I need some advice-I promise this isn't another "what are my chances..." posts

[MedSchoolChica]

Hi everyone! Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and that they have a happy new year!

I find myself needing a bit of advice. I'm a junior, and will be applying to medical school this year. I would also like to apply to several MD/PhD programs. I'm pretty pleased with my grades (3.76, although a D and a C are on my record), and extra curriculars (I volunteer and do research), the MCAT is the only thing that really scares me. I don't know if I can tackle the Physical Sciences portion. The only way I really see being able to tackle it is spending a good amount of time studying, which is what I intended to do all of break. I had planned on intensive studying, so that I could have less to study throughout the semester, seeing as I'm taking 18 credits. I figured after all that I would take the MCAT in April, so that I could retake it in June, and still be able to apply early, as everyone seems to suggest if you're going MD/PhD. Now my plan was muddled by my aunt pawning off my grandmother, who has stage 3 dementia and lung cancer, on my family. She requires 24 hour care, and my aunt refuses to put her in a nursing home. With everyone in my family returning to work and school next week, I will be the lucky person who will play care taker to my ailing maternal matriarch.

So now it seems, my study time will be taken up doing things for my family, which leads me to believe that between the demands on my time my grandmother will make, and my responsibilities once school resumes, I may not be adequately prepared for the MCAT. I'm super stressed over all of this, and I'm not getting sympathy from my parents or anyone else. My father suggested postponing applying by a year, my mother is more concerned about her mother, and rightfully so. I don't know what to do, I had a plan and a timeline that I was confident and comfortable with for when everything needed to be done so I could start medical school in 2008, and now I'm suddenly stricken with doubt. Does anyone have any advice regarding when I should take the MCAT? Or what damage control I could possibly do? I'm worried about how all of this may affect my chances of getting into an MD/PhD program, with this being the big year when I had planned on applying.

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[passion4atcg]

hi-

first off, i'm very sorry to hear about your family. my advice would be to not take the mcat, if you don't think you will do well or be prepared enough, take a year off doing research or something applicable to your application, and study for the mcat during the spring of your year off (assuming that your family situation is not in need of your assistance all the time). best wishes-

 

[solitude]

That's a terrible situation, I'm very sorry to hear it.

We may be able to make more informed recommendations if you could give us more specific information about how prepared you are for the MCAT. Have you checked out the MCAT forum yet? There are a lot of very knowledgeable posters there that may have tips for how to study more efficiently, study specifically for PS, etc.

You have a ton of time to go before the exam, so I wouldn't make any rash decisions yet. Obviously you have to take care of your grandmother and there seems to be no way around that, but it's just my personal opinion that you could perhaps try to study when you get a chance and see how much progress you're making. Then in a few months, if you're unhappy with your progress, you could decide to postpone the MCAT and applying for another year.

However, keep in mind that a lot of MCATers make much progress in the last few weeks before the exam. In my case, my score increased dramatically because I was able to devote myself full-time to MCAT study for the three weeks immediately prior to the exam. Perhaps you could sit down with your family and ask that somebody relieve you of your family duties for the three weeks before the exam? If not, you could just try to squeeze in as much time as possible and assess the situation a month or two before the exam?

Most of all, have faith! You have an awesome GPA, especially considering a D and and a C, so I think with ample studying you should do great on the MCAT.

Hi everyone! Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and that they have a happy new year!

I find myself needing a bit of advice. I'm a junior, and will be applying to medical school this year. I would also like to apply to several MD/PhD programs. I'm pretty pleased with my grades (3.76, although a D and a C are on my record), and extra curriculars (I volunteer and do research), the MCAT is the only thing that really scares me. I don't know if I can tackle the Physical Sciences portion. The only way I really see being able to tackle it is spending a good amount of time studying, which is what I intended to do all of break. I had planned on intensive studying, so that I could have less to study throughout the semester, seeing as I'm taking 18 credits. I figured after all that I would take the MCAT in April, so that I could retake it in June, and still be able to apply early, as everyone seems to suggest if you're going MD/PhD. Now my plan was muddled by my aunt pawning off my grandmother, who has stage 3 dementia and lung cancer, on my family. She requires 24 hour care, and my aunt refuses to put her in a nursing home. With everyone in my family returning to work and school next week, I will be the lucky person who will play care taker to my ailing maternal matriarch.

