Second Bachelor's: Who's Getting One?

Esteban said:

I'm just curious who here is getting a second bachelor's. As for me, I graduated from UCLA in 2004 with a 3.55 GPA . My major was sociology . Now I am going to Cal State Long Beach (starting in the fall), where I will complete a B.S. in biological sciences by spring 2009. During the fall of 2004, I took one semester of classes at SFSU (I did really well), but left because I hated the city. From January 2005 until July 2006, I worked as a videogame tester, was a legal assistant (actually considered law school), and taught middle school for one year (bad idea). Sorry for the rant. Anyway, I hope to apply in 2008 for entering class 2009. Good luck everyone!

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not getting a second bachelors but i think you should wipe away the frowning face after sociology. i was an anth major and now starting to pursue my career in medicine post bac style. feel like my experience in the social sciences will make me a better physician.

I am.

B.A. in History and Political Science, same stats as yours. Getting my B.S. in Microbiology now from my state university.

I went to Columbia post-bacc for a year before transferring, but I don't know if I would recommend postbacc programs for persons with non-science backgrounds. For one, the education is really superficial and usually really expensive (i.e. ~30k for three classes at Columbia after you factor in living expenses). A second degree is a pretty good option if you are tenacious--although year 7 of undergrad can wear even the thickest skin thin. I think postbaccs are for people who have science backgrounds and want to improve their gpa by retaking classes or by very ambitious folks who want to link. Just remember, at highly competitive postbaccs (see Columbia) you would be competing with that girl who sits next to you and has a B.S. in Biochemistry and a M.S. in Nutrition for that A in general chemistry--those programs definitely favor people with a science background to start.

A second degree on the other hand, lets you take advantage of financial aid and can open up many career opportunities outside of medicine which a postbacc can not.

It depends on the person though; it's pretty hard to go through college again when you work full-time just to get a degree you already have. Best of luck though.

i think its a waste of money and time to get another bachelors. Just do a postbac and fulfill the prereqs. I also agree in that I think social science majors are rather important. I have both in bio and anthro, and ive definitely learned how to write better, (got an S in my mcat), think differently, and somewhat more socially adept then my pure science counterparts. i think postbac is what you need, rather then another bachelors degree.

i suppose getting another bachelors degree is nice and tenacious, but adcoms at med school will DEFINITELY raise an eyebrow at you. Theyll probably ask, why did you spend anotehr 4 more years at this school to get a second bachelors when you could have just done a postbac and gone your way, do you realize you used up this much money. There were other students who applied who had two bachelors degrees finished in four years, by double majoring. How do you consider yourself a more competitve candidate them then. Basically you doing another bachelors kinda throws them the idea (at least in my opinion) that you seemed to flake out of a soc degree, and instead of going on the traditionally right path of going ahead and doing a postbac (i mean ALL you have to fulfill the prereqs) you went ahead and did another FOUR years of college, all over again, to get a degree that wont really affect your admissions into med school anyway. what will affect it, are those core classes, which you can just take in a postbac in less then half the time then you would by doing another UG again.

This is my two cents, I hope it is helpful, but i sincerely implore you to not go to UG all over again. It would be far more beneficial to go the route that everyone goes after graduating without fulfilling the prereqs.

braluk said:

This is my two cents, I hope it is helpful, but i sincerely implore you to not go to UG all over again. It would be far more beneficial to go the route that everyone goes after graduating without fulfilling the prereqs.

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I agree with braluk. Do a post-bac. Or, alternatively, spend the first year of your second degree fulfilling premed requirements and apply after that year (you can probably get premedical advising and a committee letter from your second undergrad institution). You can continue your second degree coursework during the glide year. Either way, it makes no sense to get a second undergrad degree until AFTER the medicine thing fails to pan out for you. Hopefully that won't happen. Good luck!

Esteban said:

I'd be done with pre-reqs and have the second degree by the end of 2008 .
Oh, I've already completed one year of general biology, one semester of chemistry and one year of calculus.

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Have you thought about just getting a master's in whatever topic you are interested in, while taking the pre-req's at that institution? Or why not just go back to your undergraduate school and finish off the pre-reqs?

Someone can just smack me if I'm just being ******ed, but I don't really see how another undergraduate degree is going to help you. Enough people get into medical school without a "science" degree. There is no reason you shouldn't be able to get in as well.

I agree. Do prereqs. If you want to do a masters program to get a science job as back up that is fine. But don't do a whole 2nd degree. Waste of time and money if you want to be in medicine.

