Pre-med while in law school?

[malpractitioner]

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[paranoid_eyes]

But do you think it's possible to do my post-bac while in law school? Basically I'd be taking 12 undergrad credits per term, in addition to a full law load. Assuming I have minimal social life, and assuming I work very hard (as I always do in school), is this doable?

im guessing....no....😱

EDIT: if you are really serious about this, i would talk to your law school advisors (or whatever they're called) to see.

 

[littlealex]

Have you really thought this through?
And no, it's not possible.

 

[brianmartin]

So do you still need to take all pre-med courses? I don't think it's possible. Plus I've heard several lawyers tell me, "Don't go to law school unless you want to be a lawyer." Why would you do this?

 

[malpractitioner]

I don't see how this is not possible? There are 12 year olds across the world working in sweatshops for 16 hour days and you're telling me I can't do pre-med while studying law?

 

[Cegar]

It's completely possible.

It's insane and expensive and difficult.

But completely possible.

Aren't there still a few MD/JD programs around?

 

[RoadRunner17]

Sure it's possible. But you'd probably have to go a bit more further than most to convince medical schools that you do want to become a doctor. Was this a recent decision?

 

[ufgrad00]

Which law school? I am not too smart on this, but isn't your salary right out of law school really dependent on the school you graduate from? I have a friend in UF law school now who says that graduates of top 14 law schools come out with 100K-150K offers to work with big LA or NYC law firms while graduates at tier 4 law schools usually take small government jobs with long hours and starting salaries of 30-40K a year.

Anyways, I agree with the others that if anybody really wanted to do medicine they should not go to law school. It is a waste of money and a post-bacc combined with volunteering and research (if possible) is likely the only option. It would be foolish to go to med school only for the purpose of studying the LSAT and to drop out 3rd or 4th year to apply to law school, so why should the reverse seem any more feasible.

 

[Cegar]

...Before anyone suggests I drop out of law and go straight to med, let me just say that I want a law degree and an MD for various reasons - it's too much to explain in this post...

Thanks.

Yep.

 

[45408]

I don't see how this is not possible? There are 12 year olds across the world working in sweatshops for 16 hour days and you're telling me I can't do pre-med while studying law?

Manual labor is a little less mentally taxing than what you're suggesting. I suspect that your mental performance would stumble and fall if you try to do this. I'd recommend talking to some law students who have undergrad degrees in science and see if they could have done them concurrently.

If you don't think that it's not possible, why did you ask?

 

[kidthor]

But do you think it's possible to do my post-bac while in law school? Basically I'd be taking 12 undergrad credits per term, in addition to a full law load. Assuming I have minimal social life, and assuming I work very hard (as I always do in school), is this doable?

I did something like this... I took a full law load and spread out 16 units worth of science classes over two years. I also did some medical shadowing and volunteering, and of course did law review. In the end I graduated in the middle of my law class and had a decent post-bacc GPA. It was worth it for me, but barely doable. I definitely had NO social life my second year of law school, and that was only with taking one science class each semester (granted, it was organic chem).

In my opinion it is entirely impossible to take 12 undergrad credits per term while maintaining a full law load. You at most can handle one course per term, and even that will test your stamina! You really can't let your law grades slip too much either, as this will prove to be a stumbling block in terms of med school admissions, and you'll want good law grades if you rely on law practice as a plan B. If you have a ton of courses to take (which it sounds like you may), I'd suggest taking a year off during law school to complete these, or maybe even defer for a year before enrolling if you still can.

 

[asm436]

I think it's doable, not ideal, but doable....it would be just like completing a dual degree program, many people consider this option. good luck...doesn't sound easy. I would still talk with my advisors about it though, in case they've seen it work...or not work...in the past.

 

[parto123]

I'm matriculating to law school next year and ultimately want to become a doctor. Before anyone suggests I drop out of law and go straight to med, let me just say that I want a law degree and an MD for various reasons - it's too much to explain in this post. But do you think it's possible to do my post-bac while in law school? Basically I'd be taking 12 undergrad credits per term, in addition to a full law load. Assuming I have minimal social life, and assuming I work very hard (as I always do in school), is this doable?

Going to med school is so important to me, and I'm certain I have the discipline and motivation to work early mornings and weekends to study. Has anyone here done this or has anyon heard of someone who's done this?

Thanks.

