Hello all!
I feel like all I do is ask questions around here; maybe one day I’ll have more knowledge than inquiries and I can start posting answers myself.
In any case, I’m trying to decide how to get this ball rolling. I graduated from a state school in 2003 with a degree in mathematics, and I have also taken a physics series. Clearly, there are a lot of prerequisites I need to get done before I can apply to med school. I’m trying to decide how to get all this planned out and whether or not to go to a formal post-bacc program. I am really interested to hear from those of you who didn’t do a formal post-bacc and how it worked out. Also, as far as enrolling in an institution not seeking a degree, is there anything I should be concerned about that may not be obvious?
Thanks in advance!
I actually did my informal post-bacc enrolled as a degree-seeking student. Had I not, I would have been last on the list for class signup and the like, which could have been a problem. I did speak with the department first to make sure they were cool with it, and they had no problems at all. At my school (UCF), I also had full access to the pre-health advisors, which was a boon.
If you decide to be non-degree seeking, look at class signup priority, financial aid eligibility (search for some of “Emeregency!”'s posts on that subject), and those types of things. I don’t imagine it would impact your eligiblity for school clubs and extracurriculars, but you may want to look into that as well.
Good luck with it! And never feel shy about asking questions. Can’t learn without em, right? 
Good point about the course registration and financial aid.
What do you think about the choice of school in the first place? I mean, will adcoms look more favorably on my prereqs being taken at a university that has a medical program, or will it matter little to them as long as it’s an accredited four-year? I really feel like I need to get as much going in my favor as possible, as I didn’t exactly have a stellar undergrad to begin with.
I also keep debating if the additional structure of a formal post-bacc would be more of a boon than a hindrance. I suppose the decision might be made for me since for many of the post-baccs I’ve looked at I barely meet the minimum criteria to apply.
I did the do-it-yourself route and it also worked out well for me.
Some schools put non-degree students last on the list for class sign up, which can be a huge problem for the pre-reqs, because they often fill up fast. The school I attended actually gave non-degree students fairly high priority, behind graduating seniors. I also had no problems accessing the pre-med advisors.
Financial aid, briefly: as a non-degree student, you are eligible for 12 CONSECUTIVE months of federal aid to take pre-requisites for a professional program. I had to have an advisor sign off every quarter that the courses I was taking were requirements for med school. The 12 CONSECUTIVE month thing can be a problem because it is very difficult to do unless you take one of the chemistries in a summer session (which is ugly).
As a degree-seeking student, you can still get federal financial aid even for a second degree as long as you haven’t maxed out your loan eligibility either dollar wise or credit hour wise. You would need to talk to a FA person and have them check out your eligibility based on current limits.
And, of course, there are always private educational loans as long as you have decent credit and/or a co-signer.
Hi Mike!
Like Emergency!, I did my pre-reqs on a do-it yourself, non-degree basis. As such,I was last in line for course selection, but this never caused me any difficulty-- I spent time getting to know the faculty and was able to take all the courses I needed. My financial situation required that I worked, and so I worked full time and went to school part time (8 credits per semester). No financial aid necessary! During med school interviews this spring, I recieved direct feedback from one admissions team that indicated how impressed they were with the whole work/school thing–it actually strengthened my application. Anyways, this worked for me, as I was accepted at my 1st choice school and will start in July. Food for thought… 
betterlate,
Did you have significant coursework to do in this manner? It would certainly take longer to accomplish part time (to state the obvious), and I am somewhat anxious to get going. That said, current financial concerns preclude me from getting started until summer session of 2009 as it is. Anyone out there have any suggestions of what I could be doing now to prepare myself or improve my chances over the next year?
Thanks,
Mike
Hi Mike,
I had a BA in Psychology from a long while back and had not completed any of the pre-reqs prior to returning to school part time. So, to answer your question, I had 32 credits worth of mandatory pre-reqs, plus I took cell biology, genetics and molecular biolgy for a total of 44 credits total. I started in the fall of 2005, went continuously (through the summer)until the spring of 2007. I used the summer to study for the MCAT, which I took in August 2007. In the fall of 2007, I returned to part time classes and applied to med schools. All total, it will be three years from the start of this adventure until I start med school. That’s really not very long in the greater scheme of things.
- MikeC Said:
What do you think about the choice of school in the first place? I mean, will adcoms look more favorably on my prereqs being taken at a university that has a medical program, or will it matter little to them as long as it's an accredited four-year? I really feel like I need to get as much going in my favor as possible, as I didn't exactly have a stellar undergrad to begin with.
I also keep debating if the additional structure of a formal post-bacc would be more of a boon than a hindrance. I suppose the decision might be made for me since for many of the post-baccs I've looked at I barely meet the minimum criteria to apply.
I do not think it matters what school as long as it is a University.
GPA and MCAT matters way more then what school.
