How to approach rest of premed?

[thetree0flife]

TLDR: I have 3 options, which one is best?

Hello SDN!

I am a freshman undergrad student who is seeking guidance on how to approach the rest of my premed years (sorry for the long post). Below is some important information about me:

• Residency: TX
• Undergrad: T20
• Major: Biochem
  GPA: 4.0 cGPA/4.0 sGPA (we'll see how this changes)
• MCAT: Planning to take second semester of sophomore year (will be done with all prereqs by then)
• Research: 1 sem biochem research, planning to continue
  Shadowing: 15 hrs interventional nephrology, >50 hrs from HS (but I can't use these apparently), planning to shadow in orthopedic surgery sometime this semester
  Clinical experience: Working on getting an EMT cert this summer/next semester
• Nonclinical volunteering: Setting up a science teaching opportunity for elementary schoolers in the areas around my undergrad

For context, I went to a very competitive high school, and racked up a lot of AP classes. Because most of the medical schools that I am interested in applying to (TX schools and T20s) seem to take the AP credit that I am using (correct me if I'm wrong here), I took all of the credit I could get. As a result, I have a few options on how I want to approach the rest of premed.

Option 1: 3 years undergrad straight through to med school
Pros:

• One less year of the premed rat race
• Saves money + one more year of attending salary down the line

Cons:

• Need to get extracurriculars ready super early
• Age factor in applications (I would be 20/21 during interviews)
• College has pre-health committee, so would need to convince them before I apply
• Missing out on "college experience" (not a big fan of this anyways, so this is a lesser con)

Option 2: 3 years of undergrad + 1 gap year
Pros:

• Same benefits of Option 1 (except for 1 more year of attending salary)
• More time to develop extracurriculars in junior year + apply in gap year

Cons:

• Age still a factor (though I feel that 1 year older than Option 1 will be a little better)
• Being out of school for a year (so need to have a solid plan)
• Missing out on "college experience"

Option 3: 4 years of undergrad
Pros:

• The "traditional path," so will be easier to follow
• Time to add a second major, which could be interesting to write about in essays (don't think it'll make me look more impressive though)
• More time to develop extracurriculars in junior year + apply in senior year

Cons:

• Paying for all 4 years of undergrad
  

Which route would y'all recommend for me? Or is there a better option that I haven't thought of? Thanks in advance.

PS: Sorry if my post is a bit janky, still learning how to use SDN.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[chilly_md]

• Nonclinical volunteering: Setting up a science teaching opportunity for elementary schoolers in the areas around my undergrad

You will need to do something in a non-academic setting (food bank, homeless shelter, working with refugees etc). Graduating early and taking a gap year before applying is fine and likely needed to fit this into your timeline.

 

[Muq]

While it's totally possible to have everything ready in time for option 1, I highly advise you to take the second route with a gap year. You're clearly very bright and will not have an issue with the process IMO: allow yourself to find meaningful activities and pursue them for the sake of developing your own character, values, passions, etc. These ECs aren't to check boxes, they are to help yourself find your reason for pursuing medical school. Of course, it can be done in 2 years as well, but I think you'd find it rewarding to take three years (so go with option 2).

 

[wysdoc]

@thetree0flife
I'm adding a vote for making sure you have adequate EC's before applying.
You can finish strong and graduate in 3 years while looking for and starting some off-campus activities.
Get at least 40 hours shadowing, in person
150 hours clinical experiences (either paid or volunteer, patient-facing experiences)
150 hours non-medical volunteering.

If you get this much by graduating, great.
If not, you can add to them after graduation.

MCAT: You can take it after spring term sophomore year, but set your test date for the summer so you don't cut into your time of studying for spring final exams.

AP Credits: The only TX school to my knowledge that draws the line at being able to use AP credits for your med school prerequisites is Baylor, so research their medical school admissions web pages closely for their current stance. Most premeds do take their hard sciences prerequisites at college, but Baylor wants your English prerequisites to be taken at college as well.

