The only thing that always runs on time is time itself

[uNiq1]

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Hello everyone, I would like to start off by just thanking you for looking at this thread and I appreciate your input no matter what the advice.

I am currently a Junior Undergraduate Biochemistry Major and Bioengineering minor at Stony Brook University in NY. My goal is to attend med school in fall 2010.
I have been to a couple of seminars/events which talk about applying to med school but last night I attended one which really opened my eyes. My goal was to take the MCAT in the summer and start doing research and work on my letters of rec during my senior year. (yes, I know. Somehow my flawed logic led me to believe this was a good course of action) I just learned that your senior year does not really matter that much and the all your letters of rec + any research experience you would like to show should all be in your application when it opens on July 1 because your whole application needs to be filled out for the schools consideration. So at this time I am extremely ashamed of my situation and look to you for any help and advice.

One major question I have is how bad would it be to go to a professor that i took a class with last spring for a letter of rec? I remember working hard in his class and have lots of interactions with the professor and learning a lot. I just didn't ask for a letter because i honestly wasn't focusing on those things. I realize what an error in judgment that is now. There was also another case like this in my sophomore year but (fall 07) but i believe that may be too long ago.

My current situation is that I am taking 18 credits and Looking very hard to find a research position. I have already scoped out many professors in interesting fields to work with. I would love any input in approaching professors as well.

Besides that I have a cumulative GPA of 3.85 and plan on studying my brains out to maintain it this semester.
I plan on starting studies for the MCAT as well and taking it Mid June or at the latest August and just overall keeping the minimum time to relax to keep myself sane (can't have a crazy doc now can we)

So considering I maintain/improve my GPA, do above average on the MCAT (aiming for 37-38 I haven't studied yet so no idea but it is my belief that working hard, and then some more, pays off in dividends)
I am also a member of my collegiate EMS organization where i practice as an EMT, I plan on moving up to a Crew Chief this semester (person who tech's calls)

In addition I am not a very good writer so if you have any advice (good things to write about/ things to avoid) on all those personal statements, little essays in the secondaries etc please let me know.

Finally where do my medical school dreams fall? (should i bode farewell to Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Hopkins etc?)

P.S Thank you all for reading this post and bearing with my extremely bad thought process. I'm sure some of you may think such lack of judgment/preparedness is unbecoming of a future physician but I assure you my intentions are true and I have tried to convince myself to do something else many times but I have always concluded this is the life path for me.

 

[not so calm now]

Why don't just wait a year and apply after senior year? Sounds like your application will be much stronger by then. For your gap year you could apply for an NIH post bac or try to get a clinically or research related job. If you're an EMT you could possibly do that full-time if you liked. As I'm sure you're well aware the top schools are very research intense and it would greatly strengthen your app to have some experience there.

As for approaching professors, you should just look on their websites and see what kind of research they're doing, then email them and ask if you can help out in their lab.

P.S. Go ahead and ask that professor for a rec letter.

 

[Mobius1985]

The most-selective medical schools are inevitably research-intense, and those who are admitted there seem to have 2+ years of research and a publication or two. Those rare others who get admitted to such schools have amazing, stand-out extracurriculars in some area, like leadership, public service, or the clinical arena. Even if your goal is to go to ANY medical school, 60% of those admitted have a research experience.

I had difficulty finding a research spot. Five months ahead of time, I e-mailed my inquery (with CV and transcript attached) to 7 professors whose research I'd read up on (via on-line abstracts), and had an interest in, from my department. I got no response. Then I cast my net wider to departments in other sciences with 7 more inqueries, and this time I got two invitations to interview. Before the interviews, I read three of the most recent published papers of each so I wouldn't sound like an idiot. Both were great opportunities, and I picked the one most willing to be flexible around my schedule. I spent a year in that lab and left with a great recommendation letter, having completed three interesting projects (no pubs, though).

When approaching a past professor for a letter, I made an appointment, brought a photo, CV, transcript, and copy of my Primary application, so the professor could get to "know me" all over again. At the meeting I made a point of jogging his memory about interactions we'd had, or contributions I made to the class. Then I asked if he felt he could write me a good letter. This worked well for me, resulting in a personal letter that really sounded like he knew me (according to an adcomm member) and was enthusiastic about recommending me.

When you write your Personal Statement, get it proofread and critiqued by three friends, an old English teacher, and the premed advisor, if available. Here's the kicker though. Your Secondary essays need to match the Primary Statement in quality, or adcomms will figure you didn't write it yourself. So take care.

I agree with the above advice to consider waiting a year before you apply to make your application stronger. If you'd be content with your state school, then go ahead and apply this summer, but send update letters about the research and ongoing/new activities during the application cycle.

 

[uNiq1]

Considering I don't take a year off what are my best options? Best people to get a good rec from? What types of recs are best? (all science faculty etc) Should i enroll in an MCAT class? If so is there any way to get discounts on these approx $1900-$2000 classes?

 

[Catalystik]

The usual LOR requirements are two science and one non-science instructors. Some schools require more, like peer letter, physician letter, research advisor, etc.