Is it possible to take classes the summer between junior and senior year while I am applying to medical school?

[deleted937918]

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I am currently about to start my junior year. I'm taking the MCAT next April and will be applying for medical school in summer 2020. To make my course loads during my junior and senior years a little easier, I was wanting to take 9-12 credit hours of non-science classes during the summer between them. I haven't really been able to find a good explanation of how time-consuming applying for medical school is with essays and all that. Could I do these classes or should I try to devote as much time to applying as possible?

 

[Dr. Let 'er Buck]

I applied to about a dozen school only, and it was honestly a full time job. I did it while taking a 14 credit semester and it was a real hastle fitting everything in.

Of course there is the AMCAS you have to fill out which includes transcripts and letters of reference. This takes some time to complete.

The big killer of time is the secondaries. Lots and lots of typing this, submitting that, taking the Casper test, etc. Also, have you ever done the summer courses? Generally they try to cram a semester worth of material into your brain in less than half the time. Taking 12ish credits over the summer seems sucky to me.

Doable.....ya, it is. But if you apply to more than a dozen schools (some folks apply to 30!!) it could be very hard to get coursework done and still do a satisfactory job on the secondaries. The writing in them is critical to getting an interview. Folks who blow off the secondaries or rush them seem to regret it later on.

 

[deleted937918]

I applied to about a dozen school only, and it was honestly a full time job. I did it while taking a 14 credit semester and it was a real hastle fitting everything in.

Of course there is the AMCAS you have to fill out which includes transcripts and letters of reference. This takes some time to complete.

The big killer of time is the secondaries. Lots and lots of typing this, submitting that, taking the Casper test, etc. Also, have you ever done the summer courses? Generally they try to cram a semester worth of material into your brain in less than half the time. Taking 12ish credits over the summer seems sucky to me.

Doable.....ya, it is. But if you apply to more than a dozen schools (some folks apply to 30!!) it could be very hard to get coursework done and still do a satisfactory job on the secondaries. The writing in them is critical to getting an interview. Folks who blow off the secondaries or rush them seem to regret it later on.

I have done this same level of summer classes before. As I said, it isn't science, so it isn't going to be that crazy. These courses are more along the lines of busy work. I'm only doing them to fulfill my major requirements. The classes include stuff like leadership, communication, and ethics.

 

[deleted804295]

I anticipated travelling and getting a full time job and all I can say is I'm happy I didn't get a full time job. It takes me around 8-10 hours per day doing this and balancing it on top of my research is exhausting.

 

[sadpremed121]

I’ve been working full time in a lab and applying to med school. I honestly feel like I still have so much free time. Each person is different I guess. Depends on how efficient you are.

 

[Westfound]

Im taking summer classes right now, and I prioritized secondaries, but I'm going to get a B in a history class because I just didn't have the time to read everything that was tested.

 

[Cornfed101]

I’m not sure why it takes so much time from everyone, but to each their own. I applied to 35 schools and I work full time and volunteer and I still have plenty of time with family. Just spread stuff out. I prewrote most of my secondaries, and it really wasn’t bad (all my secondaries are in)

 

[sadpremed121]

I’m not sure why it takes so much time from everyone, but to each their own. I applied to 35 schools and I work full time and volunteer and I still have plenty of time with family. Just spread stuff out. I prewrote most of my secondaries, and it really wasn’t bad (all my secondaries are in)

Ya i agree. It definitely didn’t feel like applying to med school was a full time job.

 

[deleted993489]

I’m not sure why it takes so much time from everyone, but to each their own. I applied to 35 schools and I work full time and volunteer and I still have plenty of time with family. Just spread stuff out. I prewrote most of my secondaries, and it really wasn’t bad (all my secondaries are in)

I definitely agree. I work full time, volunteer 5-10 hours a week and I didn’t think it was ridiculous to apply on top of this.

 

[Agentcross]

I took three this summer. One of which was biochem. Difficult but doable