<p>I'm coming in with about 11 AP credits, which is 1 short of 1 year of credits here. I'm thinking of graduating in 3 years with a double major (which is possible according to my plan and my advisor's review).</p>
<p>However, I know this will turn my timeline into a hurricane-esque abomination. What are the clear advantages of graduating in 3 years? Will medical schools be impressed by the fact that I finished 2 science majors in 3 years? Or is this not a good way to go, because I will miss out on a year of college in terms of leadership opportunities and research?</p>
<p>I think it's good to graduate in 3 years. Can you do that with a double major though? Like don't you need about 60 credits in total for both? You might miss out on a few research and stuff though, but you can also do that during the year if you can. Or in the summers.</p>
<p>The idea at stake is that when you apply to med schools, they'll want three years worth of coursework on which to evaluate you. So graduating in three years isn't a problem, but it means you'll delay your med school entry by one year - not a problem in the least, but just be cognizant of the fact that you probably won't want to go straight through.</p>
<p>science nerd: I need 45 credits to graduate. I'm coming in with 11 credits, plus I tested out of 1 year of spanish, so that's like 14. I can complete 2 majors (chem and biological sciences) in 3 years because like half the classes overlap.</p>
<p>However, bluedevilmike brings up a good point about the 3 year courseload evaluation. Is this even a worthwhile thing to do though? I remember in high school I had spent A LOT of time on things that weren't worth too much in the end, (both to me and in terms of college apps :(). I don't want to make the same mistake in college.</p>
<p>bluedevilmike: Can you elaborate on what your advising team said about this? Also, since your advising team has answered this "question" I'm assuming you, or someone else, were/was maybe thinking about it at some point?</p>
<p>1.) That's about all we were told. Med schools are always gambling that your undergrad coursework is representative of your actual ability, and they have 50% more data when you have 3 years on your transcript instead of 2.</p>
<p>2.) They discussed it publicly, meaning that some kids in the past probably wanted to do this. (i.e. not in a private advising meeting).</p>
<p>ahh yes. Thanks bluedevilmike. I am going to meet with my advisor again...I'll post back with news.</p>
<p>I think staying here 4 years will make me more competitive because I will have more things "done" under my belt, and thus on my application. I would also feel less rushed and can probably take a quarter off or do study abroad somewhere.</p>
<p>another thing you should be aware of is that med schools look down upon younger students. Just look at the data and you'll see that the average entering age is like 25 or something.</p>
<p>I haven't been on CC for a while. As bluedevilmike might remember, I asked him the same question a few months ago. I am a 3rd year student finishing up my undergraduate education. I have already sent in my applications to medical school and passed a few screens already (without an MCAT score). </p>
<p>Although it is true that you can get more done in 4 years compared to 3, I feel that I have experienced enough in college to know that medical school is my chosen path in life. I have been heavily involved in extracurriculars and almost have a paper published. Now of course it is true that if I waited another year, I would have developed my application (eg, i would have a publication, not one that is pending). Howeve, I feel that my application should be strong enough for schools to evaluate me as a future candidate for institution. In my opinion, as long as you have a high GPA/MCAT, good letters of rec, good EC's by the time of your application, and most importantly show maturity during your interviews, I think you should be just fine applying early.</p>
<p>I have asked NUMEROUS people about this and posted on several forums. From what I have gathered, you should be fine finishing in three years (esp. with a double major).</p>
<p>I will let you guys know how I do in the application process this year. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>It's not that they look down on young applicants, per se. About half the class they admit is composed of non-traditional students and the other half are traditional students (usually). If you look at the ages of these non-trads, they roughly range from ~23-40. Now if you take the average of these students with students who were ~20-23 during time of matriculation, this will average out to around ~25.</p>
<p>I second that they don't look down on young applicants. If you show maturity and aren't just some 20-year-old looking to get rich quick as a doctor (which obviously would be a stupid plan), I don't think age can hurt you. OSU Med has a 16-year-old matriculant this year. No lie.</p>
<p>This is great news guys....I'll see what my advisor says...</p>
<p>...however I don't seem to trust advisors. There's a little voice in the back of my head that says advisors don't know much because they're the people who failed in the med school application process, which is why they're advisors now, and not doctors.</p>
<p>SASWombat, Cut yourself some slack and stay in undergrad for four years. You can spread out your science classes with labs a little more that way and have a whole summer or a lighter load one semester to study for the MCAT. Also if you can, do a semester abroad in there. There's no sense in cramming everything into three years to hurry on to medical school for four more intense years.</p>
<p>if you finish in 3 yrs...u could spend ur extra yr doing something really valuable...like getting a job at the hospital or a clinic, or possibly pursue a masters degree...u dont have to apply right away, but rather use the last yr to do something even better....right? lol</p>
<p>Alright I'm back. ACtually, based on my major choices finishing in 3 years was not possible was I had previously thought. I will be staying for four year :)</p>
<p>So I said I would repost about how I have done this application cycle. Overall, I have received 6 interviews. 1 post-interview rejection, 1 waitlist, waiting for 3 schools that I interviewed at, and have one more interview next week. This shows that you CAN do it in three years. My friend actually received 9 invites and he's finishing in 3! I don't have any acceptances yet, probably because I applied late in the season. That's another thing...applying early is crucial! I don't want to sound cocky or anything but I could have had a lot more interviews...but o well. :)</p>