So now it seems, my study time will be taken up doing things for my family, which leads me to believe that between the demands on my time my grandmother will make, and my responsibilities once school resumes, I may not be adequately prepared for the MCAT. I'm super stressed over all of this, and I'm not getting sympathy from my parents or anyone else. My father suggested postponing applying by a year, my mother is more concerned about her mother, and rightfully so. I don't know what to do, I had a plan and a timeline that I was confident and comfortable with for when everything needed to be done so I could start medical school in 2008, and now I'm suddenly stricken with doubt. Does anyone have any advice regarding when I should take the MCAT? Or what damage control I could possibly do? I'm worried about how all of this may affect my chances of getting into an MD/PhD program, with this being the big year when I had planned on applying.

 

[Neuronix]

I'm going to try to give my two cents. I hope I don't sound too heartless in doing so, but you have my sympathy FWIW. All of my grandparents died while I was a pre-med, one while I was living with them. But they always wanted me to do well, so I used that as motivation.

I find myself needing a bit of advice. I'm a junior, and will be applying to medical school this year. I would also like to apply to several MD/PhD programs.

Why apply to only several MD/PhD programs? The usual advice is to pick MD or MD/PhD and stick with it. The reason is that if you split your apps like that both sides question your dedication to their side and it can therefore hurt your app on both sides.

I'm pretty pleased with my grades (3.76, although a D and a C are on my record), and extra curriculars (I volunteer and do research), the MCAT is the only thing that really scares me. I don't know if I can tackle the Physical Sciences portion. The only way I really see being able to tackle it is spending a good amount of time studying, which is what I intended to do all of break. I had planned on intensive studying, so that I could have less to study throughout the semester, seeing as I'm taking 18 credits. I figured after all that I would take the MCAT in April, so that I could retake it in June, and still be able to apply early, as everyone seems to suggest if you're going MD/PhD.

With rare exceptions, nobody is going to look at your D and C. It doesn't even deserve a footnote with your 3.76. There's too many apps to review for adcoms to be going down class lists like that and taking notes. As for the MCAT, I don't know why you're especially afraid of Physical Sciences. I say this in retrospect and somewhat pompously, having taken the MCAT like 6 years ago, but I'll explain why.

I was a Bio/Psyc major and I felt pretty strong in VR/BS too. MCAT prep though isn't about what you feel strong in coming into the exam. The MCAT deserves alot of study no matter what your background. One of the biggest mistakes a pre-med can make is to assume their GPA is high, their major is good, so why do they need to study for the MCAT? That being said, I don't think you're taking that extreme. I just want to warn you that you'll need to prep pretty intensively for all of it. Personally, I think your MCAT score has more to do with prepping for the exam than it does with your background, which is why these exam prep companies are making a fortune. In that way, the MCAT is really a test of your ability to jump hurdles by taking meaningless standardized exams. Oops, that's a rant for somewhere else. I ended up getting my highest subscore on PS, and I don't really feel like I devoted more time to it. My girlfriend, a social science major, also did much better than expected on PS. It's only that stuff that got covered in intro physics, but stripped down, and general chem.

Do yourself a favor. Take a review course (I liked TPR, but milage will vary depending on your instructors) and take the MCAT when you're ready. Since the MCAT is changing to electronic format, you can really take it whenever you want. That being said, you get alot more flexibility. Maybe June or July or something like that will make more sense. Never take the MCAT early because you feel like you have to. 5 points on the exam because you prepped more will help you more than any advantage due to applying early.

Now my plan was muddled by my aunt pawning off my grandmother, who has stage 3 dementia and lung cancer, on my family. She requires 24 hour care, and my aunt refuses to put her in a nursing home. With everyone in my family returning to work and school next week, I will be the lucky person who will play care taker to my ailing maternal matriarch.

Why you? That's not fair for you at all and I think you need to put your foot down. Just because you aren't bringing in a salary or being forced to be there (i.e. grade school) doesn't mean your job is less important. I've always looked at school like a job. If you go to class and study 40 hours a week as a pre-med, I think anyone can make it to med school.

It sounds like you're a nice person, but your grandmother will be better cared for by people who care for the sick for a living. Seriously, nursing homes aren't all bad. It's one of these things you hear on the news on occasion and hear awful stories about, but in reality aren't so bad and fill a necessary role in American society.

I'm super stressed over all of this, and I'm not getting sympathy from my parents or anyone else.

I'm sorry for one. If it makes you feel any better, this is a relatively common situation for pre-meds. Grandparents tend to be that age when we're in college and family members just don't respect what we have to do sometimes... You're not the only one.

My father suggested postponing applying by a year

This is what I mean. You take a year out of your life instead of getting your demented and ailing grandmother into a nursing home. I mean I don't know your family or your situation, but...

