Post Baccalaureate And Grades Help.......

[Iain]

I am sure posting another ?my situation? post will not make me Mr. Popular around here, however SDN is a fabulous resource, and I need some help!!

In 9 weeks and 1 day (not that I am counting) I will complete my business degree over here in the United Kingdom and will be moving back to the US (there is only so cheesy pop a boy can stand!).

I have thoroughly enjoyed my business course, and the business world seems very exciting however I do not see myself enjoying the life behind a desk. I am planning on spending a year in a business position to gain first hand experience, to really see what it is all about.

While doing this I also plan to volunteer at a local hospital to learn what goes on inside a hospital, gain a better understand of the hospital work culture and what is really involved in looking after people. I will also be sitting an EMT class at the local community college to gain as much exposure as I possibly can.

I think this year of ?real world? experience will ensure what I already believe; that a medical career is for me!

My concern is how big of a role my non-medical degree grades play in getting into med school and on a post baccalaureate pre med program. The grading method over here is very different to the US standard, and I do not feel my business grades represent me accurately. My grades are not bad (if I had to guess the conversion I would estimate it as about a 3.0; I am on target for an honors) but High School in the US really does not prepare you for University over here. Children over here start sitting essay style exams at age 7, and the exams increase in important as they continue schooling, when they are at University level they have 11 years experience behind them, when I started the closest thing I had was a few 20 minute timed writes. On average your final exam counts for 80% of your total course mark, which meant I was at quite a disadvantage. The main thing I have going for me is I have did High School and College on an accelerated program, so I will only be 19 when I graduate.

I am more concerned about getting into the post baccalaureate pre med program, as at that point it will be able to prove myself, and I am quite confident that my grades will be quite good! Does anyone foresee any problems with this?

My only other concern is over here in the UK to pass you need to get 40% to get a 1st (top marks) you need to get 70% (BTW they grade SO much harder over here; getting 70+% is almost impossible!) so on my transcript the grades will be around 50-60% which will probably raise some eyebrows, do you think they will be aware of the difference in the grading scale?

Any other advice would truly be appreciated!

Thanks for your time,

Iain

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[TexasGuy41]

Hey,
If I were you I would do a search entitled "Post-bacc" on SDN. that should get some good results.

I know there is a great post-bacc program at the University of Maryland. And I also know that most post-bacc programs only require a degree from a university to enter the program. I'm sure a UK degree would be accepted in lieu of a US degree. Basically, the schools will let you into their programs to take Chem, Orgo, etc, the rest is up to you. One word of advice, I don't recommend working and taking classes in the evenings. I did this, and it killed me. Working during the day, no matter how easy your job may be, really limits the amount of time you can spend studying for these stupid science courses that mean so much. Plus, the other kids in your class are probably willing to spend 5 hours a day studying to get an A, so if its graded on a curve then you are screwed. Good luck!

 

[agent]

many schools state that you can take the pre-reqs at a community college..

if you have a strong undergrad school/gpa/mcat you should be fine.

 

[tBw]

Originally posted by TexasGuy41
I'm sure a UK degree would be accepted in lieu of a US degree.

hmm, don't be so sure - especially ironic considering you're from Houston Texas, as Baylor specifically rejected my UK degree saying I still needed 90 credit hours (I have 45ch in US) in a US institution regardless of foreign degrees held.

Other schools, like Einstein, insist on 1 years worth (~30 credits in US on top of your UK degree), and some schools recommend a year but claim they sometimes waive that requirement if it was at an English speaking university.

 

[Amy B]

I would suggest that once you get back to the states, you figure out which med schools you are interested and set up an appointmnet to talk to the dean of admissions. They will be more than happy to sit down with you and your transcripts and let you know what you would need to take if you were applying to their school.

They can also help you deceide where you should volunteer or what EC opportunties are out there so that you can be a competitive candidate.

Good luck

Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the non-science degree. It will set you out above the crowd. It is good to be different. That is of course if you can earn good grades in the pre-req courses you will need to take.

 

[Iain]

Thank you all for replying to my post, I will certainly run a search on post-bacc programs. My home is in California and hope to stay there right the way through med school. The 2 post-bacc programs I am looking into are the one at Cal State Fullerton and UCI. On the AAMC with reference to the UCI program it says 'Open to underrepresented minorities and/or economically disadvantaged students who have been previously unsuccessful in gaining admission to medical school' is it only open to these candidates, or is this a gimmick? I also want to attend med school at UCI; I will definitely try and organize a meeting with the dean of admissions, as that would be incredible helpful, and really lay down what I need to beforehand!

The Wonder Boy - Are you talking about admissions into med school? As I think TexasGuy41 was referring to the post-bacc pre med program, so with that I will have the 1 year of US college requirement fulfilled!

 

[Iain]

Just to let you know, I found out the info on UCI (if anyone is interested). It is for people who have tried to apply to med school and have not been successful, therefore the program is not what I am looking for.