Summer 2017 Application Timeline

[fnc54]

Hello! I am planning on applying to medical school next summer, and I am planning on taking the MCAT in Spring 2017. I am going to be a junior this Fall semester.

A short summary of my college experience so far: 3.8+ cumulative GPA in molecular biology (science GPA roughly equal to cumulative GPA). My major out of class involvements include teaching English skills/homework help to latino students in the locale around my university; I began learning martial arts [foil+epee ] from a local master; I have also been lucky enough to get exposure to a hospital environment by volunteering at a community hospital (about 150 hours in various departments) and I have also been able to shadow a very friendly cardiologist for about 80 hours. I also serve in a service organization on campus and have been able to earn a mid-level position in the organization, which has allowed me to plan some events.

I enjoyed my chemistry courses very much, so over the last couple of months, I have been working with a post-doctoral organic chemist synthesizing variants of a class of drugs that have potential as cancer therapies and may combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This experience so far has been a really great introduction to organic synthesis techniques.

I have a few questions about the application process:

For letters of recommendation, I am in a bit of a jam; most of my courses have been very large lectures, so despite attending help sessions regularly, I don't have any great relationships with instructors. Any advice on how to approach these letters would be much appreciated, as I gather that they are a very important part of the application.

For MCAT preparation, if I plan on taking the exam in April, will starting to review in mid-December be a good idea? I think this will give me roughly 4 months to prepare for the exam.

and lastly, any recommendations as to how to go about crafting a list of schools to apply to? I've figured that due to the nature of the application process, I'll probably want to apply to 20-25 colleges.

I appreciate any feedback, Thanks!

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[fnc54]

Bump

 

[summergirl]

You are still going to school full time until April 2017 right? If so I highly doubt you'll be able to write the MCAT in April 2017. The latest you can write the MCAT without any delay in your applications is late May-early June. Write it then if you feel ready. If not, you can push it back for a month of so without significant detriments to your app since your GPA is so high.

 

[anonymoose1640]

For letters of recommendation, when I approached professors from large classes I always offered to sit down and meet with them if they would prefer so that I could get to know me better before they agreed to write me a letter. I also always provided my letter writers with my resume and CV and any information about me that I thought was important. Most of the time, however, professors from big classes like that will look at where your performance fell in regards to the rest of the class - if you're in the top 10% you get one letter, top 25% you get a different letter. Try talking to your major advisor to see if they have any advice and if they've ever taught you in a class be sure to ask them for a letter.

Remember to look at the most strict letter requirements for med schools and get those letters so that your school list isn't limited by the letters you have. I usually use HMS as an example: 2 science LORs, 1 non-science, all research PIs.

Hope that was helpful. Good luck

 

[fnc54]

You are still going to school full time until April 2017 right? If so I highly doubt you'll be able to write the MCAT in April 2017. The latest you can write the MCAT without any delay in your applications is late May-early June. Write it then if you feel ready. If not, you can push it back for a month of so without significant detriments to your app since your GPA is so high.

I will still be in school April 2017--however, I was basing taking it then after other students who I have talked with. It seems pretty typical for students at my school to study for the mcat and take it in spring before applying. I wanted to avoid taking later because I may have to delay my application if the mcat score is not great, so I don't want to start paying for applications before knowing where I stand on the mcat.

 

[fnc54]

For letters of recommendation, when I approached professors from large classes I always offered to sit down and meet with them if they would prefer so that I could get to know me better before they agreed to write me a letter. I also always provided my letter writers with my resume and CV and any information about me that I thought was important. Most of the time, however, professors from big classes like that will look at where your performance fell in regards to the rest of the class - if you're in the top 10% you get one letter, top 25% you get a different letter. Try talking to your major advisor to see if they have any advice and if they've ever taught you in a class be sure to ask them for a letter.

Remember to look at the most strict letter requirements for med schools and get those letters so that your school list isn't limited by the letters you have. I usually use HMS as an example: 2 science LORs, 1 non-science, all research PIs.

Hope that was helpful. Good luck

Alright, thanks a lot. Regarding research, would a letter from a post doc be alright? I don't really know my PI well yet, not sure if that will change in the coming months or not. Also, would a letter from the physician I shadowed and my epee instructor (and potentially volunteer coordinators) be useful for applications?

 

[anonymoose1640]

Alright, thanks a lot. Regarding research, would a letter from a post doc be alright? I don't really know my PI well yet, not sure if that will change in the coming months or not. Also, would a letter from the physician I shadowed and my epee instructor (and potentially volunteer coordinators) be useful for applications?

The letter will most likely be written by the post doc and then signed by your PI (at least that's how most labs seem to operate). You should get to know your PI though and ask them for a letter. You have a year to get to know them better. You should ask for the letter in December and tell them that the deadline is the end of May. That way they have ample time to write it and ask you any questions. Never give less than 6 weeks notice for a LOR.

Letters from physicians are generally considered "fluff" to an application. I would advise you not to get one. Your epee instructor may be a good letter if you they have known you for some time, it can act as a "character" letter. I would pick either the epee instructor or the volunteer coordinator, not both.

If your school has a committee letter system (most schools do) you should find out the requirements for that to ensure that you can also get a committee letter.

 

[sallyhasanidea]

https://med.ucf.edu/media/2011/08/example-of-the-application-to-enrollment-timeline-1.pdf