That being said, that's the most salient course of action if you can't focus on preparing. You don't want to have to retake the MCAT. Take it when you're ready to take it. Not sooner. You want to make sure this doesn't affect your class grades. Consider taking less classes this semester if it will help. Nobody says you have to take 18 credits (unless you're crunching to graduate). I took 12-14 credits my entire undergrad. It's another one of those things that pretty much nobody ever looks at.

Good luck!
Eric

 

[QofQuimica]

OP,

I am also sorry to hear about your situation. That being said, I am not sure that flat-out refusing to help your family and your grandmother in particular is really such a wise idea, especially if you love them and being close to your family is important to you. When you get to medical school, I promise you that you will want to have your family there to be part of YOUR support network when you need them. However, refusing to help your family is certainly one viable option, and it is probably the only one that would allow you to continue with your timeline.

Assuming that you plan to accept the role of caretaker, I would advise you to listen to your dad and put off applying to med school for a year. You should postpone taking the MCAT until you reach a point in your life where you will be able to devote the proper amount of time and effort toward preparing for it properly. You are going through a difficult time right now, and it is ok if you decide that you need to put off medical school for a year while you care for your grandmother. There is no law saying that you must go directly from college to medical school with no deviations. I started medical school at the age of 31, and if you go down to the nontrad forum and read some of the other posts, you will see that I'm far from being the oldest. It will not prevent you from getting accepted to medical school (including MD/PhD programs) if you apply to them at age 22 instead of age 21.

As for screwing up your timeline, well, unfortunately, sometimes life just gets in the way of our best laid plans, and we have to put other things on hold for a while while we deal with the immediate problems before us. Keep in mind that medical school is not a race. You will get there when the time is right, and again, it's ok if it's a year later. Accepting the bumps in life that we cannot control and facing them is what it means to be an adult, and it is part of the general human condition. I can tell you that if things had all gone according to MY plans when I was your age, I'd have gone to med school ten years ago, and I'd still be married to my college boyfriend right now instead of him being my ex.

 

[Neuronix]

However, refusing to help your family is certainly one viable option, and it is probably the only one that would allow you to continue with your timeline.

My point is it's one thing to help, what the op is describing seems beyond that to me. It's another thing entirely different to me when someone is being "pawned" off on you and you get to be the "lucky" person to take care of them. Helping is going to visit someone and running errands for them or watching the kids for a few hours at a time. It shouldn't mean having to play the role of primary caretaker IMO. That's why I was afraid I'd sound callous, but that's the way I see it.

Anyways, not trying to argue and your points are well taken. I just wanted to clarify.

 

[MedSchoolChica]

hi-

first off, i'm very sorry to hear about your family. my advice would be to not take the mcat, if you don't think you will do well or be prepared enough, take a year off doing research or something applicable to your application, and study for the mcat during the spring of your year off (assuming that your family situation is not in need of your assistance all the time). best wishes-

Thanks for your advice, but that’s really what I’d like to avoid.

That's a terrible situation, I'm very sorry to hear it.

We may be able to make more informed recommendations if you could give us more specific information about how prepared you are for the MCAT. Have you checked out the MCAT forum yet? There are a lot of very knowledgeable posters there that may have tips for how to study more efficiently, study specifically for PS, etc.

You have a ton of time to go before the exam, so I wouldn't make any rash decisions yet. Obviously you have to take care of your grandmother and there seems to be no way around that, but it's just my personal opinion that you could perhaps try to study when you get a chance and see how much progress you're making. Then in a few months, if you're unhappy with your progress, you could decide to postpone the MCAT and applying for another year.

However, keep in mind that a lot of MCATers make much progress in the last few weeks before the exam. In my case, my score increased dramatically because I was able to devote myself full-time to MCAT study for the three weeks immediately prior to the exam. Perhaps you could sit down with your family and ask that somebody relieve you of your family duties for the three weeks before the exam? If not, you could just try to squeeze in as much time as possible and assess the situation a month or two before the exam?

Most of all, have faith! You have an awesome GPA, especially considering a D and and a C, so I think with ample studying you should do great on the MCAT.

I’ve been using the Kaplan books to study, as well as my notes and text books. Flashcards have become my best friend when I’m riding the bus or in the car as a passenger. Through Kaplan I’ve taken practice quizzes and MCATs, and I consistently score low in Physical Sciences. I don’t want to make any rash decisions, trust me, after talking it over with my cousin who had helped with taking care of my grandmother, I feel a bit better about maybe having some time to myself to study. I don’t know, we’ll see. I just feel a bit overwhelmed at the moment, and was even more so last night when I posted. Thanks for your advice. I appreciate it.

