How Fast can you get pre-reqs done?

[Jonny Seed]

Just curious how long it usually takes people to get pre-reqs only done? I figure you need 8 classes, so for a lot of people that's 4 semesters of two classes, so about 2 years?

Has anyone completed it faster than this, while working full-time?

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[GreenDuck12]

In theory it is possible (schedule wise) but may not be practical. I would not recommend taking that course loan while working full-time.

Summer term:
Gen chem 1 and 2
Fall
Orgo, bio, phys 1
Spring
Orgo, bio, phys 2
Summer
Bio chem

Just curious how long it usually takes people to get pre-reqs only done? I figure you need 8 classes, so for a lot of people that's 4 semesters of two classes, so about 2 years?

Has anyone completed it faster than this, while working full-time?

 

[AnotherLawyer]

I started my first prereq spring 2014. I'll take number 8 this summer. So at one per semester, including summers, it will have taken me about two years and 8 or 9 months. I work full time (~50 hours/wk most weeks) with an inflexible schedule and have a wife and kids. For me, this pace has allowed me to perform well at work, in my coursework, spend enough time with my family, and have an acceptable amount of leisure time. I could have done two courses per semester, but my family would have never seen me.

 

[DrMidlife]

Suggested priorities:
1. Get A's by which I mean get A's. Also: get A's.
2. Get faculty recommendations
3. Get exposure to clinical settings
4. Get scared whether you really want to do 4 more years of school and 3-10 more years of low paid training to get the job
5. life stuff
6. money stuff
7. more life stuff
8. more money stuff
9. other stuff
10. how fast you get done with the prereqs

Best of luck to you.

 

[popopopop]

^This is so true. I'm so grateful that I even have a sliver of a chance at med school, because I know a messed up prereqs GPA is an application killer. I just wanted to add one thing to the list is that one of the purpose of your prereqs is to prepare you for the MCAT. Many people do well in prereqs, but hit a wall when it's MCAT time for numerous reasons.

I could have taken all of my prereqs at community college (less rigorous where I'm from), not have any loans, and cruised through all of my classes if I cleverly picked my professors. I didn't do that, but I'm grateful now for the study habits I have and better education I received.

 

[mavric1298]

Because of gen chem/Ochem sequence, it's basically a minimum of 2 years. But with more schools requiring biochem, that's going tack more onto that sequence and you will need it for MCAT.

Do. Not. Rush.

It will be your biggest mistake.


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[KyleV]

I started my first prereq spring 2014. I'll take number 8 this summer. So at one per semester, including summers, it will have taken me about two years and 8 or 9 months. I work full time (~50 hours/wk most weeks) with an inflexible schedule and have a wife and kids. For me, this pace has allowed me to perform well at work, in my coursework, spend enough time with my family, and have an acceptable amount of leisure time. I could have done two courses per semester, but my family would have never seen me.

Do you happen to know if, generally speaking, taking 1 pre-req at time is frowned upon, while working full time? I'm in a similar position myself but have a lower GPA,but am taking general chemistry 1 right now by itself as I work full time, but am wondering if this would be ok as long as i'm working this much or if taking 2 science courses is better? I'm strictly working towards DO school.

 

[mavric1298]

^ to some extent yes. Our dean of admissions said something along the lines of "we want to see 2+ classes at a time to show you can handle the academic rigors of multiple science classes" when I asked about how working full time factored in - and basically that it didn't matter, they wanted to see at least some terms with more than 1. but n=1

 

[popopopop]

Do you happen to know if, generally speaking, taking 1 pre-req at time is frowned upon, while working full time? I'm in a similar position myself but have a lower GPA,but am taking general chemistry 1 right now by itself as I work full time, but am wondering if this would be ok as long as i'm working this much or if taking 2 science courses is better? I'm strictly working towards DO school.

I'm sure a few of us have battled with this thought, including myself. I scoured the forums looking for advice, and you'll hear it from both sides. I opted to play it safe, because preserving my GPA is what matters most in the end.

 

[GreenDuck12]

The premedical advisors I have spoken with have said that two is recommended but only if you can do well academically. One strategy that many have used is to start by taking one class at a time to get back in the rhythm of being a hard sciences student and gradually add a second or possibly a third class. The priority is on doing well. If I were to go back and do it again, I would've started with one class instead of two and hopefully not had a B+ in gen chem 1.

