ABT: Which of two options for USUHS hopeful?

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Hello,

I am currently pre-pre-med, working full-time as a Firefighter. I have been mapping out my path to Med School and have come to a crossroads. I'm not 100% sure this is where this post belongs, but I figured you all would have more quality information than a forum of pre-meds...

Path #1 is the B.A. Peace, War and Defense program at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Path #2 is the B.S. Biology with a Human Biology concentration (tailor made pre-med degree) at NC State.

Both involve taking a year at my local CC but assuming I am accepted to both schools which would be best for USUHS?

I worry I won't be able to focus enough on the sciences to do as well as I'd like on the MCAT and MS1/2 with the PWAD track, but worry I might have a lower GPA with the hard sciences of the Bio track.

I think the PWAD studies would be easier and more fun, but I am also very interested in the sciences. Also, I don't know how this actually plays out but I see on a lot of the science course descriptions that a large percentage of seats are reserved for science majors. Would it be a likely issue that I would need to completely rearrange my academic plan to allow for missed classes?

NCSU has a pre-med committee and UNC-CH does not. Also I have been corresponding with the chair of NCSU's committee for about a month and she has been helping me tremendously. She has told me to go where I feel the best fit, but I can't help but think I will be better off with her invaluable advising.

Any thoughts, light-bulbs, etc are welcome. Thank you all.

Your degree doesn't matter. You don't need to be pre-med to go to med school and, similarly, you don't need that PWAD degree to join the military. I know pilots who had degrees in music and psychology. Choose whatever degree program you think will be the most interesting. You will be more likely to have success and higher grades. Just make sure that you can accommodate all the prereqs necessary for the med schools you want to apply to.

USUHS is like any other med school in that they want to hear why you are interested in their program. You have to answer the "why military?" question. Personally I think you need to choose a service rather than have "no preference," but I'm not an adcom there so what do I know?

Oh, sorry I forgot to mention that I'm a Navy vet. I want to be a Navy Physician. The "why military" question is one I have no problem answering. Furthermore, I want to attend USUHS.

And I'm very familiar with the degrees you don't have to have, they are both degree programs I am interested in.

With the PWAD program I'll get more "fun/easy" classes but far less interesting upper level science classes. I'm not quite sure what should weigh more. Higher GPA less science or more science possibly lower GPA.

Originally Posted by Fedfireman

Oh, sorry I forgot to mention that I'm a Navy vet. I want to be a Navy Physician. The "why military" question is one I have no problem answering. Furthermore, I want to attend USUHS.

And I'm very familiar with the degrees you don't have to have, they are both degree programs I am interested in.

With the PWAD program I'll get more "fun/easy" classes but far less interesting upper level science classes. I'm not quite sure what should weigh more. Higher GPA less science or more science possibly lower GPA.

In that case I recommend you focus as much as possible on the GPA. If you have enough elective room you can still take some upper level science classes. I'm 14 year Navy (10 active 4 reserve) and going to USUHS.

No question that has a USUHS specific answer here. Higher GPA is usually better. Tailor made premed programs really aren't worth anything.

Either school would be fine though. Personally I don't understand how you could contemplate going to either school but that has more to do with sports than the actual academic programs.

Seriously though they are both great schools. If you like them both and get into both just go to whichever one makes better financial sense for you and where you feel like you fit in.

Thank you both for your replies. I was a little concerned with the typicality of the Human Biology degree.

My concern with the PWAD is that I will need to take a year or so at a CC and with the Hum Bio path I would be able to take some lower level science courses there since I would have almost 2 full years of hard sciences at the Uni.

However, with the PWAD I wouldn't need to/have to take any sciences at the CC...

Anyways, I think I've decided on the PWAD with UNC-CH. Thank you all again. Go Navy!