u/Specific_Variety_133 — reddlx

NEED ADVICE!! Different schools for orgo lecture and lab - can I still apply?

Long post but really need advice since secondaries are about to drop! I'm planning to apply to medical school this cycle, but I have a couple of questions about organic chemistry prerequisites and was wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation.

I completed Organic Chemistry I lecture during undergrad, but at my university the curriculum was set up so that students took Organic Chemistry I and II lectures first, followed by one combined lab that covered both courses. Since I wasn't planning on taking Organic Chemistry II at the time (not pre-med yet lol) I never enrolled in that combined lab.

After graduating and going back to finish prerequisites, the orgo 2 lecture and combined orgo 1 and 2 lab would have ran me about $5000 out of pocket, which I could definitely not afford at the time. Since my undergrad that I took orgo 1 at doesn't have an orgo 1 lab, I instead took it at my local community college, where I will also take orgo 2 and the associated lab. Does having my lecture and lab screw me? As a non-trad I already have like 5 transcripts I've uploaded to AMCAS.

Also, do most medical schools allow applicants to apply with Organic Chemistry II still in progress, as long as it's completed before matriculation?

Albany already emailed me back saying that they require the lecture and lab to be related, so is this just the norm? I'm prewriting secondaries but won't waste my time if I need to wait another year and make sure that course is done. Definitely should have done more research.... Has anyone been in a similar situation or successfully navigated this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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u/Specific_Variety_133 — 1 day ago

▲ 68 r/premed

At a loss with secondaries

Just a rant. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that I wake up, stare at a screen all day, and make absolutely zero progress. I genuinely don’t know how to go about these essays, it’s unbelievable how bad I am at trying to write them. I have 2 of my 27 schools prewritten currently, I feel like this is going to cost my entire cycle. If anyone has absolutely unhinged advice for a terrible writer, I’m all ears to any advice

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u/Specific_Variety_133 — 7 days ago

▲ 2 r/premed

First quartile casper - save money on schools that require it?

I'm sure this is posted countless times every year but basically title. I knew I bombed it basically since I started the exam. There are 6 schools that I was planning on applying to that require Casper, including Drexel, Medical College of Wisconsin, Temple, Tulane, Wake Forest, and UVM. Am I wasting time and money by continuing with their secondaries and submitting? Many of those roughly fit my stats, but if my chances are already screwed by this score, I'd rather save the time and money. Any advice appreciated!!

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u/Specific_Variety_133 — 11 days ago

▲ 1 r/premed

Feel like my app has as a lot of question marks. Looking for advice on my school list as a non-trad

Apologies for the longer post, but really looking for advice. It’s so hard to really know where I stand as a non-trad student navigating this

I’ve submitted a primary to all of these schools plus:
Tufts
Alice Walton
Rochester (brother attending this fall and I’m moving to the area so figured why not)
Creighton
Geisinger
Georgetown
Oakland Beaumont
Belmont
Wayne state

Puts my list at 28 schools. In a perfect world I’d probably hit 35 ish, but secondaries are scaring me away from adding more. Submitted my primary on the 7th and I’ve hardly even started prewriting between working full time and my sisters wedding. Feel like I’m right around my max before I’d lose quality on these.

Stats:
25 year old ORM
3.82 cGPA and sGPA -> very strong upward trend, nearly 4.0 last 60 ish credits
512 MCAT (130/126/127/129)

Clinical:
- 2800 paid CNA memory care
- 1000 paid neurology PCT
- 80 shadowing -> rounding, small procedures in neuro ICU like EVD placements, and memory care

Community Service:
3 year academic mentor for underserved student
Music volunteer at my memory care unit (my band would come in and play live music for them)
Soccer coach for preschoolers (just organized practices nothing crazy)

Other paid word:
- 2000 hours preschool teacher (worked summers and mostly through Covid 20hrs/week)
- Sales internship in staffing (1000 hours)

Leadership:
- Community service chair head for marketing club (75 hours)
- Team lead CNA at memory care unit

Research:
The research part of my app is very odd. I did a semester long project with my physics 2 professor which ended up getting published. I guess the journal is said to be a bit predatory, but I was advised by others to include it in my app anyways. It came out to roughly 50 hours about elasticity, fracture, and how those related to biomedical applications. Little scared that any interview is going to jump straight to that since it’s a “publication” but honestly there wouldn’t be much to talk about, it was an extremely basic project that I didn’t even know was getting submitted for publication until the end of the semester lol.

Also included in my app is how I’ve been a bass player in band (6 years/2000 hours).

There’s some red flags that really concern me:
- Being non trad, my courses are spread amongst 5 schools
- My undergrad has you take organic 1 and 2 lecture, and then a lab for both. So I finished orgo 1 lecture at undergrad but then lab elsewhere because I couldn’t go back there to complete just the one credit lab (and absolutely couldn’t afford to take orgo 2 lecture and then the lab there)
- Biochem online. While it isn’t a strict pre-requisite for many programs, I took this online because my original pivot as a non trad was pre-PA
- As a non-trad, shift clinical work is the only kind of work I’ve been able to do to balance my schedule and work the hours I need to. I’m nervous my lack of research is going to be wasting a cycle, and then the stigma that I’ve seen comes as a reapplicant
- No physician LOR. I’m confident in those I’ve received. 2 science, 1 econ prof, 2 clinical managers, but I definitely wish I had a physician who would’ve wrote one on my behalf

As for why no DO applications, while I definitely need to look more into it, I’ve heard that shadowing with a DO as well as a DO LOR has become almost a necessity. Again, need to look more into and not opposed to applying.

Happy to clarify anything I didn’t make clear, but would love to hear advice!

u/Specific_Variety_133 — 19 days ago

▲ 10 r/premed

How do I pace my pre-writing?

I submitted my primary app a few days ago, and have just started the process of prewriting for schools. This is my first cycle and I feel like I have no real grasp as to what the turn around time is for secondaries. Im applying to roughly 30 schools and am still waiting on verification, so I’m curious as to what my daily goal needs to be to stay on time. Currently working so slowly to try to perfect things, and feel like having a better understanding for what to expect would help me get out of this rut. Any advice greatly appreciated!!

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u/Specific_Variety_133 — 25 days ago