Applying to medical school without recommended prerequisites or science background. Only MCAT and business degrees.

[mdkitty]

Since many medical schools have gotten rid of REQUIRED prerequisites - has anyone applied to medical school without taking the “recommended” science courses?

As in, graduated with a non-science degree, did NOT take traditional pre-med courses, took the MCAT, and applied?

Curious of anyone’s experience if you have taken this route. Or if you know someone who took this route.

My background (reason for asking):

Former USAF Flight Medic (nationally certified) of almost 7 years, with 300+ flying hours, deployment to Europe and the Middle East, and 1000+ direct patient care hours in several disciplines, aircrafts, hospitals, and clinics.

Graduated in May 2022 with a BSBA in Finance, BS in Accounting, BA in German, and Certificate in German Business. Graduated Cum Laude with a 3.61 GPA. Currently have two years work experience in Finance/Accounting. Current role is with a well-known health and wellness company.

I took General Biology and General Chemistry about 7-8 years ago. Only recommended science courses I’ve taken. Everything else is self-taught or from military training.

Did 6-month self-study for the MCAT through Blueprint and scored 511 on my first try.

Planning to apply for 2025 cycle at most east coast schools that do not have REQUIRED prerequisites. I’d love to hear anyone’s story if this is the route you took or if you know of someone who did something similar.

Did you get any interviews? Any acceptances? Did your MCAT and background makeup for lack of science background?

Here is a link to some of the schools I plan to apply to this year (US - East Coast only):

Which Medical School Do Not Have Required Pre-requisite Courses

The following schools don't have specific required pre-med courses. However, it's recommended that most pre-meds take the traditional pre-med classes.

www.prospectivedoctor.com

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[type1doc]

Interesting situation! I see you were a flight medic, but how long ago? It sounds like you work in finance without direct patient care right now. I would think that your lack or recent science courses and even patient care experience would make an adcom think twice. But, since your MCAT expires in 3 years it might be worth a try if your finances are okay.

 

[mdkitty]

Interesting situation! I see you were a flight medic, but how long ago? It sounds like you work in finance without direct patient care right now. I would think that your lack or recent science courses and even patient care experience would make an adcom think twice. But, since your MCAT expires in 3 years it might be worth a try if your finances are okay.

I was a flight medic for about 7 years. Haven’t been employed in healthcare or any type of patient care for 3.5 years. My recent experience is making me think twice about applying this soon, too. I’ve been going back and forth about doing the prereqs for a while. Scored well on the MCAT without them, but I just have no idea how it’d look to admissions. It’s so hard to find ANYONE that has gone this route so I have no idea if it’s possible. Why I resorted to SDN!

 

[Just Call Me Doc]

I'm guessing it'll be tough to get much feedback regarding applying without pre-reqs as I believe it's a relatively recent change (when I was applying only a handful of schools didn't require pre-reqs). I was surprised that there are that many schools now on the list. Hopefully someone will chime in, though.

Overall, though, the decision will be a risk versus benefits analysis. The big question for admissions committees is "how likely is the applicant to successfully complete med school?". For a traditional student, the equation is based on GPA, MCAT score, letters, pre-reqs, etc... If two applicants were exactly equal in everything else, there is a chance that they would pick the one that had all the pre-reqs since they may see it as a sign that that person may more likely have the necessary knowledge and ability to get through the rigors of science courses. If it was pre-reqs and something else (e.g. experiences, etc...) then it comes down to who is looking at the app and weighs which is more important. For us non-traditionals, the equation becomes a lot more fuzzier. How does one balance 7 years as a flight medic versus a 22 y/o with similar stats but has completed his pre-reqs? From my experience, it comes down to the program and the individuals looking at your application so its a lot harder to predict. My general advice for non-trads is to apply broadly so that you can catch those programs that look fondly to non-trads and put a lot of weight on their experiences. If your GPA and MCAT is strong then may be able to snag a few interviews based on your background. But with only about a dozen schools not requiring pre-reqs that are on the east coast, there is a higher risk of not getting a seat. On my first application cycle I applied to 15 schools and only got 2 interviews and no acceptances. Second time around I applied to 35 and got 10 interviews and 9 acceptances. My GPA wasn't great so that hurt me a bit but did get into a top-20 school on reapplication as that program weighed my experiences more heavily. If you wanted to have a higher chance of getting in on the first try, then would recommend knocking out the pre-reqs to broaden your application pool. If you're willing to take a risk, though, I think it's reasonable (as long as you have the GPA/MCAT/letters to back it up) to try to apply next year and see if you get in. If you don't get in, then you can complete your pre-reqs and try again applying to more places. If you have the time and resources, though, I would consider trying to start on at least some pre-reqs in the interim so that you'd be ready to go in 2026 if needed.

On another note, make sure you look into the Pat Tillman Scholarship when you get into med school. Great program for veterans or their spouses.

Good luck!

 

[chilly_md]

Thank you for your service.

If that list is accurate, you would be limited to the below schools if you are planning on only the East Coast:

Hofstra
NYU
Stony Brook
Duke
Wake
Drexel
Temple
Penn State
Jefferson
Penn
UVA

Of these, I'd say Wake, Drexel, Temple, Penn State, and Jefferson are the only reasonable ones with your stats. Duke or UVA may value your experience as a flight medic to offset it to some degree, but I am not sure that will be enough when you don't have any other science courses on your transcript.

