Submitting AMCAS before OChem?

[HeatherL]

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Okay, so I have a question that has really been bothering me. I'm going to be a senior this year and have taken all my pre-reqs except OChem (I'm taking OChem right now and will be done in August then OChem 2 will be taken in the fall). Should I wait to submit until I at least get my first Ochem grade? I know how important those are and I'm so mad at myself for not having them done sooner but I hadn't decided until last year that this was what I really wanted. I managed to teach it to myself pretty well and scored a 38Q on my MCAT so I'm not too worried about the grade being poor.

Is it worse to wait until Aug/Sept to submit or should I just submit what I have now? My Cum GPA is 3.52, BCPM thus far is 3.96. I only have about a year of volunteer experience and shadowing at my local hospital, red cross, and planned parenthood. I'm really nervous about my chances since I have so few ECs and my OChems aren't completed.

Any thoughts on this? 😕 I wasn't sure if this question merited its own thread but I didn't know where else to put it. Thanks!

 

[TheRealMD]

Eh, there's really no difference between submitting now and in August. You won't have completed an entire year of Ochem by then. Just make sure that you put you are planning on taking it.

I must ask though, why are you taking ochem later than most do?

 

[DayDune]

There's a big diff between submitting in June and submitting in Aug. I would go ahead and submit once your app is ready and looks good, and then do a prompt grade update once you're done with ochem I. Be sure to do well in it... No pressure but they love good ochem grades.

 

[HeatherL]

I must ask though, why are you taking ochem later than most do?

I didn't finish Chem 2 until this Spring because I had taken different chemistry classes before last year instead of "General" and since they were pre-reqs to OChem I was stuck with having to take them this summer. Then this year my school made it possible for only one Ochem to be taken during the summer term so now I have to take OChem 2 in the fall. I hadn't decided fully on medical school until last summer so I had to cram in my pre-reqs and prepare myself for the MCAT all the while loading up on as much volunteer experience and shadowing as I could in that time period. I did very well overall but I'm incredibly nervous about my chances of getting in nonetheless.

Ah I'm rambling! Thanks for the replies, I think I might as well send them in now and just update as soon as I get my grade in.