This depends on several things. Will you care about your law school grades? If so, it may be difficult to do both, especially your first year. Law schools are graded on a strict curve so you will be at a distinct disadvantage against everyone in your class. Its not enough to know the material, you have to know it better than your classmates. Even if you don’t find law material difficult, law school is very time consuming because of all the reading that is assigned for every class.

However, if you go to a top 14 school, grades will be less important, and if you go to a top 6 (HYSCCN) or so school, you can practically skip all your classes and still end up with great opportunities.

 

[malpractitioner]

...

 

[Wylde]

I'm matriculating to law school next year and ultimately want to become a doctor. Before anyone suggests I drop out of law and go straight to med, let me just say that I want a law degree and an MD for various reasons - it's too much to explain in this post. But do you think it's possible to do my post-bac while in law school? Basically I'd be taking 12 undergrad credits per term, in addition to a full law load. Assuming I have minimal social life, and assuming I work very hard (as I always do in school), is this doable?

Going to med school is so important to me, and I'm certain I have the discipline and motivation to work early mornings and weekends to study. Has anyone here done this or has anyon heard of someone who's done this?

Thanks.

ask a group of LAW students.

we are pre-meds, we dont have any better idea of how intense law school is than you do!

You know yourself well enough, the workload will probably be insane. A professional school and an undergrad course load is a LOT

 

[nlax30]

My wife did law school (recent grad) so I can only comment on what I watched as she was going through it.

I think it would be VERY difficult to balance a full law load WITH 12 credit hours of some decent level science courses. One thing, can you even schedule the post-bacc classes around the law courses? I would seriously recommend talking with either your pre-law advisor or talking with someone at the actual law school there about this. She had a friend who did a combined JD/MBA program and that was rough, definitely minimal outside life.

I think it's technically do-able. Only you know yourself and if you'll be able to keep up that pace for a while without getting burned out. I would question though the actual ability to schedule and find 3-4 sciences available that would fit around your law schedule, unless your school offers evening classes or something like that.

How long were planning on doing this for? If you spread the pre-reqs out over the 3 years you shouldn't have to take 12 hours each semester....? Or take 2-3 sciences over the summer when you have the break.

Obviously if you're planning on doing Law Review or some other Journal you're going to have to keep law grades up. If for whatever reason you do want to practice law for a little bit pretty much all you have when applying is your class rank/GPA and then any extracurriculars/honors you had.

Anyway, good luck! I saw your other thread and I think almost everyone tried to talk you out of it or steer you towards a combined program so I won't get into that here.

 

[japhy]

hopefully this is helpful to you. i am finishing my 4th year of med school and in between 2nd and 3rd year went to law school.

if you are serious about caring about law grades and such, and you better care about your post-bacc grades, there is no way in hell you can take a full course load in both places! none, zip, zero...

i don't mean to sound like i am preaching, but it's simply not possible. you don't need to explain to me your reason for pursuing both degrees. trust me, i am sick to death about answering malpractice jokes. if you want to get into med school you need to have the application to do it. no way you can keep solid, much less decent grades in both places. and trust me, the med schools will be looking at your law school grades.

i went into law school knowing i was going back to medicine and in many ways "checked out" of the competitive aspects of law school. even still, it was a ton of work.

best of luck to you. if you have more specific questions get in touch.

 

[xrevision]

You can do joint MD/JD programs.

 

[Top Gun]

I think you'd be taking on way too much doing post-bacc classes while going to law school. I never went to law school myself, but any kind of graduate program is very demanding, whether its a Ph.D program, medicine, law or MBA. And you want to do post-bacc classes on top of that? They have their own set of demands. I guess it would be possible for you to do it, but it would be very stressful. You'd probably end up getting burned out. And by the way, med school admission committees are going to wonder, if his dream is to be a doctor, why did he go to law school in the first place? IMHO, you need to pick a career and stick to it.

 

[sunny1]

So I'm a little slow, but now your name seems funnier to me. Seriously, though, listen to the folks who have responded that have experience with both.

 

[DeadCactus]

I don't see how this is not possible? There are 12 year olds across the world working in sweatshops for 16 hour days and you're telling me I can't do pre-med while studying law?

If you don't understand the difference between 16 hours of menial labor and 16 hours of trying to cram information into your brain, the advice on this thread is useless...

Edit: Either way, while it may be possible for an individual (not necessarily you) to complete both at the same time, you would be getting a poor education in both fields. There is more to education than going to classes and acing tests.

 

[175961]

So do you still need to take all pre-med courses? I don't think it's possible. Plus I've heard several lawyers tell me, "Don't go to law school unless you want to be a lawyer." Why would you do this?

