From BS in psychology to med school?

[Tropical24]

I'm currently in undergrad. I will graduate in May with a BS in psychology. I initially thought I wanted to go into clinical psychology because I absolutely love studying mental illness and want to help people who suffer from these illnesses. However, I've recently begun to notice that psychiatry may be a better match for me. I'm very interested in the biological aspect of mental illness, and how medication can help. I look at studies on these topics for fun. I feel like I would be missing something if I were to be a clinical psychologist. It just doesn't feel all encompassing to me.

Applying to medical school would very much be a game changer though. I'm a pretty good student, as I have a 3.8 GPA. I have a lot of experience in psychology research. The most recent is a thesis on separation anxiety in college freshman and a research chair position for a committee. I also have experience working with at risk children. This is all good experience for clinical psychology, but medical school is different. Also, I have basically none of the pre-reqs. I only took an environmental science class, a bio class with a lab, and a quantitative analysis math class in undergrad. I did get A's in them though. So I have some questions:

1. Will any of my experience be a plus for med school apps? Also, what can I do now to get medical experience?

2. Would it be feasible to take the pre-reqs at a community college, starting this summer, and be done in a year? Then of course I would need time to study for the MCAT.

3. I am not strong in math. I'm good at writing, reading, and memorization. Do I still stand a chance? I was too afraid to pursue medicine because of the math and science courses, yet I've wanted to be in the medical field since I was a child. Now I feel ready to push myself. I'm willing to work for it. But I'm unsure if that will be enough.

4. Is the debt worth it? I already have debt from undergrad. I liked the idea of a psychology PhD program offering a tuition waiver and stipend. But if it's not the career I really want, then maybe the debt from med school is worth it.

Any insight at all is much appreciated! Thank you.

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[deleted452516]

Congrats on almost being done with your undergrad degree.

Here on the psychiatry forum you can expect to get the response "are you really sure you want to go to medical school" and many variations on that theme.

But in the end you will figure out wether you are willing to make the investment of time, money, suffering, etc to become a physician, and I don't think we are going to be able to contribute much to that conversation except to emphasize how much time, money, and suffering there is.

However, if you want more specifics about applying to medical school, the MCAT, and taking prerequisite courses I would encourage you to check out the pre-med forums. Most people here are at least 4 years out from that process, if not much longer, and really the scene has changed in some ways.

 

[shan564]

I'll echo the comments that this is not the best place to get med school admissions advice. We can tell you all about med school and psychiatry residency, but the pre-med forums will be able to give you much more accurate advice about admissions.

That said, the pre-med forums do also have a lot of silly rumors and BS floating around. So I'll do my best to help:

1. Will any of my experience be a plus for med school apps? Also, what can I do now to get medical experience?

Yes, your experience will certainly be a plus.
People do different things to get medical experience. Some people volunteer at a hospital, some people shadow a doctor, some people do clinical research... those are all valid options, depending on what resources are available to you. Personally, I did a lot of random things - I worked as an assistant at a doctor's office for a summer, I worked as a recovery tech at an eye bank (i.e. I removed corneas and other eye tissue from recently-deceased organ donors), and most importantly, I spent a lot of time doing research in a basic science lab and a clinical lab.

2. Would it be feasible to take the pre-reqs at a community college, starting this summer, and be done in a year? Then of course I would need time to study for the MCAT.

Yes, it would be feasible to do it in a year. As far as the community college - I've heard that admissions people prefer if your pre-reqs are done at a university, but that probably varies from school to school. Also, it depends on the level of competitiveness of your local state school - what state are you in?
Considering that you have a 3.8 GPA, it would probably be alright to do the pre-reqs at a community college, but if going to a university is an option, I'd do that.

3. I am not strong in math. I'm good at writing, reading, and memorization. Do I still stand a chance? I was too afraid to pursue medicine because of the math and science courses, yet I've wanted to be in the medical field since I was a child. Now I feel ready to push myself. I'm willing to work for it. But I'm unsure if that will be enough.

You can get by pre-med and med school with minimal math. You'll need it for undergrad physics and chemistry, but that's about it. Med schools don't require calculus, right?

4. Is the debt worth it? I already have debt from undergrad. I liked the idea of a psychology PhD program offering a tuition waiver and stipend. But if it's not the career I really want, then maybe the debt from med school is worth it.

