Help plan my lag-year coursework!

[jlittlej]

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After trying to decide between PA and med school for months, I finally chose med and will be applying to DO schools (maybe all of them save the state ones). In short, I was a great student coming out of high school, then managed a 1.9 and many Ws for the first two years of school. Finished with a 3.7 the last two years. After some interesting post-college work abroad, I got my EMT-B cert and started the pre-reqs while working full-time nights in EMS. Assuming this semester stays on course, I'll have managed to complete all the pre-reqs plus genetics and a semester of Spanish in 11 months, by mid-May. I took these courses at a community college, which some schools frown upon and consider as less competitive. (Most were harder to get an A in, however, than at my grade-inflated alma mater.)

Working for me:
1. Great pre-req grades while working full-time
2. Thousands of hours of EMT experience
3. Practice MCAT scores above DO average
4. Good professor recommendations

Against:
1. Many holes and therefore tough interview questions regarding early college academic record
2. Pre-req coursework at a CC
3. Recent extracurricular experience will need polishing (not embellishing!) to sound plentiful with leadership aspects
4. No leads on DO letter - will probably just call around in May and see if I can convert a few days of shadowing into a respectable letter
5. July MCAT prevents really "early" app

I was planning on:
Summer I: Anat/Phys I at CC
July MCAT
Summer II: A/P II at CC
Fall: Microbio for Sci. major at CC, Spanish 3 at CC
Spring: Biochem at 4-year, Spanish 4 at CC
(This while working full-time in EMS)

I am not picky about which DO school I go to, but I want to get on the first try. Should I instead fill my summer and fall with as many upper-level four-year courses as possible to show the adcoms that I can handle more difficult coursework? I think the only way to get financial aid for me is to declare as a second-degree student, and that may be too late for this summer session, so I should:

Summer: A&P I&II at CC, MCAT in July
Fall: Biochem, two other of immunology, virology, endocrinology, etc. at 4-year with financial aid from second-degree declaration that will never be completed
Spring: Two upper-level 4-year bio

Anybody got any feedback? Thanks.

 

[BlitzSleep]

Why are you taking A&P?

I think I misread your post. Are you saying that CC work is just as hard as university coursework? lol

 

[Seneca20]

After trying to decide between PA and med school for months, I finally chose med and will be applying to DO schools (maybe all of them save the state ones). In short, I was a great student coming out of high school, then managed a 1.9 and many Ws for the first two years of school. Finished with a 3.7 the last two years. After some interesting post-college work abroad, I got my EMT-B cert and started the pre-reqs while working full-time nights in EMS. Assuming this semester stays on course, I'll have managed to complete all the pre-reqs plus genetics and a semester of Spanish in 11 months, by mid-May. I took these courses at a community college, which some schools frown upon and consider as less competitive. (Most were harder to get an A in, however, than at my grade-inflated alma mater.)

Working for me:
1. Great pre-req grades while working full-time
2. Thousands of hours of EMT experience
3. Practice MCAT scores above DO average
4. Good professor recommendations

Against:
1. Many holes and therefore tough interview questions regarding early college academic record
2. Pre-req coursework at a CC
3. Recent extracurricular experience will need polishing (not embellishing!) to sound plentiful with leadership aspects
4. No leads on DO letter - will probably just call around in May and see if I can convert a few days of shadowing into a respectable letter
5. July MCAT prevents really "early" app

I was planning on:
Summer I: Anat/Phys I at CC
July MCAT
Summer II: A/P II at CC
Fall: Microbio for Sci. major at CC, Spanish 3 at CC
Spring: Biochem at 4-year, Spanish 4 at CC
(This while working full-time in EMS)

I am not picky about which DO school I go to, but I want to get on the first try. Should I instead fill my summer and fall with as many upper-level four-year courses as possible to show the adcoms that I can handle more difficult coursework? I think the only way to get financial aid for me is to declare as a second-degree student, and that may be too late for this summer session, so I should:

Summer: A&P I&II at CC, MCAT in July
Fall: Biochem, two other of immunology, virology, endocrinology, etc. at 4-year with financial aid from second-degree declaration that will never be completed
Spring: Two upper-level 4-year bio

Anybody got any feedback? Thanks.

I guess to start, why not apply to the state schools? As it stands now, what is your overall GPA? If your MCAT scores are as good as you say, why are you putting it off until July? And I know a lot of the pre req are considered upper level classes at 4 year university/colleges, will taking for example Micro at a CC that equates to a 200 level class count towards pre req's?

I would suggest taking as many as you can at a 4 year school. My reasoning: I took my all four inorganic/organic chemistrys and micro at an out of state university, when i transfered back to Texas, none of those five classes transfered and I was required to retake them. The university wouldnt let me take them concurrenty (i.e. organic I and II in the same semester) so i took half at the CC in town to speed up my graduation. Even though I made A's at a 4 year in all those classes I was questioned aggressively about the CC coursework. With a lot of your courses at CC, you can definetely expect the "How do you think you will handle more difficult coursework" questions.

If you can bump up your MCAT to an earlier date (May or June even), you'll be able to complete your AACOMAS app ealier (I think it opens in May), secondaries ealier, etc. and this will be an advantage for you. You get ealier consideration before there are thousands of applicants. I know I had some interviews before a lot of people even completed their AACOMAS or secondaries.

Hope that helps a bit, PM if you any specific Q's.