Med school with a BA degree possible?

[leviathan]

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Hey, I'm a first year university student who neglected to take a lot of science courses at High School becasue I was not planning on medical school before. Because of this, I cannot get into the Faculty of Science and I am going to major in Arts. I still have the option at my school of designing my own major, and I plan on doing what is sort of a minor in Biochemistry (to satisfy all the course requirements for med school), and a minor in Psychology or some art major. I plan on taking high school physics courses and then perhaps one or two university courses in physics so that I'm caught up in that area.

What I'm really wondering about is whether or not I will have enough training in science to be able to do good on the MCAT? Also, do you think with such limited space they would accept an Arts student into Med school?

Thanks for reading my long message, the help is appreciated. 🙂

 

[skypilot]

Originally posted by leviathan
whether or not I will have enough training in science to be able to do good on the MCAT?

I'm more worried about your English than your science. 😉

The answer is yes you could even major in Latin and get into med school. Language majors perform even better on the MCAT since the test is primarily reading comprehension.

 

[exmike]

i think you're confusing majoring in ART with BA which stands for bachelor of arts.

At hopkins for example, all bachelors degrees are BA except for physics and biomedical engineering. So i have a BA in Biology. As far as i know there is no practical difference between a BA and a BS.

Now, majoring in ART, id a B.A. in Art. That's what you're asking right?

 

[Jsscales05]

Sure they would. .. .in fact my cousin, who is finishing her residency in surgery out in Utah, majored in Music. She told me she chose it because she loved it and didn't mind taking the required courses to get into medical school. I would make sure that when choosing your major you have an idea in mind as to what you might do should you not get into medical school. I have been asked this at interviews and had an answer. Interviewers don't want people breaking down on them or giving them a blank stare when they ask this question. So always be flexible with your major and career choices or else you may end up doing something that you hate the rest of your life.

As for the lack of science background and prep for the MCAT. . .how much do you want to go into medicine? Drive to get into Medical School should fuel your desire to study for classes and the MCAT. I know few people who do things off natural talent. . .most have read up on a subject prior to a course or study their asses off and tell people they didn't. Hard work scholastically is the best way to go. Good Luck

 

[Hethera]

From what I recall, a BS usually requires more and/or more rigorous courses than a BA, and often requires a minor and/or a thesis. It sometimes requires more general ed as well. Also, as the names suggest, BAs are offered more frequently in the humanities while BSs are more frequently given in the sciences. However, whether you have a BA or a BS probably won't matter in the long run, especially given that requirements vary between schools. And I've read that humanities majors are just as competitive as "pre-med" majors (if not more so) in med-school admissions. Best of luck! 🙂

 

[doepug]

Based on the OP's syntax, I'm guessing that leviathan is Canadian.

In the US, (as some others have mentioned) some schools only offer the BA (or AB)... for example, even if you're a biochemistry major at Harvard, you'd graduate with an AB. There is no difference between a BS and BA in the US.

If you are Canadian, take the advice on this board with a grain of salt. The admission scheme for medical school is different, and a BA might not be regarded the same way north of the border. You'd be best served to see a pre-med advisor and get their honest opinion.

Best,
doepug (MS IV)

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by Hethera
From what I recall, a BS usually requires more and/or more rigorous courses than a BA, and often requires a minor and/or a thesis. It sometimes requires more general ed as well. Also, as the names suggest, BAs are offered more frequently in the humanities while BSs are more frequently given in the sciences. However, whether you have a BA or a BS probably won't matter in the long run, especially given that requirements vary between schools. And I've read that humanities majors are just as competitive as "pre-med" majors (if not more so) in med-school admissions. Best of luck! 🙂

this isnt necessarily true.......
i mean at least at berkeley i took one of the more challenging plans (BMB) under the Molecular Cell Bio Dept. We all got BAs and oddly the business school Haas gives out BS. I never understood that but just giving an exception to the general rule. 😉

 

[exmike]

could you imagine what would happen if you told all the nutty premeds at hopkins that their B.A. in biology isnt worth the same as a B.S.?? i think there would be pandemonium

 

[aphistis]

Hethera, not to be rude, but you're totally off base. The degree you're awarded has nothing to do with your course of study: i.e. a bachelor of science in art, and a bachelor of art in science, are both possible (I happen to possess a BA in biology).

The descriptor in your bachelor's degree simply indicates how tightly focused your studies are. BS degrees indicate a more tightly focused curriculum; e.g., a biology BS would consist very heavily of biology classes. BA degrees indicate a less tightly focused curriculum; e.g., my biology BA only included ~30 hours of biology, with remainder distributed across various disciplines.

 

[leviathan]

Hey guys, the input is much appreciated. Yes, I am Canadian, and up here we have the two major faculties of Arts and Science. In Science, you can acquire majors in all of the science disciplines such as Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, General Science, etc... Arts is specifically for the more "Artsy" majors like Psychology, Philosophy, English, and what have you.

Though I am in the Arts faculty, I can still choose a program where I design my own degree where I can do "a little bit of everything" from courses across all faculties. For this case, I can still do what you could call a "pre-med" degree where I take courses in Anatomy, Physiology, Inorganic/organic chem, Biochem, and then some specialization in an arts field as well. I was just worried that without an entire focus on Science that the MCAT would be too rigorous for me to succeed.

Nevertheless, if you say your friend majored in Music and passed the MCAT, then I feel I could do just as well providing I put in a good effort in preparing.

Thanks again, and feel free to provide any additional input now that I've added more to my story.

PS -> What was that first comment made about my Engilsh skills? Do they need a bit of improvement?
😱

 

[LP1CW]

Hey,

Depending on the college that you're at, you probably won't need to do high school level physics. If you're a art major you'll probably take non-calc based physics which is not that tough. It's just plug and jug and understanding the concepts. The math is easy.


I met a doctor that dropped out of high school. He then worked as a plumber for a few years with his uncle. Got his GED when he was like 20. Then decided to go to a college extension program. He finished his undergraduate degree. Did well in school, did some research. Got into a good medical school. He's now a psychiatrist. I was surprised by his story. It just seemed so unbelievable. He's amazing.

So, BA, AB, BS....just go to school and do well. Take the basic course work you'll need to get in and choose a major you like.

 

[Hethera]

Aphistis, did you even bother to read my entire post, or did you just read the words "humanities" and "sciences" and immediately fire off a snarky reply?

First of all, I never said one couldn't get a BA in science or a BS in art. I happen to have a BS in mass communication myself, and I am acutely aware that my degree has nothing to do with science (that is why I'm back in school, after all). What I said was that BSs are given in sciences and BAs in the arts "more frequently."

Here is what the Educational Resources Information Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, has to say about which degrees are conferred to whom more often:

The BS is likely to require more courses in the major than the BA; the BS is awarded significantly more often in the natural sciences than in the humanities; and the BA is used four times as often by arts and sciences colleges than professional/technical schools.

Second, you essentially restated what I said in my own post: That a BS degree requires more rigorous coursework in one's major (and sometimes also requires a thesis) rather than just a general overview.

Don't go calling people "totally off base" without anything to back up your assertions -- especially when you don't really have anything different to say. If you can come back and show me some statistics that show BSs are conferred (rather than merely offered) just as often in the humanities and BAs are conferred just as often as BSs in the sciences, I will forgive your rudeness.