Admissions and five years of college

[ducam]

OK i just need someone to hit me upside my head. I know adcoms don't care about 4 or 5 years but i just wanted to make sure. To go slow and steady and get good grades is way more imporatant then doing it all fast, am i just being stupid or what? to the first person to yell at me, thanks

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[IndyZX]

i wouldnt think of taking five years if you are doing a normal degree plan straight.

extra years is usually only relevant for people who are double or triple majoring, or more likely, they have switched majors late.

 

[Doc Ivy]

Ducam,
I think you are right. Slow and steady is better if the alternative is getting a lower GPA. After all adcoms first see your BCPM GPA, only after probing do they realize how long it took you. Just to be safe though, think of getting a little part-time job that will "justify" the extra time. Try getting a work-study job at the library or something, that way you can actually get paid while you hit the books.

Hope it helps
Peace~Doc

 

[ducam]

well there are multiple reasons for this question, because I'm going to a state school it is next to impossible to get out in four years in my major without taking 17 or 18 units every semester. I do plan on working part-part time (very few hours) and because my girlfriend is a year behind me and we want to graduate together so we can move together wherever i go to med school. but adcoms don't necesarily see or care about the fact i'm take 13, 14, 15 unit semesters and graduating in 5 years right?

 

[IndyZX]

13 credits is light, but 14-15 is a decent load. dont sweat it man.

if you want to stay 5, then do it. but to be safe, make sure you have something to say if asked.

 

[Jillianrae]

Doing the 5 year thing didn't hurt me at all, but I'm not a typical applicant. No one even asked me about why I choose to go an extra year, but I did have an answer prepared (just in case).

 

[Deuce 007 MD]

Slow and steady is much better then fast and low gpa. I spent 3 years in city college part time while working full time as a history major, then went to UCLA for 3 years cuz I changed major to psychobio. I explained working full time and change of major in my personal statement. Out of 9 interviews only one interviewer ever asked why so long to get my BS. I had friends who went to Cal, straight out of HS, for 4 years as premeds and are now PTs, PharmDs, and DDS, cuz their gpas got hammered in the rush to graduate. Like Doc Ivy said your gpa and mcat are the first things adcoms see, and only after looking in depth do they see how long it took.

 

[Street Philosopher]

Yo I took 5 years too. I think the extra year helped me a lot. Nobody mentioned it ever.

 

[JM.]

I took five as well. One I spent overseas. The fifth I only went one semester though.

 

[dakotaman]

I took five and tapered my load off during the fifth year. I wouldn't advise that, but I managed to get in.

Again, as you've read many places, it's all about well-roundedness. That's what it boils down to.

Like tennis players at Wimbledon, for instance. Some have a couple of relative weak areas but can make up for it somehow and manage to win. Getting into med school is like winning Wimbledon! Even with weaknesses, it's quite doable. Didn't Stefan Edberg have a mediocre backhand?

(Roger Federer has no weaknesses, but let's ignore that. )

 

[supersunny]

Originally posted by dakotaman
I took five and tapered my load off during the fifth year. I wouldn't advise that, but I managed to get in.

Again, as you've read many places, it's all about well-roundedness. That's what it boils down to.

Like tennis players at Wimbledon, for instance. Some have a couple of relative weak areas but can make up for it somehow and manage to win. Getting into med school is like winning Wimbledon! Even with weaknesses, it's quite doable. Didn't Stefan Edberg have a mediocre backhand?

(Roger Federer has no weaknesses, but let's ignore that. )

federer's only weakness is his head.

op: i don't think 5 yrs hurts you. a few of the people i know who got in did 5 yrs and it didn't seem to hurt them.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

I'm doing 5 years here but the only reason is because I want to stay the extra year to do research with a particular professor. I seriously doubt that staying for an extra year could hurt you. Just make sure you have a good REASON for this other than (I didn't want my GPA to be lowered). Well, good luck!

 

[pocwana]

Originally posted by Street Philosopher
Yo I took 5 years too. I think the extra year helped me a lot. Nobody mentioned it ever.

by quoting i mean ditto

 

[blhyqwy]

Originally posted by dakotaman
Didn't Stefan Edberg have a mediocre backhand?

Just want to interject a quickie...according to tennis purists Stefan actually had a weak forehand, but his bankhand was regarded as one of the best ever (often described by Mary Carillo and John McEnroe as 'mellifluous'). I personally have tried to emulate his backhand with poor results

 

[marthpodi]

I have roger federer's autograph....

 

[blhyqwy]

green....with....envy....

wish....I...had...that...