeavors. By the way, freshmen year is my hardest because I was taking chemistry, biology, and physics at one time. I just need to know what else is needed of me besides grade wise....
 
Had I graduated in three years, I would definitely not be the same person I am today. I've seen everything about myself change for the better during my fourth year.
 
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indiasfinest said:
I've decided to graduate in three years and I'm sticking with it..
I just want to know how many hours of ECS and such I need to be successful in my endeavors. By the way, freshmen year is my hardest because I was taking chemistry, biology, and physics at one time. I just need to know what else is needed of me besides grade wise....
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I think 100 hours of volunteering and 50 hours of shadowing is honestly somewhat low these days. I'd almost recommend that you take the time that you were planning to spend on research and instead do more clinical experience, since that is required and research is more of a "nice, but not necessary" EC. Since your ECs are going to be on the low side, definitely aim high on the MCAT, because it seems unlikely that you'll be able to distinguish yourself from other applicants based on ECs; they've got an extra year on you, so of course they'll have more experience than you, and you won't get benefit of the doubt for having done it in less time, so therefore it's all the more important that your stats be excellent.

Also, for the record, I think sophomore year is going to be much, much harder since you'll be taking an upper division bio, Organic Chem, probably another 9 hours, studying for the MCAT, and preparing your application all at once. But hey, again it's your call--just know what you're getting yourself into.
 
graduated in 3, no summer courses, applied while working for a year.

i dont regret much in life but, at this moment, graduating in 3 was the worst decision i have ever made
 
UVAbme2009 said:
Had I graduated in three years, I would definitely not be the same person I am today. I've seen everything about myself change for the better during my fourth year.
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Exactly -- a lot of what you get from college isn't simply from the curriculum. Many of the experiences you have over the course of the four years will shape and mold you into what you need to be to be a better physician. And you eliminate a lot of the chances to take things just because you are never going to have another chance, which are a lot of the things that make you more well rounded, and a lot of the opportunities to take a serious look at non-medical career choices, which will make you go through less angst when you get to a bleak patch of med school and are wondering if you should have looked at something else.

The reason med schools require maturity, ECs and experiences is not because they want folks to go through a checklist and say -- 100 hours of volunteering, check, 50 hours of shadowing, check. An experience isn't about how many hours it is, it's how much impact it makes on you, and how it helps your decision making. You are looking at it all wrong if you are shooting for some minimum number of hours that will impress adcoms. The folks who spend 4 years at an activity because they are really into it will beat you every time in the eyes of the adcom. And shortening your college career a year doesn't help.

The single biggest mistake people make is rushing things. Whether it's rushing through college, or rushing to take the MCAT or rushing to apply before they fixed their stats. Take your time and do everything the right way.

If you have a pressing financial need to graduate early, then I get that, but my response is that you then spend that year working to earn some money and then apply on time. There is no good argument that you can't afford college debt but you can afford med school debt.
 
at the same time, you do learn a lot if you do work a year in the real world though (not applying after your soph year).

i would highly recommend for you to not apply after your 2nd year but your 3rd (if you must graduate in 3) and take a lag year
 
If you think taking physics, chemistry, and biology at once is going to be the hardest, you may want to stay in for four years because you are going to be proper f*cked in the future.
 
witness23 said:
at the same time, you do learn a lot if you do work a year in the real world though (not applying after your soph year).

i would highly recommend for you to not apply after your 2nd year but your 3rd (if you must graduate in 3) and take a lag year
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Agreed -- the OP clearly is simply in a rush to be in med school, not looking to get out early for money reasons. This is a really bad approach to what will be your career for 45+ years. Take your time and smell the roses -- there will be time enough for medicine ad nauseum. But you will be a better doctor if you don't rush into it. The light at the end of the tunnel is a train called med school -- it will get to you soon enough, nobody needs to run head on into it.
 
