I just finished my first year of college... Now what?

[Senor Hound]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I didn't find any posts on this. Probably because I didn't know what to search for. And I didn't see anything in the FAQ, but I could have overlooked it.

I have just now started weighing the option of going to medical school. I'm pretty set on going the DO route, but I want to know as a Sophomore what I need to be doing (other than getting good grades) to keep this option open for me. I'm taking science classes, and studying hard, but I didn't know if I need to be doing any paperwork or prepping for the MCAT yet.

Another question I have is whether or not its standard practice to take a year off between pre-med and med school. I heard of someone doing that, is there a reason for it?

Anyway, if someone would be kind enough to help me out, I'd appreciate it. All of the bits about when to do what is someone confusing to me since I don't know anything about it yet. And to further the frustration, it seems my school's pre-med adviser has taken the summer off.

Thank you ahead of time.

 

[theserbatron]

I didn't find any posts on this. Probably because I didn't know what to search for. And I didn't see anything in the FAQ, but I could have overlooked it.

I have just now started weighing the option of going to medical school. I'm pretty set on going the DO route, but I want to know as a Sophomore what I need to be doing (other than getting good grades) to keep this option open for me. I'm taking science classes, and studying hard, but I didn't know if I need to be doing any paperwork or prepping for the MCAT yet.

Another question I have is whether or not its standard practice to take a year off between pre-med and med school. I heard of someone doing that, is there a reason for it?

Anyway, if someone would be kind enough to help me out, I'd appreciate it. All of the bits about when to do what is someone confusing to me since I don't know anything about it yet. And to further the frustration, it seems my school's pre-med adviser has taken the summer off.

Thank you ahead of time.

you have a lot of questions that could be answered by setting up an appointment w your pre-med advisor when he/she comes back in the fall.
but for what it's worth, you'll get some decent answers here to hold you over in the meantime.

if you want to go straight into school after graduation, your best bet would be to take the MCAT at the end of your junior year, so you have your scores before you apply and you have some insight on where you might be applying based on your GPA/MCAT. this summer, there isn't much to do, as sophomore and junior year you'll be learning a lot more of the info needed for the MCAT. for now, enjoy your vacation!

there's no harm in taking time off either... many people on this forum, myself included, took several years off after finishing undergrad to pursue research, other jobs, to travel, hobbies, you name it, and then decided to go back to school. again, the key to this time after graduation is using it wisely to gain experiences that will strengthen you as a candidate for medical school.

looking back, if i was in your position, i would try to focus on a few things:
1. spend time volunteering at hospitals and shadowing physicians, to gain as much insight as possible on the practice of medicine.
2. try to build a good rapport with your professors whom you might be asking for letters of recommendation from in the future
3. look for opportunities to do research, if this is somethign you're interested in
4. look to get involved in a club or group on campus that you're passionate about. don't join clubs to buff your resume, but rather find a group of people who share the same passions as you and invest some time and energy with them.
5. visit some medical schools, not just in your state but in other parts of the country, and try to get an idea for what subjective parts of schools you like or dislike.

in a few years, you'll have great experiences to write about. don't freak out now, work hard, but don't kill yourself. good luck!

 

[RySerr21]

welcome to the forum and to the long journey on the road to a career in medicine!

If you don't mind me asking, what makes you so set on DO schools so ealry in your career? It's great that you are, but it's pretty unique and I'm guessing there is a pretty good reason why you are already zoned in on the DO route. In any case, welcome!

You don't need to be doing any paperwork or prepping for the MCAT. If you are interested in going straight from undergrad to med school, you should take the MCAT in the spring/summer of your junior and senior year. That is also the time when you will be start filling out and submitting your application, requesting LORs, etc.

Will you have taken all of the pre reqs that will show up on the MCAT by end of next year?? That is two semesters of physics, two semesters of gen chem, two semesters of ochem, and at least one general bio course (cell/molec bio is a good one). People have taken teh MCAT with out completing these courses, but is definitely not recommended.