Med school will put you in debt, but you'll get enough of an earnings boost to compensate for the difference. Most people find the debt to be an annoyance, but it's rare that somebody actually feels like they made the wrong financial decision by going to med school.
There are some people who get through 2.5 years of med school and decide that they want to quit, but they can't do it because of the debt. I had that feeling for a while, but for me, the debt was a motivating factor... I'm glad that I pushed through, and if it weren't for the debt, I might have quit. Some people may feel differently, but I've never met anybody for whom that feeling persisted until the end.

 

[tobi44]

1. Will any of my experience be a plus for med school apps? Also, what can I do now to get medical experience?

Psych research is great for med school apps. So is any community service with underserved/at risk. If you want to beef up your clinical exposure then shadow a doctor or volunteer at a free clinic, ect.

2. Would it be feasible to take the pre-reqs at a community college, starting this summer, and be done in a year? Then of course I would need time to study for the MCAT.

Community college pre-reqs are ok but university it better. Always protect your GPA though, make sure that wherever you take them you are getting As and Bs. Finishing them all in a year may be possible but not probable. I would allocate two years for this feat. But you know your limits better then me.

3. I am not strong in math. I'm good at writing, reading, and memorization. Do I still stand a chance? I was too afraid to pursue medicine because of the math and science courses, yet I've wanted to be in the medical field since I was a child. Now I feel ready to push myself. I'm willing to work for it. But I'm unsure if that will be enough.

Math only matters for physics, chem and calc pre-reqs. Any math in med school has been arithmetic.

4. Is the debt worth it? I already have debt from undergrad. I liked the idea of a psychology PhD program offering a tuition waiver and stipend. But if it's not the career I really want, then maybe the debt from med school is worth it.

Comparing psych Ph.D to psychiatrist there is way way more earning potential in psychiatry as well as more job security. But there is going to be more debt to get you there. Since psychiatrists on average make 200k coming out of residency you will be able to repay the 6 figure debt eventually. The average psych Ph.D can't say that. I think you have to be the person to answer this question for yourself.

 

[Tropical24]

Yes, it would be feasible to do it in a year. As far as the community college - I've heard that admissions people prefer if your pre-reqs are done at a university, but that probably varies from school to school. Also, it depends on the level of competitiveness of your local state school - what state are you in?
Considering that you have a 3.8 GPA, it would probably be alright to do the pre-reqs at a community college, but if going to a university is an option, I'd do that.

I go to a private liberal arts college in Ohio, and it's pretty expensive. So I considered community college because it would be a lot cheaper. But I don't want to take classes at a community college just to find out later that it will hurt my application. I'll have to look into this more.

Thanks for all your responses. The information has been helpful.

 

[st2205]

I go to a private liberal arts college in Ohio, and it's pretty expensive. So I considered community college because it would be a lot cheaper. But I don't want to take classes at a community college just to find out later that it will hurt my application. I'll have to look into this more.

Thanks for all your responses. The information has been helpful.

What's your goal (I mean in terms of what kind of medical school you're aiming for)? We discussed CCs a month or so ago. They're not a deal breaker. Personally, with your GPA as is you've already proved yourself at that level. If you took CC classes and did equally well, nobody will think anything about it. Do good on the MCAT and you should be golden.

 

[shan564]

I go to a private liberal arts college in Ohio, and it's pretty expensive. So I considered community college because it would be a lot cheaper. But I don't want to take classes at a community college just to find out later that it will hurt my application. I'll have to look into this more.

Thanks for all your responses. The information has been helpful.

Isn't there a public university in your area?

Again, I don't know about whether community college would be an issue. It's just something that somebody said once, so I thought I'd make you aware that it might be a theoretical concern. You should ask somebody who actually knows what they're talking about.

 

[kealaq]

Tropical24, private message me if you need some advice:

My college background is BA psychology, communications in Ohio.
My pre-med (after college) is at a state school in Ohio.
My med school is osteopathic in California.
My adult pyschiatry resideny is in the southwest.

Many people who make the switch from non-medical (e.g., psychology) to medical (e.g., psychiatry) can be very successful. It just takes a lot of time and hard work, and diligent monitoring of pre-med grades (A's and B's) and MCAT scores, but I don't regret that I made the switch. good luck.

 

[member2721]

I feel like I would be missing something if I were to be a clinical psychologist. It just doesn't feel all encompassing to me.

1. Will any of my experience be a plus for med school apps? Also, what can I do now to get medical experience?

2. Would it be feasible to take the pre-reqs at a community college, starting this summer, and be done in a year? Then of course I would need time to study for the MCAT.

