Graduated from College with Business Degree...Is it Too Late to Be a Doctor?

[sanddunes]

Hey everybody, so I graduated with a finance degree this year but now I really think that I want to go to med school.

If I complete all of the minimum requirements (I think it's like 12 classes?) for entrance to med school will I even have a chance of getting in anywhere? Would I have to have a higher MCAT to compensate for not having a science major? I would not be aiming to get into the best med school...I am from Florida so a school like the University of South Florida or Nova would be my goal. I would even be willing to go the DO route.

I'm just trying to figure out what my chances are with just the minimum prerequisites to get accepted anywhere...

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[154465]

A science degree is not a requirement for med school, by any means. Take the pre reqs and then the mcat, have some strong clinical exposure and research if possible, and you are just as competitive as anyone else.

 

[scattun]

Major, honestly doesn't matter. Just do well in two semester's wort hof each Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics.

 

[mdgator]

Hey everybody, so I graduated with a finance degree this year but now I really think that I want to go to med school.

If I complete all of the minimum requirements (I think it's like 12 classes?) for entrance to med school will I even have a chance of getting in anywhere? Would I have to have a higher MCAT to compensate for not having a science major? I would not be aiming to get into the best med school...I am from Florida so a school like the University of South Florida or Nova would be my goal. I would even be willing to go the DO route.

I'm just trying to figure out what my chances are with just the minimum prerequisites to get accepted anywhere...

No it's definitely not too late, and you don't need a higher MCAT to compensate for your lack of science classes. You just need a high one, period, like everyone else. The fact is, adcoms love non-traditional applicants who have knowledge of other fields.

Up to this point, only one thing could keep you out of med school: What is your GPA? If it's greater than 3.7, you're sitting pretty. If it's between 3.5 and 3.7, you're still fine. If it's 3.3 to 3.5, you may have a hard, uphill battle, but it's still do-able. If it's lower than 3.3, then you may be in trouble.

For now I'm going to sleep...work tomorrow. I'm sure others will chime in with good advice. But the bottom line is, many people decide to go into medicine even after they've been out of school for many years and in the job market. If your college grades were good enough and you're willing to do some hard work for a year or two, then you can still get into med school.

 

[Wylde]

Hey everybody, so I graduated with a finance degree this year but now I really think that I want to go to med school.

If I complete all of the minimum requirements (I think it's like 12 classes?) for entrance to med school will I even have a chance of getting in anywhere? Would I have to have a higher MCAT to compensate for not having a science major? I would not be aiming to get into the best med school...I am from Florida so a school like the University of South Florida or Nova would be my goal. I would even be willing to go the DO route.

I'm just trying to figure out what my chances are with just the minimum prerequisites to get accepted anywhere...

Your major is near 100% irrelevant (ie engineer majors might get a GPA buffer compared with psych majors).

That being said, what is your GPA? Medical school admisions are highly competitive:

-at least a 3.6+ GPA (preferably above 3.75, but youll get in eventually with a 3.6)
-a fair amount of extracurricular volunteer work (big brothers, habitat for humanity, organizing a club, student government, etc.)
-probably about a year of volunteering in a hospital (4-8 hrs/week)
-shadowing a physician

You'll also need to score well on the MCAT, write a good PS, and get some good LORs.

Search around SDN and other medical school websites and talk to your university's pre-med advisor so you can become a lot more informed about the whole process and what a doctor's life is really about.

 

[sanddunes]

I graduated from U Miami with a 3.8 GPA...already took Calculus for my Finance major and also have AP Bio credit from high school.

After I interned at Morgan Stanley in NYC last summer I realized Finance really wasn't what I wanted to do the rest of my life...I decided to finish my degree up anyway though since I only had one more year left.

I was on scholarship at UM so it wasn't possible for me to go another year or two to get my science pre-reqs...do you think it would look really bad if I take them at a place like FIU or FAU?

 

[scattun]

I graduated from U Miami with a 3.8 GPA...already took Calculus for my Finance major and also have AP Bio credit from high school.

After I interned at Morgan Stanley in NYC last summer I realized Finance really wasn't what I wanted to do the rest of my life...I decided to finish my degree up anyway though since I only had one more year left.

I was on scholarship at UM so it wasn't possible for me to go another year or two to get my science pre-reqs...do you think it would look really bad if I take them at a place like FIU or FAU?

As long as they are 4 year universities you are fine.

 

[Wylde]

I graduated from U Miami with a 3.8 GPA...already took Calculus for my Finance major and also have AP Bio credit from high school.

After I interned at Morgan Stanley in NYC last summer I realized Finance really wasn't what I wanted to do the rest of my life...I decided to finish my degree up anyway though since I only had one more year left.

I was on scholarship at UM so it wasn't possible for me to go another year or two to get my science pre-reqs...do you think it would look really bad if I take them at a place like FIU or FAU?

Your gpa is excellent so it doesn't matter if you take your pre-reqs at another university, as long as you get mostly As.

You seem really competitive, my advice would be to volunteer on the weekends while you are doing your pre-reqs, also try and shadow at least once or twice. Try and get involved in another non-profit organization as well.

You should be do fine on the application process as long as you get some ECs and a good MCAT

 

[dArroway]

I graduated from U Miami with a 3.8 GPA...already took Calculus for my Finance major and also have AP Bio credit from high school.

After I interned at Morgan Stanley in NYC last summer I realized Finance really wasn't what I wanted to do the rest of my life...I decided to finish my degree up anyway though since I only had one more year left.

I was on scholarship at UM so it wasn't possible for me to go another year or two to get my science pre-reqs...do you think it would look really bad if I take them at a place like FIU or FAU?

you'll be great. it is definitely not too late lolz. just take some sciencez and do wellz lolz....

