Need some help

Does the University you attend play a big factor in medical school applications? I go UNF currently, but have the option to transfer out by next fall to USF/UCF/FSU if this is a big deal. I am a psychology major with 58 credits (majority due to AP’s) and I am minoring in chemistry.

  1. Aside from the basic prerequisites (Bio I & II, Chem I & II, Orgo I & II, Physics I & II) are there any other classes I should take that would help me later on?
  • I have heard differing responses when it comes to mathematics. Some people have told me you just need to take statistics, others have said Calculus I is a pre-req.
  • I've also heard that some schools require a year of english, do AP credits count toward this? I only took one gen-ed which was an english class but otherwise i got a 4 and a 3 on my English AP exams.
  1. What would be some worthwhile extra curricula’s. I have been volunteering at a non-profit clinic for a number of years (and will continue to volunteer there), I am pursing an internship at a hospital, and I want to get a job as a scribe.

-I have contacted multiple professors and have expressed interest in their research. My question is, is it the topic (psychology, biology, etc) or the experience (hypothesis, experiment, publishing) that makes an applicant with a research background more interesting/competitive?

According to my advisor I am set to graduate in 3 years. Does graduating in three years make me a less attractive applicant? I have planned it out and I will graduate with all pre-reqs and major requirements + maybe a class or two in Biochem and A&P.

I appreciate any information or commentary regarding my queries!

Not much at all.

Add biochem to your pre-req list. You’ll need it for the MCAT. Additionally more & more med schools now require it.

Some people recommend genetics and anatomy as being helpful for the MCAT, but you can certainly do well on the MCAT without taking either.

Stats will be a included on the MCAT starting this year, so stats/biostats is a must.

Some medical schools require and many strongly recommend calc 1 for admissions. Additionally, most med schools require a full year of college level math as a pre-req. Stats is one semester so you still need another.

You should check the requirements for all your state med schools, as well as any medical schools you think you may want to apply to for specific math requirements.

First, for the credit to be accepted it must be recorded on your transcript as credit equivalent to a specific class at your college. If it’s not recorded that way, then you cannot use AP credit for med school admissions.

Some schools will accept AP credits for English; some won’t. Some won’t accept a AP score less than 4.

To be on the safe side, I would try to take one additional ‘writing intensive’ class as a GE. (NOTE: a ‘writing intensive’ class doesn’t have to be an English class. It only needs to be a class designated on your transcript as fulfilling the writing requirement for your particular college. My younger D took her second writing class thru the mathematic dept. My older D took her second writing class thru the physics dept.)

It’s the experience, not the topic. (My older D did medium energy particle physics as her undergrad research. No one wanted to talk about it on the med school interview circuit–probably because none of her interviewers were particle physicists and understood her research—but it certainly didn’t hurt her application and gave her credibility as understanding the research process.) The more integral your participation in the research is, the more responsibility you have for the success (or failure) of the project–that’s what’s consider important.

Younger than typical applicants tend to be less competitive in admission for a couple of reasons.

The biggest reason is that younger applicants have had less time to garner the ECs expected of med school applicants. You will be competing against older applicants who have significantly more ECs, leadership positions and life experience than you will, but you will be compared to them and their accomplishments.

The other issue that sometimes comes up is a question of the maturity of younger applicants. The burden will be on you to demonstrate to adcomms that you are mature enough to handle the interpersonal and academic demands of med school.

Being younger than typical is a hurdle, but it’s not an insurmountable one.

(There’s a MS3 at med school older D1 attends who was 19 when she started med school. D1 says she’s having a tough time in clinicals right now because she looks about 15-16 and the patients refuse to believe she’s really a med student.)