<p>Alright, I have listened to all of your advice on the forum, and will most likely need to take a gap year before going into an MSTP program. </p>
<p>I have a couple of options.
1. I could take full time 16-18 credit hours per quarter (my school is on a quarter system), graduate college in the next two years and then during the gap year I could do full-time research.
What I am worried about that option is that if I take 16-18 credits my senior year, that might be too much for me and I don't know if I'll be able to keep up a decent GPA (well, I know I could, but it might be really difficult).
Pros of graduating college in two years:
-can do full-time research during gap year, earn money. Research is good for MSTP. Might be useful to talk about it during interviews.
Cons:
-Might have a lower GPA if taking too many credits per term (16-18)
2. On the other hand, if I take an easier load, such as 12-15 credits per term, take an extra year to graduate and maybe add a minor to my studies... I don't know if this is a good idea?
It will ease up my time, I will have more time to do other activities and have an easier time getting a better GPA.
Pros:
-Easier to get a better GPA, since the load will be lighter (12-15 credits per term)
-Would be able to add a minor to my degree
Cons:
-Won't be doing full-time research for a year</p>
<p>So I'm not really sure which one I should do. If I apply to MSTP programs after my senior year, will they care that I will be doing research during gap year? Or would they rather see me take time to go through college? At interviews, will it matter to the adcoms what I am doing during this year? Which one would be better to them:
-"I am taking an additional year to finish college, so that I do not rush through the classes and learn as much as I can out of them, while still doing part-time research and other ec's" and let's say I get a 3.8 GPA in this case
or
-"I have finished college with a 3.7gpa and am doing full-time research at a laboratory right now"</p>
<p>I don’t know how credits work, especially on a quarter system, so I have no concept as to what 12-15 vs 16-18 credits means but I do know that an MSTP program won’t care that you finished college early. Certainly not when there are plenty of extremely qualified 4 year applicants who have shown a much greater commitment to research.</p>
<p>Many MSTP students come straight out of college which means they never did “full time” research (especially since as a current MSTP student, I can tell you that 40hrs/week is considered taking it easy - for example I’m writing this from lab right now during a break).</p>
<p>Your language -as has been the trend with you- indicates a real lack of understanding of what this process is.</p>
<p>
Good? might be useful? Research experience is CRITICAL and will be without a doubt the single most important topic you talk about during your interviews. You’re asking a school to invest $800,000 in you. It’s not just about being smart, it’s about proving you’re in for the long haul and know what it takes to be productive in scientific research. My MD class is a who’s who of top 15 unis, my MD/PhD program has a much broader representation of schools because the research experience rules all.</p>
<p>16 - 18 was normal for my D. She considered 16 to be a light schedule, I believe that she could have had 16 in her senior year while going to Med School interviews. I do not believe that she ever had below 16.</p>
<p>My suggestion is that you take the normal course load (whatever that is) for the first semester and then readjust your plan from there. Many students find college course loads more demanding than community college and high school classes and require a semester or two to adjust (it took me about a year). You don’t want to overload yourself and earn a few bad grades because you can’t make those up or take them back. If you find college courses easy, you can add additional classes the following semester or find part-time lab work. The most important thing is that you don’t destroy you chances for medical school. Take this time to earn straight As and really learn the material you’ll need to know to do well on the MCAT.</p>