How much of your life have you dedicated to getting into med. school?

[Lals]

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I'm not looking for any poetic descriptions, percentages, or hyperbole; I'm just genuinely curious as to how much time elapsed since you decided you were going to apply to med school and whenever your application with AMCAS was complete. Perhaps you decided after you had already taken some pre-reqs., perhaps you had not.

As for myself, I decided to enter a post-bacc. program shortly before finishing a completely unrelated graduate degree and just after quitting a miserable job with a Men's magazine in Manhattan. I started with Inorganic Chem. in the summer and finished all my pre-reqs about a year later, however, as a result I only had about 6 weeks to completely dedicate to the August MCAT (last paper test). I did well enough but wish I had more time, as I believe I under-performed. The sad truth is that I am getting over-the-hill though, and getting in a.s.a.p. was something of a priority. It may not be at my first choice, but I will be matriculating this fall, and that fact trumps going to my first choice school.

 

[Lals]

Interesting results. I wonder if the people who checked off < a year wouldn't mind sharing their tale a bit?

 

[JennyB]

MCAT in August 06, started writing personal statement in September, submitted October, completed secondaries November - December.....still no interviews.

 

[inside_edition]

Interesting results. I wonder if the people who checked off < a year wouldn't mind sharing their tale a bit?

i think the OP made a mistake:

the thread's title is "How much of your life have you dedicated to getting into med. school? "

whereas the poll's title is "How long did it take you to prepare for the application process?"

These two questions obviously ask different things which is why most ppl voted for less than a year or more than 2 years.

 

[BeatrixKiddo]

Interesting results. I wonder if the people who checked off < a year wouldn't mind sharing their tale a bit?

I probably should have started preparing the moment I started undergrad, but instead I started in January of the year I plan on applying. Hopefully I get enough done, but I'll probably have to explain why I didn't do any clinical/volunteer related things the previous 2 years.

 

[OncoCaP]

It took me about 14 months (1 year + 2 months of summer) from the time I decided to go to medical school to the time my AMCAS application was complete. I started right before summer school and turned my AMCAS in at the earliest possible date in 2006. Because I had taken some of my classes (like organic) 20 years prior I spent a lot of time reviewing the MCAT material. I felt like I did very well and the whole process went smoothly. I was coming from engineering and had quite a few pre-reqs already. Had I needed to take a lot of pre-reqs I would have taken my time to do it right. The pre-medical school preparation and the application process aren't something that one should rush if possible.

 

[notdeadyet]

Nontrad here with zero science background.

Took a year of college chemistry in 2003-2004 to make sure I could hack it. Started volunteering shortly thereafter and spent 2004-2005 working fulltime to help pay for a postbac I took over one year in 2005-2006. Studied for and took the August 2006 MCAT and am waiting to hear my fate.

So about four years from starting prep to first day of med school.

 

[PeripateticMD]

this question confuses me... as a semi nontrad working out of the country (but with internet at home, thank god), I really didn't 'dedicate' any of my time (except for maybe a full week of writing the application, and if you put pieces of time together maybe a few months of secondary writing, getting things set up and the such). I majored in biology because i wanted to do biology, didn't even finish ochem (did first two quarters), and i don't have to (every school has waived it so far), I took the MCAT after my masters (which was in international health), and then left the country to work (and actually make money). My life has been dedicated to filling every day with things I like, not trying to get to somewhere that I may like in 10 years... I don't know, maybe most applicants come from something different. But my parents are from third world countries and raised us not to see things as means to ends... so yeah, even if i spent time on something, i don't see my time spent as 'dedicated' to a process of getting somewhere...

 

[baylormed]

this question confuses me... as a semi nontrad working out of the country (but with internet at home, thank god), I really didn't 'dedicate' any of my time (except for maybe a full week of writing the application, and if you put pieces of time together maybe a few months of secondary writing, getting things set up and the such). I majored in biology because i wanted to do biology, didn't even finish ochem (did first two quarters), and i don't have to (every school has waived it so far), I took the MCAT after my masters (which was in international health), and then left the country to work (and actually make money). My life has been dedicated to filling every day with things I like, not trying to get to somewhere that I may like in 10 years... I don't know, maybe most applicants come from something different. But my parents are from third world countries and raised us not to see things as means to ends... so yeah, even if i spent time on something, i don't see my time spent as 'dedicated' to a process of getting somewhere...

That is a very admirable way to look at life.

 

[PeripateticMD]

That is a very admirable way to look at life.

Thanks, i can't take credit for it. i'll pass it on to my parents. on that note though, i'm off to bed. i tend to get up when the sun rises out here and it's past midnight...

 

[braluk]

Mine was less than a year because I had decided to apply after taking my MCATs in my senior year. I had to still figure out where I was going to do my SMP and only really got involved in the med school app process around May. Granted I had my committee letter and everythign so I was intending to apply to medical school eventually but I really only got involved with med school apps last late May less than a year ago. If you count studying for MCATs and getting heavy into studying it, I started studying for MCATs January so that still makes it around a year ago.

 

[Lals]

i think the OP made a mistake:

the thread's title is "How much of your life have you dedicated to getting into med. school? "

whereas the poll's title is "How long did it take you to prepare for the application process?"

These two questions obviously ask different things which is why most ppl voted for less than a year or more than 2 years.

Despite the phrasing, it seems most posters got the point. Anyhow, it wouldn't allow me enough space to pose the question as I would have preferred on the poll. What was meant was simply thus: How much time elapsed since your decision to apply to med. school and verification of your app. by AMCAS?