Probably the best piece of advice here....follow this and you wont fail

 

[Crazy4F1]

my boyfriend is a current 2L, while i'm an M1 (same university). quite frankly, he never goes to class, does his reading/outlining when he feels like it, and goes out 3 nights a week. he's on the dean's list (and we're talking about a top tier school). if you're capable of functioning like he does i'm sure you could fit in one, maybe two premed prerequisites along with your law classes, presuming you're ready to work hard for them, not because theyre so insanely difficult (many people on here will play up the drama and strife of being premed, but lets be serious about it, they're just college science classes), but because they are simply another time commitment and another drain on your resources as a student. i'm sure it's possible to do but i doubt it will be a pleasant experience.

the thing i find most interesting about the med/law studying, however, is that it takes a completely different mindset to analyze (for instance) constitutional law, than it does to memorize the steps of embryogenesis. kudos to you if you have the intellectual capacity to transition between both of them well, but for either myself or my b/f, the difference in the necessary learning style would just be mindboggling for either of us to attempt to study the other discipline. i cant imagine trying to do them both at the same time.

 

[nlax30]

the thing i find most interesting about the med/law studying, however, is that it takes a completely different mindset to analyze (for instance) constitutional law, than it does to memorize the steps of embryogenesis. kudos to you if you have the intellectual capacity to transition between both of them well, but for either myself or my b/f, the difference in the necessary learning style would just be mindboggling for either of us to attempt to study the other discipline. i cant imagine trying to do them both at the same time.

Exactly!

If someone is able to do well in both, and transition back and forth then good for them. I know I couldn't. I've looked at some of my wife's materials and listened to way too many hours of bar prep lectures in the car with her and realized I'd probably go crazy if I had to go to law school. We think very differently though.

 

[Law2Doc]

I'm matriculating to law school next year and ultimately want to become a doctor. Before anyone suggests I drop out of law and go straight to med, let me just say that I want a law degree and an MD for various reasons - it's too much to explain in this post. But do you think it's possible to do my post-bac while in law school? Basically I'd be taking 12 undergrad credits per term, in addition to a full law load. Assuming I have minimal social life, and assuming I work very hard (as I always do in school), is this doable?

Going to med school is so important to me, and I'm certain I have the discipline and motivation to work early mornings and weekends to study. Has anyone here done this or has anyon heard of someone who's done this?

Thanks.

First, it is not possible. Having done law school as well as the prereqs separately I can assure you it is not realistic to do both without flubbing one or both. At most law schools it is not even physically possible because the hours per day are too long, and you'll have a ton of reading each night. It is more important to get A's in the prereqs then to get them done quickly, so it generally pays to wait on them rather than try to "squeeze them in". Just a bad idea.

Second, as discussed in your other thread, there are a very very very limited number of jobs that require both degrees (if any), and so it is not reasonable to brush aside the point as assuming you have "various reasons". You need a darn good, articulable reason to do the combo, and in most cases the goal you seek could be obtained with one or the other. Or you will end up working in one or the other field, but at a loss of several years and a lot of debt. So you need to be really well thought out. And med school will expect you to be well thought out as to the why. And will quickly give you the very negative "degree collecting", "professional student" label if you are already planning your next degree program while in the midst of one. Your reasons might be able to save you, but it's not a secondary point -- it has to be the driving point.

 

[Law2Doc]

the thing i find most interesting about the med/law studying, however, is that it takes a completely different mindset to analyze (for instance) constitutional law, than it does to memorize the steps of embryogenesis. kudos to you if you have the intellectual capacity to transition between both of them well, but for either myself or my b/f, the difference in the necessary learning style would just be mindboggling for either of us to attempt to study the other discipline. i cant imagine trying to do them both at the same time.

Disagree. All it takes to do well in law is having a good brain on your head and a willingness to use it. You spend three years of law school learning to "think like a lawyer" -- it isn't a gift or mindset you are born with. I promise you the science wonks who go into patent law have very similar mindsets to the typical premed when they start, and many of them do quite well. Actually the argumentative (born debator) types who have been told their whole life that they would make great lawyers seldom do.

 

[45408]

I think I can manage good grades for both areas by simply studying a couple more hours a day - it's not like torture or anything. There are lawyers who pour over documents for 12 hours a day; there's no reason I can't pour over chemistry and law for 8-12 hours a day.

