Help evaluate my path to med school

[redhooked]

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I'd like to apply to MD programs for a fall '12 start. I've been reading around here a lot and have formulated a rough plan. Would appreciate some help in evaluating it.

My very, very preliminary speciality choice would be emergency medicine, largely because I enjoy working under pressure, having to make quick decisions, and the shift-based nature of the work.

Background:
- Biochem major, graduated 2003 with a 2.8, both overall and BCPM Had several As in upper level classes so low GPA was due largely to lack of motivation
- had a fair # of AP credits entering college so i only have 100 actual college credits, which does help me from the GPA-boosting standpoint
- Worked in computer networking since then, successful but unfulfilled

Currently about to receive EMT cert and hopefully start working by end of '09. Also volunteering one day a week in an ER in manhattan.

Now through Spring '10
- part-time EMT work as much as time permits
- volunteer until i start med school
- take 2-3 classes that will help prepare for MCAT, probably gen chem and physics

Summer '10: full-time MCAT study for August test

MCAT < 28: think about a different health career
MCAT 28-32: Calibrate my post-bacc work to optimize chances for DO schools, i.e. re-take classes with poor grades
MCAT > 32: Take upper division bio/chem classes, aiming for acceptance to MD progs

Fall '10 - Spring '11: take classes as a Hunter post-bacc student, physician shadowing, EMT part-time, maybe lab work. probably can't do all of these at once

Summer '11: Apply to MD/DO schools, EMT, labwork, volunteer

Fall '11 - Spring '12: classes, EMT or labwork


Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[DucoNonducor]

Everything looks good over here. If I were you I would not take the MCAT so early. Some schools like to see a fairly recent MCAT score.
I am taking the MCAT in March 2010 and planning on applying to submit my application in June. I've actually been working on my application already so that I have a head start.

I'd like to apply to MD programs for a fall '12 start. I've been reading around here a lot and have formulated a rough plan. Would appreciate some help in evaluating it.

My very, very preliminary speciality choice would be emergency medicine, largely because I enjoy working under pressure, having to make quick decisions, and the shift-based nature of the work.

Background:
- Biochem major, graduated 2003 with a 2.8, both overall and BCPM Had several As in upper level classes so low GPA was due largely to lack of motivation
- had a fair # of AP credits entering college so i only have 100 actual college credits, which does help me from the GPA-boosting standpoint
- Worked in computer networking since then, successful but unfulfilled

Currently about to receive EMT cert and hopefully start working by end of '09. Also volunteering one day a week in an ER in manhattan.

Now through Spring '10
- part-time EMT work as much as time permits
- volunteer until i start med school
- take 2-3 classes that will help prepare for MCAT, probably gen chem and physics

Summer '10: full-time MCAT study for August test

MCAT < 28: think about a different health career
MCAT 28-32: Calibrate my post-bacc work to optimize chances for DO schools, i.e. re-take classes with poor grades
MCAT > 32: Take upper division bio/chem classes, aiming for acceptance to MD progs

Fall '10 - Spring '11: take classes as a Hunter post-bacc student, physician shadowing, EMT part-time, maybe lab work. probably can't do all of these at once

Summer '11: Apply to MD/DO schools, EMT, labwork, volunteer

Fall '11 - Spring '12: classes, EMT or labwork


Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[J ROD]

I would take the MCAT later and more classes. Either way you need to boost the GPA. It would make you better prepared for the MCAT. Take it the next summer.

 

[redhooked]

the accepted wisdom here is that it pays to apply early in the cycle as possible.
if I don't take the MCAT until summer '11 I'm either waiting another year to apply or not applying as soon as possible (which is around early June, correct?)

 

[DucoNonducor]

Time is to your advantage here. You have an opportunity to bring your GPA to above a 3.0 and at the same time prepare for the MCAT. Taking practice tests throughout your practice time will give you an idea of where you are in your score range. The application process is huge and the MCAT exam day is just a small part of it. The key is PREPARATION!
You'll have to focus on having strong EC, LOR, and a personal statement.
Those are all things that you can be working on right now.
You should have your whole application finished by end of May of the year that you're planning on applying.
I've been working on those things for several months now and I'm not even planning on applying until next year but I've always heard that it's crucial to have have that application submitted by early June.

the accepted wisdom here is that it pays to apply early in the cycle as possible.
if I don't take the MCAT until summer '11 I'm either waiting another year to apply or not applying as soon as possible (which is around early June, correct?)

 

[redhooked]

thanks for the replies, your responses are very well taken

perhaps i'm a little too rusty to be taking the mcat in 9 months, but at the same time summer '10 and summer '11 are my only chances to dedicate a full 3 months to prepare for the test -- and i fully buy into the 3-month strategy

if i wait until summer '11 for the MCAT then i won't be able to have my applications completed until september '11, when i'd like to apply for MD/DO schools. wouldn't this put me at a disadvantage from that perspective?

 

[DucoNonducor]

So I guess you're having some schedule issues here. Most people will recommend that you take the MCAT in the spring to get your application going, but it seems like that you're shooting to take it for the first time in the summer. You definitely don't want to wait until summer of 2011 if you're planning on starting Med school Fall of 2012.
But don't take it unless you're scoring in the range that you're hoping to get.

thanks for the replies, your responses are very well taken

perhaps i'm a little too rusty to be taking the mcat in 9 months, but at the same time summer '10 and summer '11 are my only chances to dedicate a full 3 months to prepare for the test -- and i fully buy into the 3-month strategy

if i wait until summer '11 for the MCAT then i won't be able to have my applications completed until september '11, when i'd like to apply for MD/DO schools. wouldn't this put me at a disadvantage from that perspective?

 

[J ROD]

I would suggest shooting for May/Jun MCAT 2011 then! You could take a lesser load that Spring 11 and prepare for the MCAT some.

 

[redhooked]

damn, i'm really wishing i got on track just a few months earlier. starting in the spring without having to spend another year doing pre-reqs is not optimal. i think i might have to go J-dub's way, if only because i need to do 6 science lectre+lab classes this coming spring/summer/fall (in order to get a LOR from Hunter). upside is that i get more time back in school before the MCATs. no clue how i'm going to work EMTing into this


the slow route is starting to sound better and better, but it's expensive, esp in NY, and without knowing if i'll actually be accepted somewhere

 

[DucoNonducor]

I know how you feel... I was in a similar situation. NYC has a high cost of living compared to other parts of the country...
I agree with J-dub's way the only thing is that you MUST make sure that you're ready for that MCAT. A retake would kill you and make you push that application to the next cycle for several schools since you would not be applying early enough...

What you should do in the mean time is start working on writing up the ECs and the personal statement. I have a professor who kept nagging me to write the personal statement for months LOL
Make sure that you let some people read it and give you some feedback on it.

damn, i'm really wishing i got on track just a few months earlier. starting in the spring without having to spend another year doing pre-reqs is not optimal. i think i might have to go J-dub's way, if only because i need to do 6 science lectre+lab classes this coming spring/summer/fall (in order to get a LOR from Hunter). upside is that i get more time back in school before the MCATs. no clue how i'm going to work EMTing into this


the slow route is starting to sound better and better, but it's expensive, esp in NY, and without knowing if i'll actually be accepted somewhere

 

[redhooked]

the more I look at it, the more the slow route makes sense. Giving myself 2.5 years will definitely make me more competitive GPA- and probably MCAT-wise as well as allow for more ECs. Embarking on something like this is surely 98% mental.

life must have sucked before spreadsheets