Applying to Med School Before Finishing Undergrad

[jcho91]

So I've been thinking. I'm finishing up my sophomore year and have finished up almost all of the prerecs. I have a 4.0 gpa (which will go down soon in upperdivs) and have some research, volunteer, etc. (nothing outstanding). But I was wondering, can you apply to med school before getting your undergrad degree? I was thinking maybe I could just apply to a couple schools for the hell of it, just to see what happens? Thoughts on this

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[Drrrrrr. Celty]

No

 

[Caffeine Junkie]

So I've been thinking. I'm finishing up my sophomore year and have finished up almost all of the prerecs. I have a 4.0 gpa (which will go down soon in upperdivs) and have some research, volunteer, etc. (nothing outstanding). But I was wondering, can you apply to med school before getting your undergrad degree? I was thinking maybe I could just apply to a couple schools for the hell of it, just to see what happens? Thoughts on this

Nope, you have to be have a bachelor degree for at least a year before they allow you to apply....sorry bro

 

[rubinov3]

Lmao..

 

[ucbsmd]

While there is at least 1 US school that I know that doesn't have any formal pre-reqs for enrollment, I know they would question why you don't have the standard bachelor's with pre-med requirements.

So the answer is yes you can, no you shouldn't.

 

[Barcu]

Actually, some schools don't require a degree and require a certain credit amount (like 90).

But good luck getting into those schools without a degree.

Finish that degree up. There's no rush to get to med school.

 

[donttazemebro]

i'm planning on trying the same thing, but the odds of it working are super low. older candidates are a safer bet to the adcoms, so we have to be exceptional to edge them out.

 

[Caffeine Junkie]

Guys, aren't we supposed to take what he said out of context and pick on him for asking silly questions?

 

[blehm98]

Actually, some schools don't require a degree and require a certain credit amount (like 90).

But good luck getting into those schools without a degree.

Finish that degree up. There's no rush to get to med school.

as i stated in a similar thread last week, ucsf is among those. But unless you have something incredible to present you're not making it in without a bachelor's

 

[BK611]

So I've been thinking. I'm finishing up my sophomore year and have finished up almost all of the prerecs. I have a 4.0 gpa (which will go down soon in upperdivs) and have some research, volunteer, etc. (nothing outstanding). But I was wondering, can you apply to med school before getting your undergrad degree? I was thinking maybe I could just apply to a couple schools for the hell of it, just to see what happens? Thoughts on this

You can apply the Fall of your senior year of undergrad i.e. two semesters before you are planning on graduating. Keep that GPA high and shadow and volunteer more. Hospital volunteering! Oh, don't forget about the MCAT. Don't rush taking that either. Prepare, prepare, prepare!
Good luck to you and enjoy undergrad while you are there!

 

[ozzi22]

So I've been thinking. I'm finishing up my sophomore year and have finished up almost all of the prerecs. I have a 4.0 gpa (which will go down soon in upperdivs) and have some research, volunteer, etc. (nothing outstanding). But I was wondering, can you apply to med school before getting your undergrad degree? I was thinking maybe I could just apply to a couple schools for the hell of it, just to see what happens? Thoughts on this

if you have about 70 credits hour, you can apply provided that you would have at least 90 credits or a bachelors prior to matriculation. bachelor's is more preferable.

 

[Astarael]

Just to make sure you get really clear information out of this thread, I'm going to chime in. Everyone that said you have next to no chance of gaining an acceptance without a bachelor's degree is correct. Maybe 1% of all of the matriculants in the country each year have no degree (this data for the entire country is not published to my knowledge and thus is based on the MSAR's data for each individual school). My impression is that most of those students have some sort of outstanding scholarship or other extenuating circumstances that makes them as competitive as a student with a degree. Unless you have something similar, your chances are not good.

That being said, as BK611 pointed out, most students will apply to medical school the summer between their junior and senior years of college. Interviews typically happen during fall/winter and into early spring of senior year, and those students who get accepted will matriculate during the fall after they graduate. These students have applied without a degree, but gained their degree during the application process. This is entirely acceptable and won't put you at a disadvantage compared to other students.

 

[donttazemebro]

Just to make sure you get really clear information out of this thread, I'm going to chime in. Everyone that said you have next to no chance of gaining an acceptance without a bachelor's degree is correct. Maybe 1% of all of the matriculants in the country each year have no degree (this data for the entire country is not published to my knowledge and thus is based on the MSAR's data for each individual school). My impression is that most of those students have some sort of outstanding scholarship or other extenuating circumstances that makes them as competitive as a student with a degree. Unless you have something similar, your chances are not good.

That being said, as BK611 pointed out, most students will apply to medical school the summer between their junior and senior years of college. Interviews typically happen during fall/winter and into early spring of senior year, and those students who get accepted will matriculate during the fall after they graduate. These students have applied without a degree, but gained their degree during the application process. This is entirely acceptable and won't put you at a disadvantage compared to other students.

the msar data that i saw was very general and tricky. they didnt distinguish between no degree like short of 120 credit or no degree because of doing something like 2 yrs undergrad and 2 yrs of dentistry prior to med school.

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

There are quite a few schools that list 90 credits as minimum (UCSF and Pritzker are among them I believe), but no you should not waste your time.

 

[Astarael]

the msar data that i saw was very general and tricky. they didnt distinguish between no degree like short of 120 credit or no degree because of doing something like 2 yrs undergrad and 2 yrs of dentistry prior to med school.

That's exactly correct. To everybody else who doesn't have the MSAR in front of them, there is a section that says "Matriculants with a baccalaureate degree." Most schools have >97% matriculants with a degree, from which you can infer that maybe 1%-3% of the entire matriculant pool does not have a degree. Donttazemebro correctly pointed out that there is basically no data on those people who are admitted without a degree-which means that banking on getting yourself in without a BA/BS is kind of silly without having some other (equivalent) scholastic achievement.

 

[Geneticist]

Apply after you get your Ph.D. It'll be easier that way.