How would you solve this delimma

[MsFutureDr]

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I want to apply to medical school next year, however i'm not sure if it's possible. I'm hoping one of you folks can recommend a good solution based on the information below.

1.) I have 3 pre-reqs remaining after this Fall 2013 semester - Org 1,2 and Phys 2.
2.) I work 40 hours a week. It's a new job, so i cannot request less work hours nor can i work a part-time position. Those bills just keep coming!
3.) I prefer to complete my pre-reqs before taking the MCAT. But if i have to take it without completing 1 or 2 pre-reqs, i'll take my chances. I've been doing well teaching myself new subjects and using all the free educational resources available ( Youtube-Khan Academy, Freelance teach, Physics Classroom etc).Some of my professors are not the best at teaching. My GPA is currently 4.0
4.) My goal is to take the MCAT early enough to apply early since my undergrad GPA is not as competitive. So my target test date for now is either June or July. From what i read on the AMCAS website i can start the application process, possibly in May, and just wait for my MCAT score before the app is submitted to the schools.
5.) I am also involved in running a charity. I'm in a leadership position and we are planning on organizing a conference end of July or early August.
6.) I'm currently taking classes at a CC that offers 8 weeks , 12 weeks, 16 weeks science courses.
7.) I want to dedicate 2 months to study for the MCAT ( including taking a MCAT prep course). I don't want to be in school while studying for the MCAT however, i will be working full-time and helping with the charity.

So is it possible to accomplish my goal of applying next cycle without it jeopardizing my MCAT score and still meet my target dates? Or is it too risky to try an accomplish all of that next year?

Sorry for the long post and thanks for your input in advance.

 

[DrMidlife]

1.) I have 3 pre-reqs remaining after this Fall 2013 semester - Org 1,2 and Phys 2.

You don't have to have these completed before you apply. In terms of MCAT preparation, ochem 1 will be highest yield, followed by phys 2 and ochem 2.

2.) I work 40 hours a week. It's a new job, so i cannot request less work hours nor can i work a part-time position. Those bills just keep coming!

If you can take one class per term on top of work and keep getting A's, that's pretty normal. But it's not clear to me whether you have just 3 classes left to take, or more than that.

3.) I prefer to complete my pre-reqs before taking the MCAT. But if i have to take it without completing 1 or 2 pre-reqs, i'll take my chances. I've been doing well teaching myself new subjects and using all the free educational resources available ( Youtube-Khan Academy, Freelance teach, Physics Classroom etc).Some of my professors are not the best at teaching.

There are two things to worry about with the MCAT:
1. mastery of the very standard content taught in the prereqs
2. mastery of the very standard examination protocol in the MCAT

If you're able to break 30 with free materials, more power to you, but one thing that's difficult with free materials is gauging your readiness, such as from structured assessment quizzes.

The big mistake I'm seeing lately is that people are using AAMC practice tests to measure MCAT readiness and to get "permission" to stop doing content review. This is a huge mistake, because exactly none of the content on those practice tests is seen on the MCAT. Use the AAMC practice tests to get good at the examination protocol, not to gauge your readiness.

My GPA is currently 4.0

4.) My goal is to take the MCAT early enough to apply early since my undergrad GPA is not as competitive.

It's very important to tell a full and true story about your undergrad GPA when you come to SDN for advice. You're saying you have a 4.0 but you're saying your undergrad GPA isn't competitive. Postbac is undergrad. Prereqs are undergrad. Your entire cumulative undergrad GPA is highly relevant to giving you advice. You may need to fire up a spreadsheet or use one of the various GPA calculators to get your cumulative GPA. Don't be surprised by the GPA calcs you "get" from AMCAS because those are the only GPA calcs that matter.

To repeat: the most important GPA number is cumulative undergrad, and the second most important is your recent coursework.

So my target test date for now is either June or July. From what i read on the AMCAS website i can start the application process, possibly in May, and just wait for my MCAT score before the app is submitted to the schools.

Take a browse through the reapplicant forum to see the unbelievable crazy stress level of people who apply in early summer, get their surprisingly low MCAT scores in August, and don't know what they're supposed to do next.

With any application damage, such as a low cumulative GPA, I strongly object to a plan that has the MCAT score as an unknown after AMCAS opens on June 1. You can be more flexible with DO applications.

Depending on how "not competitive" your cumulative undergrad GPA is, at this point I'd advise you to take another year so that you have your best possible application and your lowest possible risk. If your cumulative undergrad GPA is below around 3.4, you have more to prove, and you may want to do more than just take the prereqs.

People make a huge big fat deal out of "wasting" a year and being in a hurry to start med school. Honestly I think the hugest biggest fattest deal is being ready for med school and the second hugest biggest fattest deal is getting into a good affordable school. You should be more interested in getting into your state's public schools (or a school like one of the LECOMs that keep costs down) than you should be interested in getting in quickly. The difference is six figures of debt.

Best of luck to you.