 

[TheRealMD]

I graduated from U Miami with a 3.8 GPA...already took Calculus for my Finance major and also have AP Bio credit from high school.

After I interned at Morgan Stanley in NYC last summer I realized Finance really wasn't what I wanted to do the rest of my life...I decided to finish my degree up anyway though since I only had one more year left.

I was on scholarship at UM so it wasn't possible for me to go another year or two to get my science pre-reqs...do you think it would look really bad if I take them at a place like FIU or FAU?

Since it will realistically take you 2+ years to finish your pre-reqs, I'd go ahead and take intro bio (assuming you never took it) since it's probably been a while since you took any biology course.

 

[Wylde]

Since it will realistically take you 2+ years to finish your pre-reqs, I'd go ahead and take intro bio (assuming you never took it) since it's probably been a while since you took any biology course.

Agreed, an intro chem course (pre-gen chem) would be highly beneficial as well.

 

[Ginzo]

I was on scholarship at UM so it wasn't possible for me to go another year or two to get my science pre-reqs...do you think it would look really bad if I take them at a place like FIU or FAU?

Although many people on here would probably deny this, many medical schools do factor in what school you went to as part of how they evaluate you. You could try calling the Florida schools and asking them about this, but they probably won't tell you anything useful. However, this is probably not such a big deal as long as you take your science classes at a fairly big state university. Do not take your science classes at a community college!

As for your original question, your background in business could actually be seen in a very positive light by some schools. Doctors are notoriously bad businessmen. A former faculty chair of a medical school told me recently that he was very encouraged whenever he interviewed med school applicants that were business majors. So yeah, be sure to play that up in your application, while not neglecting the mandatory altruistic stuff.

 

[braintrust]

I did the same thing, business degree to med school. I did have a lower GPA to start off with but also had a psych degree. Any who. It can be done and I will be enrolling this fall as an M1.

If there has been one thing that I have heard from Drs it is that they had no Idea about the business of medicine when the had to start up a private practice. You'll have a head start on that as well as figuring out how you'll pay for med school via loans etc.

Adcoms love the well rounded person who excells at whatever they do (that would be you if you continue to do well into your sciences). It shows that you are generally intelligent and can pick things up quickly.

Depending on what kind of stuff you have on your resume already you'll need to start beefing it up with the incidentals (research, volunteering, clinical experience) you know stuff that shows you know what you are getting into. This is in addition to getting stellar grades and MCAT but remember they can tell substance from Resume padding so get in more than just 6mo at any one place.

you should be collecting Letters of Rec know and along your path.

If you've got questions please PM me I'd be glad to help

 

[fireflygirl]

I did the same thing. Was an I-Banker for nearly two years before I decided to get out before I burned out and became a jaded banker. I would be happy to help out with any information you need though it seems like you've already gotten some great advice in this thread. Just work hard, don't mind spending an extra year or two getting your pre-reqs done and nailing the MCAT. In the meantime, do some volunteer work and/or clinical/bench research to get your hands dirty in the medical field.

PM me if you have any questions. Good luck!

 

[DocSoMa]

It's never "too late" to do anything. Ever.

 

[indo]

Hey everybody, so I graduated with a finance degree this year but now I really think that I want to go to med school.

If I complete all of the minimum requirements (I think it's like 12 classes?) for entrance to med school will I even have a chance of getting in anywhere? Would I have to have a higher MCAT to compensate for not having a science major? I would not be aiming to get into the best med school...I am from Florida so a school like the University of South Florida or Nova would be my goal. I would even be willing to go the DO route.

I'm just trying to figure out what my chances are with just the minimum prerequisites to get accepted anywhere...

Your major doesn't matter. I majored in general science and I have friends in school here with anthropology, nutrition, and language degrees and about just about everyone has some kind of biology degree.

How many applications with "BS Biology, GPA 3.blahblahblah" can you go through before your eyes glaze over? Gimme someone who majored in History of Foreign Porn or something like that.

 

[braintrust]

i wish i had majored in foreign porn. The kurds of eastern turkey have been putting out some really avante gaurde stuff in the past few years.

 

[muscles]

Getting ready to graduate from med school, I now realize how important an understanding of business is in the medical field. I wish I had taken more business classes (ie, at least one business class) before starting med school. I guess that in my naivete, prior to med school, I thought that medicine was as simple as prescribing medication or simply performing a procedure on a sick pt.

It is not so...

 

[In Vino Veritas]

I graduated from U Miami with a 3.8 GPA...already took Calculus for my Finance major and also have AP Bio credit from high school.

After I interned at Morgan Stanley in NYC last summer I realized Finance really wasn't what I wanted to do the rest of my life...I decided to finish my degree up anyway though since I only had one more year left.

I was on scholarship at UM so it wasn't possible for me to go another year or two to get my science pre-reqs...do you think it would look really bad if I take them at a place like FIU or FAU?

Oh man, you'll be totally fine!! I didn't decide I wanted to go into medicine until 2 years out of college, and even though it took a lot of work to switch fields, I could not possibly be happier that I did. Feel free to PM me if you want more advice on post-bacc programs, applying as a non-trad, etc.

 

[Bowtie]

I was an Art Major myself. It sounds like your in good shape. You will need 2 years to take your pre reqs. Although it can be done in one if your aggressive with your chemistry (talk your way into organic while your taking gen chem at the same time). You would have two 16 hour semesters which is feasible, and organic and gen chem are surprisingly unrelated. Take the MCAT in april and you will be able to apply next may.

good luck