sailor

Ive just been hit with the sudden urge to... possibly go to med school. This is strange for me, because all of my life, Ive always said that it was a profession that I could never handle--and yet, all of a sudden, its something that intrigues me.

Now, Im sure as hell not making any commitments here. Its a thought, not a decision. But Id still like to know my options, know what it would take, if only to satisfy my curiosity.

As of right now, Im a second semester sophomore undergrad. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to switch my major to something more med-school friendly (like chemistry or biology) because of several things (not enough time, my most likely going abroad all next year, dont have the necessary prerequisites). I have a 3.0 GPA. What are the possibilities of my getting into a decent med school? Doesnt have to be great, I know that isnt going to happen, but bottom of the pile is no good either. Is it at all possible? Is there anything I could do to help those chances?

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soccerchamp76

Much better GPA would be needed. Try getting at least at a 3.4 and if possible a 3.6
You would have to have the required courses in order to get in as well (One year General Biology w/ Lab; one year General Chemistry w/ Lab; 1 year Organic Chemistry w/ lab; 1 year Physics w/ Lab; College Calculus; English Composition/Literature). Need B's and A's in all of those courses, and an A in organic chemistry would be extremely helpful (as it is the hardest class ever).

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sailor

Yeah, thats pretty much what I figured--basically, impossible, without staying in college for 5 or more years, which isnt going to happen. Oh well.

__________________
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
--Plato

uncle_el

getting into medical school is not impossible.

you don't have to be a pre-med major, you don't have to be a science major. as soccerchamp76 said, you need those classes. also, you don't have to be right out of college either. the average age of a first year medical student in the u.s. is around 25 years old anyway... many people come in through other walks of life.

in my first year class at emory, we had:
a trained classical pianist
a former physical therapist
a woman in her late 30s who had been in the business world
a guy who didn't start college until he was 25
a few people who pursued master's degrees in public health...

the list could go on and on. suffice it to say, many medical students (50-70%) were science majors; but there are plenty of people who had other majors. a year or two post college won't hurt you at all- there are a few options:
1. take more classes at the college you're at
2. graduate and take post-bacculaureate (often referred to as post-bacc) courses/programs- designed for people who want to go to med school, but need the classes
3. graduate, work for a few years, then do a post-bacc and apply
4. give up now


while i did say that many medical students were science majors in undergrad, it doesn't necessarily prepare them any better for medical school. it's going to be hard work regardless, and pretty much everyone i know in med school regardless of major worked their ass of and studied a lot. if anything, i think non-science majors have an advantage of having more courses where discourse is essential, ideas are exchanged rather than regurgitation of information, and people learn to relate to one another- this becomes key in the 3rd and 4th year of medical school where you're preliminarily in the hospital.


don't be discouraged by your current gpa or the fact that you haven't taken the appropriate courses. what's key is to decide what you want to do, and do what's necessary to get there. provided you do well in your courses, get a good score on the mcat, you then apply to med school. with the application, your essay is essential because it gives you a chance to explain and express why you want to be a doctor and perhaps some of the road of your journey into medicine.


just one medical student's insight and opinions.

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C4 Diesel

The MCATs are going to be the most difficult thing for you. With no biology / biochem background they're going to literally take months for you to prepare for, and remember that most med schools require earlier applications than other schools, so you really have to have them done by, at latest, the summer before your senior year. A good score on the MCATs can make up for just about anything, although I'd definitely tell you to pull up your GPA.'

SoccerChamp is also right... You HAVE to have at least most of the required courses if you're going to be able to make your case.

Just remember that there are osteopathic medical schools out there, and while they don't teach medicine the same as the classical medical institutions, you can still get an MD (or DO - Doctor of Osteopathy), and these schools are much easire to get in to. Just keep in mind that if your in a major city, suburban upscale area, or in the northeast or southern Cal, people will probably hold it against if you're a DO and not MD.

sailor

Thanks for the info, guys. Thats exactly what I was looking for.

__________________
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
--Plato

eribrav

I may be a day late, but I want to add my 2 cents.

First off, if you really want it, you are just fine as a med school applicant. Yes you need to get some science courses in, but that's just an administrative requirement. Nothing in those courses will make you a better Doctor, which is what you're ultimately after. Everyone in med school gets the same (mostly useless) basic science education the first two years. By the time you're seeing patients third year, youre all in the same boat.

To me the more important question is : How bad do you reallyreally want this? Med school is not too terrible actually, but internship and residency are truly grueling. Fellowship is even worse, but that's not something to worry about yet. The other thing is as you are drowning in debt as an intern, working your ass off, and feeling like crap daily, your frinds who were Comp Sci/MBA's etc are going to be out buying homes, nice cars, and even taking nice vacations. What will that feel like and how will you deal with it?

I would only go to med school if it's something you really MUST do. Otherwise I think there are better opportunities out there.

drakers

Yeah, you need to increase that GPA quite a bit, like a 3.7-3.8 would look good on applications or even higher for better institutions. You have to be extremely committed or you'll just break. Plus you have the big test to take to get into med school and from what I've heard from someone who has taken it and barely got in, it is a bitch of a test; extremely hard. Hope you have the stomach for the rest that goes with the profession. Good luck on you decision making.