premed student starting late

[OneLove]

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I am going to start premed requirements next year (soph year)
I've taken college calculus in high school. I also took english composition last semester. Additionally i have ap credit in bio and psychology althought I think I will retake them in college. I am majoring in psychology starting next semester. I want to be able to take the mcats and apply to medical school on time. What do y'all suggest for a student like me.


Additionally i have no volunteer hours in hospitals and no reasearch. I'm not sure what to do about this situation. I was hoping to find a job in a hospital for summmers and volunteering during the school year.

I hope to go into psychiatry if that even matters. Thanks guys

 

[Rendar5]

First, there is no need to do everything "on time". A lot of people take a year off after college, and that's a good thing as long as you're doing something while you're not in shool.

I didn't even become premed until my junior year, although being a chem major took care of some of those requirements. AP credits don't count. Just take the yr of bio, physics, gchem, orgo and labs at your own pace, and take the MCATS when you can. April of junior year to be "on time", Summer after junior year and you'll either be running late w/ apps or you'll be applying the next summer.

Do research if you're interested. not necessary, but can help if you get published (most med students aren't). Volunteer or shadow or do something to get you involved in healthcare so you can have some experiences to talk about in your interview. But make sure you do something worthwhile (worthwhile for you).

good luck w/ everything.

 

[cfdavid]

First, there is no need to do everything "on time". A lot of people take a year off after college, and that's a good thing as long as you're doing something while you're not in shool.

I didn't even become premed until my junior year, although being a chem major took care of some of those requirements. AP credits don't count. Just take the yr of bio, physics, gchem, orgo and labs at your own pace, and take the MCATS when you can. April of junior year to be "on time", Summer after junior year and you'll either be running late w/ apps or you'll be applying the next summer.

Do research if you're interested. not necessary, but can help if you get published (most med students aren't). Volunteer or shadow or do something to get you involved in healthcare so you can have some experiences to talk about in your interview. But make sure you do something worthwhile (worthwhile for you).

good luck w/ everything.

I agree that you don't need a "time line". I'm 30, and am taking the MCAT this April, so maybe that will make you feel better.

Regarding volunteer activities, most hospitals have volunteer coordinators. You may have a tough time getting good volunteer experience in a major college town (competition for positions), but your local hospital would be great.
Try volunteering for hospice. Just do some research, and you'll be amazed at how helpful people will be to your wanting to volunteer.

Also, you could try something like Habitat for Humanity, and do some work there one Saturday per month.

Research would be great too, if you can find a position and provided you are interested in that.

Don't get discouraged as these things take some time. Just take it one step at a time, and set small goals.

 

[lattimer13]

i was originally a business major and didn't start taking any premed classes until junior year and ended up taking 5 years to graduate and got all the volunteer stuff in those few years. you have plenty of time. best of luck.

 

[LauraMac]

i decided the summer before my junior year to be pre-med, and i still took the mcat in april and applied on time.

start taking your classes now. don't retake the ap psych. anyone i know who retook a class they could have passed out of later regretted it. a previous poster said something about needing the actual pre-med prerequisite classes, though, so be sure to actually take those ones.

be sure to take the mcat in april so you can apply on time. applying late will kill you, so if you take the mcat in august you will be at a major disadvantage unless you wait an extra year to apply. i took the mcat in april without having all the prereqs instead of in august when i would have had them all, and i am oh so glad i made that decision. applying early is key since so many schools are rolling.

begin volunteering and doing research ASAP. be sure to also get some good health care experience in like doctor shadowing or working in the hospital.

if you have more specific questions about the process in general talk to a pre-med advisor or read the msar.

good luck!

 

[PhotoMD]

I am going to start premed requirements next year (soph year)
I've taken college calculus in high school. I also took english composition last semester. Additionally i have ap credit in bio and psychology althought I think I will retake them in college. I am majoring in psychology starting next semester. I want to be able to take the mcats and apply to medical school on time. What do y'all suggest for a student like me.


Additionally i have no volunteer hours in hospitals and no reasearch. I'm not sure what to do about this situation. I was hoping to find a job in a hospital for summmers and volunteering during the school year.

I hope to go into psychiatry if that even matters. Thanks guys

Like Laura, I too started pre-med requirements late (but not *that* late). I decided winter quarter of sophomore year, and I then followed this schedule:

Sophomore Year, Winter, Spring, Summer - Intro Chem
Sophomore Year, Spring, and Junior Year Autumn, Winter - Intro Bio
Junior Year, Autumn, Winter, Spring - Organic Chem

And I hadn't finished Organic by the time I took the MCAT in April, but that wasn't a big issue. I got my Physics through AP. I am EE so the math was part of that. Good luck!

 

[brats800]

i switched to premed my 2nd semester of soph year but didn't start any of the classes until my junior year. a bit of a squeeze, took the mcat april of my senior year and now i'm applying during my year off. i wasn't very excited about taking a year off when i found out i had to do it, but now i'm really happy i did.

 

[OneLove]

what do you plan to do in yoru year off?

 

[OneLove]

bump for some others advice

 

[MediMama23]

I think everyone has pretty much covered it. Don't retake classes if you've already done well in them; it's a waste of time. Focus on gaining more knowledge in specific areas by taking upper level courses...you may find you like these and might even like to do research with the professor. Plus, these classes tend to be smaller than intro classes and can give you more exposure to/interaction with your professor, great for getting good recs.

Volunteer, shadow a doctor, tutor, get out there and show that you care about your community. Anything that involves working with others, be it in a hospital or in a classroom, will be a great opportunity. But it would be best, if you haven't been exposed to the environment in the hospital, to get in there and make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. I don't think shows like ER are quite going to cut it.

If you want to be less stressed during the school year, take the MCAT summer after your sophomore year. That way you won't have to worry about balancing classes, and your MCAT scores will be ready from the minute you submit your AMCAS.

Make sure that you plan so that you take all of the classes that are required for the schools you want to apply to. You wouldn't want to put all your hopes into a particular school and then come to find out that you missed out on one class that was necessary for admission.

HTH