Law2Doc said:
Agreed -- the OP clearly is simply in a rush to be in med school, not looking to get out early for money reasons. This is a really bad approach to what will be your career for 45+ years. Take your time and smell the roses -- there will be time enough for medicine ad nauseum. But you will be a better doctor if you don't rush into it. The light at the end of the tunnel is a train called med school -- it will get to you soon enough, nobody needs to run head on into it.
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Not too mention going for 4 years and having a higher GPA and a better MCAT score would be a much better option than 3 years. The only time I would recommend graduating in 3 is if you had more than a years worth of credit from AP classes and even then I would take a year off before med school.
 
Yeah, I would also advise against jumping straight to medical school after 3 years. If you are going to graduate early, OP, use that 4th year to find a job or do something productive.
 
I would also like to ask the OP to strongly reconsider graduating in three years. These are the best years of your life (Lol.... maybe I should say, the "freest years of your life" since I think every year is the best year of your life!).

Undergrad is the time to explore things--the world, yourself, what you love, and other people. It's a time to take elective coursework you'll never have a chance to take again. It's a time to develop a love of learning that will carry you through medical school, and it's a time to learn how to cope with the stress of being completely/almost on your own.

Personally the only reason I see to graduate in three years is to save money (which is a valid reason). Otherwise, your GPA can only go up, your MCAT can only be better, your EC's can only be more extensive, and you can only gain more personal growth. The latter is extemely important in an interview because young applicants are already at a disadvantage.

I'm a non-traditional applicant. I spend 4 years in undergrad and loved it, majoring in the arts and humanities. I have lots of non-medical and non-science hobbies and interests that will continuously enrich my life. Then I spend two years in a post-bac program, and I worked for another year. I'll be entering medical school in three months at the age of 25.

I don't have a single regret about taking my time 🙂. I love the way my life has panned out, and I know I will be a better doctor because I took my time.

As Law2Doc, if this is going to be your career for 45+, why not stop and smell the roses? You may be in a hurry now, but someday in the future you might feel some regrets about not having more fun in college.

Ultimately, it is your life, so if you feel graduating in three years is what is best for you then we can't argue with you. But please at least consider what we are saying.
 
Do a junior year or semester abroad. You won't regret seeing foreign lands particularly if you don't live with your classmates, and you won't have that much free time for a very long time once you start med school.
 
Look, the OP has already said he will graduate in 3 years, let's stop trying to convince him otherwise. He must have his reason. He's not asking for advice on whether he should graduate in 3 or 4 years. He is asking for advice on his ECs, so let's just advise him on that.

OP, have you talked to your school's pre-med advising committee?
 
okay if you are going to do as you plan then i suggest

having the highest GPA possible, highest MCAT possible
maintaining volunteering and shadowing even during application season
starting research summer after freshman year
reflect well on why medicine and how you learned from activities
articulate on your AMCAS, sell yourself
do something worthy while you are interviewing too

i've known a 3.8/38 applicant from my private uni who applied after his 2nd year. he did not get in and decided to just go to carribean (should have just taken a year off). maybe he was a rare exception or a huge tool but i thought he was a nice guy.

anyway no one thought i was cool for grad in 3. all they did was give me blank looks like i was weird and asked me why like a billion times. and then when you say money is the issue, they will say you know that training for medicine is very expensive right? in that case, you gots to be like nahhhhh and then make it rain. it should throw people off.
 
Law2Doc said:
Agreed -- the OP clearly is simply in a rush to be in med school, not looking to get out early for money reasons. This is a really bad approach to what will be your career for 45+ years. Take your time and smell the roses -- there will be time enough for medicine ad nauseum. But you will be a better doctor if you don't rush into it. The light at the end of the tunnel is a train called med school -- it will get to you soon enough, nobody needs to run head on into it.
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this needs to be stickied for people who are young and are in a rush and those with academic profiles not yet suitable for med school (like a MCAT score of 3)

if this is what you want to do the rest of your life, spend some time around it and other things. challenge the notion that medicine is what you would like to do. you will develop a respect for other professions and may figure out a bit more about yourself (while improving your app)

another question i got asked was, "do you know enough about life to not be dissapointed in medicine as your profession in the future"
 
BlueElmo said:
Look, the OP has already said he will graduate in 3 years, let's stop trying to convince him otherwise. He must have his reason. He's not asking for advice on whether he should graduate in 3 or 4 years. ...
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Disagree. Giving advice to someone about to make a bad decision is the most important kind of advice you can give. When someone is about to jump off a cliff or otherwise make a really bad decision, you don't say -- he's already decided, so it's not my business to try and talk him out of it -- you give some friendly advice.

