med school without bachelors?

[nursetodoc]

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I was just wondering how many ppl got into med school without a bachelors degree. Some schools don't require it but do they prefer students with bachelors degrees?

 

[MDtobe!]

I think they all require a bachelors. My understanding is that you can be in school while applying but you need your degree to matriculate.
The 7-8 year BS/MD programs are different though.

 

[tncekm]

Not all require a BS. Pickup an MSAR for about $25, it'll answer all of these questions.

 

[notdeadyet]

If you look at the stats, many schools do not require bachelor's, but they admit very very few without. If you want to go to med school, planning on getting the BA is probably a good idea.

 

[tncekm]

They admit them before their bachelor's is even close to complete most of the time. It has nothing to do with "many" of the schools admittance policies. My buddy just started at UCSD having never finished his BS, and it was no problem.

 

[zek]

Some schools only require something like 90 hours, but 99.9% of the people that get into those schools will have a bachelors degree or be getting close.

 

[SeventhSon]

They admit them before their bachelor's is even close to complete most of the time. It has nothing to do with "many" of the schools admittance policies. My buddy just started at UCSD having never finished his BS, and it was no problem.

funny because this information is available to me, and i see no one in our class without at least a bachelor's

 

[tncekm]

funny because this information is available to me, and i see no one in our class without at least a bachelor's

Well, my buddy could be lying, but I doubt he'd lie about not completing his BS. Maybe UCSD SOM based their stats on intent rather than actual completion.

 

[Law2Doc]

funny because this information is available to me, and i see no one in our class without at least a bachelor's

Agree -- you never come across any. While a bachelors is not strictly required by most med schools, according to MSAR etc, pretty much every successful med applicant will have one. Thus in the 16,000 matriculants annually, perhaps a couple of folks will not have them, and those will be very unique individuals at very unique schools. Don't expect to be these people.

 

[tncekm]

Agree -- you never come across any. While a bachelors is not strictly required by most med schools, according to MSAR etc, pretty much every successful med applicant will have one. Thus in the 16,000 matriculants annually, perhaps a couple of folks will not have them, and those will be very unique individuals at very unique schools. Don't expect to be these people.

That's because when people are given their acceptances to medical schools they're usually about 3.25 years into their education and they'd be stupid not to get their bachelors with less than a year's worth of work left, not because it is a prerequisite and not because "many" schools even care.

Its plain as day. Schools either require it or they don't. If they dont require it and you're accepted you don't have to finish your bachelors as long as you have your prerequisite's met, you're good to go. What are they going to do? Revoke your acceptance because you didn't finish something that wasn't a requirement? Its not that difficult to understand, I don't see where the argument is stemming from. Its not about how often you run into med students who don't have a bachelors, its about whether then need them or not. I wish people would stop arguing for the sake of arguing.

 

[Law2Doc]

What are they going to do? Revoke your acceptance because you didn't finish something that wasn't a requirement?

Actually, many acceptance letters specifically indicate that they are contigent on you finishing all of your remaining undergraduate coursework with a C or better. Thus yes, they are permitted to revoke such acceptance if you don't satisfy the contingency.

 

[tncekm]

Actually, many acceptance letters specifically indicate that they are contigent on you finishing all of your remaining undergraduate coursework with a C or better. Thus yes, they are permitted to revoke such acceptance if you don't satisfy the contingency.

Did you not read what I wrote?

I explicitly stated that "IF it is not a requirement" they cannot revoke your acceptance. Only a few schools actually require a bachelors degree. Open your MSAR. If its not a requirement for that particular school they're not going to send you an acceptance letter with the stipulation that you must finish your bachelors.

 

[Law2Doc]

If its not a requirement for that particular school they're not going to send you an acceptance letter with the stipulation that you must finish your bachelors.

I'm telling you one did. I doubt it is alone. The contingency in the letter I am describing is pretty common among med schools. 🙄

 

[deleted77919]

Part of the AMCAS application has you list the courses you plan on taking your final year. If you alter this list significantly that could be grounds for revoking an acceptance.

 

[tncekm]

Part of the AMCAS application has you list the courses you plan on taking your final year. If you alter this list significantly that could be grounds for revoking an acceptance.

That I can believe. That would be similar to lying on your application.

 

[GreyBlueEyes]

I actually asked MCG about this, since i have my AS yet am looking at 3 more years to complete my friggin' degree. I asked if they would accept someone who didn't technically have a BS, if they had all the premed requirements and 4 years of semester hours. They said the answer was pretty much no. They've accepted a couple of people who wouldn't have their BS upon starting, BUT the people were crazy-competitive (would've been accepted at the top schools) and their undergrad colleges had agreed to confer a BS after they had completed the first year of med school.

hope this helps 🙂

 

[tncekm]

I'm telling you one did. I doubt it is alone. The contingency in the letter I am describing is pretty common among med schools. 🙄

Well, if one did and you saw it with your own two eyes, who am I to argue with that? But, I do know there are 128 (or so?) med schools and most of those don't explicitly require a Bachelors degree. In addition, I have a friend who got into a pretty good school never finishing his BS. Given that, and what the schools explicitly state and what the MSAR explicitly states regarding the schools, I'd say the fact that you either have or don't have a bachelors is not a major deciding factor in your admittance.

