Hi SDN,
I'm new to the forum so don't kill me if I make a mistake. I'm going to be a senior at MSU and I've been studying for the MCAT for the past 3 months. I planned to take it this month, but I don't know if I'm ready. If I take it during the school year, I'll have to balance out studying with two 400 level classes where the avg GPA is 2.76. The classes are Immunology and Fundamental Hematology and Urinalysis. The reason for the low GPA is because the course load is heavy, and you're often required to teach yourself the subjects. I'll also be taking two other classes, but they aren't as difficult. I'll also be conducting research while I take these classes and I'll be volunteering at the hospital. Do you think I can balance out studying for the MCAT and these classes? I know that I should take it as early as possible, but I also know that a low score would hurt me more. I just need some opinions on what I should do.
Here's some information to judge my application on:
My GPA is a 3.4, but I'm planning to 4.0 this semester to raise it to a 3.5.
I've volunteered at two different hospitals (one in an urban setting and the other in a rural setting) for numerous hours
Volunteered at Habitat for Humanity
Part of UHA
Volunteered at a Sikh temple
Shadowed many doctors at a residency center
At this point, I'm just planning on getting into a medical school here in the US so I don't have to take the foreign region route and then have to be stuck scoring above a 90th percentile on my Step 1. Any constructive criticism is more than welcome
I'm new to the forum so don't kill me if I make a mistake. I'm going to be a senior at MSU and I've been studying for the MCAT for the past 3 months. I planned to take it this month, but I don't know if I'm ready. If I take it during the school year, I'll have to balance out studying with two 400 level classes where the avg GPA is 2.76. The classes are Immunology and Fundamental Hematology and Urinalysis. The reason for the low GPA is because the course load is heavy, and you're often required to teach yourself the subjects. I'll also be taking two other classes, but they aren't as difficult. I'll also be conducting research while I take these classes and I'll be volunteering at the hospital. Do you think I can balance out studying for the MCAT and these classes? I know that I should take it as early as possible, but I also know that a low score would hurt me more. I just need some opinions on what I should do.
Here's some information to judge my application on:
My GPA is a 3.4, but I'm planning to 4.0 this semester to raise it to a 3.5.
I've volunteered at two different hospitals (one in an urban setting and the other in a rural setting) for numerous hours
Volunteered at Habitat for Humanity
Part of UHA
Volunteered at a Sikh temple
Shadowed many doctors at a residency center
At this point, I'm just planning on getting into a medical school here in the US so I don't have to take the foreign region route and then have to be stuck scoring above a 90th percentile on my Step 1. Any constructive criticism is more than welcome