My plan, any tips?

[Skivar6410]

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I am currently a freshman at De Anza community college. I started off majoring in Computer Science, but after thinking about it and talking to some mentor figures I realized I wanted to pursue my childhood dream of becoming a doctor. At the moment the main specialties I am considering are: Cardiovascular Disease, and Family Practice.

As of right now my plan is:
- Transfer to UC Davis in fall 2016 via a TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee).
- Spend 3 years at UC Davis.
- Graduate UC Davis in 2019 with degrees in:

1. Computer Science BS
2. BioTechnology BS
3. Minor: BioMedical Engineering

If I continue my current trend I'm guessing i'll have a GPA between 3.5 ~ 3.7 by the time I graduate from Davis in 2019.
Question 1: College wise do I have a solid plan? Is there anything more ya'll recommend I do in the school setting that will better prepare me for medical school and by extension the job itself?

For stuff outside of college I plan to get some certifications in:
- EKG Technicians
- CPR
- First Aide
- Medication Aide
I would register for these via this site: http://www.careonehealth.org/
Question 2: Are these certifications good to have and will they help my application stand out?

For job experience I was thinking to use the EKG Technician certification to work part time while in school and hopefully gain a lot of knowledge about the heart while on the field.
Question 3: Is this a good way to gain experience to ready myself or would I be better off volunteering?

I noticed while I was doing research the MCAT can only be taken 7 times in a lifetime.
Question 4: Are there any books that you guys recommend as study aides?
Question 5: Is there any way to take the MCAT more then 7 times or is it a hard limit?

Medical school takes a while and I would prefer not to be away from my family for extended periods of time.
Question 6: What are some good and/or eas(ier) to get into medical schools in the San Jose/San Francisco area?

Thank you everyone in advance for the advice 🙂

 

[AlteredScale]

College wise do I have a solid plan? Is there anything more ya'll recommend I do in the school setting that will better prepare me for medical school and by extension the job itself?

As long as you can do good in your dual major then go for it. If you can't hold your projected GPA then drop one of your majors. Better to do well in one degree then medicore in two. You aren't wooing AdComs as much as you think by having two degrees, there is always a chance they will another application right next to yours that was a triple major at MIT.

Take immunology, endocrinology, pharmacology, anatomy, physiology, histology courses if they are provided at UC Davis for undergrad. That will help you with the language of medical school but won't give you some sort of upper edge.

Are these certifications good to have and will they help my application stand out?

They are good to have. It's not going to make you stand our. Every other applicant has these certs.

Is this a good way to gain experience to ready myself or would I be better off volunteering?

You need to volunteer. A jobs a job. Volunteering and providing yourself as a service for your community is well perceived in admissions.

Question 4: Are there any books that you guys recommend as study aides?
Question 5: Is there any way to take the MCAT more then 7 times or is it a hard limit?

TBR, Princeton Review, and Exam Krackers
You may take the MCAT 3 times per year. There is no limit.

Question 6: What are some good and/or eas(ier) to get into medical schools in the San Jose/San Francisco area?

There are no easy schools to get into in CA. Even Western and Touro are difficult to gain admissions to. Try Touro-Nevada next door.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

1) Whatever major(s) you have are fine. I personally know someone who had an english undergrad degree and thats it, graduated from a state MD school a couple years back. Just do well in your courses, thats all that matters.

2) Nope, not at all. Clinical experience is nice though with the medication aid. But personally I think scribing is the ay to go. Any kind of patient contact will definitely the application though.

3) Experience is better than volunteering, in my humble opinion. It helps the app and it helps your maturity in life. Doesnt hurt to have a mix of work and volunteer experiences. I worked as an MA, and then volunteering cooking in a homeless shelter, simply because I like cooking breakfast foods haha. Volunteering is basically required, but some people combined volunteer and clinical experience to get two birds with one stone.

4) You will 100% not need to take the MCAT 7 times haha... If you do, then after tries 1-4 you should have a clear message that the path is not for you. Just take it once. Take some time and do your research on the best path for studying. Put the time in that it deserves, and take it one time. That is the best approach to it. Do not take it until all of the pre-requisite courses are taken.

5) again, its hard not to chuckle at this.

6) Get good grades, get a good MCAT score.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

Realistically, most of your plans should be very soft plans, not set in stone. Just enjoy school and do well. Try and slowly work in some volunteering and various other experiences such as clinical work or research. Come back to here 2 or 3 years from now when you are looking for solid MCAT study methods. Its best to not spend too much time lurking on here when you are this early in the path. People can get pretty freaking neurotic by following some of the insane advice given on these forums. I would honestly suggest to step away from SDN until you are really at the point where medical school is a little closer. Otherwise you can go down a black hole of trying to compete with people, and you end up a gunner.

Just enjoy the ride and be open to any experiences that come your way.

 

[AlteredScale]

1) everything that awesome sauceome said. 😉

 

[Skivar6410]

Hey thanks for the replies! I can't promise i'll stay 100% away from SDN 😛 But I won't get too caught up in the competitive aspect like you guys are saying and make sure to enjoy the ride. Everything said makes sense so i've got a more clear picture now of what I gotta do.