Help!

[happy20003]

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[dr.z]

hi there, i live here in phoenix, arizona. i am finishing my BA(from a private school and not at a arizona state university, and this is causing me a lot of trouble) and will start to do the post bac(which will take me 1-2yrs). here is 2 problems:

1) midwestern univeristy is a private univeristy and so they accept my BA from a private university. i will be retaking some general education classes(eng, again!) at ASU because they don't accept my BA from a private school(took some general education classes there). 😱

i can only do my post bac at ASU or community college. i wanted to get the MD degree but worry that UofA(university of Arizona) a public univeristy won't accept my BA(just like ASU) and will only look like i have only done a post bac(ASU and UofA are both public schools and won't accept my BA from a private univeristy). my pre-med advisor said that at asu looks at me like a freshmen since they don't accept my BA, so i appear like i never did anything. she thinks that i will had a hard time getting into UofA. 😕

so i guess i am better of appling to midwestern to get the DO. i don't think i will have any chances of getting a MD at UofA. i should had taught of this problem, but i wanted to finish my BA(graphic/web designer) in 3yrs instead of 4 and so i chose a private university that had this faster option. oh well...

2) i was plainning on working as a (spanish)medical interpreter to get some clinical experiance, but i have been told that i could volunteer in any other area instead or working(it seems obvious to work instead of volunteering, right?). i had been told to just volunteer, and do shadowing, but since i am a graphic/web designer i have to prove that i really want to go to a medical school and i was advise to work as a research assistant, but i am not having any luck on this. only found one research assistant at Midwestern university(i did apply) but don't know where to find more research assistant positions here in phoenix arizona. i am thinking of becoming a Rad. any help i would appricated. 🙂

I'm sorry I don't really understand. How is it that BA from a prvate school is not accepted as a degree in public schools? BA is a BA degree where ever you get it from.

If you want to work in lab, you can volunteer as well. I assume that you want to get paid for your work, but if you lack experience they are more likely to take you on as a volunteer. You can negotiate salary later on if the boss likes you.

 

[Fin-Nor]

I'm sorry I don't really understand. How is it that BA from a prvate school is not accepted as a degree in public schools? BA is a BA degree where ever you get it from.

maybe one of those unaccredited programs... 😕

 

[happy20003]

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[Buckeye(OH)]

so i guess i am better of applying to midwestern university instead of UofA. like you say a BA is a BA, here is where i got my BA www.uat.edu, its a BA in multimedia. maybe its a different accredited program, so maybe that is what is not letting me go to a public med school and so i am force to go to a private med school. oh well...

Wow, this is quite possibly the weirdest situation I have ever heard of.

 

[happy20003]

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[group_theory]

First - public schools accept private school students and private school students accept public school students all the time. The Ivy Leagues, MIT, UChicago, Stanford, Duke, Baylor, etc are all private institutions, yet every year thousands of their alumni enroll in public institutions such as Berkeley, UNC, Virginia, Arizona State, etc. It really depends on the accepting school whether to accept/recognize particular institutions or not.

I think that is at the heart of the matter here is accreditation.

UAT is accredited by ACICS (Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools) http://www.acics.org/
. According to the Department of Education, ACICS is responsible for "the accreditation of private postsecondary institutions offering certificates or diplomas and postsecondary institutions offering associate's, bachelor's, or master's degrees in programs that are designed to train and educate persons for careers or professions where business applications or doctrines, supervisory or management techniques, professional or paraprofessional applications, and other business-related applications support or constitute the career." http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg7.html

UAT seems to be "professionally" accredited in business, but not accredited by a regional accrediting agency. For Arizona, the Dept of Education recognize the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Higher Learning Commission for "the accreditation of degree-granting institutions of higher education in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, including schools of the Navajo Nation and the accreditation of such programs offered via distance education within these institutions."
www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org

This may be why ASU was unwilling to accept classes from UAT - not a public/private issue, but more an issue of proper accreditation. Midwestern University is also accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Just because MWU/AZCOM is private doesn't mean it will or it won't recoginize classes from UAT. Your best bet is to call the office of admission at AZCOM and see what the situation is. You don't want to spend money in the application process and then find out you don't fulfill the "90 semester hours" requirement because the school decided not to recognize work done in a non-regional accredited institution.

This concept of regional accreditation and specialize accreditation body is quite confusing. Welcome to the world of education and federalism. Again, I suggest you call the school and speak to a premed advisor at ASU.

Good luck in all future endeavors.

-Group_theory
PCOM 2007

 

[happy20003]

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[group_theory]

To be fair to the premed advisors at ASU, they are probably not used to dealing w/ someone from a non-regionally accredited school applying to med school (I bet the majority of their cases are ASU students applying to med school so this issue doesn't come up often)

Are you planning to do postbac classes at Arizona State or UAT? It seems like you are planning on doing classes at Arizona State, but then you are using the schedules of UAT?

From ASU's website, you have a fall semester and a spring semester (regular semesters). I doubt they will let you take 18 credits courseload during the winter, summer 1, and summer 2 (winter session is only 2-3 weeks, summer 1 session is only 1 month, and summer 2 session is only 1 month)
http://www.asu.edu/calendar/academic.html

If you are planning on doing it at a community college/junior college, then check their schedule (I still doubt that 90 semester hours can be completed in 1.5 years unless they give you credit for classes already taken)

Also, I don't think it would be wise to try to complete general chem with lab, organic chem with lab, biology with lab, and physics with lab within a 1 year time frame. It is possible, just unadvisable. Remember, it is just not finishing the pre-reqs, but doing well in them AND also doing well on the MCAT.

Med school admission is a long, difficult process with many steps and takes careful planning. Make sure you get proper advice, know what is required, know the potential issues that may come up, etc. Don't try to rush things or it may just end up taking longer.

Group_theory
PCOM 2007

 

[happy20003]

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