Graduate in 3yrs or Double Major and Graduate in 4yrs? No ECs, but good GPA.

[srz]

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[SpoiledMilk]

Since medical schools don't care whether you graduate with a single or double major, if you can maintain those GPAs and graduate within 3 years, then do so. Take a gap year to acquire the ECs, a job, and slay the MCAT.

 

[21Rush12]

Get one major and get ECs. If you can get a gap year job while working and doing ECs+MCAT, that would be ideal. No sense in spending money you don’t need to spend. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking 1-2 gap years, and in your situation you may be best off graduating, working and taking a full year to get the necessary experiences, and then taking a second gap year for your application cycle (continue working and ECs as well). Just my thoughts, I think you need to show that you’re committed to medicine and that you have the qualities that are necessary for admission. Your academics are excellent, but that’s not enough.

 

[Lucca]

get ECs yah goof

 

[PhilzCoffeeAddict]

You could always just apply without the ECs and report back on whether or not it worked out for you or not. Might be expensive but that would be a cool research project hahaha

 

[DokterMom]

As has been said, med schools don't care about double majors. They also don't care about whether you graduate in three years or four. But they do care about your GPA and sGPA and about your ECs.

One of the main reasons you need to have ECs is to show you're a good person who cares about other people and humanity in general --

Many premeds who are hyper-focused on getting into medical school tend to focus on "What ECs are the best way for me to get into med school?" Or same idea, worded slightly differently, "What's best for ME?" You need to show that you care about what's best for others.

For this reason, don't defer your ECs until your hypothetical gap year. That's what a selfish premed would do, not what one who genuinely cares about others would do. It's OK to defer most of your clinical experience (clinical exposure is to establish that you have a realistic expectation about medicine). But deferring your altruism illustrates the wrong qualities.

 

[srz]

Thank you all for the input! I'll definitely get involved in some ECs asap rather than deferring until next year. I agree it's a red flag and I should've gotten some ECs from the get-go, but it is what it is now. @PhilzCoffeeAddict, thank you for making me laugh and congrats on your acceptances!

 

[Oso]

Thank you all for the input! I'll definitely get involved in some ECs asap rather than deferring until next year. I agree it's a red flag and I should've gotten some ECs from the get-go, but it is what it is now. @PhilzCoffeeAddict, thank you for making me laugh and congrats on your acceptances!

Someone who actually accepted SDN advice and was gracious about it. I love it.

Best of luck to you sir/madam.