 

[thetree0flife]

AP Credits: The only TX school to my knowledge that draws the line at being able to use AP credits for your med school prerequisites is Baylor, so research their medical school admissions web pages closely for their current stance. Most premeds do take their hard sciences prerequisites at college, but Baylor wants your English prerequisites to be taken at college as well.

By this, you mean Baylor's expository writing requirement? Will an intensive writing class I had to take last semester count for this?

 

[wysdoc]

By this, you mean Baylor's expository writing requirement? Will an intensive writing class I had to take last semester count for this?

Has to be 3-4 credit hours and demonstrably a class based in doing a lot of writing

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

A few thoughts in no particular order:

1. There is sooooo much more to life than making an attending salary ASAP. Yes, money is important, but unless you have a spouse and dependents to support I would not worry about losing one year of an attending's salary when you're a freshman in college.

2. I know this is hard to fathom when you're 18-19, but I promise you that in the grand scheme of life, an extra year is nothing. The medical school application process is a drawn-out, miserable bloodbath. If you are going to make it, you need to do everything right so that you do this once. If that means taking an extra year, I can assure you that one extra year of getting your ducks in a row will be more pleasant than a reapplication cycle.

3. Therefore, right now your top priority needs to be your grades and then the MCAT. If you can maintain your GPA, get a great MCAT score, accumulate at least 150 hours each of clinical and non-clinical volunteering plus some research by the end of your sophomore year and decide to apply then, then hats off to you. If not, do what you need to do to keep your GPA as high as possible, get a great MCAT score, and take a gap year to get whatever extracurricular activities you might be missing.

4. I completely understand not being into the "college experience" and not wanting to pay for 4 years of undergrad, but this is truly a unique time in your life and I'd encourage you to try to enjoy/embrace it in whatever way you can. For example, if your school offers any study abroad opportunities I'd encourage you to take advantage of those if you possibly can.

5. You are correct that nobody will care about being a double major. I was a double major and it came up in zero of my interviews. That said, doing four years of undergrad would give you more time to develop other non-science skills (like writing) that become useful when applying to medical school as well as in life generally. I still look back very fondly upon some of the non-science, just-for-fun classes that I took in undergrad, and they are relevant to me now as a medical student, where we have to think about things like social determinants of health, etc.

 

[candbgirl]

A few thoughts in no particular order:

1. There is sooooo much more to life than making an attending salary ASAP. Yes, money is important, but unless you have a spouse and dependents to support I would not worry about losing one year of an attending's salary when you're a freshman in college.

2. I know this is hard to fathom when you're 18-19, but I promise you that in the grand scheme of life, an extra year is nothing. The medical school application process is a drawn-out, miserable bloodbath. If you are going to make it, you need to do everything right so that you do this once. If that means taking an extra year, I can assure you that one extra year of getting your ducks in a row will be more pleasant than a reapplication cycle.

3. Therefore, right now your top priority needs to be your grades and then the MCAT. If you can maintain your GPA, get a great MCAT score, accumulate at least 150 hours each of clinical and non-clinical volunteering plus some research by the end of your sophomore year and decide to apply then, then hats off to you. If not, do what you need to do to keep your GPA as high as possible, get a great MCAT score, and take a gap year to get whatever extracurricular activities you might be missing.

4. I completely understand not being into the "college experience" and not wanting to pay for 4 years of undergrad, but this is truly a unique time in your life and I'd encourage you to try to enjoy/embrace it in whatever way you can. For example, if your school offers any study abroad opportunities I'd encourage you to take advantage of those if you possibly can.

5. You are correct that nobody will care about being a double major. I was a double major and it came up in zero of my interviews. That said, doing four years of undergrad would give you more time to develop other non-science skills (like writing) that become useful when applying to medical school as well as in life generally. I still look back very fondly upon some of the non-science, just-for-fun classes that I took in undergrad, and they are relevant to me now as a medical student, where we have to think about things like social determinants of health, etc.

Lots of good advice in here.

Don’t forget to get some primary care shadowing. Don’t rush the whole process. Take your time and develop an application that gives the best picture of you and tells your story clearly. Why EMT? I know many applicants do it , I’m not a big fan but that’s just me.

