Help with Pre-med Timeline for Student Starting in Spring

[dylanjetttyler]

I'm an EMT starting undergrad as a bio major this spring. I've looked over a couple timelines for pre-med as well as my college's degree map. My question being, will I need to take summer classes in order to be ready for the MCAT, because of my spring semester start? Looking at the degree map and pre-med timeline it seems like I'll have to take psychology, sociology, physics and ochem during the summer(s) to squeeze them in before the MCAT during spring of my junior year. What complicates this further is that I'm taking Trig/Alg II, and pre-calc before calc (degree requirement), so I've got to take a class or two extra on top of the requirements for my degree. Please tell me if I've missed something obvious or if there's a way to be prepared for the MCAT without having to add the classes onto summer. Thanks!!

Degree Map: https://www.qc.cuny.edu/Academics/SupportPrograms/advising/QCIn4/ProgramMaps/Biology_BA_2019.pdf

Timeline I Based Question On:
College freshman to M1: A timeline to medical school admission

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[M&L]

first - see if you will have to take organic chemistry II or not (look at your specific schools requirements, - medical schools). So ideally, you want to shift things, take Organic I in the spring of SOphomore year, then organic II and Biochemistry in Junior Fall, do review over winter break, and take MCAT in spring JUnior year.

if you DO decide to take some classes in summer, - dont take science classes, take psychology/sociology stuff in summer. Or math prereqs (precalculus). do physics 1 before MCAT, but you can schedule physics 2 for your senior year if you have to. it is better to do it before MCAT, but if you HAVE to push a certain class till senior year, i would push sociology and physics 2.

 

[dylanjetttyler]

first - see if you will have to take organic chemistry II or not (look at your specific schools requirements, - medical schools). So ideally, you want to shift things, take Organic I in the spring of SOphomore year, then organic II and Biochemistry in Junior Fall, do review over winter break, and take MCAT in spring JUnior year.

if you DO decide to take some classes in summer, - dont take science classes, take psychology/sociology stuff in summer. Or math prereqs (precalculus). do physics 1 before MCAT, but you can schedule physics 2 for your senior year if you have to. it is better to do it before MCAT, but if you HAVE to push a certain class till senior year, i would push sociology and physics 2.

Thanks for the reply! I looked up a couple NYC/NY State Med schools and their criteria for admission is generally One year Bio, Chem, Eng, Phy and ochem. So all of that seems manageable within two years. It seems like the average student basically has two and half years to prepare for the MCAT. Freshman, sophomore and then the fall semester of their junior year. Does that mean I only have two years due to the fact that my junior year would start in January (I.E when you're expected to take the MCAT)?

It seems like I'd just have a little trouble getting all the MCAT pre-reqs done. I've heard varying answers on what classes you should take from the MCAT. Do you know a set of classes I could take to be well prepared for the MCAT within my two year window (Assuming I'm correct that I'd only have four semesters)? For instance do I need stats, physics II, organic chem II and biochem? If yes I'd probably have to take one or more of those over summer.

 

[KnightDoc]

I'm an EMT starting undergrad as a bio major this spring. I've looked over a couple timelines for pre-med as well as my college's degree map. My question being, will I need to take summer classes in order to be ready for the MCAT, because of my spring semester start? Looking at the degree map and pre-med timeline it seems like I'll have to take psychology, sociology, physics and ochem during the summer(s) to squeeze them in before the MCAT during spring of my junior year. What complicates this further is that I'm taking Trig/Alg II, and pre-calc before calc (degree requirement), so I've got to take a class or two extra on top of the requirements for my degree. Please tell me if I've missed something obvious or if there's a way to be prepared for the MCAT without having to add the classes onto summer. Thanks!!

Degree Map: https://www.qc.cuny.edu/Academics/SupportPrograms/advising/QCIn4/ProgramMaps/Biology_BA_2019.pdf

Timeline I Based Question On:
College freshman to M1: A timeline to medical school admission

Yes, you can be prepared for the MCAT without having to take summer classes by pushing back a year! The timeline you are looking at is based on fall start. By starting in the spring, you are already a semester behind, if you want a spring junior year MCAT. People who go straight through with no gap year have two more semesters of school after spring of their junior year. You'll have three semesters if you don't accelerate, since spring of YOUR junior year will be your 5th semester, not 6th! You won't be able to matriculate the following summer, because you'll still have one semester of UG left.

To adjust, you either need to accelerate everything, which means all the summer classes you want to avoid, or, give yourself a break, take the test in fall or spring of your senior year, and plan on a gap 6 or 18 months (i.e., spring of your senior year will be your 7th semester, not 8th, so by applying then, you'd only have one gap semester before starting med school).

 

[dylanjetttyler]

Yes, you can be prepared for the MCAT without having to take summer classes by pushing back a year! The timeline you are looking at is based on fall start. By starting in the spring, you are already a semester behind, if you want a spring junior year MCAT. People who go straight through with no gap year have two more semesters of school after spring of their junior year. You'll have three semesters if you don't accelerate, since spring of YOUR junior year will be your 5th semester, not 6th! You won't be able to matriculate the following summer, because you'll still have one semester of UG left.

