Questions Regarding Prereqs/E.C. Activities

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bjl12

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  1. Psychology Student
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Hi gang. I'm a 25 year old undergraduate finishing a BS in psychology while taking med prerequisites. Like most non-traditional students I'm forced to work (although I get away with only having to work part-time; lucky me). I'm hoping some of you kind folks might possess a bit of knowledge as well as any advice. My issues and concerns:

I completed a few sciences at a local community college prior to making the mental commitment toward medicine. Those courses are: A+P1/A+P2 / Microbiology and Immunology / Che 1 (and possibly Che 2). Will these credits be frowned upon during the application/admissions process?

I'm currently attending PSU, finishing up my BS in psychology, and have encountered a different problem. Psychology majors are required to take a special statistics/calculus combo (the Calc is one class, not two). My question is whether or not this stat/calc combo will satisfy the quantitative prerequisites for med school. I read somewhere that some schools accept Stat/Calc in place of Calc 1/2, but I don't know if this is a situation where that applies. If it makes any difference, I'm targeting DO programs.

*Also, taking the traditional Calc 1/2 will NOT satisfy my Psych stat/calc combo, which seems to yield a distinguished fork in the road.

Lastly, how much do/can E.C.'s factor into the admissions process? I firmly believe one can always do more and so I frequently find myself wondering if I should do more. I've held one internship at a local State Psychiatric hospital (which lasted approximately two months duration), member to school's Psych club, worked at the community college I attended (as a "peer mentor"), and currently work in a behavioral position working with individuals with developmental disabilities. My plan is to add another working experience which has greater roots in medicine/healthcare. Is this amount of E.C. considered sufficient, bare minimum, unacceptable, terrific, or what?

Early expectations/indications suggest my stats should wind up around:
-Science GPA 3.50-60ish
-Cum. GPA 3.25-35ish
 
Instead of posting a long answer, why not go dig through the SDN archives? They have definitely answered your questions several times over.

One piece of advice I've heard is to ignore the minimums. Do as much as you can as well as you can without sacrificing your mental health or grades.
 
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