<p>Hi everyone. I would like your advice about graduating a semester early. I am at a top 10 school with no financial aid, which means a semester of tuition is a considerable amount. </p>
<p>Regarding med school, I feel my academics are relatively competitive. I am a non-science major, and I have an excellent GPA (both overall and science GPA). Even with graduating early, I will still be able to do complete two honors thesesone with my non-science major, and one in Biology with the lab I work in. Because I have taken heavy courseloads in the past, I will still have taken as many classes as others do in 4 years (and Im not counting AP credits). Overall, I feel I will still have had as fulfilling of an academic experience in 3.5 years as most do in 4 years.</p>
<p>However, I feel there is definitely a negative stigma against graduating early, especially from med schools perspective. Advisors I have talked to on campus have not been very encouraging. I do love being an undergrad, and I love taking courses. My parents are not pushing me to graduate early, and I know they would pay for the extra semester if I asked. However, I also know that my tuition is definitely a burden on them. Seeing as they sacrifice a lot for me, I would be glad if I could help them out in this way. Especially as I can graduate a semester early and still accomplish all of my academic goals (major, minors, honors theses, and pre-med coursework), I almost feel like it would be the morally responsible thing to do. </p>
<p>I would probably take on a job during my semester off. If I take a gap year, I could take on a more long term job. If I dont take a gap year, it would probably be difficult to find a job for just a semester, so I might look into internships. Im sure I could use my extra semester productively, and no matter what, I would be saving the tuition. </p>
<p>Regarding my personal situation, and the perspective of medical schools, what do you think of me graduating a semester early?</p>
<p>The negative stigma attached to graduating early seems mostly to do the [lack of] maturity of some early grads.</p>
<p>If you have a solid plan to do SOMETHING meaningful and interesting–other than studying full time for the MCAT or bumming around Europe, then it won’t be a big deal.</p>
<p>You might seriously consider taking that gap year you’ve mentioned and get some real work experience under your belt. Adcomms like that. It can help you can better understand/empathize the issues your patients face in their workaday life. (BTW, gap years are increasingly common and the average age of first med student is approaching 25.)</p>
<p>Assuming you are graduating a semester early THIS December (3 months?) you will apply next summer, you will need to provide your MCAT scores, at least 5 letters of recommendation from professors and at least some from people in the medical field, provide evidence of clinical experience… paid or otherwise… volunteerism, research, shadowing. Not just for the strength of your application, but for yourself, explore the clinical setting and make sure it’s really for you.</p>
<p>Sounds like a legit reason to graduate early in my opinion. I’d do it for 2 reasons:</p>
<p>1) If it’s the SINGLE thing that’s a ding against your application (ie you check off all the other major marks like better than 3.6/30, research, volunteering, leadership, shadowing, clinical work, hobbies, LORs, good communication skills–at first glance these look good), I honestly can’t imagine it would matter anyway. From my (somewhat limited–25 people?) friends who go to a variety of med schools, a deficiency in precisely one area was still sufficient to gain admissions. I can’t imagine this one would make or break you though.</p>
<p>2) I personally don’t think you should plan your life around what a med school wants to see. Partially because you can never know for sure what they’re looking for, but mostly because you have to take the rest of your life into account too. If going into another semester’s worth of private school UG debt would be a financial burden, and you’re about to undertake a huge financial burden with med school, I think it makes logical sense to avoid the extra expense. It sounds like you have plenty of meaningful things to do should you graduate early, and it sounds like you’re pretty mature too. Plus, it’s only a semester, and you’ve mentioned you have plenty of credits without counting APs. (I’d definitely be singing a different tune if you were planning to use a boatload of AP credits in order to graduate a year early so you could start med school ASAP.)</p>
<p>If I were in your shoes, I’d take the preferences of med schools off the table because that’s just way too variable to be able to account for. If one school thinks you’re an immature brat for graduating early (doubt this would happen), there’s probably another that values your maturity which swings their vote in your favor. For every school that doesn’t like young applicants, you can find another that accepts a 20yo (there’s a 21yo in my M2 class right now). So, I think you should do what’s best for you and your family. In my experience, prioritizing family and loved ones has always ended up the right decision anyway. </p>
<p>(And for what it’s worth, I’m the eldest of 4–totally understand where you’re coming from re: Bank of Mom and Dad and college tuition)</p>
<p>I know somebody who graduated in 3.5 years and currently is in Med. School. She did not take a gap year, she just worked in Research lab for semester.<br>