To adjust, you either need to accelerate everything, which means all the summer classes you want to avoid, or, give yourself a break, take the test in fall or spring of your senior year, and plan on a gap 6 or 18 months (i.e., spring of your senior year will be your 7th semester, not 8th, so by applying then, you'd only have one gap semester before starting med school).

Wow that sounds 100x better! I was thinking about something like that before, but I didn't know if that was the smart thing to do. It sounds like taking the test spring of senior year will allow me to take the classes I need at a less insane pace and give me time to work on research and some shadowing if I understand correctly. My only question is if I take the MCAT spring of my senior year, I would be applying in the summer right? Does that mean I would start med school that September (2024) or September the year after I apply (2025)? Either way it sounds better than cramming summer classes. Thank you so much for your response! This sounds like the way to go in terms of mental health, research and academics.

 

[DoctorWhere]

Wow that sounds 100x better! I was thinking about something like that before, but I didn't know if that was the smart thing to do. It sounds like taking the test spring of senior year will allow me to take the classes I need at a less insane pace and give me time to work on research and some shadowing if I understand correctly. My only question is if I take the MCAT spring of my senior year, I would be applying in the summer right? Does that mean I would start med school that September (2024) or September the year after I apply (2025)? Either way it sounds better than cramming summer classes. Thank you so much for your response! This sounds like the way to go in terms of mental health, research and academics.

You're applying for admittance for following fall i.e. AMCAS opens May 2024. Classes for admitted students from that cycle start fall 2025.

 

[KnightDoc]

You're applying for admittance for following fall i.e. AMCAS opens May 2024. Classes for admitted students from that cycle start fall 2025.

This^^^^. Since you are starting in the spring, if you don't accelerate, you couldn't start med school the following fall even if that was how applications worked (it isn't! ) because your final UG semester would be the following fall (if you start in the spring and complete UG in the traditional 8 semesters, your fall senior year will follow your spring senior year -- the same way your spring freshman year will come before your fall!).

So, you will take the test in the spring, apply that summer, finish up UG the following fall, have a gap 1/2 year after graduation in December, and then start med school the following summer. It's either that, or complete UG in 3.5 years so you can avoid the 1/2 gap year, but, as noted above, that will involve a lot of summer work to put you in position to take the test a year earlier so you can apply a year earlier.

 

[dylanjetttyler]

This^^^^. Since you are starting in the spring, if you don't accelerate, you couldn't start med school the following fall even if that was how applications worked (it isn't! ) because your final UG semester would be the following fall (if you start in the spring and complete UG in the traditional 8 semesters, your fall senior year will follow your spring senior year -- the same way your spring freshman year will come before your fall!).

So, you will take the test in the spring, apply that summer, finish up UG the following fall, have a gap 1/2 year after graduation in December, and then start med school the following summer. It's either that, or complete UG in 3.5 years so you can avoid the 1/2 gap year, but, as noted above, that will involve a lot of summer work to put you in position to take the test a year earlier so you can apply a year earlier.

I obviously need to do more research, but from what I've seen it's easier to take a six month gap than to cram classes wherever I could get them. I got nervous, because every website says to take the MCAT spring of junior year and I couldn't find any information on the pre-med timeline for someone starting in spring. Thank you so much for the reply, and I'm happy to know there's an alternative to taking a bunch of summer classes!

 

[Rachapkis]

This may be an obvious word of caution, but I'll say it just in case you haven't heard it before: The key in applying to medical school is to submit an excellent application, not to submit an application as quickly as possible. This is borne out by the fact that about 60% of applicants do not receive a single acceptance. Although many people are able to maintain a high GPA, achieve an excellent score on the MCAT, undertake the necessary ECs activities, and get excellent recommendations before graduating from college, a large and increasing number of applicants are taking one or more gap years to ensure that they are fully prepared for the MCAT before sitting for the exam, have a solid slate of ECs, and have developed the relationships necessary for stellar recommendations. I understand that time is money, but make sure that you measure twice and cut once on your way to applying to medical school.


Edited: 40% to 60%.

 

[dylanjetttyler]

This may be an obvious word of caution, but I'll say it just in case you haven't heard it before: The key in applying to medical school is to submit an excellent application, not to submit an application as quickly as possible. This is borne out by the fact that about 40% of applicants do not receive a single acceptance. Although many people are able to maintain a high GPA, achieve an excellent score on the MCAT, undertake the necessary ECs activities, and get excellent recommendations before graduating from college, a large and increasing number of applicants are taking one or more gap years to ensure that they are fully prepared for the MCAT before sitting for the exam, have a solid slate of ECs, and have developed the relationships necessary for stellar recommendations. I understand that time is money, but make sure that you measure twice and cut once on your way to applying to medical school.