I'm going to try to give my two cents. I hope I don't sound too heartless in doing so, but you have my sympathy FWIW. All of my grandparents died while I was a pre-med, one while I was living with them. But they always wanted me to do well, so I used that as motivation.



Why apply to only several MD/PhD programs? The usual advice is to pick MD or MD/PhD and stick with it. The reason is that if you split your apps like that both sides question your dedication to their side and it can therefore hurt your app on both sides.



With rare exceptions, nobody is going to look at your D and C. It doesn't even deserve a footnote with your 3.76. There's too many apps to review for adcoms to be going down class lists like that and taking notes. As for the MCAT, I don't know why you're especially afraid of Physical Sciences. I say this in retrospect and somewhat pompously, having taken the MCAT like 6 years ago, but I'll explain why.

I was a Bio/Psyc major and I felt pretty strong in VR/BS too. MCAT prep though isn't about what you feel strong in coming into the exam. The MCAT deserves alot of study no matter what your background. One of the biggest mistakes a pre-med can make is to assume their GPA is high, their major is good, so why do they need to study for the MCAT? That being said, I don't think you're taking that extreme. I just want to warn you that you'll need to prep pretty intensively for all of it. Personally, I think your MCAT score has more to do with prepping for the exam than it does with your background, which is why these exam prep companies are making a fortune. In that way, the MCAT is really a test of your ability to jump hurdles by taking meaningless standardized exams. Oops, that's a rant for somewhere else. I ended up getting my highest subscore on PS, and I don't really feel like I devoted more time to it. My girlfriend, a social science major, also did much better than expected on PS. It's only that stuff that got covered in intro physics, but stripped down, and general chem.

Do yourself a favor. Take a review course (I liked TPR, but milage will vary depending on your instructors) and take the MCAT when you're ready. Since the MCAT is changing to electronic format, you can really take it whenever you want. That being said, you get alot more flexibility. Maybe June or July or something like that will make more sense. Never take the MCAT early because you feel like you have to. 5 points on the exam because you prepped more will help you more than any advantage due to applying early.



Why you? That's not fair for you at all and I think you need to put your foot down. Just because you aren't bringing in a salary or being forced to be there (i.e. grade school) doesn't mean your job is less important. I've always looked at school like a job. If you go to class and study 40 hours a week as a pre-med, I think anyone can make it to med school.

It sounds like you're a nice person, but your grandmother will be better cared for by people who care for the sick for a living. Seriously, nursing homes aren't all bad. It's one of these things you hear on the news on occasion and hear awful stories about, but in reality aren't so bad and fill a necessary role in American society.



I'm sorry for one. If it makes you feel any better, this is a relatively common situation for pre-meds. Grandparents tend to be that age when we're in college and family members just don't respect what we have to do sometimes... You're not the only one.



This is what I mean. You take a year out of your life instead of getting your demented and ailing grandmother into a nursing home. I mean I don't know your family or your situation, but...

That being said, that's the most salient course of action if you can't focus on preparing. You don't want to have to retake the MCAT. Take it when you're ready to take it. Not sooner. You want to make sure this doesn't affect your class grades. Consider taking less classes this semester if it will help. Nobody says you have to take 18 credits (unless you're crunching to graduate). I took 12-14 credits my entire undergrad. It's another one of those things that pretty much nobody ever looks at.

Good luck!
Eric

Wow, that’s a lot to swallow. Um, thank you for taking the time to respond. I’ll take the time to explain myself and give my two cents on your two cents. I really appreciate what you’ve had to tell me, thanks.

Regarding me thinking about applying only to several MD/PhD programs: I know that the general advice is to just apply to one or the other, and I do want to do that, but my concern is that I won’t get into an MD/PhD program, and if I don’t get into an MD/PhD program, I’m concerned about getting into an MD program after being rejected as an MD/PhD applicant.

Regarding feeling stronger about VS/BS: It’s not just a feeling, through practice exams and questions, I consistently score lower in Physical Sciences. Even when I was taking those courses, I got lower marks than in Biology and Organic Chemistry. I do plan on studying everything and practicing everything, but I feel much weaker in my PS preparation.

Regarding taking the MCAT early: My concern stems from everyone already registering for the exams, and that I have all this uncertainty all of a sudden, and that I won’t be able to take the MCAT in time to apply early, which also seems to be the advice a lot of people give.

