Graduating In Three Years

[pedssurgtobe]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I have been reading through this thread for a while and I finally decided to make an account because I need some advice. I was just wondering if graduating in three years makes that big of a difference in med school admissions? I am trying to figure out my schedule for the next few years as I am a rising sophomore and am just somewhat confused! Thanks for any help!

 

[Charles Darwin]

It's better to stick around for a fourth year and take upper-level classes in a science of your choice than graduate early. You won't be impressing anyone with an early graduation and you might be viewed as less mature if you don't spend four years in college. Take your time and make all four years count!

I agree with DOC. Take your time (and an easier courseload!) and give yourself adequate time to complete plenty of EC's, do research, and enjoy college life a bit.

 

[BABSstudent]

From what I have seen, graduating early isn't always a positive. Here's why I think so.

Sure, you graduated early and took more credits than another person. Congratulations! However, what happens when you still take a full credit load, but have few credits? Well, those students tend to do better in their classes. That means a higher GPA.
Having fewer classes means a student will have few professors to get to know per semester. This means you can talk with them more and find out which ones can write a great LOR. If you graduate in three years, you can still get LOR, but rushing shortens the time to three years instead of four.
Being in school for three years means you also get one less year of extracurricular activities or shadowing. With taking more credits each semester, you will also have less time to devote to these things.

Let's look at two applicants, one that took four years and one that took three. Let's say both got degrees in Biology.

Three year student:
Degree: B.S. Biology
GPA 3.4
Shadowing time: 40 hours
Clinical time: 80 hours
LOR: 4

Four year student
Degree: B.S. Biology
GPA: 3.7
Shadowing: 60 hours
Clinical: 120 hours
LOR: 5

If I was on the committee, I would probably accept the second student over the first, especially if they interviewed the same. I am sure the four year student will have participated in more clubs, did more volunteer work, and been a more rounded person than just a student.

I think any benefit you made by graduating early will be cancelled out by not having more time for other activities.

HOWEVER!!! If you do graduate in three years, then I recommend taking the year off, getting a job (to make money!!!) and then beef up on those areas that you lack. The only thing you can't really add to is your GPA, which everyone here will tell you is important.

 

[pedssurgtobe]

So would you suggest maybe even taking all 4 years to get a BS in Biology, and then maybe a minor in Psychology depending on course load so that I can spread out my classes, or do you think that graduating a semester would still give me the same benefits?

 

[BABSstudent]

I say focus on your grades and do whatever is best for them. If you can get a 4.0 at 25 credits a semester, then go ahead and do it. However, what is the purpose of rushing? You will just bring more stress to yourself than you need.

Focus on doing well, do extra activities and have fun. College is allowed to be fun. Learn to balance your schoolwork, your regular work and your friends. If you don't learn that now, how will you function in medical school?

 

[Gigantron]

It's better to stick around for a fourth year and take upper-level classes in a science of your choice than graduate early. You won't be impressing anyone with an early graduation and you might be viewed as less mature if you don't spend four years in college. Take your time and make all four years count!

In what universe is this sentiment actually true?

So long as your experiences are on par with the typical applicant's and that your choices and interview demonstrated maturity, you shouldn't be at a disadvantage in the med school application process. By looking at this thread here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=888650, you can accurately gauge your chances of success based on your GPA and MCAT scores.

 

[dentalprodigy]

I wanna reiterate the same thing..graduating really does NOT look better than a traditional 4 year college tenure. I've had the dean of admissions tell me herself that it is actually looked down upon since students are not as mature & only worried about fulfilling class requirements (not well rounded).

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

 

[SnowyRox]

I wanna reiterate the same thing..graduating really does NOT look better than a traditional 4 year college tenure. I've had the dean of admissions tell me herself that it is actually looked down upon since students are not as mature & only worried about fulfilling class requirements (not well rounded).

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

I will tell you that I encountered the exact opposite impression in my veterinary school interview. Everyone was impressed that I had managed to fit my coursework (with a great gpa) and experiences into 3 years. I took the harder route and aced it.

It's better to ace the 4 year route than have a mediocre 3 year route.

However, I think it would behoove you to follow the same timeline as a 4-year applicant and apply after the 3rd year. You will be applying during your gap year (aka time to get some great experiences and have a less stressful application process) but still be on the same track as the rest of your class. I paid one less year of tuition, I got to travel the world, I got to work a lot of fun jobs, I met tons of new people, I destressed from undergrad.

I would follow the same path every time.

 

[Gigantron]

This is often the missing attribute for 3-year college graduates and they don't typically have the upper level coursework to compensate for this weakness.

Doesn't just about every (good) college/university require students who are completing a science major (at the very least) to partake in upper division coursework? Finishing a BS in Biology (in the OP's case) in three years doesn't simply "erase" the upper division requirements which I'm sure he/she has to complete. Additionally, if the OP can maintain a good GPA while simultaneously taking on more credits than average, would this not demonstrate maturity in being able to handle an elevated course load? If not, why?

