<p>Well I haven't failed any of my classes or needed to repeat any of them due to absences, tardiness, etc. but my chosen major makes it impossible to graduate in 4 years.
So will it still look bad to medical schools that I have to graduate in 5 years in order to finish my major?
Because I really don't want to major in history or something non scientific related just to graduate in 4 years</p>
<p>Why major and school? Even my engineering classmates graduated in 4 years and that’s the most requirements I know of. My gut says you would be better finishing in 4 and taking a gap year than finishing in 5 and going straight out. Were you trying to lighten your load for MCAT/apps?</p>
<p>^Perhaps the OP declared late to a program that has a full four year plan?</p>
<p>I thought that there are some engineering programs that require 5 years.</p>
<p>No, it does not look bad. I highly doubt you will not get into an MD school because it took you five years to graduate.</p>
<p>Edit: You also do not have to major in a science related major. One should major in something they love and excel in.</p>
<p>^Do you have evidence (eg personal experience or that of your friends etc) or just a hunch?</p>
<p>i heard of somebody who took 7 years to graduate and he got accepted to top 20. I do not see that anybody cares. In D’s program, engineering majors were NOT permitted to graduate earlier than 5 years, while all others had to take 4, could not graduate earlier at all (was one of the reasons why my D. graduated with minor and originally had 2 minors).<br>
How about those who work full time? How about those who work full time and have family? They are not getting accepted? Not true at all. But it is not that these are the only reasons. I imagine there are other reasons why it might take longer than 4 years to graduate.</p>
<p>Just because they are getting accepted doesn’t mean it makes no difference. Kids get accepted with horrible MCAT scores and GPAs and I know you wouldn’t say those make no difference.</p>
<p>I’m not saying you’re wrong because I don’t really know either. Just pointing out a potential flaw in your reasoning, just as my reasoning is flawed because I am assuming that the fact that the vast majority of kids finished in 4 is reason to believe 5 is looked down upon. The engineer who finished in 4 and then did a post-bacc is more common than the engineering pre-med finishing in 5.</p>
<p>Nature:</p>
<p>Question.</p>
<p>How would someone be able to do well on the MCAT exam if they didn’t study biology and chemistry in college?</p>
<p>As of now, all you need for the MCAT is 2 biology with lab, 2 chemistry with lab, 2 organic chemistry with lab, 2 physics with lab and the math depends where you decide to go. So, in the end, if you take those classes, you should be ready for the MCAT. However, more courses needed for the MCAT are being added for 2015.</p>
<p>Not being able to graduate in four years does not mean you are stupid. Some people decide to change majors pretty late and need the extra year or real life happens and they need to take less credits per semester. Why would Med Schools penalize someone for taking an extra year to finish college?</p>
<p>I would say that taking 5 years to graduate will NOT hurt you at all.</p>
<p>Many kids nowadays take more than the usual 4 years to graduate.</p>
<p>There could be financial reasons.</p>
<p>There could be the problem of fulfilling your requirements in this era of budget cuts.</p>
<p>A person might have been ill.</p>
<p>Get good grades and you will be fine.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Most are scheduled for four years, but many require more than the normal number of credits to graduate (e.g. 125-130 instead of the normal 120 semester credit units). At less selective colleges, a greater percentage of engineering students have trouble with the more than normal number of credits per semester, particularly with lab and project courses, so they take lower course loads and need one or more extra semesters.</p>
<p>Among highly selective schools, Dartmouth is an exception in that the normal time to graduate with an ABET-accredited engineering degree is more than 12 quarters (four academic years on the quarter system).</p>
<p>Yes, there are some engineering programs that will not let student to graduate earlier than 5 years. Example - co-ops and at least one bs/md that my own D. was in (she was not an engineering major, so she had to stay in UG for 4 years, it was a program requirement - 5 for engineers and 4 for other majors, so if the pace is too slow, than add minor(s), other majors…)</p>
<p>I think it would matter a great deal more WHAT students were doing those 5 years. If they were taking 12 credits per semester for 10 semesters–yeah, that might look bad (provided it was not for a very good reason).</p>
<p>If they were otherwise all normal semesters, I do not see how it could possibly be construed as bad.</p>