Greetings everyone.
First off let me thank the community for existing. The discussions I have read have helped me beyond measure.
A brief background of myself: I’m 30, finished my BA in East Asian Languages in 2006, for which I earned a 3.86 GPA and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa (which I did at a well-respected private liberal arts school).
After deciding on med school after all, I’ve come back to school to get my pre-med course work done. Considering many factors, most of which were financial concerns, I’ve set myself up as a 2nd degree-seeking student at a state university.
My plan was to do the bio and chem cycles this year, and organic chem and physics cycles next year. I plan, also, to start physician shadowing soon.
Now, the problem I am facing now is that I had my first meeting with my pre-med advisor this morning, and she seemed altogether unknowledgeable about this ‘non-trad’ approach. She tried to convince me that a) I should be taking at least 12 credit hours per semester so that I am ‘full time,’ because med schools will look at that, and that b) I have to finish this degree if I am to apply to med school.
Now, I’m still working, which is why I am taking the 4 major pre-rec cycles 2x2, and I am fairly certain that I do not have to complete this degree here to apply to med school, as I already have a BA.
So, community, I humbly request that you correct my assumptions, if they are indeed wrong (I need to know if I am wrong about this!).
Lastly, having an advisor who doesn’t understand my situation has left me very worried. Has anyone else faced this sort of situation? And advice?
Also, if anyone feels like tackling this question, is there a solid argument for why I should do more than this ‘bare-bones’ approach (the 4 major classes and phys shadowing)?
Thank you all again, this website has been a life-saver.
- No you don’t have to complete the bio degree. 2. Taking 8 hours is fine if you’re working (particularly full time). That’s more of a concern for those who only attend class. Med schools want to make sure you can handle a big academic load. Clearly, in my eyes at least, that extra 4 hours to get you to the mythical 12, does not compare to 8 and a full time job. My opinion at least.
Shadowing is important obviously, think of shadowing a D.O. also if you want to go that route. ( most D.O. Programs like to see a letter of recommendation from a D.O.) A few upper level courses are nice if you can squeeze them in, biochem, cell bio, imminobiology, etc.
Good news is your GPA is solid, a nice bonus when beginning this grand adventure!
Dan,
No worries. No need to finish the bachelors. You’re correct that your other bachelor’s is adequate. The hours thing IS a recommendation that you do ONE “full-time” courseload so they think you can handle med school course load. That’s a reasonable concern (I say after my 26 hour study marathon over the weekend!). However, if you are working AND doing school, you, like many non-trads, may NOT have that…just be able to show you are busy 
Re other courses… you did (or do) rescue squad, yes? What you might want to do is take, in your glide year, genetics and biochem. - don’t hold off your application for that.
Don’t let the advisor worry you. So she is only familiar with “trad” students…she should still be able to help you thru the application process. Otherwise, you may need to “do-it-yourself” advising.
Kate
- adecosta Said:
Many OPM'ers make do with these advisors for the school-specific info, and turn to the forums for pre-med specific advice.
But see if there is another advisor, or even a pre-med specific advisor, on your campus. At the worst, you're stuck with her. At best, you find someone a little more flexible.
Good luck!
Is there something in my post that makes it seem as if I am concentrating on DO school, or are you just saying that I should make sure keep both MD and DO options open?
Kate,
Thank you very much for the info.
I was unable to enroll in the EMT courses, because of a move to another state to gain residency there (georgia). So, while in school, I’ve fallen back on my old career of free-lance translation. I will be doing some phys-shadowing, but otherwise won’t be spending much time in the medical field before applying. How much of a negative do you think this is? Also, do you think this free-lance work (which adds up to 30-50 hours a week) is going to be a tough sell as me being ‘busy,’ since there is no ‘boss’ or anything to write me a rec, or really any other way to show that it is time-consuming, tough work?
I can easily enough cut back a little on working and take one or two ‘full time’ semesters. Would this be preferable?
Lastly, if that is preferable, would it be better to take 3 lab sciences at once, or stick with my two-at-a-time, and fill in the blanks with other coursework?
(Ps- my name is Aaron 
)
Thank you so much for your help!
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Pixie-S 
Aaron - sorry! Got mixed up between your post and “guitardan”'s which followed you…guess I didn’t scroll up enough when starting to post
I did three lab courses, and wouldn’t advise it if it is possible to avoid, as that can decrease your chances of excelling in all of them. It’s a “do it if you have to” not “want to” scenario, I’d think.
Kate
As someone who is finishing up a “do-it-yourself” post-bacc additional bachelors’ degrees I would like to add my advice and observations.
- Don’t overdo your coursework. I made this mistake on a few occasions and it damaged my post-bacc GPA. I’m still doing damage control even now, and because of it I probably will not get into any U.S. med school (neither MD nor DO)
- One or two courses a semester should be fine; just get A’s. Med schools are fixated on grades first, MCAT second, and ECs third.
- Try to get the basic premed coursework out of the way first; then you can study for the MCAT and apply while continuing your post-bacc in case you get waitlisted anywhere.
- Go for a science degree if you are considering a second bachelors; it will nicely balance out your liberal arts degree. Also, if you can start a second bachelors, it will give you access and privileges to funding, projects, and priority enrollment for which extension students are not eligible.
- Try to take some upper division biology/microbiology coursework.
- Keep W grades to a minimum and if you do repeat courses, try to do better.
