Aspirations

[nathdep]

Hello everyone!

I am currently a junior in undergrad (Hartwick College). I'm majoring in Spanish and French currently and I have a minor in piano.

I have a few questions about going into the field of psychiatry. To start off, I want to say that I really love helping people and seeing them improve. Medication has always interested me and I've seen its positive impacts on those close to me. I am also very interested in studying the mechanisms behind medication.

Currently, I don't have any credits in science other than what is required for general education credits. What would I have to do after graduating to put myself on the track to becoming a psychiatrist?

As with everything academia related, I do worry about the cost of schooling. Currently, I am receiving aid from FAFSA and that's what I'm using to survive. My family is very poor and I know my mom wouldn't be able to support me through med school. I could take out loans but what is the likelihood that I would be able to pay them back assuming I succeeded in becoming a psychiatrist?

I know I will have to do a Post-Bacc program. How expensive would one be?

Thanks so much for your help!

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[Ismet]

Moving to pre-allo

 

[Ismet]

You become a psychiatrist by getting through medical school and then getting into a psychiatry residency program. There's really nothing you need to do before medical school to help you into a psychiatry residency. Focus on getting into medical school, do some psych research if you are so inclined, and then move toward the next step.

You need gen chem 1 & 2, organic chem 1&2, biology 1&2, biochemistry, math (requirements vary by school), psychology and/or sociology - all are either pre-requirements and/or recommended for the MCAT.

AAMC has a database of post-bacc programs where you can get a lot of information. https://apps.aamc.org/postbac/

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

^ You also need Physics 1 & 2.

If you're sure that you're interested in medicine, I wouldn't stress out too much about finances. Pretty much everyone takes out some amount of loans for medical school. In addition, you may receive some financial aid, depending on your financial situation and the school you end up getting into. The prognosis for paying off debt once you become a doctor is pretty good, although it may take many years and require some frugal living, especially during residency.

I can't speak to the specific cost of formal post-bacc programs but I would recommend looking into DIY post-bacc programs, too, for comparison. I think they may end up being cheaper. If you went this route, you would simply enroll as a non-degree student at a university of your choice. If you chose your state school, you could take advantage of in-state tuition and then just take the classes you need for med school.

 

[nathdep]

Here are the courses I've already taken or have gotten through AP credit (they've also counted toward general education at my college) or have taken in college already:

Single Variable Calculus
AP Physics C: Mechanics (w/ lab)
AP Chemistry (w/ lab)
Environmental Geology

There is a community college that would offer most if not all of these courses near me (it's a lot more affordable too). Would that count for pre-requisites for med school? I could also fit an organic chemistry course in and maybe something else during my last year at college.

My GPA is also around 3.5 (or will be when I graduate). Should I be worried about this preventing me from getting accepted? There were some music courses with horrible professors that lowered my GPA not to mention that the music department was in the process of falling apart.

Would coming in as a French and Spanish major hurt my chances as well since they aren't science based?

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

If you can, I would definitely start some of your prereqs now while you're in school to save you having to pay to take them after graduation. But obviously, you won't be able to fit them all in before graduation and that's okay. Taking your prereqs at CC after your graduate is probably fine. A 3.5 GPA is just slightly below the average for students accepted to MD programs, which is about 3.7. I wouldn't sweat this as long as your GPA doesn't drop once you start taking science courses. You have an opportunity to bring it up, if you do well in your prereqs. And once you've done that, you'll want to give yourself plenty of time for focused, diligent MCAT prep.

Med schools don't care at all what your major is so you're good in that respect. Just make sure to get some clinical experience. You can do this in many different ways by volunteering at a hospital, doctor's office, hospice, clinic, etc. and by shadowing doctors.

 

[Turkishking]

^ You also need Physics 1 & 2.

If you're sure that you're interested in medicine, I wouldn't stress out too much about finances. Pretty much everyone takes out some amount of loans for medical school. In addition, you may receive some financial aid, depending on your financial situation and the school you end up getting into. The prognosis for paying off debt once you become a doctor is pretty good, although it may take many years and require some frugal living, especially during residency.

I can't speak to the specific cost of formal post-bacc programs but I would recommend looking into DIY post-bacc programs, too, for comparison. I think they may end up being cheaper. If you went this route, you would simply enroll as a non-degree student at a university of your choice. If you chose your state school, you could take advantage of in-state tuition and then just take the classes you need for med school.

Don't you need inorganic I and II? or can I just take organic I and II?

 

[WedgeDawg]

Don't you need inorganic I and II? or can I just take organic I and II?

You need general chemistry I&II and either organic chemistry I&II, organic chemistry I + biochem, or organic chemistry I&II + biochem depending on the school.

At some schools, inorganic chemistry and general chemistry are different courses. The introductory version is generally the one you're looking for (which is usually labeled "general").