Regarding the fairness of the situation: I don’t feel it’s fair, and me voicing my concerns also is what brought the whole “wait a year speech.” Because my grandmother requires that level of care, I know she needs to be in a nursing home. It’s my aunt and mother, who share power of attorney who can’t agree and are preventing her from going to one. We live in a society where everyone has to work, and everyone has a million and one responsibilities, and I feel a bit heartless saying this, because she is my grandmother, but it’s easier that she gets into a home. I think it’ll be better both for her and the families.

OP,

I am also sorry to hear about your situation. That being said, I am not sure that flat-out refusing to help your family and your grandmother in particular is really such a wise idea, especially if you love them and being close to your family is important to you. When you get to medical school, I promise you that you will want to have your family there to be part of YOUR support network when you need them. However, refusing to help your family is certainly one viable option, and it is probably the only one that would allow you to continue with your timeline.

Assuming that you plan to accept the role of caretaker, I would advise you to listen to your dad and put off applying to med school for a year. You should postpone taking the MCAT until you reach a point in your life where you will be able to devote the proper amount of time and effort toward preparing for it properly. You are going through a difficult time right now, and it is ok if you decide that you need to put off medical school for a year while you care for your grandmother. There is no law saying that you must go directly from college to medical school with no deviations. I started medical school at the age of 31, and if you go down to the nontrad forum and read some of the other posts, you will see that I'm far from being the oldest. It will not prevent you from getting accepted to medical school (including MD/PhD programs) if you apply to them at age 22 instead of age 21.

As for screwing up your timeline, well, unfortunately, sometimes life just gets in the way of our best laid plans, and we have to put other things on hold for a while while we deal with the immediate problems before us. Keep in mind that medical school is not a race. You will get there when the time is right, and again, it's ok if it's a year later. Accepting the bumps in life that we cannot control and facing them is what it means to be an adult, and it is part of the general human condition. I can tell you that if things had all gone according to MY plans when I was your age, I'd have gone to med school ten years ago, and I'd still be married to my college boyfriend right now instead of him being my ex.

My point is it's one thing to help, what the op is describing seems beyond that to me. It's another thing entirely different to me when someone is being "pawned" off on you and you get to be the "lucky" person to take care of them. Helping is going to visit someone and running errands for them or watching the kids for a few hours at a time. It shouldn't mean having to play the role of primary caretaker IMO. That's why I was afraid I'd sound callous, but that's the way I see it.

Anyways, not trying to argue and your points are well taken. I just wanted to clarify.

I don’t want to alienate my family, and I do want to help, but at the same time I have responsibilities of my own and I feel as if my family is alienating me. I have no problem with helping out in this situation, but this is more than just helping, they’re asking a lot out of me. Already because of my grandmother’s illness I missed a chunk of this past semester because I had to travel to Canada to help out with liquidating her home. I recovered academically (although I’m still awaiting two grades), but I can’t keep having to drop everything to help out. And maybe that’s selfish, but I’ve worked so hard to get here and I’ve been through a lot, and it would be really nice if my family could support me now.

So my decision:
I’m going to try and study the coming weeks and play a balancing act between my family life and my academics and see what happens. I won’t take the MCAT until I’m prepared, but at the same time, if I feel like I’m taking the MCAT too late to apply early enough I may consider waiting a year. I don’t know if I can take fewer credits this semester, because I just transferred to this school, so I have a lot of work ahead of me in getting caught up to their standards and making my mark on the professors there, but if I postpone things I can slow down I guess. I’ll be moving away from home towards the end of January when the semester starts, and although part of me feels like I’ll be neglecting my family, I have to go, because school starts, and I’m at this really crucial time academically and in preparation for what’s next. At this point in time I don’t want to postpone my plans by a year, I feel like I’ve worked far too hard to get to this point and then just slow down or halt progress.

I really appreciate everyone’s input so far any more input will be appreciated. Wish me luck! Thanks for giving me an outlet where I can get some advice and vent and be heard.

 

[Neuronix]

Wow, that's a lot to swallow. Um, thank you for taking the time to respond. I'll take the time to explain myself and give my two cents on your two cents. I really appreciate what you've had to tell me, thanks.

You're welcome, I have alot more pennies Even if this was a "What are my chances" thread, I'd still respond to you. That was my first post after all.

Regarding me thinking about applying only to several MD/PhD programs: I know that the general advice is to just apply to one or the other, and I do want to do that, but my concern is that I won't get into an MD/PhD program, and if I don't get into an MD/PhD program, I'm concerned about getting into an MD program after being rejected as an MD/PhD applicant.

