The Right Path?

[wr9152]

Hello guys
okay so im on my second semester of college bio major and im strolling along doing what i do best. lmao. I havnt started any ECs yet, but i plan to volunteer at my local hospital during the summer if they reply to me.... i also started my independent research with one of my professors this semester. and for the shadowing i know a family friend who is a doctor i was thinking about asking him over the summer.If i cant get him i dont know who on earth i could shadow.
Now the Mcat is a problem for me because i dont want to wait and take it the spring semster of junior year, i want to take it maybe right after sophmore. i havnt taken any chemistry classes however and i will start my chemistry 1 in the fall of sophomore this means spring chem 2, junior orgo 1 orgo 2.
Can i take the Mcat just to get a feel for it, ill prob get a low grade because i havnt finished the orogos but will med schools look down on that?
Is there anything i should be doing?
thanks for your time.

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[BABSstudent]

Hello guys
okay so im on my second semester of college bio major and im strolling along doing what i do best. lmao. I havnt started any ECs yet, but i plan to volunteer at my local hospital during the summer if they reply to me.... i also started my independent research with one of my professors this semester. and for the shadowing i know a family friend who is a doctor i was thinking about asking him over the summer.If i cant get him i dont know who on earth i could shadow.
Now the Mcat is a problem for me because i dont want to wait and take it the spring semster of junior year, i want to take it maybe right after sophmore. i havnt taken any chemistry classes however and i will start my chemistry 1 in the fall of sophomore this means spring chem 2, junior orgo 1 orgo 2.
Can i take the Mcat just to get a feel for it, ill prob get a low grade because i havnt finished the orogos but will med schools look down on that?
Is there anything i should be doing?
thanks for your time.

You should be:
1. Focus on getting a high GPA.
2. Doing a few extra curricular for the application and your own sanity.
3. Shadow a physician (your family friend will work for this)
4. Try to get more exposure to medicine through the hospital volunteering.
5. Absolutely do NOT take the MCAT before you finish the prereqs. Medical schools will look down on a poor score no matter what. A low score will show poor planning and not taking things serious at best.

 

[wr9152]

HAha thank you i guess MCat is not like the SAT. But what if i take it and retake it and better will they ignore the bad score?

 

[dsoz]

really, the MCAT is the WORST exam you will take*. You don't want to take it twice! Study for it once, and take it one time. Get the best score that you can. The school that you get into depends on you doing well.

* rumor is that the USMLE/COMLEX step I is the meaner, uglier, more intimidating big brother of the MCAT. Even more rides on the USMLE than was riding on the MCAT. Without a good USMLE, you may not get the residency that you want.

dsoz

 

[dsoz]

HAha thank you i guess MCat is not like the SAT. But what if i take it and retake it and better will they ignore the bad score?

They look at ALL scores. They may put more weight on more recent, but a bad first score will hurt you at some schools. If you do worse your second time, or don't improve by enough, it is all over.

dsoz

 

[sinombre]

HAha thank you i guess MCat is not like the SAT. But what if i take it and retake it and better will they ignore the bad score?

They might only "use" the most current score, but all scores are reported and seen by every school you apply to. It looks much better to get a good score the first time around.

If you really want to see how you'll perform, take an official AAMC practice test.