<p>I am a Mechanical Engineering major at UW Madison going into my sophomore year in the fall. What classes should I be sure to take before I take the Mcat? </p>
<p>(Keep in mind that I am an engineering major and I still would like to graduate in 4 years. I am going to be a sophomore at UW in the fall going in with 40 credits while have completed Calc I & 2, Gen Chem 1 & 2, Phys 1. If it means anything, I have maintained a 4.0 GPA through these 40 credits.)</p>
<p>Does anyone have a Mcat study guide that is extremely helpful and should definitely be bought and/or religiously studied before testing?</p>
<p>What is a minimum GPA and min. Mcat score to be admitted to a Med School program? (It doesn't have to be top of the line)</p>
<p>I know that it is going to be very hard to keep my grades at a sufficient level to be admitted to med school but am confident that I can manage. Is anyone else in engineering/pre med? Advice? </p>
<p>Also, does anyone know if it is easier to be admitted to your own University's Med school programs if you have attended the university in your undergrad? (Once again, I will be a sophomore at UW Madison who has a respectable Med program if I am not misinformed?)</p>
<p>You need one year of biology, ochem 1 and 2, and physics 2. Biochemistry is recommended. Also add more biology if you can. Cultivate some relationships with your favorite professors over the next couple of years. You will need letters of recommdation later.</p>
<p>You don’t need to worry about the review books right now. There are many, also review classes. Get through the required classes with great grades first.</p>
<p>You can take the MCAT more than once, but you don’t want to. It looks much better to med schools if you take it once and do well on it. </p>
<p>GPA above 3.5 or 3.6 in both science-math and overall and MCAT 30+ is a good level to aim for. I believe average for admitted med students overall is 3.6 and 30-31. </p>
<p>Get going on volunteering in some sort of medical, direct patient activity now. Length of volunteering and commitment matters. Start looking for drs. to shadow too. Leadership roles, work with kids or elderly. Just volunteering once a week at something regularly is good. Assisting in research is also good, but real patient experience is a must on your application. </p>
<p>And READ. The verbal part of the MCAT is really hard. Try reading the NY Times and other sources, not just science things. Read things that are hard and that you aren’t all that interested in the subject matter. It will help you with the verbal section. </p>
<p>You have a better chance at being admitted to your state medical schools when you apply as a resident than those applicants from out of state. So, better chance at UW because you are a WI resident, not just that you went to UW. </p>
<p>You could go talk to the med school advising person now, just to check in. (UW undergrad advisor)</p>
<p>^^ I am actually an Illinois resident, I forgot to mention that. I came to UW for their reputation for the undergrad engineering program. What Med schools are respectable in Illinois? Do you think I should make sure to take Bio 1 & 2, Organic 1 & 2, and Physics 2 before the Mcat? Im asking because I still need to finish out Calc III and Diffe Q and if I have to take Calc III, Orgo, Bio, and Physics 2 in one semester it might murder my GPA if I’m not careful.</p>
<p>^^ Ok… but what classes do I need to be sure to take before taking the Mcat? I will know on Friday what classes that I need for admission to medical school will count for other electives at UW. Until then, I’d like to know what classes I should make sure to take before taking the Mcat next august before my junior year? </p>
<p>You definitely need to have completed Orgo 1 & 2, Bio 1 & 2 and Physics 2 before you take the MCAT. There will be content from all of those classes on the MCAT.</p>
<p>You need to take all the classes you mentioned before taking the MCAT because without them, your chances of scoring well would be seriously endangered. Spread the classes out…if you need to wait to apply until after your senior year and take a meaningful gap year, then do it…don’t load yourself up and kill your GPA. You can probably still graduate in four years, you’ll just need to take the gap year after you graduate before applying.</p>
<p>It is just fine to take a gap year after undergrad while you are applying to med schools. You can get a job in health care or research during that year and it will help to have something to talk about in your interviews. You don’t need to go directly to med school after graduation, in fact it can be an advantage if you have some health care work experience first. Don’t rush this process. </p>
<p>Also you don’t need to take the MCAT after your sophomore year. That is really early. You can take it after junior year or in the early fall of your senior year. </p>
<p>Do not take orgo, physics and bio all in one semester. Those all have labs too. Spread this out; take your time. If you can keep getting A’s in those core science classes that will be great on your application. </p>
<p>You want to apply to all the med schools in your state. Don’t worry now about which ones. If you have a high enough GPA and MCAT score then you will apply broadly to out of state schools too. That’s a whole aspect of the process that you will learn about later. </p>
<p>You’re worrying about too many things all at once! Just focus on the next things…keep your grades high. Work the rest of the required classes into your schedule. There is another website all about med schools</p>
<p>Ok, so I should definitely finish all these classes before the Mcat. What is the latest date that I can take the Mcat and still be able to get into Med school WITHOUT taking a gap year. I really want to refrain from taking a gap year.</p>
<p>Early June of the summer after your junior year.</p>
<p>It takes 4 weeks to get get your MCAT scores back and you need to have your AMCAS application completed and ready to go as soon as your get your scores back. </p>
<p>Timing is very important in med school applications. If you apply late in the cycle (applications typically don’t close until Oct 15), you greatly diminish your chances of acceptance.</p>
<p>When do applications usually open? What exactly is a AMCAS application? (Probably a stupid question) What date should I definitely have my applications in?</p>
<p>AMCAS is the organization that handles all allopathic medical school applications. (Kinda like the Common App) You complete your primary application thru them and they then forward your completed application on to the schools you designate. AMCAS also verifies your grades and transcripts. AMCAS will also collect and forward your letters of recommendation.</p>
<p>The MCAT testing is done on a computer at special testing center. The exam is currently 5.5 hours long. When you finish the test, but before you leave the testing room, there is an option to cancel your test results. Basically it wipes your answers and your exam is never scored.</p>
<p>If you cancel your scores, you lose your test fee. ($235)</p>
<p>I can’t see you finishing the courses you’ll need to take without over loading yourself to be able to take the MCAT in June after your junior year. Spread your courses out, get in more ECs and keep your grades up. To do this, apply at the end of your senior year and take the gap year.</p>
<p>As I said earlier, do NOT pay attention to the final date for applications…they have to be in as close to June 1 as you can possibly make them or you will not get interviews.</p>
<p>Listen to those who have been there…we’re trying to help you.</p>
<p>D. said that Bio was pretty useless for MCAT. She said that she needed Genetics and Physiology and maybe some other upper Bio classes, for which Bio was pre-req. You need GenChem, Orgo, Physics also.</p>
<p>Yuo can take many practice tests at home, why would you take multiple real exams?</p>