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Hi! This is my first post in this forum, and this entire site looks like a fabulous resource; I'm so glad a friend of mine (also hoping to become a doctor) pointed me in your direction.
My major question is whether it's better to take pre-med pre-reqs at an established post-baccalaureate program geared toward non-traditional students, or whether taking regular undergraduate courses at a state university could accomplish the same ends?
Here's the background info: I'm currently a rising senior at St John's College in Annapolis, MD. St John's is a four-year Great Books school with no majors and no electives - everybody takes four years of philosophy and literature, four years of mathematics, three years of history of science, two years of Ancient Greek, two years of French, and two years of music. It's a small school, but out of the average graduating class of 100 usually one or two go on to become doctors. Because St John's is such a non-traditional school, aside from Calculus I will have none of my pre-medical pre-requisites completed once I graduate.
My friend, who is a year ahead of me (ie, just graduated) from St John's applied for several post-baccalaureate programs, and was waitlisted at three, including John Hopkins; her experiences - namely, that she's going to have to work and wait for another year before even beginning her pre-reqs - has made me all the more inclined toward getting my pre-medical pre-requisites done at University of Maryland, College Park. My grades are good - 3.8 GPA - and I have no doubt that I would be accepted as a transfer student once I graduate from St John's. I'm currently corresponding with their transfer center about getting my credits at St John's analyzed for transfer credit!
My plan, when I graduate St John's in 2012, would be to take Gen Chem, Physics, and Biology Fall/Spring of 2012/2013, Organic Chemistry in the summer of 2013, and then take the year to apply for medical schools/take the MCAT/etc etc. Is this feasible? Is that timetable right? I am really tempted to try to complete a second BS in biology during the year that I apply for medical schools - it would avoid staying out of a bad job market, provide me with further qualifications, and also help prepare me - hopefully - for the first two years of med school.
However, I've read some stuff that makes me believe that Med Schools look more favorably upon pre-established pre-med post-bacc programs than upon non-traditional students who take the courses piecemeal.
Thanks so much for your time - while there are some doctors in my family, they're all practicing out of Australia, and my parents are both liberal arts majors with no idea how to negotiate the byzantine system that is medical school admissions. While I know I have the ability to do well in the pre-med pre-reqs and on the MCAT - I'm good at taking tests and was a National Merit Scholar - I'm nervous that I'm going to mess up the timetables and the other intangible things like volunteering, research, etc etc.
My major question is whether it's better to take pre-med pre-reqs at an established post-baccalaureate program geared toward non-traditional students, or whether taking regular undergraduate courses at a state university could accomplish the same ends?
Here's the background info: I'm currently a rising senior at St John's College in Annapolis, MD. St John's is a four-year Great Books school with no majors and no electives - everybody takes four years of philosophy and literature, four years of mathematics, three years of history of science, two years of Ancient Greek, two years of French, and two years of music. It's a small school, but out of the average graduating class of 100 usually one or two go on to become doctors. Because St John's is such a non-traditional school, aside from Calculus I will have none of my pre-medical pre-requisites completed once I graduate.
My friend, who is a year ahead of me (ie, just graduated) from St John's applied for several post-baccalaureate programs, and was waitlisted at three, including John Hopkins; her experiences - namely, that she's going to have to work and wait for another year before even beginning her pre-reqs - has made me all the more inclined toward getting my pre-medical pre-requisites done at University of Maryland, College Park. My grades are good - 3.8 GPA - and I have no doubt that I would be accepted as a transfer student once I graduate from St John's. I'm currently corresponding with their transfer center about getting my credits at St John's analyzed for transfer credit!
My plan, when I graduate St John's in 2012, would be to take Gen Chem, Physics, and Biology Fall/Spring of 2012/2013, Organic Chemistry in the summer of 2013, and then take the year to apply for medical schools/take the MCAT/etc etc. Is this feasible? Is that timetable right? I am really tempted to try to complete a second BS in biology during the year that I apply for medical schools - it would avoid staying out of a bad job market, provide me with further qualifications, and also help prepare me - hopefully - for the first two years of med school.
However, I've read some stuff that makes me believe that Med Schools look more favorably upon pre-established pre-med post-bacc programs than upon non-traditional students who take the courses piecemeal.
Thanks so much for your time - while there are some doctors in my family, they're all practicing out of Australia, and my parents are both liberal arts majors with no idea how to negotiate the byzantine system that is medical school admissions. While I know I have the ability to do well in the pre-med pre-reqs and on the MCAT - I'm good at taking tests and was a National Merit Scholar - I'm nervous that I'm going to mess up the timetables and the other intangible things like volunteering, research, etc etc.
I graduated from Annapolis in '06. 