3. I am not strong in math. I'm good at writing, reading, and memorization. Do I still stand a chance? I was too afraid to pursue medicine because of the math and science courses, yet I've wanted to be in the medical field since I was a child. Now I feel ready to push myself. I'm willing to work for it. But I'm unsure if that will be enough.

4. Is the debt worth it? I already have debt from undergrad. I liked the idea of a psychology PhD program offering a tuition waiver and stipend. But if it's not the career I really want, then maybe the debt from med school is worth it.

Any insight at all is much appreciated! Thank you.

Some valid reasons for switching from psychology PhD track to psychiatry track:
a. You are interested in the biological side of mental illness, including treatments such as meds and ECT/rTMS.
b. You are interested in working with the sickest patients, such as psychotic patients.
c. You are interested in pursuing a research career studying clinical populations.
d. You are interested in really advancing the care of mental illness.
e. You like being busy by wearing different hats, including being simultaneously a clinician, a research and a teacher.
f. Job stability and mobility. Psychiatrists are better paid overall and in shortage, with a continuing increase in demand in the foreseeable future nationwide.

Answering your questions:
1. Your experiences are very unique and will be highly sought after by medical schools. With strong letters, you should be able to get into a top 20 med school. Perhaps you can volunteer in a hospital, but it would be more for yourself to see whether you want to work in a medical setting. As long as you have experiences working with people in need (children, disabled, students), I think that will fulfill the unspoken prerequisite for service.

2. Community college is fine. MCATs are important though (50% GPA vs 50% MCAT is the weighting I give to academics), so study long and hard for them.

3. In the new age of medical admissions,, having an alternative education background is actually a plus if put side-by-side with similar numbers to a biology major. A strong background in humanitiies is a plus as long as your science/math prereqs are comparable.

4. PhD will be financially sensible in the near future (10-20 years), but in the long-run getting an MD is definitely worth it financially.

 

[cara susanna]

Er... points c through e apply to clinical psych PhDs as well. Although the points about career stability/opportunities and interest in the biological model are well made.

 

[member2721]

Er... points c through e apply to clinical psych PhDs as well. Although the points about career stability/opportunities and interest in the biological model are well made.

You are right. Thanks for bursting my MD centric bubble.

PhDs do great clinical research, and do in general have more rigorous research training if they are research track. They also do advance psych, and wear different hats. I am mixing them up with PsyDs, who do less research, but I will defer.

 

[SuperSoccer19]

I recently emailed my former medical school's admission's office as to whether community college and/or online classes would be accepted and they said no. I do not believe this is universal, but some schools do not like this as much.

It also depends upon the med school what math you have to take as a pre-req. Some require 3 semesters of calc, others one semester of college math.

Sorry, but that's all I could help you with. It might have just been my medical school class, but I remember a lot of students entered knowing that they wanted to be psychiatrists and stuck with this plan. Seemed like more so then other specialties.

 

[Superpsych]

Tropical24, private message me if you need some advice:

My college background is BA psychology, communications in Ohio.
My pre-med (after college) is at a state school in Ohio.
My med school is osteopathic in California.
My adult pyschiatry resideny is in the southwest.

Many people who make the switch from non-medical (e.g., psychology) to medical (e.g., psychiatry) can be very successful. It just takes a lot of time and hard work, and diligent monitoring of pre-med grades (A's and B's) and MCAT scores, but I don't regret that I made the switch. good luck.

I also have these same creds Tropical24 but in another state. I was unsure of the MD vs PhD route but I enjoy medicine and love the challenges. I always felt phychology in general for me personally was not chalanging enough to keep my interest.

As others have said bust your hump in your premed and MCAT. Then imagine your most difficult course in college (that one that took study time away from all others) and multiply that by at least 10 and that will be med school for 4 years with obvious variations. If that still seems like something you want then go for it. If you enjoy research you could do both but you may just want to stick to the PhD.

Other points for when you are at that level:
TAKE A REVIEW COURSE FOR THE MCAT
APPLY TO THESE IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE: US MD SCHOOLS, US DO SCHOOLS
THEN IF NOT THOSE: ROSS, ST. GEORGE

OTHER SCHOOLS OUTSIDE THE US MAY NOT HAVE FULL 50 STATE APPROVIAL NOR WILL THEY HAVE GOVENMENT BASED LOANS

I hope you figure it out and I wish you the best