You will find that many students take a year or more off between undergrad and med school, especially at DO schools. There are a lot of "non traditional" students. People do this for a large variety of reasons and there are many peope on this board who have done just that. I dont have any expereince with this option since I plan to be going straight from undergrad, so I will let others respond with their reasons. It could be financial, family, career change, or a number of other things.

Do you have any experience in the medical field? Working or volunteering or shadowing?? If not, I would definitelly start with that. You can volunteer at a hospital in a busy ER, or you can begin shadowing physicians if you have an interst in any field of medicine. Or you can just shadow a number of different physicains to see if any field stands out to you. One advantage that you have is knowing that you are intersted in osteopathic medicine. Start working that part of your application now. By that I mean try to find a DO to shadow, or to do research with (only if you enjoy doing research, it is by no means a requirement), or get involved with osteopathic medicine in some way shape or form. If you live near a DO school, go and visit. Maybe try to learn more about OMM. Anything that will let know the DO programs konw you are intersted in osteopathic medicine.

Here is a link to the AOA mentor program that will set you up with a DO mentor in your area if one exists.

http://www.osteopathic.org/YOM/Mentor_main.htm

Or you can try cold calling or writing to DOs that you find via this website.

http://www.osteopathic.org/directory.cfm

Anyways, if you get involved early and do well in your courses and MCAT, you will be fine. You are well on your way to gaining an acceptance. Also, dont forget to ENJOY college during this experience. Find an activity unlrelated to medicine that you enjoy doing. For me it is sports. I play rugby for myc college and am involved with many other athletic activities. Make yourself well rounded, do what you love, take classes that you enjoy (this includes picking a major you enjoy if you havent already done so). If you have any other specific questions you can PM me and I can give you my perspective and my experience thus far. Good luck!

 

[Dissected]

Now is the time to ask questions man, and this is a good place for it. I would recommend volunteering (at a hospital or something), getting a medically related job, or finding a doctor to shadow (sounds like you're interested in the osteopathic route, so try and find a DO for sure..one that can write you a letter down the road). I know things like this are sometimes hard to find or fit in, but there are always opportunities out there. Do as much of this extra-curricular stuff as you can. Not only does it look really good to put on your application, but it will help you to realize whether this is how you want to spend your professional life.

MANY take time off after undergrad, in fact if you look at the average age of students that enter osteopathic schools it is like 25 or 26. I thought it would be silly for a while just because I didn't want to put the never-ending education off any longer than I had to, but its beginning to look more appealing. Its a good time to do something worthwhile, take a break from classes, save up some money, bolster your app, etc, etc... thats just where Im at. dont get too hung up on this now though, apply whenever you're ready and you won't know that for a little while.

hope this helps! keep asking questions 👍

 

[Dissected]

wow, looks like i had the same idea as ryser and batron at the same time .

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Next up: finish your second year of college.

Whatever you do, don't **** around too much. I know from experience. Even if you decide medicine isn't for you after all, you may need to have a good GPA, so don't assume that you can afford to blow anything off, because it will come back to bite your nuts off.

Just take care of what's in front of you right now. In a year, you can start THINKING about the MCAT, but not actually doing anything about it.

Do some volunteer work and/or get a hospital-related job. Get your ass into a busy ER if you can. Avoid the pt floors, because its ******ed up there.

Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Senor Hound]

Thank you guys so much for the great answers. They were so detailed!

I'm fairly set on DO cause my friend's dad is one. He's told me about it, and it seems they learn everything a MD does plus some more (manipulation). So I thought it seemed like a better fit, as I would like to learn how to do the manipulations he does (it works!) 🙂 Plus it would be NO problem to shadow him, as I did him a HUGE favor and he owes it to me, even though he probably would do it anyway, he's really really nice.

I have worked in a pharmacy and a physical therapy clinic. The pharmacy was a total drag, because you never really got to build up any rapport with your clients (they're just in and out). Physical Therapy is neat, and probably the answer to my "If not medicine, what?" question. But even there you just get told what to do by the physician. You have to follow their program by only doing this in week one, that in week two, etc. Not to sound arrogant, but I'd like to be the person responsible. I am a good decision maker, and I have a lot of patience (and maybe someday a lot of patients, lol).