You really need to assess your personal situation. For some graduating early make sense, for others it does not, and for third, they might nobe be allowed in certain programs (it was the case with my D., so she had couple minors instead, and it would not make much sense for her anyway, as at least she had a job on campus, which she would loose at graduation and she was on full tuition Merit award). You are your best advisor, I do not know who would be better assessing your specific situation.</p>
<p>This is fine. I assume you go to Columbia. That’s great, that means you did well on the SAT. </p>
<p>Generally, schools don’t are if you graduate a year early. What matters is how you do on the standardized test you are yet to have taken. If you have taken the MCAT and you don’t mention it in your post, I apologize. </p>
<p>This is actually a great idea, spend those 6 months studying for the MCAT. Actually, this sounds like a phenomenal idea…why waste 50k on something that won’t help you in the long run when you can spend 50X less and put all your time towards something that will help you in the long run. MCAT>>>>>semester at college.</p>
<p>Get your hands on every passage and practice test you can find. Make it your job to read everything you can get your hands on. Practice day and night. You should be thinking about the MCAT every second of the day. It is not easy to attain a 33+ on the MCAT. It takes intelligence and lots of hard work. Get started right away. I recommend going back and living with mom and dad while studying. You want no distractions in your life for 6 months. Everything needs to be devoted to the MCAT.</p>
<p>I agree with graduating early and studying for the MCAT full time from Jan. to May or June when you take the test. That is the most important thing you can do next to improve your application. Make that your full-time job and you may be able to raise your score a point or two, which will have a huge effect on your chances in application.</p>
<p>Also volunteer somewhere with direct patient contact 3-4 hrs. a week and try to continue with that volunteering or something similar during your year off while you work as you apply.</p>
<p>I too was a naive little undergrad. I worked my butt off, did everything to the highest standards…research (pubs and posters), won the awards that are discussed as “prestigious” on these boards, and had many numerous unique and clinical activities. I attained a perfect GPA (science and all other). Yet, I am a reapplicant. Why?</p>
<p>I had an MCAT in that 27-29 range last year. I’ve since retaken the MCAT and it is amazing how a new light is shone on an applicant when their MCAT breaks the 32/33 mark deemed respectful. Last year I was a “nothing”, nobody gave a cent about all the other good things I did. The president of my university told me flat out that I was a looser and that I was unfit for her medical school because my MCAT was “very very low”. Her words, not mine. My undergrad and my advisor flat out embarrassed me on top of never having the nerve to actually tell me I was wait listed or rejected. I used that to fuel myself to prove her and that school utterly wrong. </p>
<p>You guys can call me a ■■■■■ all you want. The fact of the matter is that I had a flawless application and a good heart last year (I still do). I care about people and that is why I am trying to help you. Schools care very little about you, the applicant. They care about your number, that’s it. You are your MCAT number to them whether you like it or not. There is no such thing as a holistic review…it’s you MCAT and then a diversity review.</p>
<p>I don’t want anyone else going through all the stuff I’ve gone through the past couple years, it wasn’t fun. Just listen to me and don’t apply to medical school until you break a 30, and don’t apply to a top 40 until you break a 32/33. You’re setting yourself up for the heartache I had to endure. Peace.</p>
<p>That sounds like a really frustrating experience, and I can only imagine how much heartache you endured. It’s great to hear that your MCAT finally hit the mark you were looking for and you are much more confident in your application as a result. It’s surprising to me that your experience was so terrible, but that doesn’t change that it was. I’m impressed by your perseverance and I hope this round leads to a much better result for you!</p>
<p>Do you plan to apply to the same schools? Or did you switch it up? Do you think your committee’s opinion has changed? (I assume the president and your advisor were part of your committee–I wonder if their recommendation of you played a role in the results last year.)</p>
<p>How you study largely depends on personality. For some, it does not work when they focus entirely on one thing. for them, somehow it works the best when they are very busy, engaged in many vairous activities. I drove my D. very frustrated when she focus entirely on MCAT…for the last 2 weeks before she took the test. She said numerous times that she wished that she scheduled it right after her spring finals, not 2 weeks later. She would not be able to sustain 6 months of just MCAT prep. Assess your own ability, how you study, your most effective method. Everybody is very different, do not create frustratin situation for yourself. 6 months of prep. for MCAT (and nothing else) could be anawesome oppotunity for some and could be a big drag for others.</p>