In my mind there is really only one good reason to graduate early and that's financial. But if that's the case, that's also a good reason not to go right into med school. If you can't afford college loans, then you can't afford med school loans. So if the OP said -- I'm going to graduate early so I can get a job and pay down my loans a bit, or help out my family financially or something like that, then I'd say "super". But the OP already said they are graduating early to start med school early. Which means financial isn't the reason. So I can't personally think of any other reason that is a good one, other than the OP being too much in a rush for his/her own good. Hence the advice.
 
i agree with Law2Doc on this.

However, I realize that most people don't really listen to advice on things like this. I know I didn't although I definitely wish I did! If I could go back, I would either go to a public school for free, apply after my 4th year or join the military, go to school and then apply.

but yea, i realize the OP must have already told people he was graduating in three. at that time, you don't feel like being like everyone else who said would finish in 3 but schedule didn't work out. i get it that you don't want to answer to people, your parents, your friends. however, i will reiterate that graduating in 3 years is not impressive at all. maybe to other kids. yea i bring it up sometimes. yea it might impress some job interviewers.

but not med schools. def not med schools. my school wouldn't let me apply after 2 because of all the bad results they had in the past w/ ppl rushing. at least take a year off to mature!

seriously, you will be surprised!
 
If you can graduate in 3 years, go ahead and do it. You'll save time and money. I will be graduating this spring, and I did it in 3 years. I can tell you that spending an extra year would have achieved absolutely nothing since I already qualify for 2 bachelor degrees. My college years have not been that amazing, so I don't think I'm missing out on much by not staying the extra year. If you get a good GPA and MCAT I'm sure you'll be fine. If you end up spending four years that'll be fine too.
 
Brent8927 said:
I would also like to ask the OP to strongly reconsider graduating in three years. These are the best years of your life (Lol.... maybe I should say, the "freest years of your life" since I think every year is the best year of your life!).

Undergrad is the time to explore things--the world, yourself, what you love, and other people. It's a time to take elective coursework you'll never have a chance to take again. It's a time to develop a love of learning that will carry you through medical school, and it's a time to learn how to cope with the stress of being completely/almost on your own.

Personally the only reason I see to graduate in three years is to save money (which is a valid reason). Otherwise, your GPA can only go up, your MCAT can only be better, your EC's can only be more extensive, and you can only gain more personal growth. The latter is extemely important in an interview because young applicants are already at a disadvantage.

I'm a non-traditional applicant. I spend 4 years in undergrad and loved it, majoring in the arts and humanities. I have lots of non-medical and non-science hobbies and interests that will continuously enrich my life. Then I spend two years in a post-bac program, and I worked for another year. I'll be entering medical school in three months at the age of 25.

I don't have a single regret about taking my time 🙂. I love the way my life has panned out, and I know I will be a better doctor because I took my time.

As Law2Doc, if this is going to be your career for 45+, why not stop and smell the roses? You may be in a hurry now, but someday in the future you might feel some regrets about not having more fun in college.

Ultimately, it is your life, so if you feel graduating in three years is what is best for you then we can't argue with you. But please at least consider what we are saying.
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Not true. You're GPA and MCAT could also go down, and the more credits you have the harder it is to increase your GPA. Also, why does everyone assume that OP is in a hurry. Maybe he came in with a bunch of AP credits and is actually taking his time to graduate in 3 instead of 2 years. I was in this situation and so were a couple of my friends.
 
I say go for it. No doubt. What's the worst that could happen? You won't get in. Well you have another year and more to work on your application and strengthen it to a point where you will have a really good chance of getting admitted.