 

[operaman]

I did it way back in the day, similar thing with mcat self study, no science classes after high school. Similar gpa too. I started taking some pre reqs when I applied but obviously didn’t finish everything once I got accepted and started med school.

My strategy was mainly focused on my in state school. I knew they gave some additional “points” to in state reapplicants so my plan was apply, get rejected, then retake mcat and reapply the next cycle. But I got accepted the first time so never got to try out the bigger app cycle.

Definitely has risks. If I were in your shoes now I’d probably do something similar to what I did before - apply strategically, but also start taking some classes just in case the first cycle doesn’t work. Then you’d be all set for the next one.

 

[mdkitty]

I'm guessing it'll be tough to get much feedback regarding applying without pre-reqs as I believe it's a relatively recent change (when I was applying only a handful of schools didn't require pre-reqs). I was surprised that there are that many schools now on the list. Hopefully someone will chime in, though.

Overall, though, the decision will be a risk versus benefits analysis. The big question for admissions committees is "how likely is the applicant to successfully complete med school?". For a traditional student, the equation is based on GPA, MCAT score, letters, pre-reqs, etc... If two applicants were exactly equal in everything else, there is a chance that they would pick the one that had all the pre-reqs since they may see it as a sign that that person may more likely have the necessary knowledge and ability to get through the rigors of science courses. If it was pre-reqs and something else (e.g. experiences, etc...) then it comes down to who is looking at the app and weighs which is more important. For us non-traditionals, the equation becomes a lot more fuzzier. How does one balance 7 years as a flight medic versus a 22 y/o with similar stats but has completed his pre-reqs? From my experience, it comes down to the program and the individuals looking at your application so its a lot harder to predict. My general advice for non-trads is to apply broadly so that you can catch those programs that look fondly to non-trads and put a lot of weight on their experiences. If your GPA and MCAT is strong then may be able to snag a few interviews based on your background. But with only about a dozen schools not requiring pre-reqs that are on the east coast, there is a higher risk of not getting a seat. On my first application cycle I applied to 15 schools and only got 2 interviews and no acceptances. Second time around I applied to 35 and got 10 interviews and 9 acceptances. My GPA wasn't great so that hurt me a bit but did get into a top-20 school on reapplication as that program weighed my experiences more heavily. If you wanted to have a higher chance of getting in on the first try, then would recommend knocking out the pre-reqs to broaden your application pool. If you're willing to take a risk, though, I think it's reasonable (as long as you have the GPA/MCAT/letters to back it up) to try to apply next year and see if you get in. If you don't get in, then you can complete your pre-reqs and try again applying to more places. If you have the time and resources, though, I would consider trying to start on at least some pre-reqs in the interim so that you'd be ready to go in 2026 if needed.

On another note, make sure you look into the Pat Tillman Scholarship when you get into med school. Great program for veterans or their spouses.

Good luck!

Your response is very helpful in many ways. I’ve decided to focus on my pre reqs to strengthen my app and apply to 2026 cycle. Thank you so much!

 

[mdkitty]

Thank you for your service.

If that list is accurate, you would be limited to the below schools if you are planning on only the East Coast:

Hofstra
NYU
Stony Brook
Duke
Wake
Drexel
Temple
Penn State
Jefferson
Penn
UVA

Of these, I'd say Wake, Drexel, Temple, Penn State, and Jefferson are the only reasonable ones with your stats. Duke or UVA may value your experience as a flight medic to offset it to some degree, but I am not sure that will be enough when you don't have any other science courses on your transcript.

You are right. I don’t feel confident applying right now without a strong science background. Thank you for your response!

 

[mdkitty]

I did it way back in the day, similar thing with mcat self study, no science classes after high school. Similar gpa too. I started taking some pre reqs when I applied but obviously didn’t finish everything once I got accepted and started med school.

My strategy was mainly focused on my in state school. I knew they gave some additional “points” to in state reapplicants so my plan was apply, get rejected, then retake mcat and reapply the next cycle. But I got accepted the first time so never got to try out the bigger app cycle.

Definitely has risks. If I were in your shoes now I’d probably do something similar to what I did before - apply strategically, but also start taking some classes just in case the first cycle doesn’t work. Then you’d be all set for the next one.

I am going to start my pre reqs now thank you for your response!

 

[operaman]

I am going to start my pre reqs now thank you for your response!

Good luck!

Gotta say, the pre reqs are much easier if you’ve already self studied and done well on the mcat.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

If you can attain a 511 without actually taking the courses, I don't doubt you have what it takes to be a doctor, but why would you set yourself up to be rejected? At minimum, do one year of the courses and apply while finishing the second year of prerequisites. It's much more realistic and economically safe

 

[Goro]

Thank you for your service.

If that list is accurate, you would be limited to the below schools if you are planning on only the East Coast:

Hofstra
NYU
Stony Brook
Duke
Wake
Drexel
Temple
Penn State
Jefferson
Penn
UVA

Of these, I'd say Wake, Drexel, Temple, Penn State, and Jefferson are the only reasonable ones with your stats. Duke or UVA may value your experience as a flight medic to offset it to some degree, but I am not sure that will be enough when you don't have any other science courses on your transcript.

DO schools will be needed on the list as well.

PCOM
VCOM
NYITCOM
TOURO
LECOMs
CUSOM
UNECOM
VCOM