Non-Trad: When to take MCAT and apply?

[knoxsdb]

I am finishing up my undergrad in December 2010 and will be done with my final pre-medical prereqs in the Spring 2011. My question is when should I take the MCAT? My thought is to take it Spring 2011 around May. Also, which application cycle would this put me in? When would I then apply?

Thank you in advance...

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[mspeedwagon]

Here is my timeline, which is somewhat similar to your mentioned dates.
- I'll have all my pre-reqs except Physics II by December.
- I will be taking a review course to help prepare for the May 2011 MCAT.
- In mid-June (as soon as I have my results), I'll be turning in my primary for both M.D. and D.O. schools.

So to answer your question, May is a good time to take the MCAT for you, since you'll have a few months to prepare. If you do so, you'd be applying for the Fall of 2012. Just remember to submit as early as you can.

I am finishing up my undergrad in December 2010 and will be done with my final pre-medical prereqs in the Spring 2011. My question is when should I take the MCAT? My thought is to take it Spring 2011 around May. Also, which application cycle would this put me in? When would I then apply?

Thank you in advance...

 

[knoxsdb]

Here is my timeline, which is somewhat similar to your mentioned dates.
- I'll have all my pre-reqs except Physics II by December.
- I will be taking a review course to help prepare for the May 2011 MCAT.
- In mid-June (as soon as I have my results), I'll be turning in my primary for both M.D. and D.O. schools.

So to answer your question, May is a good time to take the MCAT for you, since you'll have a few months to prepare. If you do so, you'd be applying for the Fall of 2012. Just remember to submit as early as you can.

Thank you. Are you applying early anywhere?

 

[mspeedwagon]

My situation is a tad bit complex. My girlfriend (second year med student), who I plan to get engaged to in the next year or so will be applying for residencies in the Summer/Fall of 2012. We are going to try and match our lists so she is applying to residencies in the same states I am applying to medical school. Unfortunately, I'm a California resident, so the state schools aren't going to be all that easy to ensure I can remain here.

Wherever my girlfriend has a residency match, assuming she has one somewhere before I apply, I will apply early and give preference to schools in that state.

Thank you. Are you applying early anywhere?

 

[knoxsdb]

My situation is a tad bit complex. My girlfriend (second year med student), who I plan to get engaged to in the next year or so will be applying for residencies in the Summer/Fall of 2012. We are going to try and match our lists so she is applying to residencies in the same states I am applying to medical school. Unfortunately, I'm a California resident, so the state schools aren't going to be all that easy to ensure I can remain here.

Wherever my girlfriend has a residency match, assuming she has one somewhere before I apply, I will apply early and give preference to schools in that state.

Very good and good luck to you both.

 

[ChE04]

My situation is a tad bit complex. My girlfriend (second year med student), who I plan to get engaged to in the next year or so will be applying for residencies in the Summer/Fall of 2012. We are going to try and match our lists so she is applying to residencies in the same states I am applying to medical school. Unfortunately, I'm a California resident, so the state schools aren't going to be all that easy to ensure I can remain here.

Wherever my girlfriend has a residency match, assuming she has one somewhere before I apply, I will apply early and give preference to schools in that state.

Off topic a little bit, but just wondering what does your girl think of you going to go to med school?

 

[mspeedwagon]

She has been very supportive. I met her just after she had failed to get into any US medical school the first time applying, so we went through that ride together and I supported her through that. Then second time around she got into school only in NY so we have had to make a long distance relationship work (she was wait-listed at a CA school, but that did not work out). Now, we're banking on being in the same state starting 2012. We still see each other quite a bit considering we live cross-country.

While I don't think it will be exciting for us in the short run (me in medical school, her doing her residency), I think we'll be happy in the long-term.

On a side-note, I swore I'd never marry someone in health care for many years... I guess you never know (there was another thread asking what profession you'd want your partner to be and it made me think about this).

Off topic a little bit, but just wondering what does your girl think of you going to go to med school?

