<p>I will be transferring into UT Austin in Fall '08 as a liberal arts major after completing freshman year with Gen Chem (w/lab) and Math (Stat & Calc). I plan on taking O-Chem along with one upper level bio (cell bio, genetics, biochem, physiology) sophomore year. Finally, junior year ends with intro Physics and maybe one more bio class at which point I take the MCAT in spring of 2010. The two summers+one winter break are for EC's like volunteering or research.
This, too me, seems too rushed even if 80% of the ppl on SDN and CC have much more hectic schedules. If I graduate in 5 yrs instead to devote each year for one pre-med req , would that be slacking off?</p>
<p>Also, I have the option of double majoring in finance (I know some here discourage vocational majors but I have a legit argument) at McComb's as a fallback. I'm asking this as an alternative to the antisocial stereotype of the pre-med student; I want to be able to go to a party now and then, maybe study abroad, or just read a novel. I can either continue as the above and graduate on time like my friends.. unless someone has suggestions? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>you only go to college once. what's the hurry? there's no one to impress by speeding through - graduating on time will be forever overlooked once you graduate</p>
<p>To tell you the truth I am very interested in how people will respond to this thread. I am also very interested in taking a 5th year to get a minor in BA or finish up my current major. </p>
<p>How will the adcom look at this?</p>
<p>(I'm pretty sure I am not hijacking the OP's thread. Ignore me if I am.)</p>
<p>Well, UT does have a sizable population of around 50k kids of which a decent amount don't graduate in 4 years.. but that includes some who party too much, changed majors, etc.</p>
<p>I guess I'll just stick to finishing my liberal arts major and take the MCAT and be done with it in 4 years as planned.</p>
<p>Medical schools want to see that you are getting your medical school level grades while pursuing what your college considers a regular schedule. So, if your college has lots of majors that take 5 years- perfectly fine for you to do one of them in 5 years. </p>
<p>So far, I have just repeated what BDM said. Where I would give a more precise answer is what if most people at your college graduate in 4 years? Your graduating in 5 may or may not be a problem, depending on why. </p>
<p>If you did an unusual double major that your college considered appropriate for 5 years of study-fine. If you took the same number and level of courses as everyone else, but you took 5 years to get through them- that is a problem.</p>
<p>So I would encourage you to take the extra year if you will have something to show for it-a mix of majors that not many students get. If you do it simply to make the college years easier, then it could hurt your med school chances.</p>
<p>Premed is a grind. That's just the way it is. By the way, that is a very typical, or somewhat light, schedule for a premed.</p>
<p>What if you took the max. amount of credits possible every single semester, and because you were really interested in two antipodal fields of study (bioengineering and philosophy) as well as some other minor, you still had to do it in 5 years, and wouldn’t mind spending extra time because you want to matriculate in an MD/PhD program anyway? Would the 5-year plan still seem reasonable, especially if it’s at a top 20 undergrad?</p>
<p>Reasonable to graduate, perhaps. Much more difficult to prepare your application for MD/PhD programs, however. The problem is you are still expected to have as much research and ECs, if not more, than a 4 year applicant. You might need to take another year off to do research or something if you find that maintaining a high GPA and a robust extra-curricular life becomes difficult.</p>