Why waste the time to do something you don't want to do. Get a master's, do the pre-req's and aim for your goal of getting into medical school. If you truly want to become a doctor, lay aside the other considerations and focus on doing that. If you are always preparing for the backup plan, you will end up doing the backup plan.

I just don't think another four years spent pursuing an undergrad degree is worth your time. I do not mean to demean your idea, it is just my opinion that your time could be better spent.

You could finish the pre-req's and the MCAT within about 18mos. and be applying to schools. During your "glide" year, go work in a lab. If med school doesn't pan out, you will need that time in a lab in order to get into a half-decent Ph.D. program. But as I said earlier, you already have a good GPA, so I think you will do fine in your classes. Just focus on what you need to do in order to get into medical school, the rest will take care of itself.

Esteban said:

Sorry, but I feel that social science degrees are not the most practical. I feel I could've learned what I learned by reading on my own. If I had had the focus when I was younger, I would have pursued science.

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Humanities majors do better, in general, than bio majors on the MCAT.

IMO the humanities majors can only help...less hard classes = more time to study for MCAT

so i went to Cal and i'm now at SFSU doing postbac. Though i'm now pursuing a masters, i was "postbac status" last semester. Isn't it that if you are pursuing a SECOND degree, you will have to fulfill all those random university/college requirements that CSULB mandates from their students? B/c i was registered as someone getting my second bachelors at SFSU I had to send my UC Berkeley transcript and by doing so they informed me of what classes transferred over and what classes I had left to take in order to complete my second bachelors. Granted a lot of classes transferred over ie: my reading and comp class at berkeley satisfied my reading and comp class for sfsu, but I was surprised to see that if I were to have really pursued a second bachelors degree I would have had to take an additional 4 classes or something. At first I was all cocky, thinking that "eh... i might as well get a second bachelor's it'd be a cake-walk, i mean i went to berkeley and i'm sure all those miscellaneous requirements transfer over anyway". but duh, i was wrong and it turned out that that that wasn't the case. The requirements that werent fulfilled were those general liberal arts-ish classes that i HAD to take at SFSU in order to fulfil cultures, diversity, history requirments and what not. So just b/c you already have a sociology degree from UCLA and b/c there are only a few requirements and electives you need to fulfill for the bio degree at CSULB, doesn't mean that you're "home free" in obtaining a second degree. You'll probably have to take CSULB specific general classes that have nothing to do with your bio major, that will end up being a complete waste of your time. I'm not exactly sure of what those requirements are at CSULB, but it is definitely worth checking... otherwise you'll end up seeking this second degree and in the end realize you'll have to take all these bull**** classes that wont further your goal for getting into med school nor will make you look better in finding a job or getting into grad school. But then again, you may feel it's worth it b/c having a bio degree is part of your back up plan. (which in my opinion... i don't think you necessarily need a bio degree to pusure phd in science... so long as you take all the science requirements + upper div electives and have experience in research. if you want to have a back up plan involving a science phd that how i'd go about it)

ok hope this helps.. and of course feedback is welcome

I had a question. There has been no thread about new york medical college master's in basic medical science. I was just accepted. Can you tell me how it compares to all the other masters programs (BU, Georgetown, Drexel, and Barry). What do you guys think of NYMC?

I think i am going to be attending it this fall. does anyone have suggestions about housing or need a roommate?

shareesh said:

I had a question. There has been no thread about new york medical college master's in basic medical science. I was just accepted. Can you tell me how it compares to all the other masters programs (BU, Georgetown, Drexel, and Barry). What do you guys think of NYMC?

I think i am going to be attending it this fall. does anyone have suggestions about housing or need a roommate?

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Were u accepted into any other masters programs? I'm not very familiar with NYMC's program, but do u take classes with med students and do they have some preference for you as a masters student? Check if they have housing for students on campus because they have dorms for med students.

chaeymaey said:

Were u accepted into any other masters programs? I'm not very familiar with NYMC's program, but do u take classes with med students and do they have some preference for you as a masters student? Check if they have housing for students on campus because they have dorms for med students.

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Hey... look at the other thread so u can check my reply (thread titled New York Medical College)--so we have one ultimate thread on it

to the OP, any advisor will probably tel you not to do a UG all over again.

Hi all,

My experience with this:

When I decided to try for Vet school, I had a whole passel of pre-reqs to do, plus a bit of damage control.

Anyway, after I figured out what pre-recs I needed, it turned out that I would only be 8 credits short of another degree. Don't forget, most universities don't require a complete set of 128 credits (or whatever) for another BS, rather the number is significantly less.