Do you happen to know if, generally speaking, taking 1 pre-req at time is frowned upon, while working full time? I'm in a similar position myself but have a lower GPA,but am taking general chemistry 1 right now by itself as I work full time, but am wondering if this would be ok as long as i'm working this much or if taking 2 science courses is better? I'm strictly working towards DO school.

 

[DrMidlife]

If I'm reviewing an app with a transcript with a lot of terms with just 1 or 2 classes, I'm looking for the last time you took a full load of hard classes. I need to see some evidence that you won't be crushed by the volume of the double-full all-science schedule in med school. Once I see that evidence, if it's recent, then I'm open to being impressed by doing a smaller load of academics on top of full time work.

For comparison, the more impressive, squeaky clean premeds frequently have multiple 20+ credit (where 12 credits is full time) terms with 3-4 science classes plus some non-science, with great grades, through a stretch of time when they also were working in a lab, producing pubs, etc. I don't worry about those kids' academics, I worry about other things. But without clear academic prowess, the sale isn't made.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Jonny Seed]

If I'm reviewing an app with a transcript with a lot of terms with just 1 or 2 classes, I'm looking for the last time you took a full load of hard classes. I need to see some evidence that you won't be crushed by the volume of the double-full all-science schedule in med school. Once I see that evidence, if it's recent, then I'm open to being impressed by doing a smaller load of academics on top of full time work.

For comparison, the more impressive, squeaky clean premeds frequently have multiple 20+ credit (where 12 credits is full time) terms with 3-4 science classes plus some non-science, with great grades, through a stretch of time when they also were working in a lab, producing pubs, etc. I don't worry about those kids' academics, I worry about other things. But without clear academic prowess, the sale isn't made.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks - This response makes great points for both the formal and informal route. Does taking classes concurrently at different schools have any affect on the application. I think I can do one after work class, and a weekend class at different state schools around me.

 

[Jlaw]

As fast as you can do them and get all A's. If it takes a semester great, if it takes 3 years great.

 

[mavric1298]

So to summarize, if you are starting from zero Chem - the QUICKEST possible is 2 years. (If on quarters, 3 gem Chem, 3 Ochem, 1-2 biochem). Because those are all sequential no matter how many end up deciding to take at a time, if you go straight thru with summers it's 2 years min. With summers off, that's 2.75 years.

Another piece of advice on the topic of how long - a couple of my rejected app feedback sessions brought up "you only had 2 quarters upper level classes completed, we really wanted to see more done since you returned to school". Didn't matter to them if they were science or not - but don't assume that just your pre-reqs will necessarily be enough if you have any sort of checkered past / average gpa/MCAT. (And by average I mean average matriculated, aka 80th percentile MCAT/3.6+ gpa.). 300-400 level classes are important too.








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[Promethean]

In theory it is possible (schedule wise) but may not be practical. I would not recommend taking that course loan while working full-time.

Summer term:
Gen chem 1 and 2
Fall
Orgo, bio, phys 1
Spring
Orgo, bio, phys 2
Summer
Bio chem

I did this, though I started with a Fall term and finished with a summer... and I took Org Chem II through UNE online, because of scheduling conflicts. While working full time. I don't actually remember very much about that span of my life, because it was so busy. I've actually had more free time in medical school than I did that year.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

 

[Jonny Seed]

I will have finished all prerequisites in about 15 months. And done a fair amount of volunteering while working full time.

Worst 15 months of my life.

Give yourself 2 years.

Would you mind sharing your class schedule for this? Were you able to complete this all at the same college, and was your work flexible. I have a 9-5 job that isn't flexible at all, so the problem is I need all weekend and night classes. I actually don't mind giving 15 months of my life away...

 

[popopopop]

So to summarize, if you are starting from zero Chem - the QUICKEST possible is 2 years. (If on quarters, 3 gem Chem, 3 Ochem, 1-2 biochem). Because those are all sequential no matter how many end up deciding to take at a time, if you go straight thru with summers it's 2 years min. With summers off, that's 2.75 years.

Another piece of advice on the topic of how long - a couple of my rejected app feedback sessions brought up "you only had 2 quarters upper level classes completed, we really wanted to see more done since you returned to school". Didn't matter to them if they were science or not - but don't assume that just your pre-reqs will necessarily be enough if you have any sort of checkered past / average gpa/MCAT. (And by average I mean average matriculated, aka 80th percentile MCAT/3.6+ gpa.). 300-400 level classes are important too.