Absolutely the more I do my research on the pre-med timeline, the more I realize taking the MCAT spring of my senior year is the better choice. In the grand scheme of things an extra six month or even a year gap is much better than not getting in at all. I can't imagine getting too many strong LORs if I applied right after my sophomore year. I appreciate everyone here telling me that a large percent of matriculants actually take gap years, it makes me much more comfortable with taking my time and doing this process at the correct pace for me. As for the gap, I'll probably take the time to do research, read and work some shifts on the ambulance

 

[candbgirl]

This may be an obvious word of caution, but I'll say it just in case you haven't heard it before: The key in applying to medical school is to submit an excellent application, not to submit an application as quickly as possible. This is borne out by the fact that about 40% of applicants do not receive a single acceptance. Although many people are able to maintain a high GPA, achieve an excellent score on the MCAT, undertake the necessary ECs activities, and get excellent recommendations before graduating from college, a large and increasing number of applicants are taking one or more gap years to ensure that they are fully prepared for the MCAT before sitting for the exam, have a solid slate of ECs, and have developed the relationships necessary for stellar recommendations. I understand that time is money, but make sure that you measure twice and cut once on your way to applying to medical school.

It’s actually over 55% that don’t receive an acceptance each cycle. OP you only want to apply one else with the best possible application. You are just starting your academic journey. Don’t set a timeline for yourself, at least not now. See how things go with your classes. Work into your ECs when you are consistently doing well in your courses. As @Goro says- med schools aren’t going anywhere. Good luck.

 

[KnightDoc]

This may be an obvious word of caution, but I'll say it just in case you haven't heard it before: The key in applying to medical school is to submit an excellent application, not to submit an application as quickly as possible. This is borne out by the fact that about 40% of applicants do not receive a single acceptance. Although many people are able to maintain a high GPA, achieve an excellent score on the MCAT, undertake the necessary ECs activities, and get excellent recommendations before graduating from college, a large and increasing number of applicants are taking one or more gap years to ensure that they are fully prepared for the MCAT before sitting for the exam, have a solid slate of ECs, and have developed the relationships necessary for stellar recommendations. I understand that time is money, but make sure that you measure twice and cut once on your way to applying to medical school.

Your transposed the numbers -- around 40% receive at least one acceptance, and around 60% do not!!!

 

[Rachapkis]

Your transposed the numbers -- around 40% receive at least one acceptance, and around 60% do not!!!

Thanks. Fast fingers got me in trouble . . . but the point I was attempting to make (sloppily) holds.

 

[Dr.K124]

Your transposed the numbers -- around 40% receive at least one acceptance, and around 60% do not!!!

Has there been a study done on what percentage of incoming freshmen premeds stay on the track and actually apply?

 

[KnightDoc]

Has there been a study done on what percentage of incoming freshmen premeds stay on the track and actually apply?

We were talking about it in this thread:

Knowing that many folks won't get accepted in their first try, is it better to start with a smaller school list?

Now bear with me on this. I've been noticing a number of folks who are re-applicants and i'm also noticing that many people claim that there is a bias towards applicants applying twice to a specific school. If the latter is true, would it make sense to pick a fairly small number of schools the...

forums.studentdoctor.net

...but I don't think there is anything official anywhere. There are several issues that would make such a study either impossible or worthless:

1. Some schools actually have incoming people declare premed while others don't.
2. No way to control for people who are premed from Day 1, but don't declare, which ultimately pollutes the pool of people later applying.
3. Many people come to it late, ultimately replacing other people who drop premed. No way to track this.

Ex: Hopkins is a well known premed factory. The entering class is 1,300. 455 applied to med school last year. What percent of the 1,300 were premed on Day 1? Who knows? How many were weeded out? How many were replaced by people who were not premed initially? Who knows? What we do know is that 35% of the 1,300 applied, and there was certainly some attrition. 25%? 50%? 75%? Who knows? (Well, we know it's not 75%, at least not at Hopkins! ) And, keep in mind, this is Hopkins. Whatever the attrition is there, it's probably a lot higher elsewhere. Common wisdom is that up to 75% don't follow through and apply.

 

[Bored_Conscious]

Absolutely the more I do my research on the pre-med timeline, the more I realize taking the MCAT spring of my senior year is the better choice. In the grand scheme of things an extra six month or even a year gap is much better than not getting in at all. I can't imagine getting too many strong LORs if I applied right after my sophomore year. I appreciate everyone here telling me that a large percent of matriculants actually take gap years, it makes me much more comfortable with taking my time and doing this process at the correct pace for me. As for the gap, I'll probably take the time to do research, read and work some shifts on the ambulance

Seems like you got things mostly figured out but I just wanted to add my own experience.

I entered undergrad my Spring semester as well due to some family conflicts. I initially was hesitant about a gap year, but the longer I was a premed the faster I realized it was a better decision. I took my MCAT the summer heading into my senior year and will be applying when I graduate next semester. Take your time. I do believe that applying when I graduate (resulting in a gap year) has greatly enhanced my application. I will have far more hours, stronger letter of recs due to more time to create a relationship, will have a publication, got a minor in philosophy, and got an awesome internship. So, moral of the story? Take your time and don't needlessly rush through things. Good luck.