Just decided I want to go to Med School in Senior year of college

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mushedcupcake

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I am finishing my B.S. in biochemistry this year and realized after doing a lot of undergraduate research and an internship at a biotech company that I think I may be interested in going into medicine. I will be shadowing a doctor in two weeks to see if I am interested since at this point in time my reasons I want to be a doctor are too long and drawn out and irrelevant.

What should I do to possibly apply for next fall.

I have not taken my MCAT, I have a 4.0 GPA as of right now as a junior and I have completed all my prereqs since they were required for my major. I also have a lot of research experience, but I have no volunteer or shadowing experience. I want to get the most out of this year but I still have to do school and my research and finish my thesis so that may take up a significant chunk of time.

I know I need clinical experience but how much is enough and which is the best. Is it worth becoming an EMT at this point, or should I stick with volunteer work in a hospital/clinic?

When should I take my MCAT? I would prefer to not have to study for it while I'm in school since I want to commit to it but would it be too late to start studying in May in hopes to take it in August?

What else should I do?!?!

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If you want to apply next cycle then you're going to want to take the MCAT before August. You should take the July exam but submit amcas on day one (submit state school and reach). You should not worry about an EMT at this point and instead focus on keeping your 4.0 and doing some volunteer work. Shadow once a week. You have plenty of time for ECs. Good luck.
 
If you want to apply next cycle then you're going to want to take the MCAT before August. You should take the July exam but submit amcas on day one (submit state school and reach). You should not worry about an EMT at this point and instead focus on keeping your 4.0 and doing some volunteer work. Shadow once a week. You have plenty of time for ECs. Good luck.

+1 to this. Junior year, you can easily volunteer. Look for a hospital that'll let you volunteer 3 - 6 hours a week (varies upon how much you want to do). Also, start calling doctors to let them shadow you. Maybe look into non-clinical volunteering to also add some diversity.

And make sure you keep doing your research and hopefully you can be published.

Most of all, KEEP that 4.0. Knock that MCAT out of the park (33+) and you should be fine and dandy for most schools.
 
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I am finishing my B.S. in biochemistry this year and realized after doing a lot of undergraduate research and an internship at a biotech company that I think I may be interested in going into medicine. I will be shadowing a doctor in two weeks to see if I am interested since at this point in time my reasons I want to be a doctor are too long and drawn out and irrelevant.

What should I do to possibly apply for next fall.

I have not taken my MCAT, I have a 4.0 GPA as of right now as a junior and I have completed all my prereqs since they were required for my major. I also have a lot of research experience, but I have no volunteer or shadowing experience. I want to get the most out of this year but I still have to do school and my research and finish my thesis so that may take up a significant chunk of time.

I know I need clinical experience but how much is enough and which is the best. Is it worth becoming an EMT at this point, or should I stick with volunteer work in a hospital/clinic?

When should I take my MCAT? I would prefer to not have to study for it while I'm in school since I want to commit to it but would it be too late to start studying in May in hopes to take it in August?

What else should I do?!?!

Be aware that the MCAT is changing in 2015. You might want to compare the subjects on the current test with those on the 2015 test to decide when you should take it. If you want to take the 2014 test, prepare early in case you need to postpone, as many responsible intelligent people do!
 
If your school has a pre-med society or club, seek them out. Also contact the pre-professional advisors.

You will need to do some patient contact volunteering, as well as shadowing, plus some other volunteering to show your humanism and altruism. This website is a great resource.


What should I do to possibly apply for next fall.


About 100 hrs volunteering with patients. Either EMT or volunteering is fine.

I know I need clinical experience but how much is enough and which is the best. Is it worth becoming an EMT at this point, or should I stick with volunteer work in a hospital/clinic?


When you're fully ready. August will be too late int he cycle (for mD schools, you should be good to go by June)

When should I take my MCAT? I would prefer to not have to study for it while I'm in school since I want to commit to it but would it be too late to start studying in May in hopes to take it in August?

What else should I do?!?![/QUOTE]
 
As posted above, Let me reassure you that it is not necessary to get an occupation in the health field.

Try to obtain "meaningful" clinical exposure that allows you to hold a conversation of how your clinical experience(s) helped you realize that medicine is the right path for you. If you can relay this message in a brief, interesting, and intelligent manner, it will greatly be to your advantage.

Volunteering at the hospital is just one method - many students shadow at local clinics as well.
However, you can also look for opportunities to have a more active role.

When I was in atlanta, the local HIV clinic allowed volunteers to become HIV counselors and testers - this was very meaningful because it exposed me to working with actual patients, interviewing them, providing counseling, following HIPPA guidelines, and administering an actual medical test. It also allowed me to relay both good and bad news to patients. You can only imagine the plethora of interesting stories that came from that experience.

The key to MCAT / USMLE Step exams / Specialty Board Exams:
1) studying efficiently, reassessing the quality of your studying and streamlining
2) repetition, repetition, repetition
3) lots and lots of practice questions with a thorough review to understand what you missed and why
4) a solid foundation in the basics
5) realizing that you are human and not a machine - so take multiple short study breaks or a day off here and there
 
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