I'm a junior & i want to be pre-med?

[kittykat82]

Hello All,

Well I have a bit of a situation...see I recenlty decided that I want to pursue medicine but my current major is finance. I was wondering if it would be better to change my major to biology, hence craming all the science courses into the 1.5 yrs I have left in undergrad (I think I can do very well in all my classes) or should I continue with finance and take a post bac program after I graduate to complete my pre med classes? Which would look better to adcoms? Taking all the bio/pre-med courses and doing very well in them in the last 1.5 yrs or getting my degree in finance and then getting a post bac?? Any advice would be great! Thanks guys.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[kittykat82]

P.S. It's easier to change my major to biology then it is to stick with finance and take the pre-med reqs.

 

[MaybeMD]

I think your best bet would be just to stay at school another year if your going to switch to Biology. You may be putting to much pressure on yourself if you try to complete all those pre-reqs in 1.5 years. Plus, you'll probably have to take summer classes as well if you want to finish in time. So think about that, I know I hate taking classes in the summer.

 

[Cerberus]

I agree with the above poster, attempting to cram your science prereqs into 1.5 years is suicide.

 

[bakedlay]

or...you could just take pre-med reqs while you finish your degree in finance...probably would take one more year to graduate. but yeah...cramming all the major reqs into 1.5 years sounds kinda rough.

 

[The JockDoc]

Don't forget that you'll have to study for the MCAT someplace in those 1.5 years. That can take up just as much time as a class.

 

[LauraMac]

definitely stick with the finance major since you're almost done with it and i assume finance would be something you would want to do just in case med school doesn't work out. if you switch to biology and you change your mind about med school, are you going to be able to get a job you like? you can just stay in undergrad an extra year to get the pre-reqs in and not bother with a post-bacc. this way you will have a degree in something you could potentially use if necessary and have all your pre-med stuff taken care of without having to bother with post-bacc or anything else. good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[CalBeE]

Switching to Bio major will force you to take upper division bio classes. It's good preparation for med school, but some people decide not to go that way as it may lower their GPA.

If you're almost done with your finance major, finish it while taking pre-med requirements at the same time. That way, if you suddenly change your mind again, at least you can graduate with a finance degree (Instead of switching to bio and ended up wasting time).

You'll probably need time to have clinical experience, volunteer work, research, etc. Which will be hard to build up in 1.5 years (Considering that you're trying to do your pre-med requirements too). Give yourself more time to complete everything.

 

[jlee9531]

stick with finance....
and just take the premed prereqs...

imho this will be your best set up. dont cram everything in but just take the extra time to finish up your stuff.

getting into med school is a marathon, not a sprint.

the finance will help you distinguish yourself somewhat from the thousands of bio majors that are applying as well. plus with a finance major maybe you might be interested in an MD/MBA programs that med schools offer as well.

i think you will just be more of a flexible/well rounded person with the finance background.

good luck.

 

[NRAI2001]

So u wanna be a premed eh, i can make u one, all u need to do is sell me ur soul.

 

[Sweet Tea]

stick with finance and fit in the premed reqs-- but it would be suicide to try to cram all the pre med reqs and study for the mcat into 1.5 years. take the premed reqs when you can, do well in them, and continue taking them after you graduate. you don't necessarily have to go through a formal post-bacc program-- most major universities (and i'm sure many smaller ones, too) have non-degree continuing education classes that are offered to adults who already have their degrees. i say adults b/c that's how my college was...undergrads were "students" and post-bacc students were "adults". kinda funny. anyways, take the prereqs at a pace that will allow you to do well on them. good grades will impress the adcoms more than "look how many classes i can take at once and make straight Cs" will.

best of luck to you!

 

[Tezzie]

Start taking now some courses and then take a year off and just study for the mcat and complete the med school pre-reqs. That should give you about 2.5 years for everything. I took physics during the summer at a community college and got that out of the way easily. You may want to consider doing something like that.

Anyway my advice is : don't change majors.

 

[twinklz]

I was in your exact situation!

Second semester of my Junior year I decided to "do pre-med" I crammed all the pre-reqs in to the three semesters (took one course over the summer) and took the MCAT second semester of my senior year (while taking Orgo II and Physics II). Oh, and I still finished up my English major!! Its doable.

I got an "above average" score on my MCAT, and my GPA did nothing but benefit from the science courses (turns out I was actually more of a science person). Oh, and I've been accepted to a med school, so I have no complaints about the path I took.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me!

 

[Supadupafly]

Adcoms are into academic diversity; they'll love the finance major. Keep it. Take the premed classes and get some health/science experience to show you're serious about this.

 

[maygirl]

I sort of had the same situation. i was a nonscience double-major (econ and math), and decided to go premed right before my junior year. I personally think it's better for you to continue your finance degree, especially since you only have 1.5 years left. You can start taking your prereqs now (I don't know what science classes don't require you to take the first semester at your school....maybe bio or physics?), take one over the summer, and a couple of them next year while you're finishing up your major. 1-2 years of post-bac would allow you to finish up any other prereqs, take some upper science classes, and allow you to have enough time for you to study for the MCAT. If you want to be a bio major, that's fine, but it seems kinda unnecessary. Plus, so many applicants are bio majors. Just make sure you do well in your science classes. Oh yeah, and definitely get some volunteer/clinical experience asap.

You can pm me too, if you want!

 

[subtle1epiphany]

i'm another one who's done pre-med requirements in addition to regular course loads. i was lucky enough to have already taken general chem as a sophomore, but i decided that i truly wanted to do medicine in my junior year. i took my year of bio and organic chem junior year, and took a year of physics and studied and took the MCAT over the summer (summer of 2003). i ended up doing well enough on the MCAT (29 total). if you want to PM me, feel free.

still, if you enjoy the finance, then stick with it!
i continued my classics major and i'm one course away from my chem minor. as far as majors go, adcoms dont really care, you should major in something you enjoy and do well in. and as so many ppl have already said, it gives you something to talk about, something else to do in the meantime, and perhaps the MD/MBA route is for you...

having knowledge in many fields and disciplines is always a plus, as long as you truly know something and dont spread yourself thin.

 

[upitt]

Don't switch majors. The best thing to do is to stay in school for an additional year while you complete your pre-med classes and your finance classes. You might want to try something like this:

Spring semester (2004)
bio 1
chem 1
3 non science courses

summer term (2004)
bio 2
chem 2

fall semester (2004)
o chem 1
phys 1
3 non science classes
study for mcat

spring semester (2005)
o chem 2
phys 2
3 non science classes
study for mcat

In april, take the mcat. Because you have taken the pre-med classes in the past 2 years and kept studying and reviewing, this material will be fresh in your mind and you should be able do well on the mcat.

fall semester (2005)
2 X upper level bio (biochemistry, histology, microbiology, physiology)
work or take classes

Spring semester (2006)
1 or 2 upper level bio course(s)
work or relax or do whatever. be prepared to start med school in the fall.

 

[kittykat82]

Hey All,

Thanks for the many posts. I think I will take the advice of the majority who posted. I will stick with my finance major, and take the pre-med courses during the time. Thanks again, everyone was really helpful.

 

[NRAI2001]

Originally posted by NRAI2001
So u wanna be a premed eh, i can make u one, all u need to do is sell me ur soul.

Offers still on the table.

 

[kittykat82]

Sounds tempting, but no thanks =)