 

[SN12357]

I want to apply to medical school next year, however i'm not sure if it's possible. I'm hoping one of you folks can recommend a good solution based on the information below.

1.) I have 3 pre-reqs remaining after this Fall 2013 semester - Org 1,2 and Phys 2.
2.) I work 40 hours a week. It's a new job, so i cannot request less work hours nor can i work a part-time position. Those bills just keep coming!
3.) I prefer to complete my pre-reqs before taking the MCAT. But if i have to take it without completing 1 or 2 pre-reqs, i'll take my chances. I've been doing well teaching myself new subjects and using all the free educational resources available ( Youtube-Khan Academy, Freelance teach, Physics Classroom etc).Some of my professors are not the best at teaching. My GPA is currently 4.0
4.) My goal is to take the MCAT early enough to apply early since my undergrad GPA is not as competitive. So my target test date for now is either June or July. From what i read on the AMCAS website i can start the application process, possibly in May, and just wait for my MCAT score before the app is submitted to the schools.
5.) I am also involved in running a charity. I'm in a leadership position and we are planning on organizing a conference end of July or early August.
6.) I'm currently taking classes at a CC that offers 8 weeks , 12 weeks, 16 weeks science courses.
7.) I want to dedicate 2 months to study for the MCAT ( including taking a MCAT prep course). I don't want to be in school while studying for the MCAT however, i will be working full-time and helping with the charity.

So is it possible to accomplish my goal of applying next cycle without it jeopardizing my MCAT score and still meet my target dates? Or is it too risky to try an accomplish all of that next year?

Sorry for the long post and thanks for your input in advance.

I think this sounds like too much. If I were you I would take the MCAT late summer 2014 and apply in the 2015 cycle.

The application process itself is a huge time commitment and mental/emotional energy investment. I think writing secondaries was the hardest thing I've had to do so far. Harder than interviewing.

This cycle also hammered home how important it is to apply early, and I doubt things will be much better next year. You want to submit your primary application in June and that means taking the MCAT no later than May if you want to know your score ahead of time, which is very helpful.

A year is a small price to pay for major advantages and better options when applying.

 

[MsFutureDr]

You don't have to have these completed before you apply. In terms of MCAT preparation, ochem 1 will be highest yield, followed by phys 2 and ochem 2.

If you can take one class per term on top of work and keep getting A's, that's pretty normal. But it's not clear to me whether you have just 3 classes left to take, or more than that.

There are two things to worry about with the MCAT:
1. mastery of the very standard content taught in the prereqs
2. mastery of the very standard examination protocol in the MCAT

If you're able to break 30 with free materials, more power to you, but one thing that's difficult with free materials is gauging your readiness, such as from structured assessment quizzes.

The big mistake I'm seeing lately is that people are using AAMC practice tests to measure MCAT readiness and to get "permission" to stop doing content review. This is a huge mistake, because exactly none of the content on those practice tests is seen on the MCAT. Use the AAMC practice tests to get good at the examination protocol, not to gauge your readiness.


It's very important to tell a full and true story about your undergrad GPA when you come to SDN for advice. You're saying you have a 4.0 but you're saying your undergrad GPA isn't competitive. Postbac is undergrad. Prereqs are undergrad. Your entire cumulative undergrad GPA is highly relevant to giving you advice. You may need to fire up a spreadsheet or use one of the various GPA calculators to get your cumulative GPA. Don't be surprised by the GPA calcs you "get" from AMCAS because those are the only GPA calcs that matter.

To repeat: the most important GPA number is cumulative undergrad, and the second most important is your recent coursework.

Take a browse through the reapplicant forum to see the unbelievable crazy stress level of people who apply in early summer, get their surprisingly low MCAT scores in August, and don't know what they're supposed to do next.

With any application damage, such as a low cumulative GPA, I strongly object to a plan that has the MCAT score as an unknown after AMCAS opens on June 1. You can be more flexible with DO applications.

Depending on how "not competitive" your cumulative undergrad GPA is, at this point I'd advise you to take another year so that you have your best possible application and your lowest possible risk. If your cumulative undergrad GPA is below around 3.4, you have more to prove, and you may want to do more than just take the prereqs.

People make a huge big fat deal out of "wasting" a year and being in a hurry to start med school. Honestly I think the hugest biggest fattest deal is being ready for med school and the second hugest biggest fattest deal is getting into a good affordable school. You should be more interested in getting into your state's public schools (or a school like one of the LECOMs that keep costs down) than you should be interested in getting in quickly. The difference is six figures of debt.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks for the advice. I have considered pushing my application date to 2015. I might just have to go with plan B. Good point about getting into an affordable school. Cost is a big factor in my medical school decision. I have no intentions of applying to an out-of-state school. The less debt i accumulate now the better, even if i can earn enough in the future to pay it off. I keep thinking post-bacc work is not undergrad. I checked my current cgpa with post-bacc is around 3.3. sgpa 3.5. It would be wise to study well for that MCAT.
Thanks again.