I was granted 90 credits for my previous degree (Mech. E. from 16 years ago), and I only need 36 for an additional degree. Between Orgo 1&2, Bio 1&2, Genetics, MicroBio, BioChem, Cell and Molec Bio, thats 32 credits right there. Color me silly, but I can do one more class for the sheepskin just to say I did it. Could I do a MS? I suppose, but I already have one.

I would check the catelog and see what the requirements are for an additional degree. If you're going to be close, there is certainly nothing wrong with knocking it out if you have the time and $$ to spare.

Best,
Oldie

Olddodger said:

Hi all,

My experience with this:

When I decided to try for Vet school, I had a whole passel of pre-reqs to do, plus a bit of damage control.

Anyway, after I figured out what pre-recs I needed, it turned out that I would only be 8 credits short of another degree. Don't forget, most universities don't require a complete set of 128 credits (or whatever) for another BS, rather the number is significantly less.

I was granted 90 credits for my previous degree (Mech. E. from 16 years ago), and I only need 36 for an additional degree. Between Orgo 1&2, Bio 1&2, Genetics, MicroBio, BioChem, Cell and Molec Bio, thats 32 credits right there. Color me silly, but I can do one more class for the sheepskin just to say I did it. Could I do a MS? I suppose, but I already have one.

I would check the catelog and see what the requirements are for an additional degree. If you're going to be close, there is certainly nothing wrong with knocking it out if you have the time and $$ to spare.

Best,
Oldie

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I'm pretty much taking the post-bacc do it yourself route, with the second bachelor's label so I can get financial aid... I only needed 24 credits to get a second BS since you don't have to do anything but what your major requires (no humanities, social sciences, etc...)... I'm confused as to why people find this to be a bad idea... I'm boosting my GPA, while getting financial aid, and getting another BS in less than a year of work...

But, I guess you 20k posters know best

UMP said:

I'm pretty much taking the post-bacc do it yourself route, with the second bachelor's label so I can get financial aid... I only needed 24 credits to get a second BS since you don't have to do anything but what your major requires (no humanities, social sciences, etc...)... I'm confused as to why people find this to be a bad idea... I'm boosting my GPA, while getting financial aid, and getting another BS in less than a year of work...

But, I guess you 20k posters know best

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You are lucky then. Many schools require well over that amount. I had about 2 years worth of classes to take in order to get my major.

I am taking upper level classes and applying to a masters degree program this year. I will not have a 2nd bachelors degree. Most masters I have looked into only require prereqs to science classes.

Everyone has a different path and different goals. There is no "one right way" to get in and get your prereqs. As well as every school is different. I also had minimal sciences in undergrad which was 8-9 years ago.

Oh and with a 3.55, he doesn't really need to do an extra degree he already has the gpa and just get the prereqs and he can apply. Just trying to save people from time and money. Do what you please!

Thanks for the feedback. Of the 15 classes I will be taking, 5 are classes are pre-reqs, 3 are recommeneded by med schools (biochemistry, genetics, molecular cell biology), 3 are biology electives (I will choose classes that will help for MCAT), and 4 are "extra" requirments for the major (plant morphology, ecology, zoology, and biostats). I don't think the extra 4 classes are a bad investment, if the payoff is a BS in biology. That's how I feel, at least...

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It's not a bad investment, but really, most med schools don't recommend genetics and molecular bio. Some do, but most don't really care and no requires either of those two. Only biochem is required by a handful of schools. I think what everyone here is saying is that if you wanted to, you could cut out the extras and apply in the Spring of 2007, which would probably be a much wiser investment. Put on your app that you'll be taking genetics and biochem and molecular bio before you matriculate (Fall 2007 and Spring of 2008). They'll be satisfied with that. Also, you can take all those extra classes and get yourself that degree in that glide year if you really want to, but the important thing is that you'll be practicing medicine one or two years earlier than you're planning.

MedStudentWanna said:

It's not a bad investment, but really, most med schools don't recommend genetics and molecular bio. Some do, but most don't really care and no requires either of those two. Only biochem is required by a handful of schools. I think what everyone here is saying is that if you wanted to, you could cut out the extras and apply in the Spring of 2007, which would probably be a much wiser investment. Put on your app that you'll be taking genetics and biochem and molecular bio before you matriculate (Fall 2007 and Spring of 2008). They'll be satisfied with that. Also, you can take all those extra classes and get yourself that degree in that glide year if you really want to, but the important thing is that you'll be practicing medicine one or two years earlier than you're planning.

