Need Advice for med school

[rejectedhardcor]

.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Your research is interesting. I'd like to say that you need to start volunteering at hospitals. To do well in the pre-requisites I would say that you shouldn't be taking more then 2 lab classes. I would say that your first year of post-bacc is going to be biology 1 & 2 and chem 1 & 2. Second year would be O-chem 1&2 and physics 1&2.
Post-bacc programs might work differently though I might add. The above schedule is how you would be doing it if you were going to go back to your college/university.

 

[rejectedhardcor]

.

 

[armybound]

I don't see much in your ECs or your story to show that you actually want to be a physician. If I were you I'd start volunteering AND shadowing, as often as you can fit it into your schedule.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Would you place weekend hospital volunteering over shadowing or do both?

My academic advisor didn't write bio II on my academic plan, surprizingly. I did take a BIO I with a lab and BIO II during my major. These classes may have been non-science major courses; however, I did obtain a Bachelor of Science instead of a Bachelor of Arts so I am not sure. The Anatomy and physiology course is a 100 level course, but she also suggested a 300 lvl anatomy course and a 200 level immunology course if I had time. I have to work to pay for school, so I don't have time for those two other courses if I want to maintain a high GPA. I am classified as a non-degree seeking student, which is horrible because I qualify for no financial aid and no scholarships, yet I make around $12,000 a year, which is less than the tuition of the university for a year...
Here is the current academic plan(The University I am attending now is on a Quarter system):

Spring 10
Bio I (w/ lab)
Trigonometry
Anatomy (w/ lab)

Summer 10
Chm I (w/ lab)
Chm II (w/ lab)

Fall 10
Chm III (w/lab)
Physics I (w/ lab)

Winter 10
Org. Chm I (w/ lab)
Physics II (w/ lab)

Spring 11
Org Chm II (w/ lab)
Physics III (w/ lab)

Summer 11
Organic Chm III (w/ lab)
MCAT
Applications

Im confused why you want to take bio1 and anatomy at the sametime if you've already taken it before. Otherwise your plan seems relatively good, I wish you luck.
When applying remember if any of your psychology classes were like biology of behavior or had a neuroscience concentration. Remember to put those on the Sgpa calculations on the application.

 

[rejectedhardcor]

.

 

[gymtanlaundry]

Throughout college my EC's were Collegiate Powerlifting (nationally ranked 2007)

I worked as an independently contracted personal trainer for years.

u aware, brah?

 

[rejectedhardcor]

.

 

[armybound]

I plan on shadowing a physician or two, how many total hours should I seek to obtain?

I suppose I can volunteer at a hospital on the weekend.

As for the BIO I course, I guess the advisor felt it would be a safety net in case the previous BIO courses were non-science major courses and it would help refresh me for MCAT regardless.

Is there anyway I can get some funding as a non-degree seeking student?

the more shadowing the better. I know you've got good grades and everything, but you should be setting out to prove that you know what it's like to be a physician and that you want to do that. lots of shadowing and volunteering/working in a hospital will go a long way for you.

 

[rejectedhardcor]

.

 

[armybound]

yeah, you might have to look around for different doctors before you find one who will allow you to shadow

the number of hours shadowing doesn't really matter. it's more about what you get from the experience, but I think it's best to shadow a few different fields to get different perspectives. a family practice doc's workday is not the same as internal medicine, neurology, surgery, etc.

 

[plauto]

Drop anatomy, it won't help on the mcat