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You can do it in a year at my school at least, including biochem. We have wintermesters, maymesters, and 5 week summer sessions here. Biochem is also allowed to be taken concurrently with ochem2 if you get permission. It's just not guaranteed you'll be making straight As, but we probably all know a person that can. I know I do lol.

 

[KaBoom'd]

Probably not much faster than 2 years. I'm at 4 semesters and a summer session, mostly because of chemistry. Chem 1 > Chem 2 > organic 1 > organic 2 and Biochem 1 > Biochem 2

Biochem 2 isn't necessary but my professor strongly recommended it for the MCAT, and so far he's been right. Some schools will do waivers and let you double dip, but aside from that I don't see how you could do it faster.

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[Law2Doc]

As suggested above the goal should never be "quickest". You are embarking on what will likely be a 30-40 year career. Saving a semester or two is pretty meaningless in the greater scheme of things. Your goal is to get mostly A's. However long that takes. Not to finish first. If you are in a rush you are very likely to come up short in this career path that is very detail oriented and frowns on those rushing and half a$$ing it.

 

[Jonny Seed]

As suggested above the goal should never be "quickest". You are embarking on what will likely be a 30-40 year career. Saving a semester or two is pretty meaningless in the greater scheme of things. Your goal is to get mostly A's. However long that takes. Not to finish first. If you are in a rush you are very likely to come up short in this career path that is very detail oriented and frowns on those rushing and half a$$ing it.

This is a great point, and one that should be even more clear to someone in their 30's.

 

[mavric1298]

Schools really allow you to finish "a year" of gen Chem over summer? That's crazy. Even during our summer term 1 quarter gen Chem is full summer term (A and B) so literally the quickest is 7 quarters sequentially if you only take 1 biochem, because after summer you still have 2 full quarters of genchem.


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[GreenDuck12]

Harvard Summer School will squeeze two semesters of organic chemistry into 7 weeks...

Schools really allow you to finish "a year" of gen Chem over summer? That's crazy. Even during our summer term 1 quarter gen Chem is full summer term (A and B) so literally the quickest is 7 quarters sequentially if you only take 1 biochem, because after summer you still have 2 full quarters of genchem.


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[AnotherLawyer]

Do you happen to know if, generally speaking, taking 1 pre-req at time is frowned upon, while working full time? I'm in a similar position myself but have a lower GPA,but am taking general chemistry 1 right now by itself as I work full time, but am wondering if this would be ok as long as i'm working this much or if taking 2 science courses is better? I'm strictly working towards DO school.

It's almost certain case by case. Someone who struggled as an undergrad is going to have to overcome concerns among adcoms that someone who has consistently excelled will not. Likewise, not all full time work is that same. Working 40 hours per week on a flexible schedule in a job where you can forget work the moment you clock out is not the same as a 60 hour per week job with no flexibility in a field where you can never truly leave work at the office.

That's all just my opinion. But consider this: the AAMC publishes a list of factors that medical schools view as important for applicants and a rigorous course load
has never made the list. GPA and MCAT top the list. All the standard ECs are on the list too. So you should prioritize doing those things well. If you can do all that and on top of it take lots of rigorous classes at the same time, then it certainly won't hurt to do so.

 

[mavric1298]

^ from everything i've gathered, they don't really care about you work per se, and DO care about course load. It's been brought up in numerous admissions info sessions, and the answer almost always is - 1 class at a time isn't showing that you can handle the rigors of med school. "working 50+ hours and taking one class doesn't equate to us being able to take a full load of science classes, we view work as distinct from the ability to handle high course load and still be successful. We would rather see less hours and at least 2 classes at a time, as work isn't the same as learning" was approximately the advice I was recently given by a associate dean of admissions. I had asked about taking 2 at a time...just food for thought

 

[popopopop]

^I've read several threads about that on sdn, but it bothers me that that's the standard. Work is unavoidable for some, and IMO much more stressful both physically and mentally than sitting down and studying.

 

[Jonny Seed]

^I've read several threads about that on sdn, but it bothers me that that's the standard. Work is unavoidable for some, and IMO much more stressful both physically and mentally than sitting down and studying.

I agree with this. That's why although it would be nice to do 1 class a semester while working, I'm leaning towards going full-time formal postbacc.

 

[popopopop]

You should call your school and ask, just in case. What if your state school explicitly say they don't mind part time classes? Surely the rest of your application will show what you did with that free time. I'm on that GPA repair path so preserving my GPA > taking it fast lol. My rationalization was that if I destroy a postbac semester with Bs/Cs/Ws, then I lose ALL chances of going to medschool. I don't regret a thing, and can't change it now since I'm done with prereqs essentially!

