<p>Hi, I'm a currently a high school senior who will matriculating at Northwestern University in the fall as a bio major. I've been contemplating how feasible it is to just to finish school in 3 years as opposed to 4. Northwestern requires, I believe, 45 credits, to graduate of which I should have 11-13 to start, pending on how AP's go. If I were to take General Bio along with Organic Chemistry my first year, I could jump right into upper division courses my sophomore year and be on my way.</p>
<p>Provided that I still manage to get a decent GPA >3.7 and good MCAT scores- I'm pretty good with standardized testing Bio SAT II:800, Chem: 770 (messed up on apparatus section)- would just the fact that I haven't been in undergrad that long be extremely detrimental to applying to medical school? I'm not really much of a party type and I wouldn't mind studying/volunteering/doing research during most of my time there.</p>
<p>Has anyone ever taken this approach or know someone who has? Any input/advice would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>If you only want to go to undergrad for 3 years, the best thing to do is graduate, take a year off to do research or something, and then go to medical school.</p>
<p>The problem with wanting to matriculate immediately after graduating from college is that you'd have to take the MCAT super early (at the end of your freshman year or sometime in your sophomore year) and you'd have to apply during your junior year. So that means there will only be 4 semesters of grades on your transcript when you apply. I'm not even sure if AMCAS will verify your transcript with so few grades. Not to mention the fact, that you probably would have a tough time doing all the other premed stuff: getting LOR's, doing clinical work, research, volunteering, etc. in those 3 years while maintaining the grades you'll need. </p>
<p>Like I said, if you don't want to pay for 4 years of school, then, fine, graduate in 3 years. However, take a year off in between college and med school.</p>
<p>On a side note, do you attend Monta Vista HS?</p>
<p>First off, yes, I do go to Monta Vista. Are you an alumni or just familiar with the school? Addressing the MCAT issue, I would most likely take the MCAT at the end of my first year because I would have just completed Orgo and General Bio so I'd be pretty well prepared since I heard physics isn't particularly difficult on the MCAT, I could be wrong though. Also, whats the deal with AMCAS verifying my transcript? I should get AP credit for the whole general chem sequence, calc, and lots of elective credit in various fields, and I plan to take 4 classes per quarter so I should have about 30+ quarter length classes that I'll have credit for by then... so will that really be an issue?</p>
<p>Class of '03. I still live in Cupertino although I haven't been home in about a year.</p>
<p>When you apply to medical school, AMCAS has to verify your grades by checking the grades on the transcript with the grades you input on your app. Even if AMCAS doesn't have a requirement for the minimum number of grades, medical schools might not like the fact that they have so few grades with which to judge your academic ability. </p>
<p>Most med schools probably won't accept AP credit for gen chem even if your undergrad does. You'll probably have to take either biochem or p-chem or some other upper level chem class to make up for it. </p>
<p>Keep in mind, just because your undergrad accepts AP credit for its requirements doesn't mean medical schools will. Harvard Med is the only school I know of that will accept AP calc credit. For most other med schools, you'll still have to take one semester of calc in college. </p>
<p>It's doable if you are extremely bright, social, driven, and talented. However, most people are only able to assemble a half-competitive application in 3 years.</p>
<p>NCG has really nailed it on this thread. I want to give him props for that, and emphasize a few things he's said.</p>
<p>The issue is probably less with the class work, and more with the other stuff. Obviously if you're coming in with 11-13 AP's, you have the academic wherewithal to probably do well in your course work. But that's obviously not the only criteria you have to meet. It's can you work through your courses rapidly while also doing the volunteering, doing research, and getting the clinical experience necessary. The other issue is that, at a school like Northwestern (where everyone's talented and used to being involved) it's probably pretty tough to get significant leadership positions in your first and second years...certainly more so than it was for me going to a state school where I was able to get executive officer positions in major organizations during my very first semester. An extra year in school is going to do wonders for your application.</p>
<p>The other issue that can't be stressed enough is the AP credit one. You still need to take 1 year of chem, 1 year of organic, 1 year of bio, and 1 year of physics at the college level - not just have credit for them. <a href="Side%20note%20to%20BDM%20and%20NCG:%20Do%20you%20agree%20with%20how%20that's%20worded?%20I%20think%20I%20might%20start%20using%20that%20more%20frequently.%20Seems%20concise%20and%20I%20think%20gets%20the%20point%20across%20fairly%20well...">i</a>* Similar things for math at most medical schools and to a lesser extent English.</p>
<p>Finally, just as personal opinion/inquiry...why do you want to get done so quickly? Why race through the greatest years of your life? You're already going to lose the rest of your 20's to med school and residency...why the hurry to disappear from friends and family?</p>
<p>norcalguy and Bigredmed,</p>
<p>Thanks you both for the plethora of advice and I'll definitely consider it. I know that I'll have to take some upper level Chem classes to compensate for the General Chemistry but Chem and Bio have always been my fortes so I'm not really afraid of that. I don't know if you had Mr. Birdsong, norcalguy, but for all his sarcasm, he is one really good physics teacher. I would leave physics off until my 2nd year and take multivariable calc/linear algebra/stats that first year to fulfill that aspect of the med school requirements. By the time that I apply, I should have taken Orgo, General Bio, a good amount of Calc/Stats, General Physics, Half of my upper division bio courses, 1/2 of my Distribution Requirements. So there should be at least 24 visible graded courses for AMCAS to verify. Would that be satisfactory?</p>
<p>So why the rush, you ask? Mainly it stems from a desire to be able to enter the profession as soon as possible. I'm 100% sure that I want to be a doctor and that if I could manage to save year in that 10+ year journey, I want to do that. Not to mention the additional 40k for another year's tuition.</p>
<p>However, I realize that in rushing, I might risk not producing as good an application as I would if I stayed an extra year. I guess everything a tradeoff. Not to state that I'm completely anti-social but coming from Monta Vista, I've become fairly adept at confining myself to my room for hours at time and also finding time to volunteer/run clubs. It's not that I'm eager to leave my friends but rather, I'm more eager to start working in a profession that I know I'll enjoy. Sure, I love hanging out with my friends but I'm a pretty driven person and I enjoy pursuing challenges-academic or not.</p>
<p>I actually went through MV w/o taking physics any but Birdsong has the rep of being a tough but great teacher. Physics on the MCAT is a joke anyway so I'm sure you'll be fine. </p>
<p>You don't really need linear algebra, although you can take it if you want. Multivariable calc + stats should satisfy the math requirement for practically any med school.</p>
<p>Thanks norcalguy! If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you up to now? Are you finishing up college? Do you have any specific advice/lessons that you feel that aspiring pre-meds should know?</p>
<p>I have one last final on Wed and then I'm done! I'm graduating next week and will be doing a one-year research fellowship with the NIH while applying to med schools at the same time. I really miss California though but the only chance I'll have to come back would be when/if I get interviews to CA med schools.</p>
<p>As for advice, just read this forum and you'll find some pretty sound advice. Typically, you don't have to worry too much about MV kids doing well in school.</p>