MCAT advice

[Jbunny]

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Hey guys,

I'm a non trad looking to apply to DO programs. I already have a bachelor's in Radiation therapy in 2009 but I never had to take any Organic Chem classes, except for a combination Organic/biochem class I took at a local community college about 2 years ago. My AACOMAS GPA is ns3.07/s3.15/c3.11

Most of the advice I've gotten is to wait, take the organic sequence and another 20-30 credits to bring up my GPA, then take the MCAT and THEN apply, which would mean I'm looking at fall 2016 to start med school. (I'll be 33!)

Any one else feel like applying a whole year in advance is a bit crazy?! I really want to minimize this time as much as possible. I'm already planning on taking Orgo I in the winter semester and another bio class like Cell biology or Genetics. I want to take the MCAT in the spring of 2014, Take Organic II in the summer semester and apply to Post Bacc programs in June like LMU or LECOM.

Does this seem like an impossible plan? Any advice/input is appreciated!

 

[battousai]

Since you're applying DO, you should take advantage of grade replacement; you can retake some of the classes you did poorly in and your GPA should improve more than if you took an extra 30 credits.

Additionally, you should take Orgo before you take your MCAT. Most of what's on the MCAT is Orgo 1, you can take it after that (I would recommend taking both classes first though).

Finally, it's really hard to evaluate your chances without an MCAT score, so once that piece of the puzzle is there, come back and we'd be happy to help.

 

[Escape_Goat]

The year long app cycle is a necessary evil given that each school receives thousands of applications to go through to fill those precious few spots.

Have you taken the other core prereqs already? If so, your time until applying could be shorter.

Oh, and by the way, ain't nothing wrong with starting med school at 33 (or in my case, 34).

 

[mspeedwagon]

33 isn't old. I'm 30 and looking at starting at 32 in 2015 if all goes according to plan. From experience, don't rush things... it'll only come back to bite you. Take all the pre-reqs before the MCAT. Bring your GPA up. Budget 6 months to study for the MCAT and score the best you possibly can. Then, apply directly to medical school with a strong application in 2015 (not to a post-bac). 2016 will be here before you know it.

 

[Jbunny]

Thanks everybody. I guess I have some pretty big decisions to make.

 

[Goro]

It's a good plan, and you'll be fine. Some of my all-time best students ever were in their 30s.

Hey guys,

I'm a non trad looking to apply to DO programs. I already have a bachelor's in Radiation therapy in 2009 but I never had to take any Organic Chem classes, except for a combination Organic/biochem class I took at a local community college about 2 years ago. My AACOMAS GPA is ns3.07/s3.15/c3.11

Most of the advice I've gotten is to wait, take the organic sequence and another 20-30 credits to bring up my GPA, then take the MCAT and THEN apply, which would mean I'm looking at fall 2016 to start med school. (I'll be 33!)

Any one else feel like applying a whole year in advance is a bit crazy?! I really want to minimize this time as much as possible. I'm already planning on taking Orgo I in the winter semester and another bio class like Cell biology or Genetics. I want to take the MCAT in the spring of 2014, Take Organic II in the summer semester and apply to Post Bacc programs in June like LMU or LECOM.

Does this seem like an impossible plan? Any advice/input is appreciated!

 

[Dharma]

Hey guys,

I'm a non trad looking to apply to DO programs. I already have a bachelor's in Radiation therapy in 2009 but I never had to take any Organic Chem classes, except for a combination Organic/biochem class I took at a local community college about 2 years ago. My AACOMAS GPA is ns3.07/s3.15/c3.11

Most of the advice I've gotten is to wait, take the organic sequence and another 20-30 credits to bring up my GPA, then take the MCAT and THEN apply, which would mean I'm looking at fall 2016 to start med school. (I'll be 33!)

Any one else feel like applying a whole year in advance is a bit crazy?! I really want to minimize this time as much as possible. I'm already planning on taking Orgo I in the winter semester and another bio class like Cell biology or Genetics. I want to take the MCAT in the spring of 2014, Take Organic II in the summer semester and apply to Post Bacc programs in June like LMU or LECOM.

Does this seem like an impossible plan? Any advice/input is appreciated!

33 is not old! No worries there! So, don't rush the process. It's better to take two years doing it right then one rushing.

Since it's been a couple of years since taking harder science classes don't get too crazy with the schedule. Start slow if you must. The organic chem sequence is a must (and a tough one) so be sure to nail it. In fact, any class you take… go all out and do what you must to ace it. It's all A's from here on through. Know this!

MCAT. This is where your focus really needs to be. Some would say that when you study for it, it needs to receive all of your focus (without interruption). So, if you can set up your schedule so you can have a few months (3 would be nice) where you can focus most of your academic work directly towards MCAT prep, that would be optimal. Content is one thing (and a must), but it's all about practice questions. Timed practice passages… you need to get a whole bunch under your belt to be ready for that bad boy. Right after you read this, go look up Sn2'd's MCAT thread and start mapping out a plan of attack today (even if it's just preliminary it will give you an idea how much needs to go into it). If you nail the MCAT you will be set and it will widen your selection in terms of schools.

As far as post-baccs and SMP's go… those are back-up plans. Don't even worry about them yet. If you do everything right, you won't even need them (and if that's the case you won't even want them, because they are not easy and if you don't do well in those programs, you're pretty much done).

That's all I got. Stay positive. Work your tail off. You got this!