I'm big into photography, so that would occupy me for the time being. I also am not majoring in biology. I'm going into Business Management, as my main interest lies in medicine, not botany, ichthyology, etc. And I think business may help me out more if I ever open up my own practice as a physician.

So I guess for now, I'll just keep on studying. I'll pick up some books on MCAT test taking, as I'm sure it can't hurt to acclimate myself to the test's style already.

Thank you so much for the answers, once again. This is a great place to learn things, and I'm sure I'll pop in here and there to get more answers, and maybe even someday help some lost mind like myself. 🙂

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Also, now is the best time for you to be hooking up with random chicks. Bonus points if you can't remember it. But you lose 100 points if you get anybody pregnant, and anywhere from 10-1000 points for contracting any kind of STD, depending on the STD.


Posted via Mobile Device

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Also, don't limit yourself by deciding already that you only want to apply to DO schools. Do what you can to keep your options open, because there are some good MD schools out there too.

And don't think that because you want to go DO, you can slack off, since they have lower numbers. You have no idea what its going to be like when you apply in a few years, but you can bet it will probably be harder.

Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Senor Hound]

Also, now is the best time for you to be hooking up with random chicks. Bonus points if you can't remember it. But you lose 100 points if you get anybody pregnant, and anywhere from 10-1000 points for contracting any kind of STD, depending on the STD.

Also, don't limit yourself by deciding already that you only want to apply to DO schools. Do what you can to keep your options open, because there are some good MD schools out there too.

And don't think that because you want to go DO, you can slack off, since they have lower numbers. You have no idea what its going to be like when you apply in a few years, but you can bet it will probably be harder.

Posted via Mobile Device

I appreciate your advice. I can always have an M.D. school as a second option. But truthfully, I didn't know D.O. schools had lower numbers. I haven't really look yet. My thoughts on numbers is that I will try as hard as I can whether the school I want to go to is hard to get into or not. In theory, it shouldn't matter if I'm wanting to go to Harvard or "Bob's Discount College of Medicine." I still need to give it all I have.

As far as the girls... I'll have to keep that in mind. Maybe tell them I'm pre-med and see if they swoon. lol jk.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

For the love of God, don't tell them you're pre-med. Tell them you're a baseball player or something. Or tell them you have weed.

Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Senor Hound]

For the love of God, don't tell them you're pre-med. Tell them you're a baseball player or something. Or tell them you have weed.

You are funny!!! Thanks for the tip, I thought women liked doctors! 🙂 lol

 

[RySerr21]

You are funny!!! Thanks for the tip, I thought women liked doctors! 🙂 lol

doctors......not pre meds....or med students...

 

[Aidan]

Is it really "unique" to bet set on only going the DO route? I'm in the same position this kid is at (end of first year) and have no intentions on applying to any MD schools.

 

[Aidan]

doctors......not pre meds....or med students...

or Residents because they don't make any money😉

 

[RySerr21]

or Residents because they don't make any money😉

yea but you are still a doctor.... you dont need to tell anybody you are resident.... as far as the ladies are concerned, I'm an orthopedic surgeon, and thats all they need to know 😛

Is it really "unique" to bet set on only going the DO route? I'm in the same position this kid is at (end of first year) and have no intentions on applying to any MD schools.

I didn't have any intentions on applying to MD schools either. But then I realized I had no reason not to, I would only be hurting myself. I'm trying to find the school that will offer me a great education and is in a place where I will be happy. There are pleny of MD and DO schools that can offer me that, so I ended up applying to both. No doubt there are applicants like yourself and the OP who end up only applying to DO schools, but a large majority apply to both (or just MD).

 

[TexasTriathlete]

If you want to be a doctor, I just think you should explore all your options.

Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Senor Hound]

If you want to be a doctor, I just think you should explore all your options.