 

[Jonny Seed]

You should call your school and ask, just in case. What if your state school explicitly say they don't mind part time classes? Surely the rest of your application will show what you did with that free time. I'm on that GPA repair path so preserving my GPA > taking it fast lol. My rationalization was that if I destroy a postbac semester with Bs/Cs/Ws, then I lose ALL chances of going to medschool. I don't regret a thing, and can't change it now since I'm done with prereqs essentially!

Is it as easy as find the admissions number on their website and calling and asking straightforward like this?

There are some issues with doing part time while working.
It's hard to find schools that will enroll you for only 8 classes - even if they let you, you are last priority for classes.
It's hard to get all night and weekend classes. This is really hard if you have a 9-5 job that isn't flexible.
And a lot of other crap that comes up while working...

 

[popopopop]

Is it as easy as find the admissions number on their website and calling and asking straightforward like this?

There are some issues with doing part time while working.
It's hard to find schools that will enroll you for only 8 classes - even if they let you, you are last priority for classes.
It's hard to get all night and weekend classes. This is really hard if you have a 9-5 job that isn't flexible.
And a lot of other crap that comes up while working...

True to the night and weekend classes. I forgot not everyone has a weekend job like I do 🙁. I've called my school and gotten emails or have talked with people on the phone. You'll get to the right people if you're just polite about it. I've never thought about priority for classes, even though my advisor listed me as non-degree seeking. I actually register for classes a day after honors college kids (earliest to register), but before any other undergrads, weird right?

Well, if you can afford going full-time, that's the best way to do it!

 

[Shotapp]

I believe you are doing yourself a huge favor by going full-time in your post-bac even with employment. It has been done several times before. You just have to have a solid schedule of everything and follow it like your life depends on it. I am about to begin my post-bac this coming summer and I am going to take 1 science class and 1 non-science class concurrently then in the fall I'll be taking 12 cr with a job possibly (but its not a full-time job). If I only took one class I would go crazy...I am so hungry to start these classes and I intend to do my utmost best in each one. Medical school is going to be light years harder compared to your post-bac so you might as well challenge yourself and show adcoms what can of student you are.

 

[gmbz]

Registered nurse here. I was working in an ICU and took a year off to complete all 8 pre-recs. Here was the schedule.

Summer semester : Chem 1 + lab & Bio 1 + lab
Fall semester : Chem 2 + lab, Ochem 1 + lab (had to get okay from the dean of the chem dept. to take this concurrently with Chem 2 which is a pre-rec for ochem) & Phys 1 + lab
Summer semester : Ochem 2 + lab, Phys 2 + lab & bio 2 + lab

This was a very busy school year. I spent most of my free time in a library, however I did received nothing less than an A in every class or lab.

The caveat here is that in my opinion this route is not doable whilst working. It also requires a somewhat gamble. You need to do well with the course work and stay ahead. Kind of like a mini-medical school?

Also, I have heard one story of a nurse who was working 3 night shifts in an ER who took all 8 pre-recs while working over the course of a year and a half. To me that seems more difficult then my situation.

 

[GreenDuck12]

As a RN, wouldn't you have already taken biology/chemistry in some form?

Registered nurse here. I was working in an ICU and took a year off to complete all 8 pre-recs. Here was the schedule.

Summer semester : Chem 1 + lab & Bio 1 + lab
Fall semester : Chem 2 + lab, Ochem 1 + lab (had to get okay from the dean of the chem dept. to take this concurrently with Chem 2 which is a pre-rec for ochem) & Phys 1 + lab
Summer semester : Ochem 2 + lab, Phys 2 + lab & bio 2 + lab

This was a very busy school year. I spent most of my free time in a library, however I did received nothing less than an A in every class or lab.

The caveat here is that in my opinion this route is not doable whilst working. It also requires a somewhat gamble. You need to do well with the course work and stay ahead. Kind of like a mini-medical school?

Also, I have heard one story of a nurse who was working 3 night shifts in an ER who took all 8 pre-recs while working over the course of a year and a half. To me that seems more difficult then my situation.

 

[Jonny Seed]

In theory it is possible (schedule wise) but may not be practical. I would not recommend taking that course loan while working full-time.

