<p>I just found out last week that after this coming year my university may lose accreditation. Because of this, my mom is making me graduate a year early. Luckily, since I was a biology and chemistry double major I am ahead in my courses and am able to make this last minute decision. However,I was not planning on doing this so I am very behind on my medical school application and am also not taking my MCAT until August. Is it still possible for me to get accepted to a medical school? I will graduate with a biology major and chemistry minor, I have a 4.0 even with taking my premed classes like physics and orgo, I run D2 cross country and track (this is the reason I picked my school although Im regretting not going to a bigger state school to just focus on academics now that we are facing possible accreditation loss), and I have been volunteering at the hospital this summer and have shadowed at a couple different offices over the past couple of years. I have no idea what I will make on my MCAT since I only have a small amount of time to study...I used to be decent at standardized tests in high school but I also studied a lot for them so Im not sure how this will work out now. What are my chances of getting in to a medical school considering all of this? Im not against taking a gap year, but I would really like to avoid this if at all possible because I really do enjoy school and would like to get my medical career pathway going asap! Thanks.</p>
<p>It’s possible but MCAT in August means you’re not having a completed AMCAS until September. Many interview spots and even some acceptances will have been handed out before a school even receives your app. Graduating in 3 years from a school losing accreditation doesn’t sound good either. I would vote gap year. Take the MCAT in August as planned and then you can apply in June 2014</p>
<p>What is your home state for residency?</p>
<p>Take gap year, prepare well for MCAT, take MCAT when you feel confident, and spend the remainder of your gap year involving yourself in meaningful activities.</p>
<p>I’m going to do the gap year if I don’t get in…I was just wondering what my chances were. Hypothetically if I score average on the MCAT from 28-30. My state residency is officially GA now, although it was Florida a couple of years ago.</p>
<p>Re-applicants are at a disadvantage to begin with, as they have the burden of explaining how their application is better this time around. The best advice, when it comes to applying to medical schools, is to apply when your application is at it’s strongest. In general, “giving it a shot” the first time around and then trying to repair the damage is not a sound idea.</p>
<p>If your MCAT is in that range you will be toast with a September application. With a June application you will be ok</p>
<p>I mean I think I could explain how my app would be better the second time around. Obviously I would study for the MCAT and hopefully be significantly abover average. I also have family in Korea, and they have already agreed to let me move there and teach English at my aunt’s school and shadow at a hospital that my aunt works at. I would also do more volunteering and shadowing in America. I feel like this could enhance my application the second time around if they ask why I should be accepted now that I am reapplying. Is everyone still against applying this cycle?</p>
<p>Still against applying this cycle</p>
<p>Still against applying this cycle.</p>
<p>Still against applying this cycle. Do it right the first time so there is no second time.</p>
<p>My advice: transfer to a more reputable university, finish your degree, take the MCAT and, depending on your score, figure out where to go from there.</p>
<p>I agree with Brown that late applications are already at a huge disadvantage, and that applying from a school that is either in danger of or is actively losing it’s accreditation is not a strong position to be applying from in the first place. This may be one of the few exceptions to the “where you go to undergrad doesn’t matter (much)”</p>
<p>^^^^Like this advice…and don’t apply this year, you would be LATE LATE LATE.</p>
<p>And one of the best pieces of advice is to apply EARLY and fully prepared.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>Cant transfer now…made the dumb decison of turning down Vanderbilt a month ago before I found out about all these shenanigans. I was going to have to go an extra year there so I decided to stay at my current university and then a month later I found out this possibility!! Its really sad because I believe my school is very good but as a small private school we are understaffed for now which is why we are on warning. So my only other choice is gap year. Hypothetically just for fun if I were to make like 36 plus on the MCAT how would that change things?</p>
<p>so you want us to play that game? Ok, let’s assume you get 97th percentile on the test (what a 36 is). If you were applying in june, that MCAT would be good enough for ANY school in the country. In september you’re now only looking at schools where you’re WELL above average (i.e. schools with average MCAT scores ~28-30) and even there you’re at a disadvantage still since it doesn’t matter how good you are if the seats aren’t there. If you’re capable of getting that kind of score, why would you want to shoot yourself in the foot and rule out all the amazing schools you could get into?</p>
<p>^ IWBB. Always keeping it real. I join the chorus of not applying this cycle. Go in to this fully prepared and ready. Good luck!</p>
<p>alright thanks for the advice everyone. I just really dont want to take a gap year from school…i know I will be productive with it but I just want to continue with my studies ya know? but I understand the benefits of waiting too. I just didn’t know what the harm was in trying if Im going to apply the next year either way. but thanks for being honest everyone…i see that the gap year is probably a better way to go although i really attest it lol</p>
<p>It is the end of June. If someone has not already started prepping for MCAT by now, it would be hard to get it done in August and do it well at the same time.</p>
<p>We are all presuming you have been doing everything else needed to apply outside of class. </p>
<p>What have you done in terms shadowing, research, volunteering etc for your app?</p>
<p>Taking a gap year isn’t such a bad thing anyway. More and more med schools like to see their applicants come in with a little more maturity.</p>
<p>Now about that Vanderbilt offer you turned down. Hummm… Can you call them up and explain your situation? Promise to name your first born Cornelius? (Vandy is sweeter, but Cornelius shows your desperation.) I mean, you didn’t know your current school was on the skids.</p>
<p>The summer before freshman year of college I shadowed at an office and also shadowed there again the following winter. I had a total there of over 300 hours. The next summer I took classes, so no shadowing but that following winter I got in about 90 hours at a different office. This past summer I have been volunteering at the hospital in Wound Care where I also get some shadow time of the physicans when they run out of things for me to do. I also volunteer at an internal medicine office during this summer. I’m also taking a class this summer so my schedule is very full but I feel like I am well rounded. I am also a college athlete and president of the science club at my school. As far as research goes, I’m doing some this fall but I doubt I will be able to include that in my application. And it’s ecology based research anyway so it probably wouldnt be all that helpful.</p>