Chance of this happening?

[bgreet]

I was just wondering if anyone has any idea as to whether acceptance can be gained to a medical institution without the completion of a degree? I'm a sophmore in college right now, will have completed all my pre-medical requisites, and will be taking my mcats this upcoming summer. My wishes are to matriculate my "senior" year into medical school, making my junior year at college my last. I was wondering if my probability for admission into med school would be hampered due to not holding a degree? Thanks for any replies.

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[NontradICUdoc]

Unless your school has a BS/MD program where you start medical school classes your senior year of college, in an answer....no.

Among other requirements, Med schools ask for a degree.

 

[jlee9531]

umm i dont think that is possible because....

i think med schools require you to finish any degree you are in the middle of completing. so i would assume you have to complete your undergrad degree first.

 

[sophRI]

can you get your degree in three years instead of four? you must be close to some kind of major if you've taken all your pre-reqs...

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Some schools do. From UCSF:

Entry after Three Years
The School of Medicine strongly recommends but does not require premedical students to pursue a four-year undergraduate curriculum and to obtain the baccalaureate degree before entering medical school. Such a curriculum provides the advantages of an integrated program culminating in a wider choice of electives. The School of Medicine encourages students who enter after three years of study to complete the requirements for the B.S. degree in Medical Sciences during their preprofessional years (see below).

They would probably prefer people with completed degrees though.

 

[AlternateSome1]

Well it must be possible. Look at the MSAR. Most schools report that like 99% or 97% of students have a BA or BS. To me that implies that the others don't.

~AS1~

 

[thedevirginator]

it's possible but you better have the grade!!! If you are thinking of applying early don't apply to Ohio State since they require that you get a bs degree.

 

[Jonkst]

Yeah, but don't most undergrad institutions not require a high school degree either? and I don't know a single person at my school who's from the US without one.

 

[thedevirginator]

No, most undergrad SCHOOL DOES require a high school degree!!!

 

[Mrs.S]

I know of a few people who have matriculated after 3 years. I was going to, but decided that I wanted my degree. However, one of my friends who did this did not get into as good of a school as he would have if he would have finished his degree. He had a 37 MCAT and now is a first year at UT-Southwestern. Had he have gotten his degree, he'd probably be going to Baylor with me this coming fall. I hope this helps!

 

[Md 2b In TN]

Originally posted by bgreet
I was just wondering if anyone has any idea as to whether acceptance can be gained to a medical institution without the completion of a degree? I'm a sophmore in college right now, will have completed all my pre-medical requisites, and will be taking my mcats this upcoming summer. My wishes are to matriculate my "senior" year into medical school, making my junior year at college my last. I was wondering if my probability for admission into med school would be hampered due to not holding a degree? Thanks for any replies.

Regardless of what you read on here it is possible. I know three people that have done it. Your best bet is look at the admission requirements for the schools that you are wishing to apply. Most schools that allow this require 90 semester hours towards a biology degree, with the minimum premed requirements completed. Beware however, unless you have stellar grades and mcat scores you have one strike against you. Also of the few I have known to do this, they have had a rough time starting off. i think med school demands a certain level of maturity to deal with the pressure. Having a couple of upper level classes and a few wrinkles will no doubt play in your favor when you start. Good luck........

 

[Bones2008]

Ok, let's bring it back. If you actually look closely at many med schools' requirements, a bachelor's degree is not usually <i>required</i>. What they do usually say is 90 semester hours of coursework at an accredited U.S. or Canadian college/university. Look it up. So, most people that go to med school have a degree, this is true. I agree it'll be damn hard to pull it off without a degree, but it could happen in theory. To address a couple of above posts, I know a current junior at Duke who never graduated high school. He left after three years because he'd exhausted the curriculum there. Anything is possible.

 

[bella_dottoressa]

I'm a sophomore too taking the August mcat before my junior year. What's your hurry? If you wanted to matriculate your "senior year", you'd have to apply this coming summer with an August mcat. So right there you have a) i don't have a degree and b) i'm a little late in the game anyway because I'm going in there with an august mcat. For the extra year you'd save, is it really worth it? I mean, it could be....Another reason I personally wouldn't do this is because I really need that junior year of upper div science classes to help out my transcript before I apply...but maybe you don't have this problem

 

[bgreet]

Thanks for everyone's replies. I am very close to completing a degree, and I could complete it in three years if I felt compelled, but as some have pointed out I guess I would be a little late in the game. I just thought perhaps I could take it a little easier next year, not complete everything I needed for a degree then just continue with my application process. I'm still a little confused about the timing of everything, and I guess the best advice currently would be to just plan so that everything falls into place correctly regardless of whether I would require an extra year or not.