Good luck.

 

[thetree0flife]

A few thoughts in no particular order:

1. There is sooooo much more to life than making an attending salary ASAP. Yes, money is important, but unless you have a spouse and dependents to support I would not worry about losing one year of an attending's salary when you're a freshman in college.

2. I know this is hard to fathom when you're 18-19, but I promise you that in the grand scheme of life, an extra year is nothing. The medical school application process is a drawn-out, miserable bloodbath. If you are going to make it, you need to do everything right so that you do this once. If that means taking an extra year, I can assure you that one extra year of getting your ducks in a row will be more pleasant than a reapplication cycle.

3. Therefore, right now your top priority needs to be your grades and then the MCAT. If you can maintain your GPA, get a great MCAT score, accumulate at least 150 hours each of clinical and non-clinical volunteering plus some research by the end of your sophomore year and decide to apply then, then hats off to you. If not, do what you need to do to keep your GPA as high as possible, get a great MCAT score, and take a gap year to get whatever extracurricular activities you might be missing.

4. I completely understand not being into the "college experience" and not wanting to pay for 4 years of undergrad, but this is truly a unique time in your life and I'd encourage you to try to enjoy/embrace it in whatever way you can. For example, if your school offers any study abroad opportunities I'd encourage you to take advantage of those if you possibly can.

5. You are correct that nobody will care about being a double major. I was a double major and it came up in zero of my interviews. That said, doing four years of undergrad would give you more time to develop other non-science skills (like writing) that become useful when applying to medical school as well as in life generally. I still look back very fondly upon some of the non-science, just-for-fun classes that I took in undergrad, and they are relevant to me now as a medical student, where we have to think about things like social determinants of health, etc.

I completely agree with the extra year comment. That's why I'm leaning towards a gap year after graduation, but I just wanted to throw the idea out there. I'll also look into what else my school has to offer in terms of interesting double majors/study abroad and make a decision off of that as well.

 

[thetree0flife]

Lots of good advice in here.

Don’t forget to get some primary care shadowing. Don’t rush the whole process. Take your time and develop an application that gives the best picture of you and tells your story clearly. Why EMT? I know many applicants do it , I’m not a big fan but that’s just me.

Good luck.

Main reason for doing EMT is mostly because my undergrad has a student-volunteer EMS squad. I'm also open to other ideas for clinical as well though; I know EMT hours can be challenging with coursework.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

Main reason for doing EMT is mostly because my undergrad has a student-volunteer EMS squad. I'm also open to other ideas for clinical as well though; I know EMT hours can be challenging with coursework.

Do you actually WANT to be an EMT? If so then go for it but if not there are other ways to get clinical experience. Try to find something that you actually enjoy so that you 1) aren't miserable and 2) will have something compelling to write in a couple years when you apply.

And pro-tip: if you are concerned about being on the young side, engaging in activities that are off campus will get you more out of your comfort zone should help to lessen concerns an adcom might have. It doesn't have to be anything extreme or fancy. Just try to find something you like that's in your local community, whether it's volunteering at a foodbank. visiting people at a nursing home, etc.

 

[candbgirl]

Main reason for doing EMT is mostly because my undergrad has a student-volunteer EMS squad. I'm also open to other ideas for clinical as well though; I know EMT hours can be challenging with coursework.

Are the people sick? Who runs this service? Who trains you?
But @JAK2-STAT3 is right. Get off campus and out of your comfort zone for some of your activities. Medicine is a service profession and your activities have to show ADCOMS that you can work with all kinds of people in all kinds of situations. Everything you have listed are very much in your comfort zone. You aren’t stretching yourself at all. I know you are young so it’s okay to start off slow and expand as you grow in confidence. The important thing is to grow and challenge yourself as you move along.

 

[thetree0flife]

Do you actually WANT to be an EMT? If so then go for it but if not there are other ways to get clinical experience. Try to find something that you actually enjoy so that you 1) aren't miserable and 2) will have something compelling to write in a couple years when you apply.

