Need Some Advice As a Pre-Pre-Med

[Nascent]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I'm a soon-to-be pre-med student. Theoretically, what is the best possible resume to ensure my acceptance into medical school: what specific volunteer activities, clubs, and courses? (besides the basic reqs.) I've heard that studying for the MCAT is not useful until junior year; is this true, and should I have less volunteer work/courses during those latter years for more time to practice the MCAT? And, lastly, is a ~4.0 at a lower tier school valued more than a ~3.7 at a higher tier school?

 

[red doctober]

Relax. Take necessary freshman classes for your major. Do well and don't worry so much about extracurriculars.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Buy an MCAT review book and start studying NOW

You're already behind and if you don't act soon it'll be the Carib for you.

 

[red doctober]

Are there even prep books out yet for the new MCAT?

 

[Nascent]

Did you guys just stop reading as soon as I said "soon-to-be pre-med" or....? I'm looking for some serious advice from those who already walked the path.

 

[red doctober]

Yes I read, and my advice for you is to not dig yourself into a hole freshman year. Just concentrate on getting a decent gpa, and A's in any prereq courses (chem, phys, or bio). College is very different from high school, and you may find that you'll have to try much harder/adapt to get good grades. Save the ECs and the MCAT for a later date. I'm not going to answer your last question because it has been discussed ad nauseum on this forum. The search function is your friend.

 

[Benedictus123]

If you don't already have the Calvin Cycle committed to memory, you might as well give up now.

 

[scruggs92]

Just make sure you get good grades your freshman year. That's the most important thing in the beginning.

 

[sector9]

Thread moved to hSDN

 

[Shinobiz11]

Shadow....Shadow...Shadow...

 

[cincincyreds]

I'm a soon-to-be pre-med student. Theoretically, what is the best possible resume to ensure my acceptance into medical school: what specific volunteer activities, clubs, and courses? (besides the basic reqs.) I've heard that studying for the MCAT is not useful until junior year; is this true, and should I have less volunteer work/courses during those latter years for more time to practice the MCAT? And, lastly, is a ~4.0 at a lower tier school valued more than a ~3.7 at a higher tier school?

The least you need are #1) at least a 3.5 GPA overall and science and #2) a 30 or higher on the MCAT with at least 10 on each section. Then a couple of volunteer and club activities and you will get into some US med school.

What this means is don't go overboard taking the toughest classes and ending up with a low GPA. Study for the MCAT ASAP. It is a tough exam. To get a 30 on the MCAT which is the magic score, you will have to do better than 80% of the people who take the exam. Best of luck.

 

[PTPoeny]

Do something you are passionate about. Volunteer to teach boy scouts how to tie knots, start a knitting club at your school, whatever, just do something you really enjoy.

Don't worry about the MCAT at this point. It really isn't that hard, just study in your bio classes.

 

[Hillo]

IMO, go to the cheaper university unless one significantly gives more opportunities to better your application.