Waiting or Attacking it.

[Sleepingowl1303]

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Hello Everyone,

I would greatly appreciate any advice as to my current situation.

I have 3 semesters plus the current left until I will graduate and I am just so lost.

So I would graduate in spring of 2017 and I would like to start DO school right away (if accepted).

But that’s where my dilemma lies.

If I take the MCAT in spring of 2016 I could apply for the next cycle, but my schedule is pretty full and I wont have Physics II and Biochemistry done.

If I wait until I have all my classes done before I take the MCAT I wont know for close to 4 years if anyone takes me plus I would have to fill a gap year.

I am 29 and I feel like a gap year is fine if you are 20 but if you are getting older….it just gets old to wait around.

My current GPA is 3.72 My science is 3.5, I obviously do no know how the MCAT would be but lets say it would be on the lower side if I take it in spring of 2016.

I feel like the rest would be pretty strong I have around 3000 hours of hands on health care experience, research, TA, and volunteer hours.


So I guess the question is (without knowing my MCAT score) do I have chances at all or not (Crystal Ball Style)?

I am very much interested into family medicine and like I said DO would be what I am aiming for.


Any advice would be awesome; I guess I am just looking for some opinions to compare to my advisors and mine.

 

[echo87]

I say this based on my own experience studying for the MCATS. In your shoes, I would take one practice exam, first thing this summer. Go over every single answer and get a very specific idea about the topics you do or do not know. Then, get an idea whether these are things you can teach yourself. I would suggest this even if you had already completed all your prereq's and were beginning to start your MCAT prep. Then either start studying and take it early fall, or wait and take it after your classes.

Most, if not all, successful MCAT takers teach themselves, or at the very least "refresh" themselves, the material anyways, but I'd say that there are some topics in physics II and biochem that are easier to absorb when taught in the traditional manner (optics, electromagnetism, enzymatics, pathways, etc.) Ultimately, the best decision (and prep) hinges on your accurate self-assessment. I will tell you this though, as a fellow non-trad late 20's re-applicant, I understand the eagerness to get started quickly but waiting a year or two to have a solid application is definitely worth it. *Insert generic hindsight 20/20 quote*

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Agree with the above. You have good GPA's and coupled with a good MCAT you could go to a number of top quality DO schools. A really good score (510+) and you would have a decent chance at MD. Make sure to take the time to study because this test could decide your future.

If you schedule out your day you should be able to study 15-20 hours a week for the MCAT while also taking those classes IMO

 

[Sleepingowl1303]

Thank You guys for your answers,
I really hate to wait but oh well. I am more worried to have to retake the MCAT and than average out bad than waiting a year I guess.
The closer I get to finishing my degree the more I want the certainty (either way, being accepted or rejected) to progress with my life.

 

[TrueWolverine]

I say go for it.

I was in a similar situation and opted to go for it. Granted I'm only 24 so for me it's about finishing school before I'm 30 (which sounded really good). Your GPA's are way better than mine so I think you stand a great chance to get in somewhere next year (especially if you're not crazy picky about where you go).

Here's my story in a nutshell....hopefully it helps you make a decision (either to apply or not to apply). I was debating on whether to apply this year or take a gap year. With the help and support of my wife we decided to go for it this year so we could be done a year earlier. February I started studying for the MCAT while taking classes, I did a prep course but feel like it may have been overkill so if you self-study well then go for that. In May I started two summer classes, they were retakes so I figured I could take these and still study for the MCAT, plus my GPA needed the boost. At the end of May I started working on applications, not a ton but just to get going. I was studying probably 25-40 hours a week for the MCAT at this point. A week or so into June I cranked apps out and got them submitted June 16th with a 3.18 cGPA and a 3.15 sGPA. I started 2 new summer classes second block (international health and biochem) around July 1 and then took the MCAT July 18. It was pretty risky to get everything submitted before the MCAT but I wanted to be ahead of the game and figured if I was going to go for it, I really needed to go for it. I didn't do as well on the MCAT as I had hoped (501) but figured it was enough to keep me in the game. I only applied DO so I didn't need a 510. End of July through August I received and started working on secondaries and did my best to stay on top of those. I started fall classes at the beginning of August as well. My updated GPA is 3.27 but I'm not sure if schools even see that yet. Well after that wild ride and wondering if it would pay off.....I interview at ACOM this Friday. I'm not accepted anywhere yet but that one interview so far made everything worth it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you put your mind to it, you can definitely do it. I may not be going to Harvard or somewhere huge like that but I've never been worried about that. As far as I'm concerned, my med school education will be what I make it no matter where I go and at the end of it all, I'll have reached my dream of becoming a doctor (assuming I do get in somewhere haha).