- Keep working or volunteering in the health care field if you can; even a little bit. Med schools still want you to show your altruistic side. But, again from experience, don’t overdo it. There have been numerous times when my volunteer work (both domestically and internationally) interfered with my studies and, again, damaged my GPA.
- If all else fails, you can keep studying and get that second bachelors’ degree.
Great topic!
I wholeheartedly agree with datsa! I realized that good grades and a higher GPA were better than a psycho course load, unfortunately with the casualty of a few Ws (F*@#&…) now I have to deal with crowd control.
While it is true that one needs to show the capacity to carry a full medical course load I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) that one or two semesters of upper division classes will suffice.
I too (as many on here) am working full time, juggling ECs, but only taking a max of 8 credits per semester. I feel that, for me I can get an excellent grasp of the material, keep a high GPA and not burn my self out.
It all depends on what you can handle. Adjust accordingly. Someone on this board once posted some really good advice saying, “Do you want to get into medical school or do you want to get into medical school quickly.”
(Which one of you beautiful people said this???)
So, enjoy the ride Aaron. You are in it for the long haul 
Thanks Julio Cesar.
Since my science GPA is low, I am going to have to rely on my ECs (which are very extensive) to give me a shot at a U.S. school.
adecosta-
My pre-med adviser was clueless, too. You may have to be more than a little self-promoting and politely pushy at times to get what you need in a situation like that - but I guarantee that if you are the first non-trad she’s met, you are definitely not her last!
As to your course load my research has led me to believe (and I agree with a post above) that many med schools would like to see at least a couple of recent full-time semesters previous to applying. This seems very unfair and impossible given the restraints most of us non-trads have, but it makes sense in that they want to accept applicants that can handle the huge amount of studying/testing that occurs in med school, and, unfortunately, there is no way to measure that without having demonstrable academic transcript to back it up. I, myself, am living off private loans at the moment (which, believe me, is scary as hell) in order to take a 15 credit load as I feel doing so will help me with my goal of being accepted to one of the VERY competitive MD schools here in Michigan.
However, I strongly encourage you to contact schools you would be interested in applying to and see what they say. Good luck and keep on trucking!
PS- And yes, it is true you do NOT need to complete the 2nd bacc. Any bacc in any discipline still counts as a bacc.
- coquelicot Said:
My pre-med adviser was clueless, too. You may have to be more than a little self-promoting and politely pushy at times to get what you need in a situation like that - but I guarantee that if you are the first non-trad she's met, you are definitely not her last!
It shouldn't surprise me, but it still does when I get calls and emails from premed advisors asking me for information on how to assist with nontrad students. Even in some of the postbacc programs where a few advisors downright hostile to those students over the ripe old age of 30 or so who just couldn't imagine they would or could go to medical school.
Aaron, I’m in the same position, a few months down the road. I started an a la carte post-bacc program at a small state school, but registered as a second degree seeking student because 1) post bacc’s get last pick on classes and 2) post-bacc’s don’t qualify for any financial aid here (not even unsubsidized loans.
The advice I got at first was terrifying-I was working FT, taking 2 classes per semester, doing research and volunteering, and was told that unless I started taking at least 3 science classes per semester, I wouldn’t be truly competitive.
I asked around (at OPM included), and everyone else said the same thing-maintaining good grades are the highest priority. MCAT prep is the second. Working and being able to feed oneself and eventually taking upper level electives are tied for last.
Having gone through most of the process so far without a formal program, my advice would be…don’t panic everytime you encounter a “challenge” like this. Ask around on OPM, or find another resource, perhaps someone at a med school of interest to you. I have stressed myself out SO much this past year doubting if I’m spending my time, energy and money the right way.
For example, when I took on a very full summer courseload, I panicked about what to “drop” for awhile. It ended up being volunteering, then research. I got A’s in genetics and orgo I, and now I’m back into the swing of things with volunteering, research and my two classes. There’s a month or two gap on my resume for both, but I know that I’ll get good rec’s from them because when I am able to conduct research and volunteer, I put in good work.
Good luck, and remember-don’t panic!
I’m in much the same position, maybe a little farther down the road, but I certainly encountered many of the same questions. I think ad-hoc or a la carte programs are fine and, like several members have mentioned, its ultimately the grades you receive in those classes that are the top priority. I finished my pre-reqs taking one class a quarter, while working 50+ hours a week and studying for my MCAT.
I was worried about the same things, in terms of not having a full course load but ultimately, it comes down to what grades did you actually receive. If you get A’s in your class(es) and work full time, no one can say that you’re not capable of replicating this performance when you’re in school full time. However, if you take a full course load and have lots of B’s then you essentially answering that question for them. Even if you are working. As someone mentioned above, your in this for the long haul, so might as well put your strongest application out there!
Good Luck!
Aaron, do try to work in clinical volunteering (“experience”) into your preparation. Medical schools tend to view physician shadowing as “exposure” rather than experience.
And, since being a physician is a service occupation, they want to see altruistic volunteering into an under-served population.
No need to finish a second degree. But do well in your course work, and if possible, work in some upper division bio classes.
Cheers,
Judy
>She tried to convince me that b) I have to finish this degree if I am to apply to med school.
Technically, some schools don’t even require a bachelor’s degree at all, first or second, as long as you have 95 credits and all of your pre-reqs.
In the Real World ™ of course, you’ll compete with those who do have a bachelor’s, so you’ll need one too…but a second degree when there are other ways to differentiate yourself?