 

[weezynation]

Doesn't just about every (good) college/university require students who are completing a science major (at the very least) to partake in upper division coursework? Finishing a BS in Biology (in the OP's case) in three years doesn't simply "erase" the upper division requirements which I'm sure he/she has to complete. Additionally, if the OP can maintain a good GPA while simultaneously taking on more credits than average, would this not demonstrate maturity in being able to handle an elevated course load? If not, why?

It's not solely about classes. If you get good grades, it simply shows you get good grades, not that you are mature. Maturity comes with experience and typically someone in college for 3 years who has to focus pretty much only on grades does not have a lot of experience. I'm not saying this is OP's situation, but this is generally true. I was not an immature person when I graduated college, but after being in the real world for 3 years after graduation I now realize I was immature in reference to my experiences. And trust me, i took advantage of having the full college experience.

 

[sector9]

Doesn't just about every (good) college/university require students who are completing a science major (at the very least) to partake in upper division coursework? Finishing a BS in Biology (in the OP's case) in three years doesn't simply "erase" the upper division requirements which I'm sure he/she has to complete. Additionally, if the OP can maintain a good GPA while simultaneously taking on more credits than average, would this not demonstrate maturity in being able to handle an elevated course load? If not, why?

You don't understand how AMCAS presents your application. They don't give adcoms credits per semester. They only show credits per year in school (fresh, soph, etc) and the instruction manual tells you keep them a uniform size (between 27 and 35 credits). So adcomms won't know about you "taking more credits" than average, skipping your summer breaks to do summer classes, etc. unless they go through and figure it out for themselves

What they will notice though is that you don't have as many ECs as the normal applicant (since you'd be applying with only 2 years worth of ECs rather than a minimum of 3)

 

[penguinism]

From my own experience, I would recommend graduating a semester early. It gave me some time off before medical school, rather than jumping in right away. I scored a job that was flexible and paid well, and I was able to make some money during my time off. Since I didn't have many credits left to take during my senior year, I decided to spend some time abroad and take some fun classes for my last term. 🙂

I know someone who graduated early and applied to medical school without taking a gap year. He didn't have a terrific application cycle, but he did get into an MD school.

 

[Desp]

I'm a big fan or the four or five year plan, of which I chose the latter.

In my four years before applying I was able to spend a couple semesters away doing study abroad/student exchange and not crush myself with course load.

I also was able to take the MCAT after my third year which gave me ample time to get my application in the opening day.

Live a little bit cowboy

 

[Gigantron]

Hmmm...I've yet to hear the input of people like LizzyM or Catalysk. I'm curious as to what they think about a 3-year premed plan.

 

[DrBowtie]

Graduate early. Anything to shave time if you're dead set on peds surg. You'll have 13 years left including med school. 7 for academic gsurg with research time and 2 yr peds surg fellowship.

 

[NightGod]

I'm a big fan or the four or five year plan, of which I chose the latter.

In my four years before applying I was able to spend a couple semesters away doing study abroad/student exchange and not crush myself with course load.

I also was able to take the MCAT after my third year which gave me ample time to get my application in the opening day.

Live a little bit cowboy

Doing five years as well, but that's mostly about GPA repair and waiting for my youngest to graduate high school (mostly the later).

 

[merde]

OP what are your reasons for wanting to graduate early? If you're like most people, you only get to do undergrad once so why rush it? I mean, we are all looking at years and years of more schooling so whats another year in the grand scheme of things? If you're able to finish in 3 years, maintain high grades, take the MCAT end of your soph yr if you want to start right away and not look like a robot without a life on your app, more power to you! Not saying it hasn't been done but why put yourself through that if you don't have to? Granted I do know a few people who were able to finish undergrad in 3 years and get into medical school (2 with double majors and a girl with a 41 MCAT but she still hasn't matriculated into the MD/PhD program she was accepted to). However, they are truly exceptional individuals with a background that is very different from your typical premed student and they did not start med school the year after undergrad.

 

[pedssurgtobe]

OP what are your reasons for wanting to graduate early?

I am thinking about graduating early and then doing a gap year so that I can either go abroad or have an internship, but I think I have decided to just stay at least another semester so that I can still enjoy my college life and do more with my ECs

 

[Porfirio]

I have been reading through this thread for a while and I finally decided to make an account because I need some advice. I was just wondering if graduating in three years makes that big of a difference in med school admissions? I am trying to figure out my schedule for the next few years as I am a rising sophomore and am just somewhat confused! Thanks for any help!

The key is to finish in 3 years with a 3.7+ GPA.

 

[paul411]

From my experience with graduating early, I recommend graduating early with at least a semester off before med school and living it up that last semester. I took a semester off before med school and spent it living the college life without the college classes. It was awesome.