Need some ques. answered by MED STUDENTS

[dr_juvi]

Hi guys, I decided to post this question on this forum becuz the pre-allo forum members THINK they know everything there is to know about med school..to be honest half of their "advice" is not even good. Sorry if my post is a little too long, but I just was curious as to who in here has done a post-bacc and then gotten into a med school/currently is a med student. I'm not a Bio major and I have no time to do all my pre-reqs before graduating (aside from the fact that my science gpa is non existent). I also wanted to know how many of you guys had a minor along with your major. The only reason I'm asking is becuz I might have a minor (my major pairs up nicely with this particular minor) and I read in the pre-allo that no one really cares about minors and blah blah blah. lol. Any responses would be great.

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[monstermatch]

Hi guys, I decided to post this question on this forum becuz the pre-allo forum members THINK they know everything there is to know about med school..to be honest half of their "advice" is not even good. Sorry if my post is a little too long, but I just was curious as to who in here has done a post-bacc and then gotten into a med school/currently is a med student. I'm not a Bio major and I have no time to do all my pre-reqs before graduating (aside from the fact that my science gpa is non existent). I also wanted to know how many of you guys had a minor along with your major. The only reason I'm asking is becuz I might have a minor (my major pairs up nicely with this particular minor) and I read in the pre-allo that no one really cares about minors and blah blah blah. lol. Any responses would be great.

I was a history major, did a post-bac to fulfill the med school entrance requirements and did well in med school. Its not a problem getting into med school if you aren't a bio major - as long as you did well in whatever field you chose to study. I would also strongly suggest that you do some sort of senior thesis if you're in the liberal arts - if you can do well with that then you will have a great topic to discuss during your interviews, plus it demonstrates your ability to make a commitment and produce a worthwhile piece of work. And of course, you need to do well in your post-bac classes to demonstrate you can handle hard sciences.

I agree that nobody cares about your minor - unless its somethign really different and unusual, it really won't come up. Much more important to spend your spare time volunteering in a hospital/shadowing a physician/doing medical research - those would definitely come up in the intervew.

 

[peach4me]

I majored in political science . . . It really doesn't matter what you major in as long as you get a decent score on the MCAT, have good extracurriculars (example - volunteering at hospitals, shadowing doctors, tutoring, conferences, etc. ) You'll get in

 

[dancinjenn]

I majored in HR with a training specialization, worked for a year, did a post-bach plus the volunteer stuff, etc.

 

[dnelsen]

I was a philosophy major with no minor.

I didn't have all my prereqs so I had to take them postbacc although I didn't do a postbacc program. I wonder on this site when people say postbacc do they mean they enrolled in one of those "structured" premedical postbacc programs or does it mean they just took the necessary courses at a university (like me)?

 

[xanthines]

I was a history major with no minor, but I managed to slide in all the pre-reqs. It's possible to get in.

-X

Hi guys, I decided to post this question on this forum becuz the pre-allo forum members THINK they know everything there is to know about med school..to be honest half of their "advice" is not even good. Sorry if my post is a little too long, but I just was curious as to who in here has done a post-bacc and then gotten into a med school/currently is a med student. I'm not a Bio major and I have no time to do all my pre-reqs before graduating (aside from the fact that my science gpa is non existent). I also wanted to know how many of you guys had a minor along with your major. The only reason I'm asking is becuz I might have a minor (my major pairs up nicely with this particular minor) and I read in the pre-allo that no one really cares about minors and blah blah blah. lol. Any responses would be great.

 

[Joel Fleischman]

being a non science major will probably make you "interesting" to admissions depts....
Minor generally wont matter, only do it if it is something in which you are interested. I was a science major with a minor in math, but I dont think it was ever mentioned.
You should try to reasonably space out your pre-med classes, even if at the expense of a minor.
let's say you're a poly sci major with minimal science classes but a basic sci. GPA of 3.7... you're probably set...
let say your poly sci with an econ minor and a basic sci gpa of 3.3... not as good (but you still may have a shot).
And remember on the MCAT the magic number is 30.
Get some real clinical volunteer experience. Dont just bring milk and cookies to kids in the hospital (although you should do it if thats your thing)... what is most meaningful is if you have experiences intereacting with patients, showing you dont freakout around sick people, and can handle taking care of them.
hope I answered you question

 

[iatrosB]

My minor was mentioned in my interviews, but probably because it is a business minor and that is unique and valuable in today's medical environment.

 

[Benzo4every1]

I majored in political science . . . It really doesn't matter what you major in as long as you get a decent score on the MCAT, have good extracurriculars (example - volunteering at hospitals, shadowing doctors, tutoring, conferences, etc. ) You'll get in

All you need to do is fulfill the entrance requirements (prerequisites) OR whatever you guys call them these days. You don't even need a bachelor degree. If you don't and you finish med school, I think your college/university will give you a diploma (or something like that)

For some odd reason, you need physics and organic chem
Bleah!

 

[GGale]

I was an Art major who took no math or science in undergrad at all. I did prereqs one at a time, first at a community college for the really basic stuff (Intro Algebra, Preparing for Chem, Intro Bio), then transferred to a state university to take Chem, O Chem, Physics, Calculus, and an advanced Bio class.
No formal post-bacc, no second degree. Got in everywhere I applied.

 

[Duckie24]

I graduated in engineering, worked for a while, then went back and took my science classes. It's really important to do well in those, plus if you study hard anyway it is great prep for the MCAT. Fit some research in if you can, a research for credit class is great.

 

[dr_juvi]

thanks a bunch guys...you all gave me the answers i needed. oh just curious..how's med school life..is it what you all thought would be? thanks again!

 

[Blake]

thanks a bunch guys...you all gave me the answers i needed. oh just curious..how's med school life..is it what you all thought would be? thanks again!

The life is alright imo. People are laid-back and relaxed, and my stress level is lower than in college.

 

[dr_juvi]

The life is alright imo. People are laid-back and relaxed, and my stress level is lower than in college.

yea ok, thas a good one tho

 

[thackl]

thanks a bunch guys...you all gave me the answers i needed. oh just curious..how's med school life..is it what you all thought would be? thanks again!

Not so much stressed, but very busy around test time...... however, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I was expecting this to be a complete nightmare. To some, it is a nightmare though. There are a few in my class who are always stressed out and studying. Don't be one of those, it's not worth it.

 

[carrigallen]

I had a laidback undergrad experience, so med school (especially this 2nd year) is fast-paced and intensive. Still, the material is so interesting...parasitic twins, acromegaly, circadian rhythms, hypogonadism.

 

[dr_juvi]

Still, the material is so interesting...parasitic twins, acromegaly, circadian rhythms, hypogonadism.

sounds cool

 

[Blade28]

I was a Bioengineering major, Latin Literature minor. As long as you fulfill the school's requirements, no one's going to care what your major is. (In fact, if it's an interesting one, people might even take notice and ask you about it during interviews!)

 

[Lebesgue]

I was a math major with some graduate work. I filled in some of it during grad school, and interviewers thought it was interesting. Being non-standard with good scores sets you apart from the masses...