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Bingo.

.

Neha25 said:

Hiiii

I am thinking of doing something similar. What do you think?

my stats:
top 5 undergrad school, 3.3 overall gpa, 3.1 science gpa
26Q and 32R on the MCATs
ECs: lot of research (basic science and clinical), 2 publications, lot of volunteer work, leaderships positions, student groups, etc.

my plans:
-Instead of graduating after 4 yrs, staying in undergrad for one extra semester (4 courses) so that I can take more upper level science courses, improve science gpa a little, and get a second science major (and possibly a 3rd major, in a non-science). I get very good financial aid, so it won't cost much (if anything).
-BU 1-yr MAMS starting in Spring '07. $45k.
-apply to med school in Summer '07, while I finish the MAMS.

What do you all think? / ? Is it better to stay in an ivy undergrad school for another semester and take more science courses and 2nd major -OR- to take med school courses at BU for an extra semester? I would really appreciate your advice!

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Anyone else notice this was the 4 millionth post on SDN? Congrats.

Hi Esteban,

First of all, a second bachelor's degree won't take 4 years. Here at CSU, all your general education classes are covered by your undergraduate degree, especially if you were a sociology major. If in doubt, check with Academic Advising in Library East. By cutting out the general education, you can do another bachelor's degree in 2 years.

There are some advantages to get a formal second degree. Priority on registering for classes, financial aid, scholarships, and other "undergraduate" offerings. In some schools one can take courses beyond the typical premed courses to add some variety to a traditional premed program. Many post-baccs have limited choices and offerings with set schedules and timetables. Most summer internship programs in biomedical research are only open to undergrads or recent grads. Post-bacc students don't qualify for such programs.

I am doing a second bachelors, too. I wanted to do a post-bacc but I took the prereqs for med school many many many years ago but was not a premed at the time. I was rejected from several post-baccs because of this, and the one that accepted me recommended that I consider taking my prereqs here instead of their program. So that is why I am here. My undergrad degree is in anthro from a UC school as well, with a near 2nd major in resource policy (missed it by one class).


I know of a few doctors who did sequential bachelor's degrees before entering med school.

One way you can temper any concerns about doing a second degree is show how it will complement your first degree. Why sociology then? Why biology now? Show how sociology deals with the human aspects of medicine while biology deals with the biomedical aspects.

It's a simple cost/benefit analysis. What is your goal? If it is to take your pre-reqs, take them as quickly as possible. If, with the extra time you'll have from sequencing, you can take extra classes to get the degree without affecting your GPA - all power to you.

Neha25 said:

Hiiii

I am thinking of doing something similar. What do you think?

my stats:
top 5 undergrad school, 3.3 overall gpa, 3.1 science gpa
26Q and 32R on the MCATs
ECs: lot of research (basic science and clinical), 2 publications, lot of volunteer work, leaderships positions, student groups, etc.

my plans:
-Instead of graduating after 4 yrs, staying in undergrad for one extra semester (4 courses) so that I can take more upper level science courses, improve science gpa a little, and get a second science major (and possibly a 3rd major, in a non-science). I get very good financial aid, so it won't cost much (if anything).
-BU 1-yr MAMS starting in Spring '07. $45k.
-apply to med school in Summer '07, while I finish the MAMS.

What do you all think? / ? Is it better to stay in an ivy undergrad school for another semester and take more science courses and 2nd major -OR- to take med school courses at BU for an extra semester? I would really appreciate your advice!

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That sounds like a good plan if it is what you want to do. I'm assuming you are graduating already and this fall you plan on taking the 4 classes?

I might have just gone straight to the BU program or something of the sorts. If you're shooting for strictly MD you do need to boost that science GPA up.

I think that plan is good if it works for you

alohadolphin15 said:

You'll probably have to take CSULB specific general classes that have nothing to do with your bio major, that will end up being a complete waste of your time. I'm not exactly sure of what those requirements are at CSULB, but it is definitely worth checking... otherwise you'll end up seeking this second degree and in the end realize you'll have to take all these bull**** classes that wont further your goal for getting into med school nor will make you look better in finding a job or getting into grad school. But then again, you may feel it's worth it b/c having a bio degree is part of your back up plan.

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Not so. I went to a UC school as a undergrad, and now I'm at CSULB, too, pursuing a second bachelor's degree. I thought that I had to take specific CSULB classes, but the Academic Advising office here told me -- after looking at my records from my alma mater -- that all I needed was to take my major specific classes -- and nearly all would fulfill med school and public health school requirements.

