Which cycle to apply to?

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Ligamentumarteriosum

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  1. Pre-Medical
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Fast background:
  • Studied computer science, switched to biology major (b.s., biomedical science) at a brick-and-mortar school - current standing, senior (credit-wise)
  • Courses I needed to take: the whole f'ing pre-req list (this list = my major)
  • Started January 2016 slated to finish June 2017
  • 2.5 yrs FF/EMT, SAR, all the fun stuff, ongoing

What I really wanted to do was try and make my run to attend DO school shooting for fall 2017 after getting undergrad spring 2017. Complication: I'm studying pre-reqs all the way up until graduation, which means coverage for topics under MCAT will be pretty light. I'll be starting organic chem fall 2016 for example.
Ultimately this means self study and hit the MCAT as early as possible, or wait and hit MCAT later this year.

Since the MCAT is a sticky bit, that makes the whole application sticky. I believe I can put together a damn good application, but it will be at it's best half way through the cycle. Accounting for rolling admissions, it's a quagmire. I can put in an okay application probably early cycle but chances are pretty slim.

I am also aware of a local masters 1-yr "prep" degree that works tightly with my current #1 DO pick that will take a copy of the med school app as the bulk of the graduate app and will take MCAT, GRE, etc. That's the backup, but being real here, that's quite likely seeing as how I simply just don't fit in the traditional "start a year before you go" cycle where other students will have taken classes that I just won't hit in time to be competitive early on.

The question here:
Given what I've said, would it be better to enter a firmer application later, thinner app sooner, or forgo the application to medical school and focus on the masters program, hitting the next following cycle (to attend at the end of the masters program)
 
As the almighty Goro says: Apply with the strongest possible application.

Why not do a career changer post bacc if you haven't done most of the pre-reqs? Most of those have direct linkages to MD/DO schools.
 
As noted above, it is much, much better to square things up and do well on the MCAT (thus significantly strengthening your application) than to rush through, end up being late in the cycle, and best case scenario maybe getting into a non-preferred school. It is certainly possible to get in to nearly any DO school mid-cycle, but that strategy seems to leave too much up to luck for my tastes. Not to mention the added time it will take to get your secondaries completed, interview, etc. Basically, I think you would be better off taking a little extra time to ensure you perform extremely well in your pre-reqs, get your LOR's, study for the MCAT, etc. Keep in mind if you have the foresight to study for your classes with the secondary goal of retaining things for the MCAT, it will make MCAT prep significantly easier. You really want to avoid spreading yourself too thin here, as it would be a huge mistake to get in a rush and end up doing retakes on top of your pre-reqs due to having too many irons in the fire. The goal here is efficiency rather than speed. You don't want to be a reapplicant when it can be easily avoided in a situation such as yours.
 
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