Summer term:
Gen chem 1 and 2
Fall
Orgo, bio, phys 1
Spring
Orgo, bio, phys 2
Summer
Bio chem

Was this meant for someone who worked, or a full-time student?

 

[mavric1298]

^I've read several threads about that on sdn, but it bothers me that that's the standard. Work is unavoidable for some, and IMO much more stressful both physically and mentally than sitting down and studying.

Agreed, but what we think doesn't matter. There is much about the process that is ridiculous, doesn't seem right, etc. just wait until you're actually applying. Think about your entire life getting boiled down to a few 1 paragraph sections, a 1.5 page personal statement, and some transcripts.

I think a main factor in this is it would be to hard to judge everyone's job. Obviously some are more challenging then others - but when you are going thru 11k applicants for 200 slots, you honestly just don't have the time for in depth analysis. Where as it is easy to see 3 science classes at a time, it's measurable and easily comparable.

And again - it's not about how fast - it's mostly about showing you can handle things.


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[mavric1298]

Was this meant for someone who worked, or a full-time student?

That would be a brutal full time student schedule


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[grapp]

It seems possible, but seems rather hard... I think I am going to do it like so...

(Year 1 for me is to qualify into the paramedic science program that later upgrades to B.S. of Health.
EMT-B (1-Semester)
A&P (2-Semesters)
Continue Volunteer at Hospital & as a teacher for little kids at a local church. (sat 4 hours, sun 2-4)
(2nd Semester get my foot in the door with research.)

I think it could with the combination of taking one or two during the main semesters of your school year, it would certainly help from a GPA standpoint doing 1 or 2 in the Summer when possible.

 

[timephone]

So I'm about to begin my pre-req journey this summer or next, depending on my classification of residency for tuition.

I've made two different curriculum maps. My plan is to take MCAT in mid-2018.

I'll jump to my BLITZKRIEG model since that's the focus of this thread. Keep in mind this is specific to my school's scheduling.

Summer 2017: Bio I+II, Gen Chem I+II (plus labs), Intro Calc -- 19 credits

• My school has two different summer sessions (7 weeks each I believe). And it's structured so Bio I/Chem I is offered in the first session, followed by Bio II/Chem II in the second session.
• This takes care of half the core pre-reqs in one summer semester
• I also include Calculus, as it's suggested according to my school's "post-bacc" curriculum

Fall 2018: Phys I (+lab), Orgo I, Intro Stats, Genetics, Basic Clinical Skills -- ~about 17 credits I think

Spring 2018: Phys II (+lab), Orgo II, Orgo Lab, Biochem, Microbio (+lab), Shadowing Externship -- ~about 20 credits

This is rough. I would ideally drop the non-core classes, especially in Spring to allow time for a full semester of MCAT prep.

My optimistic plan is to start a year early, basically get Calc and the Gen Chem sequence out of the way during Summer/Fall 2016 and Spring 2017. Then do Physics sequence and maybe Microbio/Genetics, depending on scheduling. The priorities being 1.) getting straight-As, and 2.) keeping the load in Spring 2018 light to make time for MCAT prep.

Throughout I will be volunteering at hospice and working part-time as a tutor.

 

[Jonny Seed]

Agreed, but what we think doesn't matter. There is much about the process that is ridiculous, doesn't seem right, etc. just wait until you're actually applying. Think about your entire life getting boiled down to a few 1 paragraph sections, a 1.5 page personal statement, and some transcripts.

I think a main factor in this is it would be to hard to judge everyone's job. Obviously some are more challenging then others - but when you are going thru 11k applicants for 200 slots, you honestly just don't have the time for in depth analysis. Where as it is easy to see 3 science classes at a time, it's measurable and easily comparable.

And again - it's not about how fast - it's mostly about showing you can handle things.


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Why

So I'm about to begin my pre-req journey this summer or next, depending on my classification of residency for tuition.

I've made two different curriculum maps. My plan is to take MCAT in mid-2018.

I'll jump to my BLITZKRIEG model since that's the focus of this thread. Keep in mind this is specific to my school's scheduling.

Summer 2017: Bio I+II, Gen Chem I+II (plus labs), Intro Calc -- 19 credits

• My school has two different summer sessions (7 weeks each I believe). And it's structured so Bio I/Chem I is offered in the first session, followed by Bio II/Chem II in the second session.
• This takes care of half the core pre-reqs in one summer semester
• I also include Calculus, as it's suggested according to my school's "post-bacc" curriculum

Fall 2018: Phys I (+lab), Orgo I, Intro Stats, Genetics, Basic Clinical Skills -- ~about 17 credits I think

Spring 2018: Phys II (+lab), Orgo II, Orgo Lab, Biochem, Microbio (+lab), Shadowing Externship -- ~about 20 credits

This is rough. I would ideally drop the non-core classes, especially in Spring to allow time for a full semester of MCAT prep.

