What should i do?(very important pre med decision that will affect my whole life)

[AmirTheDoc]

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[theonlytycrane]

crush the MCAT and be proud of your race because it makes you unique, not because it's your "in" to medical school.

 

[AmirTheDoc]

crush the MCAT and be proud of your race because it makes you unique, not because it's your "in" to medical school.

Thanks for the information, but that did not really answer my main question: (3 or 4 years) and course sequence

 

[Hospitalized]

Don't rush.

A GPA of 3.0 is not great, even as a URM. You should never compromise your grades for finishing undergraduate earlier.

Take your time, improve your grades, graduate in 4 years. You still need to implement volunteering/things you're passionate about into your application. Make sure you get your academics straight (3.5+ for the rest of UG, make sure you ace prereqs), then work on improving your application in other areas. It's very difficult to have a well-rounded application after 3 years. I advise 4.

 

[bananafish94]

There's no sense in graduating three years early for the sake of starting medical school earlier. You would be by far the youngest person in your class, miss out on the college experience, and possibly hurt your GPA by cramming more classes into each semester.

 

[stickgirl390]

I think a high GPA is more important to your acceptance than graduating early. It will also give you more time to prepare for the MCAT, which is much more difficult than most people expect. Best of luck to you!

 

[NonTrad16]

What should i do?
I am currently a freshmen at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Since race does factor into the med school application, I am African American. Some history from high school:
I transferred over 35 college credits from high school (My mom made me take college courses in the summer) Here are the courses I transferred over from high school:

2. 01:119:101 ( 4, Spring 2015, TR, TR, GENERAL BIOLOGY I )

3. 01:119:102 ( 4, Summer 2015, TR, TR, GENERAL BIOLOGY II (with lab)

4. 01:119:127 ( 4, Spring 2015, TR, TR, ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I )

5. 01:119:128 ( 4, Fall 2015, TR, TR, ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II )

8. 01:160:161 ( 3, Fall 2015, TR, TR, GENERAL CHEMISTRY I )
10. 01:160:171 ( 1, Fall 2015, TR, TR, GENERAL CHEMISTY I LAB )
12. 01:355:101 ( 3, Fall 2015, TR, TR, ENGLISH COMPOSITION I )

13. 01:512:103 ( 3, Fall 2013, TR, TR, HISTORY OF THE UNITED STA

14. 01:512:104 ( 3, Spring 2015, TR, TR, HISTORY OF THE UNITED STA )

18. TR:T11:EC ( 3, Fall 2014, TR, TR, MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY )

19. TR:T11:EC ( 3, Spring 2016, TR, TR, PERSONAL FINANCE )
Total credits transfered: 35

-My pre med advisor thinks I should graduate a year early and apply to medical school. I don't know if I should accelerate my pre med process, or just do four years and take 12 credits a semester to try to achieve the highest GPA I can by focusing on just 3 or 4 classes).
-Here are some statistics from my first semester here at Rutgers:
My current course load for fall 2016 semester is as follows:
1) Gen Chem II (4 credits)
2)Microeconomics (3 credits)(my advisor gave me this class, as to why, I do not know. This class is very difficult, and therefore a bad decision made from my advisor. Will not make a mistake like this again.)
3)Intro to sociology (3 credits)
4)Calculus I (4 credits)

My projected GPA for this semester is a 3.0 (struggling with microeconomics and a little with gen chem 2, and calc 1 is a very tough course, especially with my professor)

My overall question is: What should I do? Should I try to graduate a year early and apply to med school by the end of next year? Or should I sit back and follow the 4 year process based on my transfer credit? All tips and information would be very helpful!
Also, could anyone provide a sample 3 or 4 year course sequence that would set me up for medical school(factoring in my transfer credit). Thanks!

1) Own your grades and courses. Most majors require non science courses like English, Econ, ethics, etc. Saying "so and so did this to me" (a professor, advisor, etc) won't get a good response from most people.
2) Your sequence of courses should be based on your major requirements, prerequisites, typical premed requirements, etc. I don't think anyone here can tell you what to do there.
3) if you can do everything you need to do in 3 years, great! It could save you money. But managing the courses and ECs will be a challenge. Based on the anticipated grades, planning for 3.5-4 years may be more wise.

 

[AmirTheDoc]

Thanks for all the tips! I aiming toward going 4 years. I have one question though. Since i transfered gen chem 1, and gen bio 1 & 2, what should my course sequence be for the next 3.5 years?

 

[Sardinia]

@AmirTheDoc Make friends with someone in ODASIS. They get a carbon copy of the Chemistry II Final as a practice exam.

 

[Sardinia]

@AmirTheDoc Are you taking the 151 Engineering Calculus classes?

