*my 2-YEAR PRE-MED school plan...*

[cee]

ok, i'm one of those "career changers" who has found their calling towards med school.. graduated in 2003 with a BA in economics, worked at a marketing firm for a year, back in school taking pre-reqs, etc.. blah blah blah.. i'm going to lay our my prereq schedule, but i need advice on (1) volunteering, (2) letters of recommendations, and (3) studying for the mcat. here's my schedule:

Fall 2004: Chem 1, Bio 1
Spring 2005: Chem 2, Bio 2
Summer 2005 (1st term): Physics 1
Summer 2005 (2nd term): Physics 2
Fall 2005: Organic Chem 1
Spring 2006: Organic Chem 2

knowing that organic is going to be hard, and knowing them i cant "get to it" until i finish gen chem, i saved it for my 2nd year.. now, as for the other stuff...

(1) volunteering- i was thinking about volunteering starting the spring of 2005, maybe summer (although summer classes are a bit intense) and maybe during organic chem 1 in the fall of 2005. i'm going to try, seeing i'm not taking any other class .. but what do you guys recommend?

(2) letters of recommendations- should i start collecting letters of recommendations now? it just seems a bit early for me, with everything thing being 1 year away.. and if i do, how do i make a "favorable impression" on my professors.. just see them during office hours?

(3) mcats- i plan on taking them FIRST in april of 2006, and august 2006 if necessary.. but i plan on taking an mcat class while i take organic chem 2 in the spring of 2006.. but they offer classes in the fall too.. should i take one in the fall and one in the spring?

the best advice i've heard is to "not rush the process".. but it would be all for not if i'm not prepared and on schedule with these coming 2 years.. if you guys have any recommendations, let me know

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[sdh516]

ok, i'm one of those "career changers" who has found their calling towards med school.. graduated in 2003 with a BA in economics, worked at a marketing firm for a year, back in school taking pre-reqs, etc.. blah blah blah.. i'm going to lay our my prereq schedule, but i need advice on (1) volunteering, (2) letters of recommendations, and (3) studying for the mcat. here's my schedule:

Fall 2004: Chem 1, Bio 1
Spring 2005: Chem 2, Bio 2
Summer 2005 (1st term): Physics 1
Summer 2005 (2nd term): Physics 2
Fall 2005: Organic Chem 1
Spring 2006: Organic Chem 2

knowing that organic is going to be hard, and knowing them i cant "get to it" until i finish gen chem, i saved it for my 2nd year.. now, as for the other stuff...

(1) volunteering- i was thinking about volunteering starting the spring of 2005, maybe summer (although summer classes are a bit intense) and maybe during organic chem 1 in the fall of 2005. i'm going to try, seeing i'm not taking any other class .. but what do you guys recommend?

(2) letters of recommendations- should i start collecting letters of recommendations now? it just seems a bit early for me, with everything thing being 1 year away.. and if i do, how do i make a "favorable impression" on my professors.. just see them during office hours?

(3) mcats- i plan on taking them FIRST in april of 2006, and august 2006 if necessary.. but i plan on taking an mcat class while i take organic chem 2 in the spring of 2006.. but they offer classes in the fall too.. should i take one in the fall and one in the spring?

the best advice i've heard is to "not rush the process".. but it would be all for not if i'm not prepared and on schedule with these coming 2 years.. if you guys have any recommendations, let me know

I think your schedule looks good...you might want to check into some schools that you are interested in going to, see if they require biochem or any other classes for admission.

I think if you take a prep class for the MCAT that spring you will be fine, no need to start studying so soon, unless you feel like you will need that much time.

Once you start your classes, just try to talk to your profs so that you can get the letters. You don't have to necessarily ask them right away, but make a good enough impression on them so that when you ask in a year, they will remember you and have something good to write.

Volunteer as soon as you feel comfortable with your schedule, and can fit it in. Don't try to overload yourself or get it all done in X time period. Better to take an easy pace, but get good grades and make good connections.

I hope this helps, pm me if you have any other questions that I might not have answered. I can give you more advice, but would rather not write an epic as a post.

 

[hyphencracy]

(1) volunteering- i was thinking about volunteering starting the spring of 2005, maybe summer (although summer classes are a bit intense) and maybe during organic chem 1 in the fall of 2005. i'm going to try, seeing i'm not taking any other class .. but what do you guys recommend?

sounds like a plan. BUT, seeing that you posted this in the pre-osteopathic forum, many osteopathic schools highly recommend or REQUIRE applicants to submit a letter of recommendation from a DO. so try to get shadowing in there too.

(2) letters of recommendations- should i start collecting letters of recommendations now? it just seems a bit early for me, with everything thing being 1 year away.. and if i do, how do i make a "favorable impression" on my professors.. just see them during office hours?

if you think your employer could give you a good letter of recommendation, i would get one of those. same goes with some of your business profs. BUT science letters will most likely carry more weight with most adcoms. so make it a point to really get to know your profs. favorable impression: devotion, hard work, courtesy. NOT brown-nosing. seeing them during office hours should be enough. the prof should feel like he/she really knows you. how are you getting your letters together? through your undergrad premed advising service? if not, interfolio/referencenow is a good alternative in most cases

(3) mcats- i plan on taking them FIRST in april of 2006, and august 2006 if necessary.. but i plan on taking an mcat class while i take organic chem 2 in the spring of 2006.. but they offer classes in the fall too.. should i take one in the fall and one in the spring?