Posted via Mobile Device

This is good advice, and I appreciate it. This is part of the reason I took a "Survey of Health Professions" class. It went over a lot of things, but it didn't go over the differences between a D.O. vs. an M.D. But to the classes credit, it was only one credit hour and they did cover a lot of material. But I agree with you about exploring my options. Medical school and residency is way to time-consuming, expensive, and mentally-challenging to find out half way through the whole thing its not what you really wanted out of life. I wish I could be 100% about what I want in life, but I can't. However I'm as confident as I can be about my desire to become a physician.

You are funny, insightful, and you do it all from your phone... What can I say, other than thank you!

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I should also add that I'm not saying the MD route is necessarily better. I'm just saying you should do some research on a bunch of different schools that you think might appeal to you, and then go to whatever school that accepts you that you like the best. It might end up being a DO school, or it might not.

If you really are interested in manual therapy, then that is only one factor to consider when you evaluate your options.

Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Dissected]

I should also add that I'm not saying the MD route is necessarily better. I'm just saying you should do some research on a bunch of different schools that you think might appeal to you, and then go to whatever school that accepts you that you like the best. It might end up being a DO school, or it might not.

If you really are interested in manual therapy, then that is only one factor to consider when you evaluate your options.

Posted via Mobile Device

TT, do you have an iphone? or are you just a wizard at posting on a regular phone?

 

[Aidan]

yea but you are still a doctor.... you dont need to tell anybody you are resident.... as far as the ladies are concerned, I'm an orthopedic surgeon, and thats all they need to know 😛



I didn't have any intentions on applying to MD schools either. But then I realized I had no reason not to, I would only be hurting myself. I'm trying to find the school that will offer me a great education and is in a place where I will be happy. There are pleny of MD and DO schools that can offer me that, so I ended up applying to both. No doubt there are applicants like yourself and the OP who end up only applying to DO schools, but a large majority apply to both (or just MD).

Gotcha, Mr. Orthopedic Surgeon. My reasons for applying to DO only were A. I wanna see what this OMM **** is all about 🙂, and B. I think the philosophy behind osteopathy fits me better and would make for a more holistic physician.

 

[RySerr21]

Gotcha, Mr. Orthopedic Surgeon. My reasons for applying to DO only were A. I wanna see what this OMM **** is all about 🙂, and B. I think the philosophy behind osteopathy fits me better and would make for a more holistic physician.

Your pre med years are a great time to see what OMM is all about....how much would it suck to go DO b/c you were curious about OMM and then you realize that you hate it. Definitely try to get as much exposure to it as possible before committing to the long haul. I was in the same boat that you are and i've had a decent amount of exposure to OMM and I can say that I am still interested in learning it (hence I am applying DO). That being said, I am also applying MD so it is not something that will make me feel empty and hollow inside if i do not learn.

As far as the philosophy, you can be a holistic physician coming from an MD school. You are going to practice medicine the way you practice medicine. There isn't really anything about the curriculums that make one more holistic than the other, DOs are just more verbal about their mission to practice "whole person" medicine so it certainly comes off that way. I dont think its a bad reason to want to go DO, I am intrigued by the philosophy myself and am excited to be in that type of atmosphere. My point is that there are also MD schools that will offer you that same kind of experience, so its worth it to explore your options.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

TT, do you have an iphone? or are you just a wizard at posting on a regular phone?

I have a blackberry, and I work night shift.

 

[slim78]

His wizard costume is only used for LARPing on the weekends.

 

[Thantis]

I put on my robe and my wizard hat...

(google the phrase [first link] and you will laugh your ass off...nsfw text-wise)

 

[Dissected]

HAHAHA That is some funny stuff. The second one was classic.

BTW what the hell made you search for that in google?

 

[Thantis]

I saw the phrase first from a social news site called Reddit (which is full of ***hats to put a quite apt description). I had an idea of what the phrase was alluding to (ah the olden days of yore in Red Dragon Inn of AOL chat). So before I posted something that might be rude, crewd, and lewd, I decided to google it for safety sake. Satisfied with my conclusive google'd research, I proferred the information to all for a small chuckle to be had.

(Also, it is because my avatar demands it.)