Try it for a few months before you start law school. If you've only gotten a bachelor's thus far, you have no idea how much more difficult it can get. My difficulties in med school rarely stem from not having enough time to study, but almost always from not having enough mental energy to keep on going. I was at school today from 6:30am until 6pm, and even with frequent breaks, I'm mentally drained. I did the same thing yesterday. You can't sustain that for very long.

Crazy4F1's boyfriend is probably smarter than you or I, so it's not a really helpful comparison.

 

[StanfordDoc]

At a tier 2 school it should be easy as pie.

 

[RSAgator]

another thing to consider is what happens when it comes time to take the MCAT? If you're just trying to get by in your pre-req classes it may be doable, but what happens once you actually have to use everything you've ever learned in those classes (well not everything). Furthermore, assuming you take all your required courses this next year WITH your law courses, you'll still only be able to apply to med school the following year. It's not a matter of just getting the courses done because that's not going to be the end of the road for you. "Because I didn't want to do law" generally isn't an appropriate answer to "why medicine?"

 

[majik1213]

i know people with a JD and MD .. it's possible, and probably not that hard .. I think the reason there are so few is because of divergent interest between law and medicine

 

[Sputnik35]

I'm matriculating to law school next year and ultimately want to become a doctor. Before anyone suggests I drop out of law and go straight to med, let me just say that I want a law degree and an MD for various reasons - it's too much to explain in this post. But do you think it's possible to do my post-bac while in law school? Basically I'd be taking 12 undergrad credits per term, in addition to a full law load. Assuming I have minimal social life, and assuming I work very hard (as I always do in school), is this doable?

Going to med school is so important to me, and I'm certain I have the discipline and motivation to work early mornings and weekends to study. Has anyone here done this or has anyon heard of someone who's done this?

Thanks.

I didn't read the whole thread, but to me, my first impression of this post seems like you have too many things on your plate and your tone is indecisive.

Don't live and breathe stress, unless you like that, but in the end, you may not like whatever you want to become.

Remember, it's easier said than done.

 

[Crazy4F1]

Disagree. All it takes to do well in law is having a good brain on your head and a willingness to use it. You spend three years of law school learning to "think like a lawyer" -- it isn't a gift or mindset you are born with. I promise you the science wonks who go into patent law have very similar mindsets to the typical premed when they start, and many of them do quite well. Actually the argumentative (born debator) types who have been told their whole life that they would make great lawyers seldom do.

honestly, the stuff the b/f has to read just makes my head spin. and he sits and watches me studying and says that he would never have the patience for what i do. so i guess it's a good thing i'm not going to be the lawyer and he's not going to be the doctor

 

[brianmartin]

OP still hasn't revealed why he wants to do this, other than he has some special attachment to doing law, but somehow wants to get an MD too. Why?? Sounds like a waste of time and money.

it's too much to explain in this post.

okay....

 

[Law2Doc]

i know people with a JD and MD .. it's possible, and probably not that hard .. I think the reason there are so few is because of divergent interest between law and medicine

That may be part of the reason, but more likely it's because we are talking another couple of years of professional school at eg $30k per year, despite the fact that there aren't really many jobs out there that require both degrees (except perhaps if you want to do health policy work for the government or teach medical ethics -- and even those jobs are things you should be able to get with just a JD). Which is why most of the JD/MDs you are going to meet out in practice are career changers. Schools are pushing their joint degree programs but there aren't that many degree specific positions at the other end waiting for them. I don't think the OP's issue is whether it's hard to get them both, but whether it's hard to do law school and prereqs simultaneously, which would, in fact, be "that hard" and at many law schools impossible. But again, one shouldn't jump to the "is it possible" question before he gets past the "does it make any sense" question. And based on several threads OP hasn't addressed this latter question.

 

[Law2Doc]

OP still hasn't revealed why he wants to do this, other than he has some special attachment to doing law, but somehow wants to get an MD too. Why?? Sounds like a waste of time and money.

Agreed. I'm not totally buying OPs story (particularly in light of his screen name) until he better fleshes out his thinking of why he wants both degrees. It's actually very unlawyerlike not to spell out your position . But I'm offering my former lawyer perspective to these kinds of threads lest other people are thinking dual degree paths. It's fine if you have a good idea of why you need both degrees, and have researched whether you can get there with just one degree first. Not a good move if you can't articulate one.