Yes, it will take a bit longer (2 - 3 years), but one does get a second degree, which may help qualify them for not only a shot at med school, but various masters-level programs or for a science-based MD-PhD program.

I think that people should do what they need to do to be successful, whether it is a formal post-bacc, a second bachelor's, or a do-it-yourself a la carte program.

i defnitely agree with what you said at the end.

that's really great that csulb waived you out of taking their specific classes. maybe sfsu would do the same if i would to pursue my 2nd bachelor's too. thanks for the feedback

datsa said:

Not so. I went to a UC school as a undergrad, and now I'm at CSULB, too, pursuing a second bachelor's degree. I thought that I had to take specific CSULB classes, but the Academic Advising office here told me -- after looking at my records from my alma mater -- that all I needed was to take my major specific classes -- and nearly all would fulfill med school and public health school requirements.

I think that people should do what they need to do to be successful, whether it is a formal post-bacc, a second bachelor's, or a do-it-yourself a la carte program.

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I have known people who have nearly failed of out UG the first time (partying or whatever reason) and repeated it with nearly a 4.0. They often produce a litany of activities to explain the earlier 4 year period and never report the lower GPA UG experience. Crazy but Ive seen it.

To the OP, I too am getting a second bachelors'. Well I wasn't actually going to but when I decided to takethe last of my pre reqs and some upper level sciences to get back into the swing of school (graduated 6 yrs ago with one of the last BS degrees in Physical Therapy before they all went MS and DPT), I soon found that I'd only need another class or two for the degree. Is it necessary? NOPE. But if i'm close enough to getting the degree, then sure, why the heck not get it. It gives some sense of completing something at least. Don't get me wrong, i'm taking the MCAT and applying before I finish, but I just see the degree as a by-product of the whole process. Kinda like those certificates people get from some of the post bac programs I guess. At any rate, do whats best for you and what you think you want to do. Whatever you choose to do, good luck. We could all use it. Peace.

braluk said:

i suppose getting another bachelors degree is nice and tenacious, but adcoms at med school will DEFINITELY raise an eyebrow at you. Theyll probably ask, why did you spend anotehr 4 more years at this school to get a second bachelors when you could have just done a postbac and gone your way, do you realize you used up this much money.

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I'm not sure I agree. If you get asked this question at an interview, you can easily counter that you wanted to gain a broad spectrum science experience instead of just a simple two-year post-bacc. You can argue the strength of this decision and say that you're really dedicated and you just wanted to develop the passion for science before going into medicine.

And I agree with a lot of people-- don't frown about your sociology degree. I graduated with a degree that kind of combined sociology with science. I really wish I had just scrapped it and been a sociology major. It's so much more practical for day to day living. And I know plenty of friends who graduated with a degree in biological sciences and can't seem to get hired in the work force because a B.S. in Biology doesn't really train you to do much unlike an engineering degree for example. Sociology is an asset that will open up many doors for you. It was my sociological background that got me hired as a research assistant at a hospital.

I was an anthro major at ucsc and did my post-bacc at sfsu. Enrolled as 2nd bachelor's to get my financial aid (otherwise never could have afforded it...) and stopped after I finished the prereq's and some additional classes...though I didn't get hte second bachelor's in bio, I was close and still feel like I learned my science really well. I just wonder if the OP and others might just get too burned out on school, with the extra classes for the bio degree, and be sick of it come med school. I'm in third year now and feel like I've beenin school FOREVER.

My schedule was this (had taken full general bio without labs a tucsc, so needed other bio classes for hte labs.)

fall:
gen chem 1 +lab
physics+lab
physiology+lab

Spring:
gen chem 2 + lab
Physics 2 + lab
precalculus

summer:
ochem 1
August MCAT

fall: (this year I worked part time at the ucsf hospital)
ochem 2 +ochem 1 lab
microbio + lab
english lit (never took before, a requirement for many schools)
italian 4 for fun

spring:
biochem
genetics
ochem2 lab
italian...again for fun

I think the biochem and genetics really helped my application (as well as my good verbal score!!! yay soc sci undergrad!) But another degree, especially if medicine is really your goal, could be overkill...maybe use the time to get involved in research and clinical volunteering -- could be much more valuable.

but hey, do what you want. I just don't want you to thik you have to do too much

I am a foreign grad from the UK, did a BSc (Hon) in Biology there thinking of doing another bachelors' degree here in the US and apply to med schools here. My decision process goes like this :
My GPA turned out to be very low 2.45. To improve this here in the US I have to do a lot of course work around 2-3 years.
Most med schools accept a foreign degree accompnied with 3 years undergrad work in the US.
AMCAS does not take into account any foreign courses when calculating a gpa so post bacc/masters will have a seperate GPA for med schools to look at.
If the foreign courses are transfered for another degree here in the US, AMCAS will take the grades listed by the US institution on the transcript for those courses. The school I am trasferring to lists them as T i.e no grade so they wont be taken into account by AMCAS.
Nevertheless, med schools will ask to send foreign transcripts at the time of the secondaries.