 

[tncekm]

I actually asked MCG about this, since i have my AS yet am looking at 3 more years to complete my friggin' degree. I asked if they would accept someone who didn't technically have a BS, if they had all the premed requirements and 4 years of semester hours. They said the answer was pretty much no. They've accepted a couple of people who wouldn't have their BS upon starting, BUT the people were crazy-competitive (would've been accepted at the top schools) and their undergrad colleges had agreed to confer a BS after they had completed the first year of med school.

hope this helps 🙂

That's interesting...and, excuse my ignorance, but what does MCG stand for?

 

[Law2Doc]

Well, if one did and you saw it with your own two eyes, who am I to argue with that? But, I do know there are 128 (or so?) med schools and most of those don't explicitly require a Bachelors degree. In addition, I have a friend who got into a pretty good school never finishing his BS. Given that, and what the schools explicitly state and what the MSAR explicitly states regarding the schools, I'd say the fact that you either have or don't have a bachelors is not a major deciding factor in your admittance.

You are free to believe what you choose. Good luck.🙂

 

[tncekm]

You are free to believe what you choose. Good luck.🙂

Hey, I may be wrong, but I need more than "I saw 'one' such case where a school that didn't explicitly require a BS degree stipulated a BS degree was required for admittance in the acceptance contract."

What GreyBlueEyes said was pretty interesting to me. I have no problem changing my position if I'm proven wrong--it would be stupid not to.

 

[GreyBlueEyes]

That's interesting...and, excuse my ignorance, but what does MCG stand for?

Medical College of Georgia (Augusta)

this is where i'm hoping to go. while it's a great school, and there's a lot i love about it, it's not one of the most competitive so the fact that they avoid accepting someone who won't have a BS makes me inclined to think other med schools would be the same way. it's possible DO schools might be more inclined to evaluate based on accomplishments rather than technicalities, since that seems to "their way" 🙂

 

[GreyBlueEyes]

here's exactly what the director of admissions said in her email to me:

"Most all of our students have their BS degrees before they matriculate
to medical school. I believe in the past ten years we have only had two
applicants accepted without having their BS degree, however, their
schools issued the degree once they completed their first year of
medical school.
The two students were extremely competitive and we knew they would be
accepted at many schools including Duke, Yale, Harvard, etc.."

 

[tncekm]

Well, i wouldn't argue with her 🙂

But, at the same time, I think she may be exaggerating. Right here in the MSAR it says 98% of their matriculants had a bachelors (or higher) just last year, out of 180. That's about 3 people just last year 😀

But, I was def. wrong on the "most" med schools don't require a bach. It was the other way around 🙂

 

[GreyBlueEyes]

the discrepancy IS interesting.

but no, i don't think i'll argue with her 😉

 

[NonTradMed]

While applying, I've noticed that not all med schools say they do not REQUIRE a bachelors, BUT I think they pretty much expect that you will get one. Some stipulate that you have to 'finish the degree program you are currently involved in' and/or that you complete all coursework that you wrote on your AMCAS and that if you do not, then that is grounds for revoking any acceptances. Also, my acceptance letters consisted of 'completing all degree programs you have stated on your AMCAS'.

So if you want to get technical, no, most schools probably can't win in court that they require a bachelors, however, they make it VERY hard for someone to avoid skipping out their final year in college.

If a person have NO intention of finishing their bachelors and they apply to med schools stating this (I will finish my 90 credits undergrad and leave), I'm going to think most med schools, while stating that a BS is not required, will be reluctant to accept you unless you are *very* very stats. I'm thinking med schools only make the BS/BA a nonrequirement because they dont' want to paint themselves into a corner and not be able to accept 'special case' students (who for whatever reason was unable to finish their BS before matriculation), and it is not with the intention of letting undergrads skip out on their college education.

I'd have to agree with the majority opinion here (just based on the fine print I read during the application process) that med schools will be reluctant, if not down right hostile, towards someone who do their pre-reqs and the minimal required college work, then just leave it like that on purpose.

 

[GreyBlueEyes]

i wish it wasn't that way, though, the hostility toward not having a BS. i have an AS, and I'd like to spend two years taking classes that i'm passionate about and then go on to med school. i'd like to take the premed reqs, some extra bio/chem courses, and some psych courses, since i plan to go into psychiatry. i feel like if i have an AS in math/science and 60 hours worth of applicable upper level courses, that should be just as meaningful as a BS. am i willing to chance it and try getting in on that? no 🙂

i know there are some schools that offer things like BS in General Studies where the student can basically build their own degree, with the guidance of an advisor. unfortunately, the school that i'm transferring to doesn't offer that, that i'm aware of.

 

[njbmd]

There were six students in my medical school class that entered without bachelors degrees. Four out of the six were BS-MD folks who had been accepted into that program based on their high school grades, their college and freshman grades and their SATs. They were accepted into the program right out of high school. If sucessful and two our of the four of them were not, they are awarded the BS and MD at the end of six years. The two who failed out of the program failed out of medical school.

The other two folks were in the Integrated BS/MD program which was based in their college performance and desire to enter medicine. They were accepted at the junior level and were awarded their BS degree at the end of what would have been their junior year and at the end of what was their freshman medical year. It took them seven years to complete the two degrees.

To the OP and others:
If you are not already in these types of programs you are likely not eligible for them. To those folks who apply and are accepted during their senior year, acceptance is generally contingent upon successful completion of their senior year. If they didn't receive their BS, their acceptance letter would likely be revolked and the next person on the waitlist would be in.

 

[nursetodoc]

Thank you everyone for all of your responses, you have been a tremendous help. BTW, I'm pretty sure that Temple U. doesn't require a bachelors.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

I saw the title of this thread and I thought the OP was talking about a med school with no single guys....durrrr