Everyone always says that. Look, if your GPA is high, your MCAT is good, and you have a few years of research experience under your belt, you WILL get into a MD/PhD program. You could think of some other reason why you might get blocked (bad LOR, poor essays, etc), but there is no reason I can think of why you would get into a MD program but not a MD/PhD program if you have that formula. Yes, MD/PhD is selective, but it's relatively predictable. If your app is strong and you apply to a reasonable number of programs, you will get in. Don't think of the MD as a fallback. Think of it as a choice.

Regarding taking the MCAT early: My concern stems from everyone already registering for the exams, and that I have all this uncertainty all of a sudden, and that I won't be able to take the MCAT in time to apply early, which also seems to be the advice a lot of people give.

It's not necessary to apply early. Yeah, you should try to do it, but programs receive a large percentage of applications right before their deadlines. They don't like it because it creates a large bolus of work for them and can really screw up their interview scheduling. But, if you HAD TO apply early, it wouldn't be called applying early. It would be the deadline. I know at my program they are very consious of the early vs. late issue and they specifically try not to bias against early or late apps. Yes, it will help you at some programs to apply early. No, it's not crucial. If your primary is complete in August as opposed to June, I doubt anyone would even notice. This becomes much more feasable as we now have many dates for the MCAT.

So my decision:
I'm going to try and study the coming weeks and play a balancing act between my family life and my academics and see what happens. I won't take the MCAT until I'm prepared, but at the same time, if I feel like I'm taking the MCAT too late to apply early enough I may consider waiting a year. I don't know if I can take fewer credits this semester, because I just transferred to this school, so I have a lot of work ahead of me in getting caught up to their standards and making my mark on the professors there, but if I postpone things I can slow down I guess. I'll be moving away from home towards the end of January when the semester starts, and although part of me feels like I'll be neglecting my family, I have to go, because school starts, and I'm at this really crucial time academically and in preparation for what's next. At this point in time I don't want to postpone my plans by a year, I feel like I've worked far too hard to get to this point and then just slow down or halt progress.

I think you're making the right decisions. I mean, I still feel some guilt here and there for some of the sacrifices I've made towards my family (I have a very complicated family situation, always have). You do what you can, but you need to do what's best for you sometimes.

I really appreciate everyone's input so far any more input will be appreciated. Wish me luck! Thanks for giving me an outlet where I can get some advice and vent and be heard.

No problem. No question related to MD/PhD is off bounds and no opinion is bad. I think SDN is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and I've been moderating here for years so I can hear people say things like that

 

[Dr.Watson]

At this point in time I don’t want to postpone my plans by a year, I feel like I’ve worked far too hard to get to this point and then just slow down or halt progress.

Rant on year-off isn't the end of the world:
If you're doing MD/PhD, there's not much reason to be in a hurry. You can go through the program faster or slower depending on your PhD and your residency/postdoc choice. A person who enrolls at 23 versus 22 could end up as faculty years ahead of the 22 enrollee depending on a huge number of factors. At my interviews, the MD/PhD applicants applying directly from college were always in the minority. Most were 1-2 years out of school. The direct from school people could *almost* be considered a bit at a disadvantage b/c they don't have as much or as in-depth research experience as those who took time off. The MD/PhD adcoms value an informed decision about research being the life for you and it's easier to convince them with more lab experience.

Taking a year to do research, improve your MCAT, slow down on your courseload can only help you get into an MD/PhD program. I haven't heard of anyone that regrets taking time off. It's been the best experience for me. It really just feels like 3-4 summer breaks for me filled with friends, weekend trips (interspersed with interviews), amazing summer experience abroad (fluency in spanish) and a great job in industry (learning all sorts of new things) that will only make me a better physician-scientist. I wouldn't trade it for the world or do it any other way.

Realize as well that MD/PhD interviews are a HUGE time investment. On interview weeks, I was often gone Weds-Fri/Sat. It makes school or a job very difficult and if you still need to care for your grandmother, it'd be nearly impossible.

MCAT:
I struggled with PS and aced VR and BS. It's just the way some people's mind works. Princeton Review helped a lot. It's all about practice though and devoting time. I ended up taking the MCAT twice b/c of PS (plus being sick) and it did screw up my senior year a bit, but that's life.

General Questions:
I don't really understand how you end up with all the responsibility for your grandmother. You seem as busy or busier than everyone else. Also, how far away is college from home? If you're far enough, I don't see how they can force you be a primary caretaker. Also, what about once you start med school? How do you know this role will be limited to just the semester you take the MCAT?

