Planning ahead in case of re-application

[jochi1543]

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I'm applying this year for the first time. As of right now, I still have a few pre-reqs to finish in the fall/spring. To finish them, I'll have to take 4 more courses - gen chem II, orgo II, biochem, and psych (the psych and bchem are required at one school where I think I have a particularly good shot at). However, considering my stats, I know that I might not get in this cycle - my MCAT is 32T (10-10-12), my cumulative is 3.5 (last 2 years are 3.7-3.8), and my BCPM is 3.35. I was not a science major, and I have very few BCPM credits - they are basically dragged down by a C+ and a B I got way back freshman year (I graduated in '06). My BCPM grades since I decided on going premed have been pretty solid (A- average). My first 2 years were not horrible, but not med school material - 3.1-3.4. I also have 5 W's in my senior year and the summer after due to illness/various drama.

So, I'm thinking about potentially preparing for a reapplication this fall. I decided that if there was one thing I needed to work on, it'd be the ol' GPA. So I decided that instead of just doing 4 courses over the fall/spring, I'd do 6, because carrying 3 courses a semester would allow me to get full-time status for loans, and 18 credits of good grades would make more of a difference in terms of reapplication than 12 credits.

But now I'm thinking about quitting my job, and with even 3 courses, it's not very realistic to look for another one, considering I'll be buried in secondaries and (hopefully) flying to interviews. So now my dilemma is - do I proceed with the 3 courses/semester plan or do I load up on 4-5 a semester? If I take 3 courses per semester and get all As (which is entirely reasonable given my recent academic record and the classes I intend on taking), my BCPM will be up to about 3.55 by next summer, and my cumulative will edge towards 3.55. However, if I take 5 courses a semester, my BCPM can get up to 3.65 and my cumulative will be almost 3.6.

Downside: obviously the stress of taking 5 courses which I REALLY need to ace all while involved in a pretty demanding application process (I'm applying to a boatload of schools, so I'll be busy).



I'm thinking about this now, since I don't want to find myself w/o a single acceptance next summer AND an application that has barely been improved.


Any advice? Would you suggest I go with 3, 4, or 5 courses a semester? Or should I do, say, 3 in the fall and 5 in the spring (or vice versa)? Would appreciate any thoughts/suggestions.👍

 

[jochi1543]

Oh, and by the way, I'm an international applicant without residency in any state. I do have strong ties to one state (MN) and some ties to another (MD), but that's about it. It does help that I did my HS and undergrad in the US, but it's still an uphill battle w/o a state school to fall back on.

 

[mommy2three]

i am not sure what it is like from canada applying here..but i would say the following.
do you know what the classes you have left are like as far as study time, difficulty of tests/instructor etc?? is there an advisor or another student who you know that you can ask these types of questions to?
g chem will have a lab and that can be very time consuming....not difficult just time consuming with writing up all the lab reports/prep etc. i do not know if your o chem has a lab component with it or not but if it does you can expect the same thing....labs are time consuming. if you could swing it i would take one lab course each semester.
psych for me is a fun and easy (relatively) class becuase i am interested in the field (so much so that i have a second degree in psych 😉 ) but i am not sure what the classes are like at your school. at the very least it shoudl be a class that would be inetresting and fairly study non-intensive
i do not know how things are for you but biochem is a pita for me.....i just do not get it.....i have to work twice as hard as evryone else to understand the same thing and even then i feel like i am barely treading water.
if i had a choice i think i would take 4-5 classes in the fall to leave spring open for travel without having to worry as much about missing classes. i think it is a lot easier to fill out secondaries admist the general life chaos that is school rather than trying to have to do extensive travel and worry about tests/etc.
good luck...i think your stats sound fairly solid.