How do I go back to undergrad?

[maymagpie]

Hello,

Firstly I apologize for naive questions I maybe asking but I really need some advise as I have been speaking to admissions officer and feel more and more confused about what I am meant to do.

A little background: I am 26 years old, always wanted to be a doctor but followed my other passion and went to Acting school in London. I realize that this was a mistake and I really want to take steps to become a doctor.

I graduated with a BA in Acting, in England, no GED all performance. I have been told by post bacc programs that I should pursue a second undergrad degree.

If I were to do so I guess I would have to start a community college and transfer to a 4 year university. This would allow me to start ASAP. But do med school really frown upon starting at community college? and will this jeopardize all my chances of ever getting in?

I have excellent highschool grades and so I assume I could apply to a 4 year college. how would I: "start over"?

I'm volunteering at a clinic, love it and feel there must be someway that I can go about making this happen!

Any advise would be deeply appreciated!

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[mspeedwagon]

What state are you in? Imho, the college you transfer to may be more important than the fact that you took some of your pre-reqs at a cc. In the case of going to a 2 yr and then transferring on to a 4-yr, I don't think the fact you took cc classes matters all that much.

 

[arclight610]

Will anything in your acting degree transfer here to the states? Any gen eds maths, humanities, ect?

 

[maymagpie]

I had no gen ed classes, only theatre, acting, voice etc and I guess my degree is the equivalent of a BFA here.

So I need to start over, I am in California and haven't started but enrolled at community college of marin and know they have a transfer agreement with UC Berkeley, I would wait to take the medical prerequisites until I was at Berkeley, I am afraid that I would be at a huge disadvantage in applying to med school from CC.

should I not attempt to start classes at CC and take new SAT/ACT and apply as a freshman for next year at a UC or University? Is that even possible at my age?

I had a 4.0 highschool GPA and high test scores, got into top schools but went with the acting school instead and really regret it and have no idea how I can change paths now!

 

[Quik]

Hello,


If I were to do so I guess I would have to start a community college and transfer to a 4 year university. This would allow me to start ASAP. But do med school really frown upon starting at community college? and will this jeopardize all my chances of ever getting in?

Nooo, they really don't frown on it, and it won't at all jeopardize your chances of getting in. The grades you'll get from the courses taught at a CC probably won't be weighed as heavily in favor for you if they're good, and will be heavier against you if they're bad, but taking Gen Ed/Bacc Core at a CC isn't unwise at all. It'll be cheaper, You'll get at least a term under your belt in the time you'd have to wait for entrance to the 4 yr, and it should be a good easing way into more rigorous study. Just don't take the Med school pre-req's at a CC, they sometimes/quite often won't accept those.

Good luck, and get after it.

 

[Quik]

So I need to start over, I am in California and haven't started but enrolled at community college of marin and know they have a transfer agreement with UC Berkeley,

Yes you do, and that transfer agreement is awesome.

I would wait to take the medical prerequisites until I was at Berkeley, I am afraid that I would be at a huge disadvantage in applying to med school from CC.

Yes, as mentioned earlier, wait until at a 4-year to take pre-reqs. No you won't be at a disadvantage, and you won't be applying from a CC, you'll be applying from a 4-year University, and possibly one of the best public schools in the nation.

should I not attempt to start classes at CC and take new SAT/ACT and apply as a freshman for next year at a UC or University? Is that even possible at my age?

I would say no need to take the SAT, just be crystal clear on all the requirements needed to qualify for the auto transfer from Marin CC--->Cal, and fulfill them.

I had a 4.0 highschool GPA and high test scores, got into top schools but went with the acting school instead and really regret it and have no idea how I can change paths now!

You'll be fine. Changing paths is easy, it just takes the courage to commit, and the diligence to get it all done. It won't be fast, but you certainly have plenty of time.

Remember the journey to becoming a physician is a marathon, not a sprint.

 

[MichaelBergen]

So I need to start over, I am in California and haven't started but enrolled at community college of marin and know they have a transfer agreement with UC Berkeley, I would wait to take the medical prerequisites until I was at Berkeley, I am afraid that I would be at a huge disadvantage in applying to med school from CC.

You already have a bachelor's degree, so if you apply to any of the UCs you'll be considered a second bachelor's degree applicant. And if I remember correctly, most transfer agreements exclude those working on second bachelor's degrees. So you might wanna check with your CC and with UC Berkeley before banking on that.

 

[nabeel76]

I agree with several of the other posters regarding checking with the UC schools admissions office regarding 2nd Bachelors degree seeking students. I have a 2nd bachelors degree and can tell you that the majority of schools that I looked into did not allow students with a prior bachelor's degree to even enroll in undergraduate courses, let alone complete a 2nd degree. So make sure this is an option for you at whatever school you want to transfer to.

As for the CC thing don't worry about that, if you major in a science then your going to have plenty of upper level coursework at a 4 year for admissions committee's to get a good gauge of where you stand in relation to other students. Do 2 years there and follow their recommended route for transfer in your major. If however, you choose not to major in a science then hold off on the prereqs until after you transfer into the 4 year school.

Another alternative, if you already have a BA then you don't need the 2nd degree. You can go directly to a 4 year school and enroll as a non-degree seeking student and take the prereqs, in addition to some upper level courses if you want, and then apply to med school. I would recommend taking 2 full years of courses (as opposed to 4 if you start from scratch) as a non-degree student and then applying to med schools. This should serve as a sufficient post-bacc to help medical schools gauge how well you perform at universities and courses that they are familiar with. Unless your GPA is low, I don't think a full 4 years of additional coursework is necessary for you.

 

[Quik]

This is an irrational attitude that many people have. People that don't know how the system works shouldn't come here to comment.

Irrational? It's perfectly rational, as it has a very valid explanation confirmed by most if not all ADCOMs. And though I can see through your arrogance enough to catch your point, the fact remains, that most schools prefer (some mandate) that pre-reqs are completed at a 4-year institution. That IS how the system works. Now, I wouldn't argue that completing general chem and bio at a CC would be deal breakers, but if the bulk of your science GPA is from a CC, then it won't carry as much positive wieght as an equal GPA from a competitive 4-year school. ADCOMS weigh GPAs according to perceived undergraduate rigor, those coming from CC might thereby be at a disadvantage despite having a 4.0.

 

[Quik]

Fact is that if you take classes at a community college and then you transfer and maintain a high GPA, you probably won't run into trouble. I haven't seen it. Your MCAT score will seal your fate. If you graduate and then go back to community college, that can become a problem, which is usually the dilemma being argued in the non-trad forum.

Could you post some schools/stats/whatever/etc. about community college -> transfer -> apply getting into trouble? I could be wrong. In that order, I have never seen anyone have a problem.

No, I can't because I believe you're actually very right here. I just shot off an email to U Nevada Reno SOM and asked them this very question. "If I were to take a few units of Gen Chem and Gen Bio, and take the remainder of the pre-req's at a 4-year, is that acceptable?" I did qualify that question with, "I already have my B.s. and a M.s."

The answer was "Yes, that is perfectly acceptable."

So, I was wrong. I have seen on many schools admission's sites that pre-reqs should generally be completed at a 4-year institution, which is where my previous school of thought came from.