<p>The university that I'm going to attend this Fall offered me (and I accepted) admission to an accelerated science and math program geared towards pre-med students majoring in the sciences, specifically those with a strong interest in research. Through the program, I would take Biology, General Chemistry, and Calculus my freshman year, followed by Physics and Organic Chemistry my sophomore year. I am a Biology major, and I'm also in a special program at the university that exempts me from all general education requirements. Because of this, I would be able to and plan on also taking Genetics, Cellular and Molecular Biology, and Biochemistry (one of those during the summer after my freshman year, and the other two during my sophomore year). I believe these are all of the courses that I need under my belt before I take the MCAT (please correct me if I am mistaken). If this is the case, all of my requirements would be completed by my sophomore year. My current plan is to spend the summer after my sophomore year preparing for the MCAT and reviewing all of the material from those courses, so that I could then take the MCAT in August before my junior year. Is this practical? I know that most people do not take it so early, which worries me.</p>
<p>If necessary, that is if I do not feel prepared to take it in August, I could probably afford to take a light/easy course-load the first semester of my junior year to continue preparing for the MCAT, and then take it at the end of the semester / during winter break. My only fear with this is that the material may not be as fresh in my mind at this point. </p>
<p>I just want to know if this is a good idea, or whether I should start revising my plans and forget about taking it that early. All advice is greatly appreciated /:</p>
<p>You do realize that all med schools have requirements for expository writing courses. And many of the most competitive medical schools also require upper level humanities/social sciences. Skipping all GEs is not a good idea.</p>
<p>I think you can do your proposed course of study, but wonder why you’re in such a hurry to plow thru so much all at once? </p>
<p>I worry that by taking such a compressed and heavy courseload, you’re turning yourself into drudge who does nothing but study all the time. Part of college is exploring other interests and personal growth. Med schools value strong communication and interpersonal skills almost as much as a strong science GPA.</p>
<p>Also such a heavy course schedule leaves no time for the activities that pre meds need to participate in–medical volunteering, research, shadowing, community service, leadership activities. </p>
<p>Lastly with this course schedule are you confident that you can maintain a high GPA? College courses are significantly more difficult than high school.</p>
<p>The courses that I listed above are not the only courses I’ll be taking. I’ll probably take 4 courses per semester, I believe that’s the usual course load. I have AP credit for a year of English Composition, and I’m also going to take literature courses both semesters of my freshman year. I’m minoring in psychology (and majoring if I get the chance) so I will have quite a few social studies courses, mostly concentrated in my junior and senior years, and I plan on taking other courses as well.</p>
<p>I appreciate your advice. I do worry about having enough time for extra-curricular activities. My first semester will be a sort of test-run, I suppose. If everything goes well and I feel that I can handle the heavy course load along with extra curricular activities, then I will probably stick to the plan. If it leaves me unhappy, is taking a toll on my GPA, or doesn’t allow me to participate in things such as research and volunteering then I can always leave the program and spread out my more difficult classes over time. One of the main reasons why I want to do things the way I outlined is because I think it would be very helpful if I can take the MCAT after the summer instead of sometime during the school year, because that way I’ll have all summer to prepare without the pressure of classes and grades. </p>
<p>If the plan doesn’t work, then I’ll change it. I just wanted to know if it was worth attempting at all, or if it’s just doomed to fail. Hopefully I’ll be able to contact some students who have participated in the program or are currently in it now to see how things turned out for them.</p>
<p>This is definitely true. What WOWMom probably could have added is that summers have the potential to be tremendously meaningful to your candidacy because you will have the opportunity to do different things during the summer than you can during the school year–you’d potentially have access to a new location, a new project that can be your sole focus, a research opportunity, studying abroad, working full time, or a whole range of other activities. </p>
<p>Spending a summer preparing for the MCAT could be detrimental to your candidacy because you’d lose one of the two summers that will for sure be on your med school application. Assuming you plan to apply during the summer after junior year, you’ll probably write about what you did after freshman and sophomore years and then just speculate what you’re doing during the summer after junior year. </p>
<p>Looks like you’ll have an easy fall semester of junior year if you follow your current plan. Instead of wasting a summer with MCAT prep, I’d recommend taking the MCAT in January and preparing during the fall and over winter break. You’ll know your score in plenty of time to thoughtfully craft your list before applying in June. That way, should you need to retake, you could retake in April or May and not be behind schedule. I think the end result (being prepared to apply at the “normal” time, the summer after junior year) will be the same if you take the test in August as if you take the test in January, and taking it in January would allow you to use your summer more wisely.</p>
<p>Remember, most applicants do not spend the summer preparing for the MCAT. Competitive applicants will find something unique and meaningful to do during that time. I personally think your time would be better spent devoted to a wonderful EC or experience than it would be if you devoted it to MCAT prep books.</p>
<p>(Edited to add: I can see why you might think having zero distractions during MCAT prep would make it easier and less stressful. I’m just one person, so take this with a grain of salt, but to me…preparing for the MCAT while taking classes was probably beneficial to both. I took Physics 2 during MCAT prep, and each reinforced the other. Plus, for many people, having additional responsibilities improves time management skills and makes you study more efficiently. If your primary reason for taking the MCAT during the summer is so you don’t have to prep while you’re taking classes, you might note that your proposed approach is certainly different from the typical approach, and in this case, straying from the norm might not be a good thing.)</p>