ok so I’m at Northeastern University for architecture and I only have one semester left to graduate and I’m thinking of doing pre-med requirements after because I’m not satisfied with architecture. I have taken Calculus 1 Chemistry 1 General Physics and Statistics from when I came in as a chemistry major. So I have a few questions. What electives should I take my next semester(I have two class slots)? and Will I be able to get into a decent med school if I get all A’s in my science coursework if i take it at a community or state college afterward? I have all a’s in the science courses I’ve taken so far. My gpa is around 3.4 at NU right now. Also, how long will the coursework take? I’m calculating that if I take Cal 2 and Chem 2 next semester I would only need 2 orgo chem classes, 2 bio classes and 2 physics classes, which is only a semester and a summer quarter, but do you need to “graduate” and get an associates degree from the community or state college if you already have a bachelors degree from somewhere else? Should i take these courses at night while working or just get them out of the way?
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What electives should I take my next semester(I have two class slots)?
Do you mean just general electives or using your elective slots to take pre-reqs?
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Will I be able to get into a decent med school if I get all A's in my science coursework if i take it at a community or state college afterward?
This is a complicated question. First, you're always better off taking courses at a four year institution than a CC, if you can. Second, good grades don't guarantee admission. There are lots of factors that go into the admission process: extra-curriculars, MCAT scores, LORs, etc. There are plenty of people with outstanding GPAs and MCAT scores who don't get accepted to med school.
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Also, how long will the coursework take? I'm calculating that if I take Cal 2 and Chem 2 next semester I would only need 2 orgo chem classes, 2 bio classes and 2 physics classes, which is only a semester and a summer quarter,
Unless the summer quarter is the same length as a regular term, I probably wouldn't try and knock out a physics, orgo and bio over a summer session, especially with labs. That may be overkill. It's probably doable (if you're a good student) to take those three, but keep in mind that organic lab is typically very time intensive, and the amount of time required to do all of the homework problems for organic and physics is substantial. Physics and bio labs are variable.
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but do you need to "graduate" and get an associates degree from the community or state college if you already have a bachelors degree from somewhere else?
No, you do not need to get an additional degree. If you take these courses after graduating with your bachelor's degree, they are categorized as "post-baccelaureate".
Some thoughts - what kind of investigation have you done into medicine as a career? At a very minimum, you need to do some physician shadowing. Preferably, you should attempt to gain some health care experience, either paid or volunteer, in addition to shadowing.
Also - you might consider delaying graduation. Financial aid is limited if you are not enrolled in a degree-seeking program (although you can get 12 months of financial aid if you are taking pre-requisites for a professional program). At some schools, it can be very difficult to enroll in the pre-reqs as a non-degree student because you are dead last to schedule. Some adcoms might question why you didn't take the pre-reqs at NU (especially if you take them at a lower tier school).
Don't forget that the application process is nearly a year. If you took the courses over the next academic year, you would apply in summer 2011 for fall 2012 matriculation.