Medical School Application Question (Academic Fresh Start in TX)

[skeptastic]

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@gyngyn @Goro @gonnif @LizzyM

Quick question. We're moving to TX in June/July of next year and I am taking the Academic Fresh Start route. As an adcom, which of these options do you think is the wiser choice at the time of application:

1. Bachelor's degree earned, 63 credits completed under AFS (confirmed with all TX med schools 90 hours needed before matriculation, and competitive with previously earned Bachelor's), all prerequisites completed for all TMDSAS medical schools, admitted one year earlier if all goes well, solid shadowing hours, solid non-clinical volunteering hours, 1.5 to 2.5 years of paid clinical experience as a CNA, possible research

or

2. Bachelor's degree earned, 90+ credits completed under AFS, admitted one year later if all goes well, solid shadowing hours, an extra year of non-clinical volunteering hours, 3.5 years of paid clinical experience as a CNA, guaranteed research due to more time available


Is it worth saving the year, or should I take the extra year, given the above scenarios? I know there isn't a ton of detail but I'm just looking for an opinion based on the skeleton of what my app will look like.

Thanks for any advice or insight you can offer.

 

[gyngyn]

@wysdoc is in TX, I believe.

 

[wysdoc]

@wysdoc is in TX, I believe.

I don't have any experience with students using academic fresh start, but I found this thread by someone who has been through this process recently and posts quite a bit of detail about it. You might even message the OP on this thread. Hope this could help you, @skeptastic
Looking for some help with the Academic Fresh Start in Texas

 

[skeptastic]

I don't have any experience with students using academic fresh start, but I found this thread by someone who has been through this process recently and posts quite a bit of detail about it. You might even message the OP on this thread. Hope this could help you, @skeptastic
Looking for some help with the Academic Fresh Start in Texas

Oh yeah... I talk with that fella quite often! We're pretty much AFS brothers at this point, haha!

I'm aware of the rules and regulations regarding AFS. I was really just looking to see what adcoms on the site felt would be a better course of action, given the above two scenarios. There's not really a right or wrong... was just curious as to whether adcoms would say, "Take the extra year and beef up your app to better your chances" or "You've got proof of a degree and all the prerequisites done with enough EC's, so go ahead and apply and finish your remaining 30 credits before matriculating."

Sorry for any confusion.

 

[wysdoc]

Oh yeah... I talk with that fella quite often! We're pretty much AFS brothers at this point, haha!

I'm aware of the rules and regulations regarding AFS. I was really just looking to see what adcoms on the site felt would be a better course of action, given the above two scenarios. There's not really a right or wrong... was just curious as to whether adcoms would say, "Take the extra year and beef up your app to better your chances" or "You've got proof of a degree and all the prerequisites done with enough EC's, so go ahead and apply and finish your remaining 30 credits before matriculating."

Sorry for any confusion.

in your case do you need that year to work in Texas to establish your Texas residency?

 

[skeptastic]

in your case do you need that year to work in Texas to establish your Texas residency?

Great question! I actually don't, as I'll have already established it. Got the timing down and all. It really just boils down to whether the application will be solid enough to be competitive with all of the prerequisites completed but with the need to still knock out those final 30 credits. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be sort of a guinea pig, as my situation is fairly unique.

 

[skeptastic]

@esob

Of course, I'd be interested in what you think. You're going through somewhat of a similar scenario, though quite different as well. How would you personally feel if these were your two scenarios to choose from?

 

[esob]

I think what he was asking was how much more weight does 90 hrs post AFS carry Vs 63 hrs. That's really an adcom question but my thought is that if the option-1 of 63 hrs includes all the usual suspects when it comes to killing premed dreams (chem/ochem/physics/biochem) then another 30 hrs of fluffy upper division science classes won't really add much to the application assuming that the first 63 hrs was an excellent showing.

 

[prettyNURSEtoMD]

I did the academic Fresh start this cycle, if you have more questions just PM me


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[skeptastic]

I think what he was asking was how much more weight does 90 hrs post AFS carry Vs 63 hrs. That's really an adcom question but my thought is that if the option-1 of 63 hrs includes all the usual suspects when it comes to killing premed dreams (chem/ochem/physics/biochem) then another 30 hrs of fluffy upper division science classes won't really add much to the application assuming that the first 63 hrs was an excellent showing.

That's exactly what I was asking.