Doing the right thing??

[nurse2md]

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Want to make sure I am on correct path...I have a masters in nursing with 3.85 GPA and the only prereq completed is biology (4.0 GPA). I have taken A&P along with microbiology...
I have registered for:
*physics 1 @ local college and online general chem class (prereq for organic chem) for fall semester '07...Can do online
*organic chem 1 & physics 2 (if needed, some require 1 semester/some require 2 semesters) online spring '08 &
*organic chem 2 online summer '08...
*want to start med school fall '08...dooooable???
If soooo do I take MCAT aroung July '08?
What is the earliest I can start applying to schools?

 

[Foghorn]

In addition to the Biology coursework you've complete you'll also need:
2 semesters Physics; 2 semesters General Chemistry with lab; 2 semesters Organic Chemsitry with lab. Don't short-change yourself with the classes and think "oh this med-school only requires one semester of x class". I can guarantee that you won't have a solid science foundation when it's time for you to prepare for the MCAT. You can definitely still do well studying on your own but it's much more difficult to be self-taught on particular MCAT topics. Don't make the situation unnecessarily harder on yourself. Besides, the majority of med-schools want those requirements anyway.

Read this thread http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=420191 on why it's recommended one shouldn't take the MCAT without first completing the requisite coursework.

With the class schedule you've planned out, the earliest you can apply is June 2008 for Fall 2009 matriculation.

Definitely talk to a pre-med counselor, heck talk to your M.D. colleagues so they can give you the lowdown in the med-school application process and give you pointers on how to become a more desirable applicant for x med-school.

Good luck in your career transition 🙂

 

[Law2Doc]

With the class schedule you've planned out, the earliest you can apply is June 2008 for Fall 2009 matriculation.

Agreed. Assuming we are talking US schools, If you are finishing up prereqs in summer of 2008 and taking the MCAT then, you aren't going to be in a position to start med school in fall of 2008 -- it doesn't really work that way. Based on your schedule, you will have to have what they call a "lag year" between when you finish up and when you can start -- during which you will go on interviews etc. Most people have substantially finished up the prereqs and MCAT, then apply the following June, then interview during the fall through winter, perhaps languish on waitlists until the spring, have to pick a single school by May, and then ultimately start in August. Applying is thus a yearlong ordeal starting once you have your prereqs and score in the books.
Also agree with the prior poster that online classes might not work because you need to have a lab component for most of those classes.
Definitely talk to the premed advisor at that local college, if there is one.

 

[DrMidlife]

Good for you for getting organized and verifying your plans.

I want to reiterate what others are saying about verifying your coursework. Online classes won't have a lab section, and you have to have labs. Some versions of chem/bio/physics are premed-appropriate, and some are not.

Also, your grad school GPA is considered completely separate from your undergrad GPA (including undergrad courses taken as part of a grad program, in some cases). Undergrad matters much more, for med school admissions.

Sciences taken as part of a nursing program many not be appropriate for premed. At my school, there are entirely separate tracks. "Appropriate for premed" means that the course prepares you for the MCAT and for the coursework in med school. Most schools publish a list of which courses qualify as premed prereqs.

Lastly, no matter what, you gotta keep your GPA up, way up. It's more permanent than a tattoo.

Best of luck to you, and please keep us posted.