I did this. I graduated in three years did well on MCAT, and had a pretty good GPA. It's really not worth paying the extra money just to spend a year. If you really want to learn something about a science subject, there are tons of excellent university websites that can give you information for free. Maybe in even non-science courses. Just get solid clinical experience at your local hospital and do research so that your mind can be focused in medicine. I personally think this is the best way to go if you are going to graduate in three years.

And then you can graduate from med school when you are 23-24. Do residency and then you'll have plenty of time to do things you want to do after you get a solid position as an established doctor. Perhaps doing residency in dermatology, family medicine, or one of those shorter residencies and become a full-time regular physician so that you can do things outside of medicine. No point in wasting years of your life now. You can still do most of the things at 27-28 yrs. of age that you could have done when you were 22-23 yrs. old. You get the idea!
 
one thing i learned in real life is to not underestimate loan repayment 🙂
 
neil100 said:
I say go for it. No doubt. What's the worst that could happen? You won't get in. ...
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Actually the worst that could happen is you do get in, end up losing out on what could have been the 4 greatest years of your life, and end up a bit less well rounded because you didn't take the time to get a nice broad education. And you might lose out on some of the non-academic development a lot of us benefitted from in college.
 
neil, you atleast took a year off. i think applying after 2nd year of college is a bit too much. i don't know if i was as mature back then to be writing the best of PS and secondary essays. maybe the OP is a bit more mature, but interviewing during the 3rd and final year of school would not have been ideal for me
 
Law2Doc said:
Actually the worst that could happen is you do get in, end up losing out on what could have been the 4 greatest years of your life, and end up a bit less well rounded because you didn't take the time to get a nice broad education. And you might lose out on some of the non-academic development a lot of us benefitted from in college.
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I wouldn't call that the worst thing that could happen to you. Not... at... all. And you can get a nice broad education in 3 years as well. And you can definitely indulge in "some of the non-academic development" in 3 years too.
I would never stay in school an extra year and pay thousands of dollars to participate in "non-academic development" when I can graduate in 3 years and go out to the job market for a year.
 
neil100 said:
And then you can graduate from med school when you are 23-24. Do residency and then you'll have plenty of time to do things you want to do after you get a solid position as an established doctor. Perhaps doing residency in dermatology, family medicine, or one of those shorter residencies and become a full-time regular physician so that you can do things outside of medicine. No point in wasting years of your life now. You can still do most of the things at 27-28 yrs. of age that you could have done when you were 22-23 yrs. old. You get the idea!
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I would argue that this is very much not true. Life gets in the way. Maybe you fall in love, and get married, and have a baby, and all of a sudden life isn't just about you anymore. Those are wonderful experiences of course, but they come with responsibilities that mean you can't just do whatever you want whenever you want to. Or maybe there are just bills and rent and oh, 150k in debt to pay off.

Take advantage of being 20. Do something interesting just because. Take an art history class. Go volunteer in the 3rd world. The kind of freedom you have right now is really rare. Med school and your career as a physician will be there in a year or so, and you just may get more out of it then.
 
BlueElmo said:
I wouldn't call that the worst thing that could happen to you. Not... at... all. And you can get a nice broad education in 3 years as well. And you can definitely indulge in "some of the non-academic development" in 3 years too.
I would never stay in school an extra year and pay thousands of dollars to participate in "non-academic development" when I can graduate in 3 years and go out to the job market for a year.
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When you look back years from now you will have a very different perspective. The year a decade from now that you "save" ends up being worth not all that much compared to the benefits most feel college provides.
 
wickwick said:
I...
Take advantage of being 20. Do something interesting just because. Take an art history class. Go volunteer in the 3rd world. The kind of freedom you have right now is really rare. Med school and your career as a physician will be there in a year or so, and you just may get more out of it then.
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Exactly
 
word. man, i love college 🙁

you know what i miss the most? the conversations i had in an undergraduate environment. they are nothing like the ones i have now. people had a totally different mindset - not money/results driven and a bit more philosophical. i loved talking to people and now i couldnt even buy myself a conversation like that, without getting arrested.
 
