MCAT and Physics Timing Helppppp!

[cceph11]

Hi all,

I'm in a bit of an unusual situation with the regards to the timeline of my applications and wanted to see if I could get some feedback. I graduated from undergrad in June of 2011 and was initially planning to take 2 years off before going back to medical school. I went to an elite school in the northeast and graduated with a cumuluative gpa of 3.3 and a science gpa of 3.5. I was also a four year varsity athlete and worked as a TA and a peer tutor in the biology department (my major). I didn't decide to be premed or a biology major until the end of my sophomore year so I crammed in all my prereqs, with the exception of physics, during my last 2 years. It was very intense and, that on top of my athletic commitments, definitely had an impact on my GPA. I'm currently taking Physics and working at the medical school where I hope to attend. I'm from Texas originally so looking to attend school there.

I will finish my second semester of physics in the middle of July. My school has a reputation for doing quite well with medical school admissions but our premed counselor is notorious for having a very one dimensional perspective regarding the application process. She is not someone who will tell you there are many ways to get into medical school - it her way or nothing. I have been strongly advised by her to wait until I have finished second semester Physics to take my MCAT and then submit applications then. My concern is that this means my application won't be processed until August. So, I have a couple of questions.

First, what are everyone's thoughts on taking the MCAT before taking 2nd semester Physics? I tend to be a strong test taker (2300 SAT) and would obviously study up beforehand... is this a terrible idea? Would the risk be worth it if I score well (aiming for 35+) and get my applications in earlier? How does my being from Texas impact this?

Second, am I going to be at a big disadvantage if my application isn't totally complete until August? Given that my GPA is a little lower than I'd like I know its important to submit early. Does the fact that I went to a "big name" (sorry, I hate to harp on this) school for undergrad help me?

Third, for anyone with insight into Texas schools... does the fact that I'm currently doing research at the medical school I would love to attend help me at all? I should have a great letter of rec from my boss who is on the faculty there and I interact daily with many of the surgeons in the emergency department.

Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
oacEph11 New Member

Posts: 1Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 4:22 pm

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[GoodNoise]

First of all, you seem to have a solid head on your shoulders. You've got a good understanding of what you need to do and how to do it. This is very good. You're clearly realistic. Also, you seem to be humble, since you clearly don't want to flaunt that you're from a top-tier school, but you also want to know if that will help your chances. I'll try to address that.

I was in a similar situation to you in that I didn't decide that I wanted to go to medical school until my sophomore year. I rushed to get it done and on the "correct timeline" as everyone else in my class. I can tell you from firsthand experience that I now believe that was a mistake.

The number one thing anyone will tell you from nearly every pre-med department in the country is GET YOUR APPLICATION IN AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. This cannot be emphasized enough.

Let me start by saying I had a similar GPA and SGPA to you at the time I applied +/- 0.1.

Like I said, I didn't take my department's advice and, for me, when Sept. 2009 rolled around and I literally said this to my advisor: "Nahhhh, I'll just take my chances, you all don't know what you're talking about, there are always outliers. I've been an outlier my whole life." Being the sweet woman she is she said, "Okay, I'll do my best to help you get there."

Realistically put: NO. It's rare that there are ever outliers and you can't assume you will be one. Especially when applying to medical school.

Unless you have a 4.0 from an ivy league and a 40+ MCAT and have the personality of Brian Williams, you WILL NOT get into an allopathic school if you apply anywhere from August (even July) 2012 or later in the application cycle. You may get waitlisted, you may even get accepted once classes officially start the next August (due to someone throwing up during their first anatomy lab and quitting medical school all together)...but seriously, don't hold your breath.

Think about it logically: it makes sense that since it's a rolling admissions process and medical schools fill their classes as they go on that one would have much less of a chance getting accepted if one were to apply late in the application cycle than if one were to apply when more spots are open early in the cycle.

Secondly, taking the MCAT is something I did more or less on a whim. Huge mistake. During my junior year I took a Kaplan course for 3 months. I got overwhelmed with finals, etc. and decided I would postpone my application a year (the smart decision)...unfortunately, as implied above, I changed my mind about that later in the summer and decided to take the MCAT in Sept. and still apply within that application cycle. Long story short, I was 2 months removed from studying and did horribly on the exam. While this is not quite the same situation as you, since I had completed all my pre-req classes, I still do not recommend it. A quick read of SN2ed's posts and everyone else's testimonials should tell you "Hey cceph11 you really really REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY should study for a minimum of 3 months of concentrated studying to do well on the MCAT exam. Also, use TBR."

I agree with this also. I did not find out about SDN until after I got rejected through my first application cycle. Long story short, I took the next year off, dedicated 4 months to SN2ed's study plan, took it this past Jan. and I am currently waiting for my scores and hopefully will apply and get accepted this upcoming cycle.

There is no need to rush. The best advice I ever received was from an upper classman in my department who said "Don't take the MCAT until you're ready, and just take a year off, man." I didn't listen to that advice. At all. Of course, now I wish I had. Coincidentally, though, we had a tragedy in the family that would have been impossible to take care of had I been in medical school. Funny how these things work out (although that's not really here nor there haha)

The whole experience was humbling.

tl;dr - Don't take the MCAT unless you study for 3+ dedicated months / DO NOT apply later than June if you want to have a chance of getting in...unless you're Brian Williams

Hope that helps in some way shape or form. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.