 

[studeDO2b]

I am so glad for this thread, I need a little help, if you don't mind.
I did my first year in online courses, pre-req stuff, and saved all the 'heavy stuff' for my transfer into a university. I transferred in Jan. of this year, Spring semester...and that's when I noticed I had huge problems. I am the type that sets my plan before me, only after I have spent hours, literally days, weeks and months to plan it out, but I didn't foresee this, because I didn't understand how scheduling of classes worked. I transferred in as a sophomore with 28 credits, they accepted all but one..still a sophomore. Problem is, all the science classes were taken by the time I got there, even though they have admissions in Spring semester..I had no science class I could take except Bio 101-for non-majors (I took bio 101-1 already, so this is really a repeat). I dropped 2 less important classes that I loved to take this class so I would not go an entire semester with no science. Now I am excited to have a schedule with many science courses and I am still unable to take them, though I desperately need to catch up, because of the way they have the classes scheduled. I can only take part one of something in the Fall and the other part in the Spring, Summer semester doesn't offer anything I need. I started in the Spring, the semester of part two of something when I haven't taken part 1 (chem-1, phys-1, etc.) Here is my plan, after you see it, tell me, when should I take my MCAT. I actually graduate in 2012 based on my credits instead of 2013 as I thought, I am just over the cusp of credits, somehow. I should graduate Spring of 2012 and finish courses before Dec. of that same year.

I want to apply early admission to VCOM.

Plan:

Summer 2010 (soph) chem 1, calc (at another nearby university)(8cr)
Fall 2010 (soph) (can't take chem 11, not avail til Spring)
phys 1/lab, Bioch/lab, Foundation Bio (pre-req)/lab,genetic cell bio/lab, Spanish 11 (19 cr)
Spring 2011 (jr) chem 11/lab, phys 11/lab/(have to choose between chem 11/lab and phys 11/lab because they have them scheduled at the exact same time!) anat/lab, phys/lab, Span Int., Photo (17 cr)
Summer 2011 (jr) chem 11, Statistic (8cr)
Fall 2011 (jr) orgo 1/lab, req bio/lab, req bio/lab, photo, art (18cr)
Spring 2012 (sr) orgo 11/lab, req bio/lab, req bio/lab, shadow

graduate- May, then

Finish remaining curriculum course req. of university, including sr. project. during Summer.

Where does my MCAT for early decision fit it? I thought in April May of 2011, but I have no orgo 1 or 11, if I take it in August 2011, I will only have orgo 1..what am I to do, have I got it all wrong? Why do I have to go to 2 schools to complete on time with my class? Is this strange or did I do something wrong?

Thanks for your help, I know it is long, but I need an answer quickly, it is time for me to schedule Summer classes today (3/22) and fall classes soon. Thanks for all who help.

by the way, I am a 43 yr old undergrad sophomore who doesn't want to spend 5 years in undergrad for scheduling issues.

 

[mspeedwagon]

Your post is very confusing, but I will try and be helpful.
- First, do NOT take the MCAT until you have completed ALL pre-reqs work (some will say that you can take it without o-chem II, but you'd then have to learn a lot of it on your own time).
- Second, I do not know where you are within VA, but there have to be multiple colleges you can take classes at. It's unclear if you have a schedule conflict that would not allow this (for example, full-time work). My suggestion would be to take two science classes at a time. If you need to, take them at different schools (just try to take a full sequence at one college).
- Three, track down a pre-med advisor or students at the school you are at that want to be in medicine and compare notes. You should not have such problems with scheduling.

I am so glad for this thread, I need a little help, if you don't mind.
I did my first year in online courses, pre-req stuff, and saved all the 'heavy stuff' for my transfer into a university. I transferred in Jan. of this year, Spring semester...and that's when I noticed I had huge problems. I am the type that sets my plan before me, only after I have spent hours, literally days, weeks and months to plan it out, but I didn't foresee this, because I didn't understand how scheduling of classes worked. I transferred in as a sophomore with 28 credits, they accepted all but one..still a sophomore. Problem is, all the science classes were taken by the time I got there, even though they have admissions in Spring semester..I had no science class I could take except Bio 101-for non-majors (I took bio 101-1 already, so this is really a repeat). I dropped 2 less important classes that I loved to take this class so I would not go an entire semester with no science. Now I am excited to have a schedule with many science courses and I am still unable to take them, though I desperately need to catch up, because of the way they have the classes scheduled. I can only take part one of something in the Fall and the other part in the Spring, Summer semester doesn't offer anything I need. I started in the Spring, the semester of part two of something when I haven't taken part 1 (chem-1, phys-1, etc.) Here is my plan, after you see it, tell me, when should I take my MCAT. I actually graduate in 2012 based on my credits instead of 2013 as I thought, I am just over the cusp of credits, somehow. I should graduate Spring of 2012 and finish courses before Dec. of that same year.

I want to apply early admission to VCOM.

