Is it too late to pursue pre-health as a junior in college?

[jrohazn]

I’ve been incredibly interested in pursuing pre-health, yet I’m not quite sure if it’s plausible at this point. I’m a transfer student at a UC, as an Economics major. I have a measly amount of science courses under my belt (BIO 1, BIO 10), and hypothetically, if I decided to pursue pre-health, I would have to find a way to cram all the science courses as well as the required economics upper division courses to graduate with my degree. I’m planning on meeting up with the UC pre-health advisor sometime next week, but I’d like some input from you guys.

Would it be possible for me to prioritize the required units for my economics degree, while taking one or two science courses each quarter to fulfill the requirements for pre-health; Then after I get my degree, I can stay and focus on the required science courses? Would that even be possible? Thank you.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[nymd22]

It's never too late. You might have to take some classes after you graduate but it's definitely not too late.

 

[jrohazn]

It's never too late. You might have to take some classes after you graduate but it's definitely not too late.

I would be willing to take classes after I graduate, but I am NOT interested in post-bacc and have another $20k-40k in loans. Is that even possible? To finish the required courses to complete for admissions?

 

[tiramisucheese]

I would be willing to take classes after I graduate, but I am NOT interested in post-bacc and have another $20k-40k in loans. Is that even possible? To finish the required courses to complete for admissions?

Of course it's possible, but it's up to you whether you want to invest the time to do it. You will not be able to do this by the end of senior year. You will be looking at staying on beyond your expected graduation date to accommodate the required courses.

 

[stickgirl390]

I changed majors AFTER graduating, so no, it’s never too late. It did take a solid 4 extra semesters of full time prereqs to catch up though, and I would not recommend that courseload to anyone who didn’t know for certain that they could handle it.

 

[nymd22]

I would be willing to take classes after I graduate, but I am NOT interested in post-bacc and have another $20k-40k in loans. Is that even possible? To finish the required courses to complete for admissions?

I definitely think so. I personally graduated a year early while doing a non-science minor, and I was able to complete my pre-med requirements during that time. I'm sure your adviser will have more insight but I think you should be fine!

 

[SouthernGent]

No. Several of my classmates started med school in their mid-30s. You're fine.

 

[psychgirl95]

No! Although I’ve been premed since freshman year, I wasn’t able to actually start taking my prerequisites until Spring 2017 (which was supposed to be my junior year).

Can you extend your graduation? That’s what I’m doing. When you meet with the pre-health advisor, ask them what your options may be (e.g., if you are eligible for a pell grant, it might be better to stay an extra year or two since you receive the pell grant for 6 years). I’m not very familiar with the quarter system - if your plan of one class per quarter works out, where would that leave you in terms of the number of prerequisites you have left? (If it’s only a couple classes, then extending your graduation may not be the best choice after all.)

 

[Geo16]

You can start now... it is possible in your time frame. If you are at a quarter-based UC, finish Gen Chems on Winter, Spring & Summer. Finish Bio 2 on that Winter or Spring as well. Do Physics & Ochems on the next Fall, Winter and Spring. If you truly want this, then go ahead and sign up for Gen Chem & Bio for this winter. Go do some volunteering at the nearest hospital- rack up more than 4-5 hours per week. Do some shadowing during the break time. Snatch a professor and beg them to give you a letter (bribe them with Hot Cheetos).

Bray, but I highly recommend you to do a post-bacc at a CC or at CSU if you can. Good luck 🙂 !

 

[Blanky]

My opinion only, but start gen chem 1 and add in your major course and graduate on time. Start to work and sign up for a biology major, finish the courses you want and then don't finish the degree.

 

[Geo16]

My opinion only, but start gen chem 1 and add in your major course and graduate on time. Start to work and sign up for a biology major, finish the courses you want and then don't finish the degree.

Yeah. I second on doing post-bacc and finishing pre-reqs slowly.

 

[HomeSkool]

"Too late" is a relative term. It's not too late for you to pursue a career in medicine. It is too late for you to prepare to apply in the next med school admissions cycle. So you should count on at least one gap year after undergrad while you get the necessary coursework and ECs squared away.

What's your GPA? If you'll share that, we can give more useful advice about how best to proceed academically.