 

[MedSchoolChica]

Rant on year-off isn't the end of the world:
If you're doing MD/PhD, there's not much reason to be in a hurry. You can go through the program faster or slower depending on your PhD and your residency/postdoc choice. A person who enrolls at 23 versus 22 could end up as faculty years ahead of the 22 enrollee depending on a huge number of factors. At my interviews, the MD/PhD applicants applying directly from college were always in the minority. Most were 1-2 years out of school. The direct from school people could *almost* be considered a bit at a disadvantage b/c they don't have as much or as in-depth research experience as those who took time off. The MD/PhD adcoms value an informed decision about research being the life for you and it's easier to convince them with more lab experience.

Taking a year to do research, improve your MCAT, slow down on your courseload can only help you get into an MD/PhD program. I haven't heard of anyone that regrets taking time off. It's been the best experience for me. It really just feels like 3-4 summer breaks for me filled with friends, weekend trips (interspersed with interviews), amazing summer experience abroad (fluency in spanish) and a great job in industry (learning all sorts of new things) that will only make me a better physician-scientist. I wouldn't trade it for the world or do it any other way.

Realize as well that MD/PhD interviews are a HUGE time investment. On interview weeks, I was often gone Weds-Fri/Sat. It makes school or a job very difficult and if you still need to care for your grandmother, it'd be nearly impossible.

It may not be the end of the world to take a year off, but I suppose I'm eager to get the point where I'll be in Medical School and Grad school, and working towards that MD/PhD. It feels almost like you were promised something by a certain date and you were really really looking forward to it, and then the person offering it to you tells you, well, sorry you'll get it next year. It felt like the end was in sight and now it may not be...

General Questions:
I don't really understand how you end up with all the responsibility for your grandmother. You seem as busy or busier than everyone else. Also, how far away is college from home? If you're far enough, I don't see how they can force you be a primary caretaker. Also, what about once you start med school? How do you know this role will be limited to just the semester you take the MCAT?

I get to take care of my grandmother, because starting next week, I'll be the only one home. My winter break ends Jan 19, and I'll be home until then. My grandmother's only "supposed" to be with us until the end of the month. Except for studying for the MCAT and prepping for this coming semester's heavy hitters, I really am not that busy this break. I was relying on the quiet in the house when everyone returned to work and school to get the bulk of my studying done. But my time will be more or less occupied by caring for my grandmother. My college is about 3 hours away, and I don't have a car, so once I move there, I really won't be able to contribute or do anything at home for my family. My role as caretaker, should end once I move out, but I can't forsee what impact it'll have the rest of the semester. I mean my grandmother has stage 3 dementia, she has cancer, and so even if she returns to Canada, with her health deteriorating there is the chance that I'll have interruptions to my semester and beyond. At this point I'm hoping for the best, but no plan has gurantees it seems. There are a million and one what ifs, alot could happen to throw a monkey wrench into the rest of undergrad and into medical school, but I don't know of those thing quite now.

 

[bottles999]

It may not be the end of the world to take a year off, but I suppose I'm eager to get the point where I'll be in Medical School and Grad school, and working towards that MD/PhD. It feels almost like you were promised something by a certain date and you were really really looking forward to it, and then the person offering it to you tells you, well, sorry you'll get it next year. It felt like the end was in sight and now it may not be... .

My condolenses on your family situation and all. That is very very rough and do hope for the best for ya. Well you certainly have gotten alot of great advice on how to proceed above, and agree with alot of it. The only additional aspect to point out is not to have pre-conceived expectations on how your life will or should unfold. Nothing is certain by any stretch, least of all the admissions process. Once ya have set expectations you really start to set yourself up for some hard knocks if ya dont/cant, as your finding out, live up to them. There's no point on beating urself up over things that are not really in your control.

As for the MCAT your going to be preparing for soon, I would suggest doing nothing but MCAT preparations that entire semester. At most the volunteering work, but certainly not any class work at the same time. In addition, not when your acting as primary care giver for your grandmother. Atleast, there will be very good Personal Statment material out of this life experience for you.

I do wish the best for you and your grandmother/family.

Good Luck

 

[Dr.Watson]

I get to take care of my grandmother, because starting next week, I'll be the only one home. My winter break ends Jan 19, and I'll be home until then. My grandmother's only "supposed" to be with us until the end of the month. Except for studying for the MCAT and prepping for this coming semester's heavy hitters, I really am not that busy this break. I was relying on the quiet in the house when everyone returned to work and school to get the bulk of my studying done. But my time will be more or less occupied by caring for my grandmother. My college is about 3 hours away, and I don't have a car, so once I move there, I really won't be able to contribute or do anything at home for my family. My role as caretaker, should end once I move out, but I can't forsee what impact it'll have the rest of the semester. I mean my grandmother has stage 3 dementia, she has cancer, and so even if she returns to Canada, with her health deteriorating there is the chance that I'll have interruptions to my semester and beyond. At this point I'm hoping for the best, but no plan has gurantees it seems. There are a million and one what ifs, alot could happen to throw a monkey wrench into the rest of undergrad and into medical school, but I don't know of those thing quite now.