 

[AmirTheDoc]

@AmirTheDoc Are you taking the 151 Engineering Calculus classes?

No, I am taking calc 135. Exam averages are low, So I dont know what my projected grade is with the curve.(exam 1 average was a 62, and exam 2 average was a 54. I received a 65 and a 71). So im probably around a B right now.

 

[tessellations]

Another option is for you to graduate in three years and then take a gap year. You could focus on finishing up your ECs in that gap year, continue to get some clinical experience, and experience life outside of school.

 

[Sharknad0]

I wouldn't say to rush. Focus on GPA then MCAT when you're ready.


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[ciestar]

There's no sense in graduating three years early for the sake of starting medical school earlier. You would be by far the youngest person in your class, miss out on the college experience, and possibly hurt your GPA by cramming more classes into each semester.

Where are most of your med school socials held?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Thanks for all the tips! I aiming toward going 4 years. I have one question though. Since i transfered gen chem 1, and gen bio 1 & 2, what should my course sequence be for the next 3.5 years?

Are those courses AP? Or are they legitimate courses you took like a concurrent enrollment type deal? A good amount of medical schools won't accept AP for pre-require but they will take the latter. I agree wholeheartedly with the above suggestions, you need to focus on your GPA. A 3.0 isn't going to cut it, even as a URM. Don't worry about graduating early and focus on getting this grades and then the MCAT when the time comes.

 

[787593]

What should i do?
I am currently a freshmen at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Since race does factor into the med school application, I am African American. Some history from high school:
I transferred over 35 college credits from high school (My mom made me take college courses in the summer) Here are the courses I transferred over from high school:

2. 01:119:101 ( 4, Spring 2015, TR, TR, GENERAL BIOLOGY I )

3. 01:119:102 ( 4, Summer 2015, TR, TR, GENERAL BIOLOGY II (with lab)

4. 01:119:127 ( 4, Spring 2015, TR, TR, ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I )

5. 01:119:128 ( 4, Fall 2015, TR, TR, ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II )

8. 01:160:161 ( 3, Fall 2015, TR, TR, GENERAL CHEMISTRY I )
10. 01:160:171 ( 1, Fall 2015, TR, TR, GENERAL CHEMISTY I LAB )
12. 01:355:101 ( 3, Fall 2015, TR, TR, ENGLISH COMPOSITION I )

13. 01:512:103 ( 3, Fall 2013, TR, TR, HISTORY OF THE UNITED STA

14. 01:512:104 ( 3, Spring 2015, TR, TR, HISTORY OF THE UNITED STA )

18. TR:T11:EC ( 3, Fall 2014, TR, TR, MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY )

19. TR:T11:EC ( 3, Spring 2016, TR, TR, PERSONAL FINANCE )
Total credits transfered: 35

-My pre med advisor thinks I should graduate a year early and apply to medical school. I don't know if I should accelerate my pre med process, or just do four years and take 12 credits a semester to try to achieve the highest GPA I can by focusing on just 3 or 4 classes).
-Here are some statistics from my first semester here at Rutgers:
My current course load for fall 2016 semester is as follows:
1) Gen Chem II (4 credits)
2)Microeconomics (3 credits)(my advisor gave me this class, as to why, I do not know. This class is very difficult, and therefore a bad decision made from my advisor. Will not make a mistake like this again.)
3)Intro to sociology (3 credits)
4)Calculus I (4 credits)

My projected GPA for this semester is a 3.0 (struggling with microeconomics and a little with gen chem 2, and calc 1 is a very tough course, especially with my professor)

My overall question is: What should I do? Should I try to graduate a year early and apply to med school by the end of next year? Or should I sit back and follow the 4 year process based on my transfer credit? All tips and information would be very helpful!
Also, could anyone provide a sample 3 or 4 year course sequence that would set me up for medical school(factoring in my transfer credit). Thanks!

4 years. Keep GPA high. If you did 3 years, you'd probably have to do a gap year anyway to improve your ECs...

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Sorry you have to take calc at Rutgers. I took calc 1 and linear algebra there. None of the profs were good at teaching (at least not 10 years ago).

 

[Goro]

Do the four year route. Right now you're in no position to apply anywhere with a 3.0 GPA. No med is doing you any favors by admitting you if you are at high risk for flunking out.

Thanks for the information, but that did not really answer my main question: (3 or 4 years) and course sequence

 

[candbgirl]

So what is you cGPA( hs and college)? How are your ECs going? What have you started? A 3.0 is hardly competitive for DO. Slow down. Work on your GPA and ECs and eventually do very well in the MCAT. Oh and enjoy college!


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