My optimistic plan is to start a year early, basically get Calc and the Gen Chem sequence out of the way during Summer/Fall 2016 and Spring 2017. Then do Physics sequence and maybe Microbio/Genetics, depending on scheduling. The priorities being 1.) getting straight-As, and 2.) keeping the load in Spring 2018 light to make time for MCAT prep.

Throughout I will be volunteering at hospice and working part-time as a tutor.

What drugs are you going to be on?

But really, are you really planning on doing this? How old are you? Are you in that much of a rush that you're willing to risk doing poorly in some of these classes?

 

[timephone]

Why


What drugs are you going to be on?

But really, are you really planning on doing this? How old are you? Are you in that much of a rush that you're willing to risk doing poorly in some of these classes?

ALL OF THE DRUGS!

Lol but seriously, I know it's too ambitious. As I said, ideally I'll do Calc/Chem I/Chem II over the next 3 semesters (while working full time). Then quit my job and do school full time, completing the remaining classes over three more semesters. I'm going to ease into it and see how well I do. If I feel like my studying is going well then I'll be more ambitious with the schedule, if I sense myself struggling then I'll take less classes and draw out the process more.

In any case the spring of my MCAT year will at least be Orgo II/Orgo Lab/Biochem. Do you think I'd have time with those three classes to study MCAT 15 hours per week? What if I also had to do Phys II?

 

[GreenDuck12]

It was meant for someone who was a full time student. It mirrors the schedule of many formal post-bac programs.

Was this meant for someone who worked, or a full-time student?

 

[mavric1298]

Why
?

Why what?

Why doesn't it matter what we think? Because it's only what admissions and the system cares about.

Why is the process messed up in my mind? Too many things to go over. All grades ever? Being told i was rejected because of 1 term I didn't turn in a drop form and got a bunch of F's instead of W's 11+ years ago, when I've put in 5 years of 3.7+ GPA getting an associates and a degree in molecular biology in the top 10% of my class. (1 mistake can greater damage your chances of MD for life). Because schools charge for secondaries and make a killing off the fees for people they have little intention of matriculating (i.e. 11k applicants for 200 spots with no sort of screening). How all of your experience must be boiled down to 15 paragraphs of 700 characters or less. How veiled and non-transparent the application process is...how schools leave you hanging for 10 months, the list goes on and on.

Not that there is a lot of easy solutions, but DO grade replacement, Texas' fresh start, etc are all positives I think. Shouldn't who you are now be more important than let's say anything from 10+ years ago? Or how about silent rejections, or small pools but having no statistics of what that actually means. Or the tactlessness of some schools communication. Or the predatory nature of Caribbean schools that offer people hope that have no business being in med school.

Apparently tonight was a rant night


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[Jonny Seed]

Why what?

Why doesn't it matter what we think? Because it's only what admissions and the system cares about.

Why is the process messed up in my mind? Too many things to go over. All grades ever? Being told i was rejected because of 1 term I didn't turn in a drop form and got a bunch of F's instead of W's 11+ years ago, when I've put in 5 years of 3.7+ GPA getting an associates and a degree in molecular biology in the top 10% of my class. (1 mistake can greater damage your chances of MD for life). Because schools charge for secondaries and make a killing off the fees for people they have little intention of matriculating (i.e. 11k applicants for 200 spots with no sort of screening). How all of your experience must be boiled down to 15 paragraphs of 700 characters or less. How veiled and non-transparent the application process is...how schools leave you hanging for 10 months, the list goes on and on.

Not that there is a lot of easy solutions, but DO grade replacement, Texas' fresh start, etc are all positives I think. Shouldn't who you are now be more important than let's say anything from 10+ years ago? Or how about silent rejections, or small pools but having no statistics of what that actually means. Or the tactlessness of some schools communication. Or the predatory nature of Caribbean schools that offer people hope that have no business being in med school.

Apparently tonight was a rant night


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I like it. I was asked about a C I got about 8 years ago, in a class I remember nothing about - some dumb elective. Had the same issue - I though I withdrew but it didn't go through. Found out in enough time to salvage a C. I had to explain it away like it was a criminal conviction just for a post-bacc program.

