Intensive undergraduate for 5 years rather than 4?

[j814wong]

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How good of an option is this assuming I can reasonably afford it? I plan to do plenty of extracurriculars such as volunteering at a hospital, volunteer EMT, research, sports (cycling or fencing), and non-academic extracurriculars.

With the 2015 MCATs (Just in time for my junior year in college. Yikes) They'll be added topics in biochemistry, psychology, and sociology and this adds quite a bit of courses that one must take to hope to do well on the MCAT without only self study. I also read that genetics and physiology courses are helpful for the MCAT.

If I were to space my education in college to 5 years, I would be less stressed out and this may even allow me more freedom of other courses to take.

If this be the case, when should I be taking the MCATs and applying to medical school? Will it be like the normal application timeline but with an extra year in front?

 

[Mako555]

any extra time spent on education should be for forward progression, not treading water. If you get done in 5 years what others do in 4, schools will notice. If you get a degree done in 4 years, there is no point to sticking around. Just work hard to get a good gpa in 4 years. there is no way around it.

its good that you are thinking of ways to improve your chances, but unfortunately the only real way to do that is hard work.

 

[Caesar]

I did UG in 5 years. No one cared. I had better research experience because of it, a higher GPA and a better MCAT. Never once came up that I was in college for 5 years.

 

[bananapancake33]

I'm in a fifth year right now and no one has brought it up in the four interviews I went to. The extra year absolutely helped me improve my ECs and made me a stronger candidate. Additionally, I rearranged my schedule so that I would have easier classes now, which has kept me from drowning in work/stress while being gone for interview.

Take the MCAT as soon as you can after taking all the pre-reqs. Make sure you give yourself a few months to focus on studying. Since your MCAT score is good for 3 years at most places, you'll have plenty of time to get in. Plus, if you take it earlier, you also have the opportunity to retake the test if you aren't happy with your score. I didn't leave enough time prior to my application so I had to apply with a much lower score than I wanted.

As for when to apply: if you have a committee, start meeting with your pre-med advisor now to make sure you're on the right track. If you need to submit a committee application, start preparing your materials at least a month in advance. Some committees go over applicants on a first-come, first-serve basis, which means you should turn in your committee application at least a few days before the deadline. Make sure you turn in your primary application in June in the summer between your fourth and fifth years!! And make sure you turn in secondaries in a timely manner as well.

Good luck!

 

[j814wong]

Thanks for the advice and help everyone. I'll keep them in mind. I won't simply be spreading 4 year work to 5 years. I plan to do plenty of extracurriculars and with the spacing of 5 years, I'll have more time to focus and enjoy them then simply getting them done just for the record.

 

[GoBriightly]

I did UG in 5 years. No one cared. I had better research experience because of it, a higher GPA and a better MCAT. Never once came up that I was in college for 5 years.

Exactly what I've experienced. I think I'm doing better this cycle than I woul have done had I not taken 5 years. I have been asked a couple of times why 5 years, but always been complimented on my maturity for knowing not to overwhelm myself.

 

[LaurenMarie]

A lot of people (in California at least) can't graduate in 4 years. At CA community colleges and CSUs it has been crazy difficult to get the classes you need. Gen chem and intro bio are some of the hardest classes to get into. I'll be graduating in 5 years because of the class impactions, and I would be appalled if they looked down upon it.

 

[RCPreMD]

A lot of people (in California at least) can't graduate in 4 years. At CA community colleges and CSUs it has been crazy difficult to get the classes you need. Gen chem and intro bio are some of the hardest classes to get into. I'll be graduating in 5 years because of the class impactions, and I would be appalled if they looked down upon it.

it is ridiculous how impacted the classes all over Los Angeles, if you dont have an in with faculty or play sports you will end up waiting a year for 1 class. and in the mean time half way through the class 50% of the students have dropped....

 

[plumhill]

Agree with some of the posters; I've recently decided to take an extra year to finish up two theses and space out my classes more, and I feel a LOT better about finishing up school. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you're 21 or 22 (or whatever other age) when you graduate...

 

[j814wong]

Thanks for the advice and your experiences. If I can afford it, I'll definitely take 5 years.