Plan:

Summer 2010 (soph) chem 1, calc (at another nearby university)(8cr)
Fall 2010 (soph) (can't take chem 11, not avail til Spring)
phys 1/lab, Bioch/lab, Foundation Bio (pre-req)/lab,genetic cell bio/lab, Spanish 11 (19 cr)
Spring 2011 (jr) chem 11/lab, phys 11/lab/(have to choose between chem 11/lab and phys 11/lab because they have them scheduled at the exact same time!) anat/lab, phys/lab, Span Int., Photo (17 cr)
Summer 2011 (jr) chem 11, Statistic (8cr)
Fall 2011 (jr) orgo 1/lab, req bio/lab, req bio/lab, photo, art (18cr)
Spring 2012 (sr) orgo 11/lab, req bio/lab, req bio/lab, shadow

graduate- May, then

Finish remaining curriculum course req. of university, including sr. project. during Summer.

Where does my MCAT for early decision fit it? I thought in April May of 2011, but I have no orgo 1 or 11, if I take it in August 2011, I will only have orgo 1..what am I to do, have I got it all wrong? Why do I have to go to 2 schools to complete on time with my class? Is this strange or did I do something wrong?

Thanks for your help, I know it is long, but I need an answer quickly, it is time for me to schedule Summer classes today (3/22) and fall classes soon. Thanks for all who help.

by the way, I am a 43 yr old undergrad sophomore who doesn't want to spend 5 years in undergrad for scheduling issues.

 

[studeDO2b]

oh, sorry so confusing. The problem is I go to a small, private university in va and their upper level science courses all conflict with each other. Seems to me they have restrained us to take certain courses at certain times, except it doesn't fit my schedule progression at all. I entered in during spring admission during a time when part two of all college science had started, I need part one which only done in the fall. I went freshman year with no science that counts towards med. school and now, it looks like I am gonna be one year behind because three semesters later (I started in the summer online) I still have no science course that actually counts towards med. school.

Here is the problem: I have only 2 full years to take required sciences/labs and MCAT before I can apply early admission.

I have contacted the adviser's here today and they are basically extending my time----nooo.

Does anyone see a doable way out of this? I have to register for fall classes soon.

thanks for any and all help, I have spent hours on this and I am getting confused with all the scheduling.

 

[ENGR2PHYSICIAN]

Is it a good idea to take the MCAT right after finishing the pre-reqs and apply as soon as possible (provided everything else is in order)?

Or is it a better idea to take few upper level science (biochem, genetics for example) and then apply? My situation is, I will be able to finish my pre-reqs by 2011 spring but will not have any upper-level science classes under my belt.

Which is a better idea? Also, is there a official allo/osteo school gpa calculator? Thanks for your help.

 

[ENGR2PHYSICIAN]

Has anyone applied just by taking the pre-reqs and got in (allo/osteo)? Or is it essential to have upper level sciences in your plate to be a competitive applicant? I understand it will be really helpful in medical school, but I guess it will be possible to take those classes during the glide year. Am I correct on this?
Thanks again.

 

[mspeedwagon]

I've seen a lot of these type of applicants on the board (just took the 8 required classes, 1 yr bio, 1 yr chem, o-chem and 1 yr physics). I haven't taken the MCAT, but I am told physiology is the most helpful class beyond thre pre-reqs (but not required).

Also, I'd take the MCAT as soon as possible after the pre-reqs since that is when the material will be freshest in your mind.

Has anyone applied just by taking the pre-reqs and got in (allo/osteo)? Or is it essential to have upper level sciences in your plate to be a competitive applicant? I understand it will be really helpful in medical school, but I guess it will be possible to take those classes during the glide year. Am I correct on this?
Thanks again.

 

[montessori2md]

oh, sorry so confusing. The problem is I go to a small, private university in va and their upper level science courses all conflict with each other. Seems to me they have restrained us to take certain courses at certain times, except it doesn't fit my schedule progression at all. I entered in during spring admission during a time when part two of all college science had started, I need part one which only done in the fall. I went freshman year with no science that counts towards med. school and now, it looks like I am gonna be one year behind because three semesters later (I started in the summer online) I still have no science course that actually counts towards med. school.

Here is the problem: I have only 2 full years to take required sciences/labs and MCAT before I can apply early admission.

I have contacted the adviser's here today and they are basically extending my time----nooo.

Does anyone see a doable way out of this? I have to register for fall classes soon.

thanks for any and all help, I have spent hours on this and I am getting confused with all the scheduling.

Are you working too and this is why your summer schedule is so light?