I'm graduating in 3 years and I have been fairly successful this cycle:

My stats are 4.0/40, 2 years of EMT volunteering, some shadowing, some publications including a 1st author

I wanted to do it because:
1. I go to a lower ranked state school that is like literally 2 blocks from where I went to high school. This feels like high school all over again and I really REALLY want to get out of town.
2. I came in with more than a year's worth of dual enrollment and AP credits
3. I finished dual degrees in biomedical engineering and physics and I took all the "extra" courses I wanted like photography and scuba and volunteering abroad and there wasn't much more I wanted to get done in college
4. I'm going into an MD/PhD program so I want to save a year while I still can.

Don't do it because its impressive because its not and its actually brutal some semesters. Don't do it if you want to improve your application because you will definitely make it weaker (I think I could have gotten into many "better" schools if I had waited a year). Definitely don't do it for my original reason which was that almost all of my friends from high school went to Ivys for undergrad and I developed an inferiority complex and really wanted to "catch up.":laugh: Yea that was really stupid of me back then but I think I've grown a little bit since them.

If you don't take your time in undergrad, find some other way to take your time off before diving into med school or internship. I'm going to do it while doing my PhD somewhere far far away from home =D.
 
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i graduated in 3 yrs and have yet to regret it for a second. granted, my situation was a little bit different. i had 70 community college credits from high school and worked full-time for a year before moving across country for college. since graduating from college, i've been volunteering in mexico for a year and am applying to med school this summer. if i get in on my first shot, i'll matriculate just before my 22nd birthday.

even though i *loved* college, i wouldn't hesitate to go the 3 yr route again. however, i wouldn't trade the gap year experiences i've had, both before and after college, for anything. i matured more and learned more about life during those years than during any other time of my life.

so, OPer, if you want to finish undergrad in 3 yrs, go for it. but, don't pass up unique opportunities and chances for growth in your rush to get through. in 30 years, the year you shaved off your schooling will pale in comparison to the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities you missed out on.
 
Pompacil said:
Yeah. Forgoe the fun of college to hasten the pain that is med school and residency. Brilliant idea chief.
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Gonna do it sooner or later. I prefer to get it over with.
 
lotrmemp said:
Not true. You're GPA and MCAT could also go down, and the more credits you have the harder it is to increase your GPA. Also, why does everyone assume that OP is in a hurry. Maybe he came in with a bunch of AP credits and is actually taking his time to graduate in 3 instead of 2 years. I was in this situation and so were a couple of my friends.
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I think it is extemeley unlikely that the OP's GPA or MCAT would go down if they take more time. Unless they did have a ton of AP credits, which is possible, graduating in three years requires overloading, which often comes with lower grades. Overloading also means more cramming and less retention of material, which can mean a lower MCAT. IT doesne't necessarily mean these things, but it increaes the chances of them.
 
BlueElmo said:
Gonna do it sooner or later. I prefer to get it over with.
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The interests/hobbies and relationships that you cultivate in undergrad, and hopefully preserve in medical school, may be what gets you through residency alive, and hopefully with a smile. Residency doesn't have to be miserable.

I'm all for the OP doing what is best for them. However, if the goal is to get to medical school ASAP, and then finish residency ASAP, well then there is 10 years of "I'll be happy when this is over." That's a substantial portion of your life being wasted. I don't know about others, but I wouldn't be going through all of undergrad, medical school, and residency, if I didn't think I would enjoy them all! I really loved undergrad, and I'm looking forward to starting medical school. And yes, sure residency will be hard, but I'm still looking forward to it too!

I don't understand those who feel they have to suffer to become a doctor--life is too short to waste so much of your youth if your heart isn't really in it.
 
huge different in 3 and 3.5 years since OP is going to apply to after the 2nd year, there would be no free time you speak of
 
Pompacil said:
Except that you NEVER get that time back, and it NEVER gets easier until you retire.

Gunners 😡
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I don't really care if I don't get it back. I'm proud to be a gunner.👍
 
Graduate in THREE weeks....Anything ELSE I SHOULD DO????

Oh yeah, ****. Present my senior thesis, senior design project, and take four finals.
 
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