<p>Just curious the current statuses of the posters here. Right now I'm a Junior at SUNY Stony Brook majoring in Pharmacology. I've finished all my pre-reqs...am currently taking Biochemistry...I've done about half a year of research and will continue with that. I've done volunteer work but not recently. I'm yet to begin studying for MCATs but upon recently finishing a practice test I scored a 22...my overall GPA is a 3.98 with a science GPA of 4.0. That's where I stand, what do you guys think?</p>
<p>I'm a senior. Took the MCAT two summers ago after my sophomore year. Plain ole bio major at Cornell. Taking a year off after graduation. Otherwise I'd be applying right now.</p>
<p>Oh yea, about you haha, obviously the GPA is top notch. Not sure why you only managed a 22 with that kind of a science GPA. What are your subscores from the diagnostic?</p>
<p>Anyway, don't worry too much about it. One of my friends from Cornell also has an amazing science GPA (approx. 3.95) and only managed an 18 on her diagnostic (although she kinda freaked out). She still got a 30 on the real thing (multiple choice tests aren't her thing).</p>
<p>as to your first post, how come you took the MCATs so "early"? After sophomore year is definitely not "normal"? Did you fare well on the MCAT? Do you feel that you coulda done better had you waited until your junior year? I just find it kinda odd cause you took it early and still plan on taking a year off...something you're leaving out I suspect lol.</p>
<p>As for the practice test, well, I took it last night and these were my conditions...I recently started freaking out about the MCATs (you see my sudden interest in posting here) so I decided to take the free one offered on Kaplan's website (it's not their official diagnostic)...I also took this after an entire day of fasting (no food no water for approximately the past 18-20 hours)...I ate one quick meal before getting started. My breakdown was PS 6 VR 7 BS 9. One thing I'd like to mention is that I was freaking out and rushing during the PS section because on stupid Kaplan's test they put up a clock with the time remaining for your section and right next to it it says how many questions you answered out of how many TOTAL questions there are. For that entire hour I thought I had one hour for 135 questions. This led to me not fully reading 90% of the passages. The verbal section I did better on (27 correct, 18 incorrect)...I did "good" on the bio passages but poorer on the humanities...as for the BS I got 27 correct, 18 incorrect...and the majority of my correct questions came from the organic chem questions (I love orgo but hate that they're taking much of it out). So ya, that just gives you an idea of what happened with that. I might take another online exam in the near future.</p>
<p>I'm much like your friend I feel...these sort of standardized exams just kill me. But I know I can improve so I am not too worried (though I'm sure I lost sleep last night over this whole poor score fiasco). Thanks for ur post btw.</p>
<p>I finished my premed prereqs in two years (gen chem and bio freshman year, physics and orgo sophomore year). There was no reason for me to wait. I did well on the MCAT and don't think I would have done better by waiting.</p>
<p>My taking a year off is strictly for personal reasons, nothing to do with my app.</p>
<p>I'm currently a Biomedical Engineering MSE student at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor and I'm also taking the prereqs for medical school. I have a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University. I have yet to prepare for the MCAT and I am still working as an Engineering (full time job) where I have been at for over 3 years while going from my previous Masters and this Masters. I am also volunteering at Hospice (4 hrs/week) and at a Hospital (pediatrics, 4 hrs/week).</p>
<p>I have a 3.67 Overall GPA as an undergrad (3.7 Science so far) and a 4.00 Graduate GPA.</p>
<p>Richter, I feel your pain with the standardized exams, they are my weakness as well.</p>
<p>Do you guys have any idea where you plan on appying yet?</p>
<p>Senior chemistry major at NYU. Currently applying to medical school, so I guess I'm on a fairly normal timeline. Maybe I'll take a year off.</p>
<p>that sounds pretty cool Mich. That's crazy you have ur masters and are going for medicine now...don't see it a lot but still cool.</p>
<p>I don't know where I plan on going but I'm def. applying to the places in my state (that's a general rule of thumb) and maybe even some schools on the west coast...I don't wanna live in the midwest or south.</p>
<p>I'll probably apply to most of the schools in my home state (California) and some med schools in the Northeast in urban areas.</p>
<p>Kind of off topic but I'm a freshman at Stony Brook and was considering phamacology. Just curious, what year did you declare pharmacology as your major and you had to "apply" for it right? I mean with an application, letter of recs etc?</p>
<p>oh wow, how odd to find another SUNY Stony Brook member. I got into the pharmacology program late in my sophomore year. I started college as a bio major, then moved to biochem, then moved to pharmacology. The application process is nothing too intense. The woman (Janice Kito...very nice, total MILF) just looked at my GPA, read a couple of lines from my essay, wanted to hear my personal opinion, and then I was in. It really isn't hard at all to get in. It kinda upset me that she didn't look at my letters of rec cause I went through a lot of trouble to get em. It's a pretty simple process to say the least, just keep the science GPA up.</p>
<p>norcal...I'm like u but on the opposite coast...I'm applying to all urban NY schools and some schools out in cali.</p>
<p>Hey richter915, I am undergraduate freshman who will attend Stony Brook in fall of 2007. So far, I chose Bio as my major. I want to do pre-med. I just want get your overall thoughts on the school from a pre-med point of view. I have prior research experience so as soon as I choose my classes, I want to find myself a lab for research. See the reason is that I got a guaranteed transfer to Cornell in a year. My question is, if you were in my place would you take the transfer. The reason for my hesitation is that Cornell wants me to take Molecular Bio as my freshman Bio course. Even though most of the stuff in molecular Bio, I did during my research in high school, it seems hard. Was the class hard for you if you took it? Do you have nay recommendations about anything, such as classes, professors or good labs? I appreciate this immensely.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman at rutgers. I have a 3.75 for the first semester and a 4.0 for the 2nd semester. My BCMP is a 3.92 (one B+). Little early to say, but I want to go to columbia for med school (you guys can laugh now :P )</p>
<p>You can't pick medical schools this far in advance. Once you've actually done your interview, THEN you can feel free to start telling us where you do or don't want to go.</p>
<p>I'd wait until they'd actually gotten accepted at more than 1 medical school before they start worrying about where they want to go or don't want to go...</p>
<p>I know I know, but a man can dream can't he?</p>
<p>It's ridiculous to pick specific schools at this stage. Picking certain things about schools -- you like NYC, or you want a reseach-heavy school -- fine, whatever, suit yourself. But picking ONE specific school is just silly.</p>