Is it worth it?

[neuroasp]

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I want to apply to medical school next year...with the timeline that I have planned I will be finishing my last med school prereqs over the summer next year. The issue is the school where I'm taking my prereqs require that students be done in the spring to get the committee letter. I don't want to risk not getting in over this letter service at the school, especially when I may have a shot to get in somewhere (why put it off right??)

I have been earning 32s on my practice MCATS
I have over a year of consistent clinical shadowing experience with a pretty well known neurologist at Johns Hopkins (including direct patient contact).
I have been involved with a community outreach program with Hopkins along with a plethora of community service at my alma mater in NC.
I have worked on 6 research projects simultaneously while at Hopkins also.

I'm aiming for my BCPM gpa to be around a 3.8 and AO is around a 3.4. If I apply I wouldn't have taken biochemistry either (idk if that is such a huge deal either.)

All in all I think my application would be pretty decent by the next application cycle I'm just not sure if it's strong enough for most schools to overlook the fact that I did not get a committee letter from a school that if I postponed applying for a year I would receive. I also don't want to waste money sending off applications just to be rejected because of a committee letter.

Any thoughts???

 

[Mornhavon]

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[Josh7]

Any thoughts on what

 

[neuroasp]

Any thoughts on what

whether or not I apply or wait an additional year just for the committee letter.

 

[boshtrich]

If you get all the necessary LORs I would just apply without a committee letter. Having or not having a committee letter will not have a huge impact on whether you get accepted or not.

Also, is it just me, or is anyone else bothered when people say MCATS. It's only one test, there are not multiple medical college admission tests. Nobody calls the board exams the USMLES (even though in this case there are multiple tests), why is the MCAT any different.

 

[Josh7]

whether or not I apply or wait an additional year just for the committee letter.

Why not discuss it with your school's committee? This seems like an exception that they should be willing to make.

 

[neuroasp]

Why not discuss it with your school's committee? This seems like an exception that they should be willing to make.

I've spoken with them about it once and they gave the impression that the deadline is so strict to keep the number of committee letters they have to write from rising from upwards of 450 to going to over 600. And if they bend the rules for me what's stopping them from doing it for everyone else in my shoes at the school. It seems disheartening to have to put school off an additional year (i've been out of undergrad since 2011) to apply to medical school for the 2015 year, especially if I have a good shot at getting in without the letter.

 

[SnowyRox]

And there's absolutely no way you can squeeze your remaining pre-requisite courses into next school year? Other than the Chem series, there's not much that you can't take simultaneously.