Simple Question Regarding Timeline

[ArteryStudyPainting]

Hello,

I was "shopping" around and could not get a concise answer to my own timeline question. See below:

Background: I am a molecular Biology Pre-medical who is going into their senior year (class of 2017). I have a 3.972 GPA, have completed successful research having to do with characterizing small proteins, tutored in the science department since my sophomore year, been a learning assistant since junior year (then became a pseudo-TA due to the original TA leaving due to health concerns). I helped plan a national conference as a sophomore for residence life leadership, have been an RA since sophomore year, volunteered at a local hospital (GBMC) and was not as happy with my position there and stopped after a year to focus on better, more valuable experience in EMS (to which I became an EMT out of my local fire station to help the community both in health and sociality). I will be attending an observation program at The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center this summer (to keep busy). I do not wish to pigeon-hole myself, but I am looking at either emergency or internal as my focus later in medical school. In taking a small diagnostic without any MCAT preparation yet, I scored a 501 (room for improvement, but not bad with no preparation).

Issue: I will graduate in May of 2017. I plan for a gap year, so I believe I will be taking my MCAT in April (one month before graduation), to interview for my pre-medical committee in May, and will start on my application in May to have in ready by when it opens. And with the guidance of my advisor, having the AMCAS done by its opening around June 1st gives me a few weeks to have my letters, transcripts, and MCAT score sent into schools as early as possible. All of this, for a matriculation in August 2018, correct?

Question: Does both this timeline and my thinking/reasoning make sense in this matter? Also, in doing this above, I would NOT use the AMCAS application active right now, correct (I believe it says "application 2016")? Anything you can provide me in terms of my background, etc., feel free! Everything

I thank you for your time,

Chris

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[Dr.Kitty]

I think your timeline and achievements so far look outstanding, I would just advise to start thinking of how you are going to put all of those extracurriculars together to shape the best depiction of you as an individual and future physician. In regards to you mentioning you will have a couple of weeks to get your application ready for June, make sure you ask for your letters months in advanced. You want to have those letters as soon as AMCAS opens, a lot of professors get many requests for those and need to be told with adequate time. On another note, i'm not sure why you are taking a gap year, but just make sure you have a clear plan of what you are planning on doing for the year just in case it is something that is brought up during interviews. It doesn't mean you don't have to be honest if you are planning on relaxing, but make sure you emphasize activities relating to the medical field.

 

[ArteryStudyPainting]

I think your timeline and achievements so far look outstanding, I would just advise to start thinking of how you are going to put all of those extracurriculars together to shape the best depiction of you as an individual and future physician. In regards to you mentioning you will have a couple of weeks to get your application ready for June, make sure you ask for your letters months in advanced. You want to have those letters as soon as AMCAS opens, a lot of professors get many requests for those and need to be told with adequate time. On another note, i'm not sure why you are taking a gap year, but just make sure you have a clear plan of what you are planning on doing for the year just in case it is something that is brought up during interviews. It doesn't mean you don't have to be honest if you are planning on relaxing, but make sure you emphasize activities relating to the medical field.

Thank you so much for this. In regards to the letters, the "problem" is that my committee letter, containing all letters, will be ready by the middle of May. So I am basically at the committee's whim, but they are good with these so it should not be a problem. But yes, those letters will be given to the committee months in advance!

And in regards to the gap year, I wanted to be able to travel with my girlfriend, relax a bit, ready myself for school, and "pay off" my commitment to my fire station for their training and everything they've given me, etc. Besides that, I would love to be able to provide patient care (and travel, relax, etc.) for once without thinking about the upcoming medical school application, etc.

Chris

 

[eteshoe]

Your plan sounds fine. Crush your senior yr, MCAT, and enjoy the gap year!

 

[mw18]

Just a heads up: sometimes it's really hard to take the MCAT while in classes. I was scheduled for a may mcat and pushed it to June for this very reason. If you have to do it for your committee letter, then you have to do it. But it is difficult.

 

[LizzyM]

If you can take a lighter load in senior year and then add "MCAT prep" as a pseudo class where you spend time on it just as you would a course, you should be fine. Unless you have a very grade inflated GPA, you know this stuff. Just be sure you understand the way the MCAT works regarding guessing, how to eliminate wrong answers, how to identify the correct answer without "plug and chug", and you should be fine.

Your time line looks fine too. Many schools get their committee letters to us by August or even September and that's okay. We know who they are and we are saving some interview slots for their best candidates.

 

[ArteryStudyPainting]

Hello all!

If you're getting this update, I wanted to let you all know how everything has gone so far.

I finished my last year, and MCAT prep, and having multiple jobs, last month. I finished college with a degree in MB3 (Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, and biochemistry), a 3.98 cGPA and a 3.98 sGPA, a 514 MCAT (CP 128, CARS 127, Bio 130, and psych 129). LizzyM score is around a 72, and I've decided to apply to:

Uniformed Services
Columbia (the far-reach)
Cooper
Drexel
GW
Georgetown
Rutgers
Jefferson
University of Maryland (State school and my dream school)

The timeline mentioned above is looking great; my AMCAS has been turned in, transcripts received, and now it's up to my committee to finish up their letter. Life is great!

On a somewhat related note, it was bittersweet to read my old thread; just after I wrote that last May, it was discovered that the girlfriend cheated on me for a month and left me. Ah, such is life right? On a better note: in that same month when I had observed, Shock Trauma was amazing, would and have recommended it to everyone. 12 hour days for two weeks in the über-ED (TRU) really is exciting!

Thanks everyone for helping me out; it helped then, and it helped now in this cycle.

Best,

Chris

P.S. Feel free to comment on this and let me know what you're thinking about my app, stats, etc.! If you don't, that's okay too I'm not that hungry for attention!

 

[Toutie]

Hello all!

If you're getting this update, I wanted to let you all know how everything has gone so far.

I finished my last year, and MCAT prep, and having multiple jobs, last month. I finished college with a degree in MB3 (Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, and biochemistry), a 3.98 cGPA and a 3.98 sGPA, a 514 MCAT (CP 128, CARS 127, Bio 130, and psych 129). LizzyM score is around a 72, and I've decided to apply to:

Uniformed Services
Columbia (the far-reach)
Cooper
Drexel
GW
Georgetown
Rutgers
Jefferson
University of Maryland (State school and my dream school)

The timeline mentioned above is looking great; my AMCAS has been turned in, transcripts received, and now it's up to my committee to finish up their letter. Life is great!

On a somewhat related note, it was bittersweet to read my old thread; just after I wrote that last May, it was discovered that the girlfriend cheated on me for a month and left me. Ah, such is life right? On a better note: in that same month when I had observed, Shock Trauma was amazing, would and have recommended it to everyone. 12 hour days for two weeks in the über-ED (TRU) really is exciting!

Thanks everyone for helping me out; it helped then, and it helped now in this cycle.

Best,

Chris

P.S. Feel free to comment on this and let me know what you're thinking about my app, stats, etc.! If you don't, that's okay too I'm not that hungry for attention!

I would suggest applying to more than 9 schools...especially since a few of the ones listed will likely be low yield for you.