Graduating early

[PreMedStudent92]

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I am a second semester sophomore, and I am realizing that I can graduate a semester (or even a whole year) early if I wanted to. My plan is if my GPA is in good standing, I am going to graduate, but if not I will probably graduate after 4 years.

Assuming I am graduating early....does this have an effect on my application process? Even if I don't graduate early, I am planning to apply after senior year and spending senior year volunteering and getting experience. Will this affect my resume in any way?

 

[dsoz]

I would say not to do it.

First, what would you do with your time?

Second, if you are applying your senior year, there will be missed classes for interviews and such. That can hurt your final GPA. If you are planning on taking a gap year (or 1.5 years), then this is not much of an issue.

Third, this is your last chance to take classes that are "fun" or "because I wanted to." Take something that you would enjoy rather than just grind out a degree. Take an art class, take a cooking class at a CC, learn another language, even if it is your third or fourth. Take a music class and learn how to play an instrument. Postpone some of the more difficult classes and do something for yourself. Then graduate on time.

I am a non-traditional applicant. Maybe I see things a little differently than the normal applicant, but I saw HUGE maturity issues from some of the normal applicants on the interview trail. A few years of growing and maturing really sets an applicant apart from the normal. It also gives you a chance to shadow, volunteer, get EMT certified, travel for a semester abroad, or do something else.

You will be strapped down to your serious life soon enough.

Good luck. Do as best you can where you are at, and the rest will take care of itself.

dsoz

 

[carnelian]

I am a second semester sophomore, and I am realizing that I can graduate a semester (or even a whole year) early if I wanted to. My plan is if my GPA is in good standing, I am going to graduate, but if not I will probably graduate after 4 years.

Assuming I am graduating early....does this have an effect on my application process? Even if I don't graduate early, I am planning to apply after senior year and spending senior year volunteering and getting experience. Will this affect my resume in any way?

I'd say go for it! I know a couple of people who graduated in 3 years, did full time research/taught/had a job/volunteered/etc. during the 4th year, and had an awesome application cycle. Not saying the anecdotal evidence is representative of anything, but definitely shows that it's not detrimental.

Plus, when you apply, you'll be the same age as everyone else's who's going straight through. Only difference is you've had a year of non-college experience -- which probably adds to your maturity if anything. You won't have to worry about missing classes either (you will miss days of work/volunteering though, so keep that in mind).

If you don't mind taking another gap year (sounds like you are doing this actually, since you're applying after senior year, and you're graduating as a junior?), you can doing something like Teach for America or other 2 year programs, which does a lot as a learning experience as well.

Best of luck~

 

[mk2015]

.

 

[wonderdog]

this is your last chance to take classes that are "fun" or "because I wanted to."

i'm taking a class I've always wanted to take. it was the right decision!

 

[survivordo]

How expensive is your undergrad? Is it worth another year racking up 30k of debt which will likely be compounded over the next god knows how many years. It is important to consider the implications of taking a year off in terms of your full time student status and using up your deferments etc.
Not saying it isn't worth it, just some things to think about.

Survivor DO

 

[mvenus929]

So long as you aren't applying during your third year, I say go for it. It'll probably be easier to pay for the application cycle and go on interviews while you're not in school. And having experience outside of school is a great thing.

 

[member987456]

I'm a junior in college, won't have enough credits to graduate, but will still be entering med school this fall. Luckily, not all med schools require a bachelor's degree.

Getting in early wasn't that important to me, but it's helpful because I have a couple of four-year scholarships that will transfer for a year since I haven't used them all. I don't feel like I rushed anything either. The only reason I applied early was because I had already finished the prereqs and taken the mcat. This is something that I've wanted to do a long time, and I gave myself plenty of room to make mistakes and have do-overs. I got done early because I never had to do any do-overs.

From my point of view, it doesn't feel like I'm missing out. I sort of more reserved than most people and am pretty satisfied with the way I've lived the last three years. I had plenty of credits coming into college, so I still got to take many electives just for fun. To me though, being a doctor feels right, and it means a lot that I have an extra year of being one.

My sister was the one that really pushed applying early. She's finishing her residency while trying to raise a family and feels that finishing residency before one is thirty would be really nice.

 

[twizzlers713]

OP - do you go to northwestern?

 

[lobo.solo]

Don't do it. Explore some more

 

[DrBarbie08]

I am a second semester sophomore, and I am realizing that I can graduate a semester (or even a whole year) early if I wanted to. My plan is if my GPA is in good standing, I am going to graduate, but if not I will probably graduate after 4 years.

Assuming I am graduating early....does this have an effect on my application process? Even if I don't graduate early, I am planning to apply after senior year and spending senior year volunteering and getting experience. Will this affect my resume in any way?

I graduated in 3 years and I believe I made the right decision. Undergrad and the real world are very different, and I think having the opportunity to work in the real world helps significantly with your applications. A residency interviewer told me last week that they will take a candidate whose held a real job over someone who hasn't every time. There's no reason to spend the money on another year just to play around.