I’m yet another person considering medical school, and all that it entails.
BACKGROUND:
I have wanted to be a doctor since I was, oh, 2. Took all the AP courses and then some in high school, got into a good college, and then totally screwed up my first semester (and more later on) and called it quits on the pre-med option.
I stayed in my major (English), but stopped with the pre-med after getting an F in Intro Chemistry (an A in the lab…), and having a withdrawal in Calculus (which I thought was going to be a breeze since I had taken advanced Calculus in high school - I was so wrong).
My other grades throughout my undergrad were not so great. I don’t even remember my actual undergrad GPA except that it’s somewhere between 2.5 and 3.0 (definitely in the 2 dot something range).
Now that I’m 32, I’m thinking about it again. I am set to finish an M.S. in Computer Information Technology by around July 2007 (have like a 3.97 or something up to this point and have one master project left). But I have spread this degree over the last 5 years because my company only reimburses a certain amount a year so I haven’t had to pay out of pocket (2 pregnancies and a cross-country move didn’t make things move any faster either).
I have been reading what information there is out there that applies to me, and am figuring that being a full-time student (if possible) is probably the way to go? I was considering community college, but I am guessing I need to prove my “science GPA under stress” worth?
So I guess my questions/verification requests fall under the following headings:
WHERE TO DO PRE-MED WORK:
A) Community College:
Is community college a possibility for at least all the possible requirements like calc, chem, bio, orgo, and physics or out of the question given my background?
OR
B) Four-Year University.
If CC is a no-no, there are a few options for completing pre-med reqs at a local university (IF they accept me).
Apply as a non-degree student and take the pre-reqs
Apply as a second-degree student, take the pre-reqs, but don’t plan to finish the degree if I can finish the reqs quicker and apply before I finish the degree. Finish the degree only if I have to reapply and have time to squeeze in the additional requirements (BIO would be the major).
Apply as a second-degree student as in #2, but plan to finish the requirements between the 2nd year and the glide year.
GEN COURSE PLAN (w/4yr institution)
What plan would allow me to finish my prereqs (and take my MCATs and apply) in the shortest time frame. I want to show that I am handling a full course load, but at the same time not make things so stressful that I do poorly. I want to strike the right balance.
In theory I could take all the sciences at the same time (and possibly the math) and then take Orgo the following summer.
Or take chem in the summer coming up, and then take orgo, bio, physics and possibly math in the following year.
Or something more moderate than these options?
I know I would probably have to work my butt off to do well in the sciences. Of the 3 branches, bio was my best and chem my weakest (had a weak foundation in high school). Obviously, it’s been over 10 years since I graduated from college.
4-year is always a better option if you can swing it. I’d say either apply as a special student and take the pre-reqs, or apply as a degree student and don’t finish the degree. If you can keep working while going to school, it does help.
Plan on two years to finish the pre-reqs. You’ll need to take (and finish) Gen Chem before you take Organic Chem. The rest you could theoretically stack up, but three tough science classes with three time-consuming labs is a rough row to hoe and it’s hard to perform well. The kind of studying you have to do in med school is different from that stuff, anyway, in a way I can’t quite define.
You could take freshman bio and gen chem at the same time if you want to get going. You could take the math over the summer if you’re good at the math and can learn it in the compressed schedule. Then physics and o-chem the following year. I should mention that I loved physics, so stacking it with o-chem was not a terrible hardship for me the one semester I did it (but I didn’t have o-chem lab then). If physics is tough for you, as o-chem was for me, this might be a recipe for disaster.
I would say that to do well in general chemistry, you first need a solid grounding in algebra. There’s a lot of math in general chemistry, and that’s what seems to nail most people (at least at my school, where problem-solving was heavily emphasized). You’ll need to focus on doing lots of homework problems, and if you take that approach you may find it easier this time around.
I’m sorry this is a little disjointed; I have a little studying to do myself tonight.
But anyway, my recommendation is take two years, do it at a 4-year college, register for degree if that gets you financial aid or a useful priority advantage in registering for classes, otherwise don’t bother. And don’t take three sciences at once unless you find you’re really, really sailing while taking two. Labs take a LOT OF TIME.
I'm yet another person considering medical school, and all that it entails.
BACKGROUND:
I have wanted to be a doctor since I was, oh, 2. Took all the AP courses and then some in high school, got into a good college, and then totally screwed up my first semester (and more later on) and called it quits on the pre-med option.
I stayed in my major (English), but stopped with the pre-med after getting an F in Intro Chemistry (an A in the lab...), and having a withdrawal in Calculus (which I thought was going to be a breeze since I had taken advanced Calculus in high school - I was so wrong).
My other grades throughout my undergrad were not so great. I don't even remember my actual undergrad GPA except that it's somewhere between 2.5 and 3.0 (definitely in the 2 dot something range).
Now that I'm 32, I'm thinking about it again. I am set to finish an M.S. in Computer Information Technology by around July 2007 (have like a 3.97 or something up to this point and have one master project left). But I have spread this degree over the last 5 years because my company only reimburses a certain amount a year so I haven't had to pay out of pocket (2 pregnancies and a cross-country move didn't make things move any faster either).
I have been reading what information there is out there that applies to me, and am figuring that being a full-time student (if possible) is probably the way to go? I was considering community college, but I am guessing I need to prove my "science GPA under stress" worth?
So I guess my questions/verification requests fall under the following headings:
WHERE TO DO PRE-MED WORK:
A) Community College:
Is community college a possibility for at least all the possible requirements like calc, chem, bio, orgo, and physics or out of the question given my background?
OR
B) Four-Year University.
If CC is a no-no, there are a few options for completing pre-med reqs at a local university (IF they accept me).
1) Apply as a non-degree student and take the pre-reqs
2) Apply as a second-degree student, take the pre-reqs, but don't plan to finish the degree if I can finish the reqs quicker and apply before I finish the degree. Finish the degree only if I have to reapply and have time to squeeze in the additional requirements (BIO would be the major).
3) Apply as a second-degree student as in #2, but plan to finish the requirements between the 2nd year and the glide year.
GEN COURSE PLAN (w/4yr institution)
What plan would allow me to finish my prereqs (and take my MCATs and apply) in the shortest time frame. I want to show that I am handling a full course load, but at the same time not make things so stressful that I do poorly. I want to strike the right balance.
In theory I could take all the sciences at the same time (and possibly the math) and then take Orgo the following summer.
Or take chem in the summer coming up, and then take orgo, bio, physics and possibly math in the following year.
Or something more moderate than these options?
I know I would probably have to work my butt off to do well in the sciences. Of the 3 branches, bio was my best and chem my weakest (had a weak foundation in high school). Obviously, it's been over 10 years since I graduated from college.
Hi Hanmee, keep on the course and finish your pre-reqs wherever you think you'll do best. That's the most important thing.