don't take two MCAT classes. that would be expensive and probably unnecessary. just take one in the spring. if you have one that's an early-bird (e.g. November--> April) that's a better choice. if you can afford it, you could do it in fall and spring, but that's probably overkill. if you really want to start studying early, you can pick up some good materials from your bookstore for a reasonable price (e.g. Examkrackers 5th set, Kaplan Comprehensive review).

the best advice i've heard is to "not rush the process".. but it would be all for not if i'm not prepared and on schedule with these coming 2 years.. if you guys have any recommendations, let me know

your schedule sounds decent. however, the sure shot would be to do a formal postbac with a linkage agreement. but if you're going informal and you know what you're doing (seems like you have a good idea of what you're doing) you'll prolly be in good shape

 

[tllajd]

ok, i'm one of those "career changers" who has found their calling towards med school.. graduated in 2003 with a BA in economics, worked at a marketing firm for a year, back in school taking pre-reqs, etc.. blah blah blah.. i'm going to lay our my prereq schedule, but i need advice on (1) volunteering, (2) letters of recommendations, and (3) studying for the mcat. here's my schedule:

Fall 2004: Chem 1, Bio 1
Spring 2005: Chem 2, Bio 2
Summer 2005 (1st term): Physics 1
Summer 2005 (2nd term): Physics 2
Fall 2005: Organic Chem 1
Spring 2006: Organic Chem 2

knowing that organic is going to be hard, and knowing them i cant "get to it" until i finish gen chem, i saved it for my 2nd year.. now, as for the other stuff...

(1) volunteering- i was thinking about volunteering starting the spring of 2005, maybe summer (although summer classes are a bit intense) and maybe during organic chem 1 in the fall of 2005. i'm going to try, seeing i'm not taking any other class .. but what do you guys recommend?

(2) letters of recommendations- should i start collecting letters of recommendations now? it just seems a bit early for me, with everything thing being 1 year away.. and if i do, how do i make a "favorable impression" on my professors.. just see them during office hours?

(3) mcats- i plan on taking them FIRST in april of 2006, and august 2006 if necessary.. but i plan on taking an mcat class while i take organic chem 2 in the spring of 2006.. but they offer classes in the fall too.. should i take one in the fall and one in the spring?

the best advice i've heard is to "not rush the process".. but it would be all for not if i'm not prepared and on schedule with these coming 2 years.. if you guys have any recommendations, let me know

You make a good impression by being a good student, always turn your work in on time and sit in the front. You don't even have to be a straight A student-just a good student. Sometimes on breaks the instructor will "chat" with students up front. You would be sirprised at the instuctors who really want to help the good students who really want to learn and do well. Most instructors will be more than willing to help. Most of all, just be yourself and show a positive attitude. After about three quarters of the term then you can mention that you are interested in going to x school and they will really want to help you out. That way you have sort of proven yourself and made yourself known.

Just my thoughts.

 

[newyorkcougar]

Another important way to get good LOR's is to ask professors EARLY in the semester if they have any research/lab opportunities where you could volunteer. Working with them makes it easy to get to know them!

 

[OSUdoc08]

knowing that organic is going to be hard, and knowing them i cant "get to it" until i finish gen chem, i saved it for my 2nd year.. now, as for the other stuff...

ochem is way easier than physics and general chem

but then again i really hate math and i am a visual learner

 

[Shinken]

(2) letters of recommendations- should i start collecting letters of recommendations now? it just seems a bit early for me, with everything thing being 1 year away.. and if i do, how do i make a "favorable impression" on my professors.. just see them during office hours?

Good overall plan. Keep in mind, however, that many schools require letters of recommendation to be at the most a year old. If you collect letters now, they might not be recent enough when you apply (2006?). Good luck!

 

[kaikai128]

With the LOR thing...
When I was in undergraduate and had a professor who knew enough about me and I thought would write a good letter of reccomendation, I spoke to them at the point in time that I finished the class. I simply asked that at the point in time that I would be applying if they would be willing to give me a favorable reccomendation. Then, I MADE SURE I kept in contact with the professor until the point in time that I needed the letters. This seemed to work for me, and by the time I actually needed them to produce letters they all knew me quite well.

 

[Ypo.]

I'd say you are doing a great job. I would not advise taking a preparatory MCAT class both fall and spring. Do it for fall, and then if your scores are not what you want them to be-crack down on the areas you need work in during the summer. You are smart for taking it in April. I probably don't need to say that you should submit your AACOMAS app on June 1st.

Also, you prob know this already, but make appointments (can be over phone-in-person even better) with admissions advisors from your local medical schools, or even higher up (ass. deans), and other schools you are interested in. Attend recruiting events, make sure they know who you are and your interest in their school now. I can't emphasize enough how much this will help you understand what they are looking for, and give you an advantage towards getting accepted.

Yes, start a long-term volunteering experience-this will enable you to get some meaningul letters of rec. Also, start shadowing a DO, look on the AOA website to find one to shadow. If you can, observe some OMT. It would be most ideal if you can volunteer in a setting where DOs practice, then you can shadow and interact and get to know them over a two year time period.

Let your professors know your goals now;this way they'll be able to clearly write about your motivation and ability to follow through-your dedication and compassionate interests. Of course it would be good to work in research with one of them (research is a great thing to put on medical school apps), but if you don't have time, just find some way to develop good relationship with several science proffs. Get letters of rec from the ones you feel most comfortable with and that know the most about you.