And pro-tip: if you are concerned about being on the young side, engaging in activities that are off campus will get you more out of your comfort zone should help to lessen concerns an adcom might have. It doesn't have to be anything extreme or fancy. Just try to find something you like that's in your local community, whether it's volunteering at a foodbank. visiting people at a nursing home, etc.

I'm open to other options, but I like the fact that EMS has direct patient care and quick thinking opportunities. I think it would be beneficial to develop those skills, especially considering being a doctor involves leading a care team.
I'll also look strongly into other non-clinical volunteer opportunities like the ones you mentioned. My undergrad is in a major city, so I think I can find something fairly easily.

 

[thetree0flife]

Are the people sick? Who runs this service? Who trains you?
But @JAK2-STAT3 is right. Get off campus and out of your comfort zone for some of your activities. Medicine is a service profession and your activities have to show ADCOMS that you can work with all kinds of people in all kinds of situations. Everything you have listed are very much in your comfort zone. You aren’t stretching yourself at all. I know you are young so it’s okay to start off slow and expand as you grow in confidence. The important thing is to grow and challenge yourself as you move along.

The EMS service is intra-college, so it would be mostly a college demographic.
And like I mentioned in the previous reply, I'll look towards volunteering in something more involved with the underserved. Are there other options on how I can expand beyond my "comfort zone" besides that?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Main reason for doing EMT is mostly because my undergrad has a student-volunteer EMS squad. I'm also open to other ideas for clinical as well though; I know EMT hours can be challenging with coursework.

and OP wrote...

I like the fact that EMS has direct patient care and quick thinking opportunities. I think it would be beneficial to develop those skills, especially considering being a doctor involves leading a care team.

Are all your EMS experiences with a campus volunteer EMS team? I find that many work in campus events like football games or large gatherings (commencement) in the event something happens that requires emergency response. It's not like doing community EMS through a fire department or private ambulance service, which exposes you to more diverse possible patients. If I'm mistaken, this needs to be clarified.

Also, not all patient-physician interactions require quick thinking. Maybe in the current era when doctors' appointments are limited to 6-10 minutes each due to maximizing insurance reimbursements you have to think quickly, but this isn't Jeopardy.

 

[thetree0flife]

I find that many work in campus events like football games or large gatherings (commencement) in the event something happens that requires emergency response. It's not like doing community EMS through a fire department or private ambulance service, which exposes you to more diverse possible patients. If I'm mistaken, this needs to be clarified.

This is mostly what it would be, along with responding to normal emergency calls that occur on campus and having outreach events (the demographic would be mostly college students). So in that regard, yes, it would be a lot less diverse population than, say, a community EMS provided by a fire department.

Also, not all patient-physician interactions require quick thinking. Maybe in the current era when doctors' appointments are limited to 6-10 minutes each due to maximizing insurance reimbursements you have to think quickly, but this isn't Jeopardy.

Sure, but the main appeal of EMS to me is the fact that you have to make decisions over a patient's immediate care, which I feel is an invaluable skill that you will need to develop at some point along the medical path. Unless there's another extracurricular that offers that ability (in which case, please let me know), I still feel very strongly about doing EMS.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

This is mostly what it would be, along with responding to normal emergency calls that occur on campus and having outreach events (the demographic would be mostly college students). So in that regard, yes, it would be a lot less diverse population than, say, a community EMS provided by a fire department.

Sure, but the main appeal of EMS to me is the fact that you have to make decisions over a patient's immediate care, which I feel is an invaluable skill that you will need to develop at some point along the medical path. Unless there's another extracurricular that offers that ability (in which case, please let me know), I still feel very strongly about doing EMS.

Training to be a firefighter would be a very good option that satisfies your desire to save others with split second decisions. You should also consider military positions/ROTC or HPSP. Volunteer in the ER when you are more advanced in your courses. Maybe get an ER scribe position.

Have you talked with your prehealth advising team? There may be other opportunities they might have knowledge of.

Also, add 4% tuition each year (compounded) to your undergraduate and medical school tuition and costs of living. Ultimately you don't really save much with going straight to medical school vs. a gap year unless you get a great paying job.