It seems they were more focused on this than the A's I got in the few science classes I took.

I actually didn't mean to ask why, I must have clicked the wrong reply, but I'm glad you answered. As someone who has been out of school for such a long time, I feel like there's so much mystery behind this whole process, even with the tons of information put out by the AAMC and the schools. So it's always good to have people like you chime in.

Thanks.

 

[KyleV]

So I'm about to begin my pre-req journey this summer or next, depending on my classification of residency for tuition.

I've made two different curriculum maps. My plan is to take MCAT in mid-2018.

I'll jump to my BLITZKRIEG model since that's the focus of this thread. Keep in mind this is specific to my school's scheduling.

Summer 2017: Bio I+II, Gen Chem I+II (plus labs), Intro Calc -- 19 credits

• My school has two different summer sessions (7 weeks each I believe). And it's structured so Bio I/Chem I is offered in the first session, followed by Bio II/Chem II in the second session.
• This takes care of half the core pre-reqs in one summer semester
• I also include Calculus, as it's suggested according to my school's "post-bacc" curriculum

Fall 2018: Phys I (+lab), Orgo I, Intro Stats, Genetics, Basic Clinical Skills -- ~about 17 credits I think

Spring 2018: Phys II (+lab), Orgo II, Orgo Lab, Biochem, Microbio (+lab), Shadowing Externship -- ~about 20 credits

This is rough. I would ideally drop the non-core classes, especially in Spring to allow time for a full semester of MCAT prep.

My optimistic plan is to start a year early, basically get Calc and the Gen Chem sequence out of the way during Summer/Fall 2016 and Spring 2017. Then do Physics sequence and maybe Microbio/Genetics, depending on scheduling. The priorities being 1.) getting straight-As, and 2.) keeping the load in Spring 2018 light to make time for MCAT prep.

Throughout I will be volunteering at hospice and working part-time as a tutor.

That summer term sequence sounds awful! I signed up for General Chemistry 1 in a short semester (5 weeks) over the summer a few years ago and almost immediately regretted it. You're expected to know way too much, too fast, and I bet the instructor kept out a few topics. Right now I am retaking chemistry 1 over a normal semester length and am doing much better. Granted, a few things have changed in time and space between the 2 courses - I worked through most of General Chemistry As A Second Language (highly recommended), found foundational/introductory chemistry books online to work some more practice problems, and overall understand A LOT more than what I did in a short 5 week course of chemistry. I say all of this just as a friendly warning: those summer terms are highly appealing to post-bacs/non-trads whatever you are. I am a non-trad and took the bait. I'm now working to account for a bad grade I got (working towards DO school). Also, I can't imagine taking a time-sink class like pre-med biology on top of chemistry in a summer term. Good luck either way

 

[MD89]

That summer term sequence sounds awful! I signed up for General Chemistry 1 in a short semester (5 weeks) over the summer a few years ago and almost immediately regretted it. You're expected to know way too much, too fast, and I bet the instructor kept out a few topics. Right now I am retaking chemistry 1 over a normal semester length and am doing much better. Granted, a few things have changed in time and space between the 2 courses - I worked through most of General Chemistry As A Second Language (highly recommended), found foundational/introductory chemistry books online to work some more practice problems, and overall understand A LOT more than what I did in a short 5 week course of chemistry. I say all of this just as a friendly warning: those summer terms are highly appealing to post-bacs/non-trads whatever you are. I am a non-trad and took the bait. I'm now working to account for a bad grade I got (working towards DO school). Also, I can't imagine taking a time-sink class like pre-med biology on top of chemistry in a summer term. Good luck either way

Just as a counterpoint to this, I took gen chem I and II in the same summer (5 weeks each) and it was awesome. Although I didn't have the best teachers, i learned the material so well, which helped immensely for my later bio and physics courses (they overlap much more than I thought initially) as well as the MCAT.

I will say that it really sucked having to write a billion lab reports in a short period but for me at least, it was worth it.

Bottom line, I think it's school dependent on whether it's a good idea or not. If everyone at your school warns you against it, then it might not be the best idea. But otherwise I would say it's worth a shot - if you want to be conservative, start out the first summer semester taking only one class. Then you can see how that goes and structure your second summer semester based off that.

 

[KyleV]

Just as a counterpoint to this, I took gen chem I and II in the same summer (5 weeks each) and it was awesome. Although I didn't have the best teachers, i learned the material so well, which helped immensely for my later bio and physics courses (they overlap much more than I thought initially) as well as the MCAT.