You should consider taking organic I and II in the summer, a lot of students do that. I did, and so did a friend of mine at GMU, and we both felt it was the BEST approximation of medical school level work in the premed phase. I took organic prior to chem II, it worked out fine because orgo is really a different planet than chem. Just beware that it is really hard, and you need to rock it to keep your GPA on an even keel. I think taking just chem and stats is not serious enough for summer unless you have a job keeping you from doing more. In which case, you might want to find a way to take some mega time off in the summer (say asking for 2 days/week for the whole summer instead of your usual vacation), to get it all done.

 

[montessori2md]

Is it a good idea to take the MCAT right after finishing the pre-reqs and apply as soon as possible (provided everything else is in order)?

Or is it a better idea to take few upper level science (biochem, genetics for example) and then apply? My situation is, I will be able to finish my pre-reqs by 2011 spring but will not have any upper-level science classes under my belt.

Which is a better idea? Also, is there a official allo/osteo school gpa calculator? Thanks for your help.

AAMCAS will tell you what your official GPA is, but basically for MD purposes, ideally you are working above a 3.5. Take MCAT and apply as long as 1) you have the pre-reqs 2) your practice exams online are scoring around what you want your actual MCAT to be and 3) you are applying in an application cycle you will be able to enter -if you won't have a BA/BS until 2016, obviously applying right now would be a little silly.

For MCAT I think the advantage of having upper level course work is offset by the all of the basic prereq info you will forget because you waited to take the exam. The biggest bang for your buck is taking physics as close to your MCAT date as possible, because of the concepts/equations you need to memorize, IMHO.

The MD apps have a place to enter "future" or "expected" coursework, so if it's a matter of wanting to show them advanced work, they will know you are planning to take advanced work. If it's a matter of GPA repair, then I would intermix the prereqs and advanced courses so that you don't forget all the MCAT heavy material (like delaying physics II, chem II, bio II, whatever, so that material is fresh when you take mcat).

 

[ENGR2PHYSICIAN]

AAMCAS will tell you what your official GPA is, but basically for MD purposes, ideally you are working above a 3.5. Take MCAT and apply as long as 1) you have the pre-reqs 2) your practice exams online are scoring around what you want your actual MCAT to be and 3) you are applying in an application cycle you will be able to enter -if you won't have a BA/BS until 2016, obviously applying right now would be a little silly.

For MCAT I think the advantage of having upper level course work is offset by the all of the basic prereq info you will forget because you waited to take the exam. The biggest bang for your buck is taking physics as close to your MCAT date as possible, because of the concepts/equations you need to memorize, IMHO.

The MD apps have a place to enter "future" or "expected" coursework, so if it's a matter of wanting to show them advanced work, they will know you are planning to take advanced work. If it's a matter of GPA repair, then I would intermix the prereqs and advanced courses so that you don't forget all the MCAT heavy material (like delaying physics II, chem II, bio II, whatever, so that material is fresh when you take mcat).

Thanks montessori2md for your suggestion. Actually, I already have a BS and MS in electrical engineering. The only pre-reqs I need to complete are Bio and Orgo. I used a amcas gpa calculator (from SDN) and my cgpa(3.63) and scgpa(approx 3.7)(w/o bio and orgo) are close. I hope to raise it with bio, orgo and any other upper level sci I can possibly take. I have started reviewing gen chem in order to take orgo in the Fall. For physics, I need to rewire my engineering physics learning with mcat way of learning. Lastly, I need to work on my ECs. Aside from learning more challenging material in upper level sci classes, the reason I want to take them is to make myself a more competitive applicant.
If you have anymore suggestions please do no hesitate. Thanks a lot again.

 

[Naijaboiler]

I've seen a lot of these type of applicants on the board (just took the 8 required classes, 1 yr bio, 1 yr chem, o-chem and 1 yr physics). I haven't taken the MCAT, but I am told physiology is the most helpful class beyond thre pre-reqs (but not required).

Also, I'd take the MCAT as soon as possible after the pre-reqs since that is when the material will be freshest in your mind.

I took yesterday's MCAT. The BS contained a lot of molecular biology and even biochem. my advice, please make sure you take at least Genetics before writing the MCAT. In an ideal world. take uppoer level bio classes. they can always help but they wont hurt.

 

[smarty666]

I took yesterday's MCAT. The BS contained a lot of molecular biology and even biochem. my advice, please make sure you take at least Genetics before writing the MCAT. In an ideal world. take uppoer level bio classes. they can always help but they wont hurt.

What kind of biochemistry was on it? It couldn't have been too difficult biochemistry since that class is not recommended to be taken before doing the MCAT? I took a full year of biochem junior year but I'm just curious?