Hello all!!!
I am new to this forum and hope you could help me. I am a Sophmore in college, who is looking forward to becomin a DO. My goal is to graduate one year early....so instead of graduating in 09, i am hoping to graduate in May of 08. When would I start my med school apps for the class that starts in fall of 2008?
I have a 3.4 GPA and i have yet to take the MCAT. I am planning on taking it this Sept. I still havn't taken my Physics I or II. I am planning on taking physics this coming fall. Do you think if i just take an MCAT review corse, i will be set for the MCAT physics part?
Hold your horses, Pilgrim! In my opinion, there's rarely any advantage to graduating early, although this topic has been highly debated. You can use that extra year to round out your EC's and raise your GPA (the higher your GPA, the better). You will be more competitive, in my opinion, if you wait a little longer. Remember that adcomms consider maturity and the length of time you are involved in your EC's. Consider your decision with care and don't rush. Take your time, do things properly, because it's a long, arduous, road ahead. If do decide to go ahead, make sure you don't make any compromises that could hinder your application process.
For a Fall 2008 matriculation, you would need to apply this year, starting in June, 2007. You would need to complete all prerequisites by the Spring semester before your matriculation at the latest, which it sounds like you are set to do. The MCAT is now offered 22 times a year. You decide when you want to take them, but I strongly caution against taking the MCAT without having taken all of your prerequisites. If applying for 2008, I'd suggest taking the MCAT in April at the latest to get the early bird special. The earlier you are complete at the schools, the better.
Review classes aren't what they are cracked up to be. They just force you to study and provide you with full-length tests under real conditions. You will need to put in the leg-work. If you haven't taken physics, you've got your work cut out for you. You've got a lot of studying to do. I'm not saying it's impossible, but if you've got an extra year, why rush when you can take your time to take physics in school and study for the MCAT properly? There's no need to make things more difficult for yourself, just to gain one year. Think about it. If you decide to go ahead, you may want to hire a tutor or something to provide extra support for physics. Do as many problems as you can and try to apply the concepts and equations in various different way.