I will say that it really sucked having to write a billion lab reports in a short period but for me at least, it was worth it.

Bottom line, I think it's school dependent on whether it's a good idea or not. If everyone at your school warns you against it, then it might not be the best idea. But otherwise I would say it's worth a shot - if you want to be conservative, start out the first summer semester taking only one class. Then you can see how that goes and structure your second summer semester based off that.

Oh totally - IF you're ready for that intense schedule, then knock it out like you did. I wasn't ready for a variety of reasons (academic, working, etc). I just took the bait to get a lot in during a short period of time but didn't prepare in the other ways to help me focus in an intense sequence.

 

[MD89]

Oh totally - IF you're ready for that intense schedule, then knock it out like you did. I wasn't ready for a variety of reasons (academic, working, etc). I just took the bait to get a lot in during a short period of time but didn't prepare in the other ways to help me focus in an intense sequence.

Ah, my bad, I didn't realize you were working when you did this. I would not have done this while working, lol. That would have been very difficult as you say - especially since I was returning to school after having been out for a while and had never taken hard science classes, like most nontrads.

 

[willow84]

So I'm about to begin my pre-req journey this summer or next, depending on my classification of residency for tuition.

I've made two different curriculum maps. My plan is to take MCAT in mid-2018.

I'll jump to my BLITZKRIEG model since that's the focus of this thread. Keep in mind this is specific to my school's scheduling.

Summer 2017: Bio I+II, Gen Chem I+II (plus labs), Intro Calc -- 19 credits

• My school has two different summer sessions (7 weeks each I believe). And it's structured so Bio I/Chem I is offered in the first session, followed by Bio II/Chem II in the second session.
• This takes care of half the core pre-reqs in one summer semester
• I also include Calculus, as it's suggested according to my school's "post-bacc" curriculum

Fall 2018: Phys I (+lab), Orgo I, Intro Stats, Genetics, Basic Clinical Skills -- ~about 17 credits I think

Spring 2018: Phys II (+lab), Orgo II, Orgo Lab, Biochem, Microbio (+lab), Shadowing Externship -- ~about 20 credits

This is rough. I would ideally drop the non-core classes, especially in Spring to allow time for a full semester of MCAT prep.

My optimistic plan is to start a year early, basically get Calc and the Gen Chem sequence out of the way during Summer/Fall 2016 and Spring 2017. Then do Physics sequence and maybe Microbio/Genetics, depending on scheduling. The priorities being 1.) getting straight-As, and 2.) keeping the load in Spring 2018 light to make time for MCAT prep.

Throughout I will be volunteering at hospice and working part-time as a tutor.

My advisor will not allow us to drop our credits the semester prior to the MCAT. She has stressed that it sends a message to adcoms that you can't juggle a full load and test prep (think MS2 and Step 1...). Good luck to you! That schedule seems brutal.

 

[mavric1298]

^ I've never heard of anything like this. You MCAT score is basically worth as much as every grade you've ever received in college. Which is more important do you think, a better score, or some hypothetical message that implies that they are taking the time to see the date of your mcat, which semester/quarter/term it aligns with, how many credits you have...

It's also based on a mostly false fact; most schools in fact give you time off for Step 1...routinely 5-8 weeks FYI

 

[DrMidlife]

premed advisers think there is no left half of the premed bell curve


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[timephone]

My advisor will not allow us to drop our credits the semester prior to the MCAT. She has stressed that it sends a message to adcoms that you can't juggle a full load and test prep (think MS2 and Step 1...). Good luck to you! That schedule seems brutal.

What I meant by "drop" is that I wouldn't even take Microbiology+lab because it's not a core pre-req.

Apologies if I'm hijacking OP's thread, but I might as well post the schedule I'll probably try to follow. This leaves me on track to take MCAT in spring 2018:

Summer 2016:
Calculus
Fall 2016:
Chem 1
Spring 2017:
Chem 2
Summer 2017: (leave full-time job for full-time school)
Bio 1/2
Physics1/2
Fall 2017:
Orgo 1
Stats
Genetics
Micro Bio+lab
Clinical skills
Spring 2018:
Orgo 2
Orgo Lab
Biochem
shadowing credits
MCAT studying

These are just the academic components of my gameplan...I've also got hospice volunteering on the docket and I'm looking for other opportunities I can squeeze into my schedule.