Ah okay. Thanks for clarifying. I don't think you need to start planning for a year off if it's really just the next 3 weeks that will be occupied. You can definitely do well on the MCAT studying hardcore after that. Although, I'd try to take a lighter courseload if I were you. Just be disciplined in your studying and you should be fine by whatever date you take it. And early application means complete (including secondary) before the beginning of September. Also, a lot of MD/PhD programs don't start interviewing until Dec or Jan, so there's no need to reallly be worried.

 

[MedSchoolChica]

Just wanted to give everyone who gave me advice an update:

Things with my grandmother are going well. She's not nearly as unmanagable as my aunt made it seem. She does require alot of attention, but she's pretty good. She doesn't like to be fussed over, so if you give her her space, she's amicable. So I can sit her down with a book or the TV, and study at the table in the same room, and just take frequent breaks to talk to her and to make sure she eats and drinks etc. It's not the most productive studying I've done, but it's working out pretty well so far. Thanks everyone for your advice before! I really appreciate it, and being able to talk it out did help me prepare for the situation.

 

[QofQuimica]

Just wanted to give everyone who gave me advice an update:

Things with my grandmother are going well. She's not nearly as unmanagable as my aunt made it seem. She does require alot of attention, but she's pretty good. She doesn't like to be fussed over, so if you give her her space, she's amicable. So I can sit her down with a book or the TV, and study at the table in the same room, and just take frequent breaks to talk to her and to make sure she eats and drinks etc. It's not the most productive studying I've done, but it's working out pretty well so far. Thanks everyone for your advice before! I really appreciate it, and being able to talk it out did help me prepare for the situation.

That's good news, MSC. You are really in a very hard situation, and I wish you the best of luck with everything. I readily admit that I don't know very much about you or your situation, but with that caveat, I still think that spending this time with your grandmother is the best thing to do, even if it postpones your medical school plans for a year. You will never again have the chance to get to know your grandmother the way you do now, and I hope that you will treasure this short time you have left with her. Again, just take things one day at a time, and keep working toward your goals, whenever you may get there.

 

[QofQuimica]

My point is it's one thing to help, what the op is describing seems beyond that to me. It's another thing entirely different to me when someone is being "pawned" off on you and you get to be the "lucky" person to take care of them. Helping is going to visit someone and running errands for them or watching the kids for a few hours at a time. It shouldn't mean having to play the role of primary caretaker IMO. That's why I was afraid I'd sound callous, but that's the way I see it.

Anyways, not trying to argue and your points are well taken. I just wanted to clarify.

I know. I wasn't trying to criticize you, Neuro; I just wanted to offer an alternative POV. Things are never as simple as just doing what is best for oneself....well, at least they aren't if one wants to HAVE a family.

 

[juicybug]

I believe you will still be able to do well on the coming MCAT. By the time when the school starts, your situation will be like mine a year ago.
I did not start preparing for the April MCAT until February, I was taking 19 credits, I was doing research, I had a part time job, I was the president of a club..., but all these things did not stop me from getting a 37.
Take a review course if you intend to take the April MCAT. Even though I thought it was a waste of time to review some simple material, taking a course does force you to make extra time for MCAT. At least that's what I did.
Good luck~

 

[MedSchoolChica]

So my Grandmother went back to Canada today, 2 weeks earlier than planned, because her health is unforuntately deteriorating. There's a week left before the Spring semester starts, and I didn't get done nearly as much as I think I needed to. But, I reduced my course load, and will try my best to not delay MCAT and applying by a year. I'm thinking I may take it in May or June. I don't have the money to pay for a review course, but with alot of work and dedication anything is possible, right? LOL I want to thank everyone once again for their advice and support when I needed it. So, thanks!

 

[ThatOne]

I am sorry to hear about the difficult times your family is facing.

If you want some encouragement about not taking a review course, I think those are often over-rated -- but it also depends on how you study. For example I get bored if material I'm already familiar with is being reviewed, only to realize that the material I needed to polish up got covered while I was zoning out. I found that some good review books and a strict schedule of time set aside really helped me out. Also, timed practice tests made as realistic as possible every Saturday morning.

Good luck!