One thing to caution on, I have read posts in the past where the poster said they took classes that the Medical students where in and that means they are taking medical school courses and this proves they are going to get accepted if they do well, honestly I have heard and hence believe doing this grants no such status, ADCOMs just want to see the grades and all the other things you should have done just like everyone else.
Does anyone have any feel for NC schools? I read in another post that someone was advised that it would look better to an adcom for the prereqs to be taken at one of four schools in this state (NC State, UNC Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, or Duke). Wake Forest and Duke cost more than I’d like to pay for prereqs, though they are not ruled out. I have looked into UNC but I’m also considering others, such as UNC Wilmington and Greensboro. I certainly want to have the best chance at getting into medical school, though it’s going to be a long, hard road financially, so state schools would be good for me as I have residency in NC. Any input would be helpful.
Mike
I can’t see any problem going to one of your state schools. Just do well. 
Cheers,
Judy
Okay, so continuing my quest I have come up with a few more questions.
Before going to med school, I planned on taking about two years for not only the prereqs but some additional higher level courses that will build on those. It occurred to me that in that amount of time I can complete another bachelor’s in Biology, especially if I go to a UNC system school, since many of my credits would transfer. So I’m wondering if that would be really beneficial. If nothing else, I suppose that if I am unsuccessful in getting into med school, it would provide me with more flexibility in the job market. Also, the more classes I take the better my GPA can become, though it will never be stellar (3.2 from ugrad).
On to question number two…
Due to finances, I won’t be starting working on prereqs until summer of next year, since I will have to quit my job to go back to school. What should I be doing in the mean time to help my cause? Also, is it too early to contact the admissions departments of medical schools and ask them, with my situation, what they would like to see on my application when I finally do apply?
Mike
Oh, one more question:
Do statistics classes count into the BCPM average?
- MikeC Said:
Do statistics classes count into the BCPM average?
As I remember, my non-major, non-calculus-based statistics class went into the M of the BCPM.
- MikeC Said:
Before going to med school, I planned on taking about two years for not only the prereqs but some additional higher level courses that will build on those. It occurred to me that in that amount of time I can complete another bachelor's in Biology, especially if I go to a UNC system school, since many of my credits would transfer. So I'm wondering if that would be really beneficial. If nothing else, I suppose that if I am unsuccessful in getting into med school, it would provide me with more flexibility in the job market. Also, the more classes I take the better my GPA can become, though it will never be stellar (3.2 from ugrad).
If you can afford it and can do well, I can see this enchancing your job prospects for a bioinformatics position.
- MikeC Said:
On to question number two...
Due to finances, I won't be starting working on prereqs until summer of next year, since I will have to quit my job to go back to school. What should I be doing in the mean time to help my cause? Also, is it too early to contact the admissions departments of medical schools and ask them, with my situation, what they would like to see on my application when I finally do apply?
Mike
I'd definitely say start shadowing different physicians and to ask questions of them. You gotta know what you're getting into.
IMHO, make sure you feel out anybody you’re shadowing. I suspect it might be rude to ask tons of questions - especially about their medical education or personal regrets - if they’re not inclined to answer them.
Of course, most physicians open to shadowing would likely be open to many questions, as well. Just appreciate that they (and their patients and staff) are doing you a favor by letting you shadow.
As well, don’t sweat the number of hours too much. It shouldn’t be a question of “How many hours XYZ do AdComs want?” Rather (again IMHO), it should be “Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?” (shadowing) && “Are you sincerely motivated to help others?” (volunteering)
I think it would be a good idea to contact med schools and see what they’d like. You can ask them what they look for in well-qualified applicants, what you might be able to do to make yourself a more competitive applicant, etc.
Good luck!
- ihopetobeado2 Said:
As I remember, my non-major, non-calculus-based statistics class went into the M of the BCPM.
That would be good, since it would bring my BCPM to 3.42 right now vs. 3.37 without them. Not a huge improvement, I know, but improvement nonetheless.
So shadowing at this point would be okay? I didn’t know if doctors would even consider it as I’m not a student at this time. I do have one contact for shadowing through the hospital where I volunteer. However, the contact is for the hospital’s emergency physicians, and while shadowing any doctor will be a great experience, at this point I was leaning more toward surgery. Certainly I’m not going to pass up an opportunity to shadow any doc, but I think I’m going to try and get in with shadowing a surgeon as well. It may prove more difficult since the contact I have was made because I volunteer in the emergency department.
Any thoughts?
At this point, take what you can get! You have plenty of time to shadow all types of physicians. You’ll get a better all-around view of physician life from several different angles.
Besides, diversity is a good thing.
Yes. That’s right. Start your shadowing with who you know. It’s funny, but networking oftentimes becomes a geometric progression: In your case, the one physician you know can refer you to three other specialists. Each of these specialists can refer you to a couple of other colleagues. Within no time, you’ll have this long list of physicians willing to let you shadow them.
?