I am a sophomore who recently decided to pursue premed; I started taking prerequisites in the spring of my freshman year. I am trying to figure out the timing for when to take these courses / if I have to take any over the summer. Unless I really have to take courses over the summer, I want to keep my summers open to start getting some clinical experiences.
The ones I have left to take are Orgo I, II, and Lab; Physics II; and two upper-level Bio courses because of AP credit, which will probably need Orgo (and if I want to go to / can get into Hopkins Med, Biochemistry). All of these courses are notorious at my school, so I don’t know if I can double up… I can fit all the prereqs into the next five semesters, but I’ll be taking them through my senior year of college.
I know you’re supposed to have all the prerequisites done before you take the MCAT… And I know that people who take the MCAT junior year go to med school right after they graduate. So that means that if I take the MCAT senior year, I take a gap year? And if I take it the summer after I graduate, I have to take at least two gap years? I kind of envisioned just going straight from college to med school, so I don’t know how I feel about taking one gap year, much less more than that. Then again, I still don’t know that much about what people do during gap years and their potential benefits…
Is it worth the time and money for summer courses or potentially risking my GPA to avoid an extra gap year?
Actually, you will need to to take biochem even if you decide not to apply to JHU.
Starting this year, the MCAT will include topics in biochemistry, statistics/biostatistics, sociology and psychology as well as all the other traditional pre-reqs.
Since biochem questions make up as many as 1/3 of the biological science questions on the MCAT, I wouldn’t try to take the exam without first completing the class.
Gap years are actually quite common. About 1/3 of all incoming med students have taken 1-2 gap years. Students who decide later in their college careers use their gap year(s) to study for the MCAT, improve their ECs for admission by working/volunteering in medically-related positions, or engaging in full or part-time research.
OP, what is Med, Biochemistry? You stated " want to go to / can get into Hopkins Med, Biochemistry"
My D. decided that gap year is not for her. I do not know anybbody else who took a gap year, bad advisor on this.
Why you want specifically go to JH? I hope that you understand that you have to apply widely and not focus on one Medical School. I am not familiar with the requirements at JH Med. When D. had questions about requirements, she contacted adcoms of several Med. Schools directly, they were very helpful.
As a genenral advise, 2 hard classes / semester is OK, D. made sure that she always had 2 hard classes but no more. If she had less, she would have not been done in 4 years, nobdy in her major would have done in 4 years. She did not take a single summer class, her Honors schosrship covered only one summer class, she used it for her trip abroad credits.
However no matter how much you take in UG per semester, the work load would not be any close to the one in Med. School.
These pre-req courses are very similar across colleges and most pre med students double up (many triple up) on them all the time. It is the only way to get them all done in a timely manner and take the MCAT after junior year.
Gen Chem and Bio are usually taken freshman year togehter and O Chem and Physics are often taken together sophomore year, which leaves room junior year for Bio Chem (needed for MCAT and many med schools now) and any other pre reqs still needed. If you AP out of anything, you can replace with a higher level course, but it isn’t necessary to do so before the MCAT. (OP- You can do these 2 classes you mention your senior year) No summer classes needed and everything done in time.
Plenty of people take gap years, especially if you need to take the pre-reqs. Do not take the MCAT until you are ready, and that means after you have taken all the classes and have had time to study. If you look at the average age of matriculation, it is inching up. You can take that gap year and increase your research, clinical and volunteering opportunities.
I agree that aiming for one school is pointless. You will need to apply to several schools and go to several interviews in order to get into medical school. You may even find that you prefer other schools to Hopkins.
@WayOutWestmom Thanks for the heads-up about Biochemistry.
@MiamiDAP Sorry, I meant “want to go to / can get into Hopkins Medical School, I should also take Biochemistry.” Also, how does one decide whether or not a gap year is for them? There’s nothing “fun” I particularly want to do (e.g. travel), but I could work / volunteer somewhere, I guess.
I don’t particularly want to go to Hopkins right now, nor do I know where I want to go in general, but Hopkins is the only school who’s prereqs I know about fully right now, since I go here for undergrad. I’m definitely going to apply to a lot of other schools, since I know Hopkins is hard to get into, even for undergrads.
And Orgo + Physics II??? Maybe I’m putting too much effort into protecting my GPA and don’t have enough faith in my abilities, but that sounds daunting. If, theoretically, I were to space the courses out more so I took them all the way through senior spring, then if I apply in the summer of 2018 after I graduate, I would be applying for Fall 2019?
Gap years aren’t for “fun”–they’re for improving your application. Save the “fun stuff” for after you’ve been accepted to med school.
D2 took 2 planned gap years to work as clinical research manager at a top 10 med school. (And pick up some publication credits along the way as well adding a ton of clinical contact hours and additional volunteering.) She made this decision well in advance of her graduation date (like a full year in advance) because she wanted a break from academics before starting med school.
Orgo +phys 2 is very doable. If you can’t manage 2 heavy duty sciences classes at once, how in the world are going to manage the equivalent of 5 full time science courses at a time that is med school?
The application process takes a full year. So yes, if apply in summer 2018, you’d be starting med school in fall 2019.
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So that means that if I take the MCAT senior year, I take a gap year? And if I take it the summer after I graduate, I have to take at least two gap years?
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Pretty much.
You do NOT want to be taking the MCAT during the summer that you will be applying to med school.
You could take it March/April of senior year…and then apply right after graduation…and have only one gap year. If you can figure out something beneficial to do that gap year, then that would be great.
There are negatives involved with applying after junior year. You’d be spending senior year trying to fit in interviews while finishing your last year of college. At least with a gap year, you won’t be facing that.