I think another bachelors degree is my best option here. What do you guys think?

loopy said:

I am a foreign grad from the UK, did a BSc (Hon) in Biology there thinking of doing another bachelors' degree here in the US and apply to med schools here. My decision process goes like this :
My GPA turned out to be very low 2.45. To improve this here in the US I have to do a lot of course work around 2-3 years.
Most med schools accept a foreign degree accompnied with 3 years undergrad work in the US.
AMCAS does not take into account any foreign courses when calculating a gpa so post bacc/masters will have a seperate GPA for med schools to look at.
If the foreign courses are transfered for another degree here in the US, AMCAS will take the grades listed by the US institution on the transcript for those courses. The school I am trasferring to lists them as T i.e no grade so they wont be taken into account by AMCAS.
Nevertheless, med schools will ask to send foreign transcripts at the time of the secondaries.

I think another bachelors degree is my best option here. What do you guys think?

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Yes. Anything that can raise your undergraduate GPA will be significant for medical school admissions. I can relate to your situation. I started out pre-med but abandoned it to pursue a B.S. in Computer Science for undergrad . I finished out with a low 2.7 GPA. I then went ahead to pursue multiple graduate degrees: a MBA and graduated with a 3.5 and a M.S. in Teaching Mathematics (Education Degree) with currently a 3.6 (will finish in May of 2007).

I'm currently applying as a transfer student to second bachelor's degree in English/pre-medicine. I've applied to schools like George Washington University, Wake Forest, Syracuse, Drexel etc. (Yes, I'm prepared to pay for it financially) Some people may say this is the waste of time. But, I know that I won't get pass the first round of medical school admissions with an under 3.0 GPA. I've always received A's in my English classes in undergrad, so I know I can succeed in such program. Plus during undergrad I didn't appreciate education for what it was, it was all about going to school to prepare for a lucrative job, which is why I attained my dreadful undergraduate GPA. So I'm going to sacrifice my life to pursue another bachelors degree full-time rather than be stuck at deadend jobs which don't fulfill me emotionally and professionally. I want my life to be meaningful rather than stressful by "Keeping up with the Joneses." This is a personal decision I chose to make and life gives us some freedom to control our own destiny.

i did my undergraduate work at cal, but my degree is in theater. in the 5 years since graduation, i have traveled, worked various jobs and gone back to school to become certified in massage therapy. it was then that my love for science and my desire to help people pushed my toward the realization that ... wow, i'm almost thirty and i want to go to medical school. although i studied anatomy, physiology, kinesiology in massage school, they're not exactly the right kind of science for med school. and trust me, i haven't even thought about dreaded chemistry since highschool.

i'm worried that i won't be able to keep up in a post bach program bc an earlier entry said that you're in classes with students who already have studied science or have masters in these fields. even though i thought the purpose of these programs was to give non science students a chance to catch up with everybody else.

i'm worried, excited, comfused and overwhelmed!

deez27: I've heard from someone that they were glad that they went the 2nd bachelor's in science route (after being a liberal arts major for undergrad) because it prepared them more for the MCAT. So I say go for the best educational background/setting that you think will make you more prepared for the test and future goals. (Although I did hear that medical school had little to do with the premed pre-requisites - I stand to be corrected if I'm wrong) I will be 30 at the end of this year too.

Update: I didn't go to school last fall because I needed a break from school and started a business plan. I was admitted to many schools last year. But I decided to take some time off. I definitely want to go this fall and have changed my list of schools to apply to. So will see where I'll end up for a second bachelor's degree this year.

im actuall on the same route. i gradutated a year ago with a health science major. i took all premd classed. i just applied to florida state university, hopefully i get in. i told them im getting a second bachelors by mjoring in biology. i wont finish for the degree, all i want to do is replace most of my C's and B's and apply to a DO school from there. Im guessing it should take about a year and a half to complete. this way i get financial aid also.