nvm

[Hiphopscorpio31]

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[MaxPlancker]

1) Gap years aren't terrible. They are often the best thing people have done.
2) No you do not have to use the committee letter. I opted out and used individual letters and did fine.
3) If you are currently a junior and will be a senior this fall, taking the MCAT any later than June is pretty much a death sentence.

 

[eteshoe]

As a fellow ChemE (so I understand the struggle of being late to the pre-med game), take the gap yr. Finish off your senior yr strong (especially your capstone project). Don't take the MCAT until you're ready and as @MaxPlancker said - do not take the exam any later than June (ideally you could just take it the May of your senior yr). Get a research tech job for your gap yr and keep up with your volunteering, shadowing, etc

 

[gonnif]

1) Gap years aren't terrible. They are often the best thing people have done.
2) No you do not have to use the committee letter. I opted out and used individual letters and did fine.
3) If you are currently a junior and will be a senior this fall, taking the MCAT any later than June is pretty much a death sentence.

Describing it as death sentence is a bit extreme and adds to the paranoid obsessive belief so common here on SDN that unless you first and earliest with everything, your chances are nil. While being on top of pieces of an application for medical school is needed, the herd mentality here has made it into mythical proportions of guaranteed failure. Its much more important not to take the MCAT until your are fully prepared for it than it is on the most optimal date. A bad early MCAT is much worse than a good later one.

 

[MaxPlancker]

Describing it as death sentence is a bit extreme and adds to the paranoid obsessive belief so common here on SDN that unless you first and earliest with everything, your chances are nil. While being on top of pieces of an application for medical school is needed, the herd mentality here has made it into mythical proportions of guaranteed failure. Its much more important not to take the MCAT until your are fully prepared for it than it is on the most optimal date. A bad early MCAT is much worse than a good later one.

Hmm perhaps I did exaggerate too much. At my school, if you use the committee letter (which 99% do), they won't start writing your letter until your MCAT is in and so it happens that the applicants on the end tail do not even have their letters submitted before the season closes. Not sure how similar this is with other schools' committees.

 

[RhinB]

Hmm perhaps I did exaggerate too much. At my school, if you use the committee letter (which 99% do), they won't start writing your letter until your MCAT is in and so it happens that the applicants on the end tail do not even have their letters submitted before the season closes. Not sure how similar this is with other schools' committees.

Are you talking about Cornell as your Ivy? If you are I can give you as much insight I have since I just went through the process this past year.

 

[MaxPlancker]

Are you talking about Cornell as your Ivy? If you are I can give you as much insight I have since I just went through the process this past year.

Haha thanks for the offer! I went to a top 200 (or something like that) state school and I just finished up my application season so on to another 4 years!

 

[RhinB]

Haha thanks for the offer! I went to a top 200 (or something like that) state school and I just finished up my application season so on to another 4 years!

Oh whoops, I meant to quote OP. But congratulations on your successful cycle!

Hello guys,

So I am studying chemical engineering, and since about over a year ago I started to seriously consider medical school. I began studying for the MCAT exam, while continuing with my major, which is no doubt the most difficult engineering major at my school (Its also an Ivy). But, seeing as I have no pre-med friends, or a pre-med advisor, I just found out about the hcec process. 🙁 I feel very dumb and disappointed because the process is well underway and I missed out. I have emailed a pre-health advisor at my school, but I was wondering how important the HCEC is? I honestly believed that the whole application process was an independent thing :/. So, without hcec loe, am I forced to take a gap year if I hope to attend medical school after I graduate ( I am a now a Junior)? I wanted to take the MCAT early-mid august but now I am not sure. Any opinions would be appreciated, Thanks for reading!

After quoting the wrong post - if your school is Cornell I can walk you through your options since I was in a bit of a similar position a few years ago.