 

[deuist]

There was a time that I thought about getting both degrees with the idea that I might go into public policy. I was in graduate school at the time and asked my adviser for his advice. He, like Law2Doc, said that if I were to apply to medical school with a JD, admissions committees would view it as degree collecting and would wonder if I ever wanted to practice medicine. I've always held in the back of my mind that I could go to law school part time while working as an attending. But then I realized that many of the courses---real property, criminal law---have no place in the medical field. Further, the legal stuff that I really was interested in---intellectual property---also does not play a role. I think the safe thing to do in my case would be to pick up some books on medical malpractice, torts, and civil procedure and let the lawyers take care of the rest.

For the OP, I question your sincerity for wanting to attend medical school. You haven't done the pre-reqs, which throws up an instant red flag. You can't come up with a clear plan as to how you would take these courses. And, as Law2Doc mentioned, you can't give a clear reason why you would need both. I'm sure an MD/JD sounds prestigious, but medical school is for doctors, and law school is for attorneys. We don't really need someone who practices both.

 

[Phoenix.]

OP: I went to law school at the end of the 90s and did my pre-reqs recently. If you REALLY want to complete your pre-reqs while in law school, and think you can do both well, here is the best way to do so that I can think of:

Your first semester of law school (and even perhaps the whole first year) you'll be learning to think and read like a lawyer, so there will be a lot more work until you get it under your belt. So, I wouldn't take any med school courses that year. I would, however, take chem I and then chem II over the two summer sessions after your 1L year. Normally what I'd recommend to a law student would be to extern for a judge that first summer, but since you're not interested in working in the legal field after law school, but going to med school instead, you should use that summer to finish one pre-req. Then, during second year, I'd take one course per semester, preferably bio I then bio II. Generally during the first semester of second year you'd be interviewing on campus for law firm jobs for the summer after your second year, but since you're not interested, finish off orgo I and then II during that second summer. During your third year I'd take one class each semester again, this time physics I and then II, and by the time you graduate law school, you'll have finished your pre-reqs. You could take the MCAT the summer you finish law school, and apply that year to med school, entering a year after finishing law school.

Alternatively, if you can start your pre-reqs this summer, I'd move it all up, and take Chem before you start law school, then Orgo and Bio over 1L and 2L summers, and just take Physics I and II during your third year. That would probably be ideal.

However, keep in mind that you'll also need to be getting clinical experience during law school if you want your story to ring true that all along you wanted an MD. Or get involved in some way with policy if that's what you're interested in. Like L2D, I'm curious what your interest in getting both degrees is.

Anyway, I thought first semester of law school was really rough since you're learning how to read more analytically, and are not sure how much to study for a law school exam to do well, but the rest of it was pretty easy. Then again, the only grades that ever mattered for me were my first year grades, since that's all the big firms ever saw that I was interviewing with for jobs for my 2L summer (and which ended up being the job I took when I graduated (which I accepted at the end of my 2L summer)). So, my 2L and 3L grades never mattered. Still, I wouldn't take more than one pre-req at a time. You need to do your best to get As in the pre-reqs. And while I think some Bs in law school won't break your med school application, you don't want to bomb law school either. In your case, I think your personal statement will be KEY and you'll really need ECs to back up whatever your goal/intentions are. Good luck.

 

[Top Gun]

Yes, the OP should also know that med school admissions committees not only look for excellent grades in med school prerequisite courses and high MCAT scores, but also at things like extracurricular activities, especially any kind of clinical experience, whether it is shadowing, volunteering, working as an EMT, etc... If you did the premed courses along with the course load you already have from law school, that would leave you with very little time for these other activities. In your case, it is very important that you obtain some sort of clinical experience, because admissions committees, seeing that you have gone to law school, will wonder if you're truly committed to becoming a doctor.

 

[Law2Doc]

Yes, the OP should also know that med school admissions committees not only look for excellent grades in med school prerequisite courses and high MCAT scores, but also at things like extracurricular activities, especially any kind of clinical experience, whether it is shadowing, volunteering, working as an EMT, etc... If you did the premed courses along with the course load you already have from law school, that would leave you with very little time for these other activities. In your case, it is very important that you obtain some sort of clinical experience, because admissions committees, seeing that you have gone to law school, will wonder if you're truly committed to becoming a doctor.

Exactly. You really can't squeeze everything in at once, and since you still have a lot to do before applying, no point trying to. Again, at the law school I attended it wouldn't have even been physically possible to take a course with a lab on top of second or third year, even if it were doable gradewise (which I tend to doubt as well -- something would get flubbed). But no way to add on ECs on top of that. So once you are talking an extra year before applying anyhow, may as well save the ECs. Sure you can squeeze one course in each summer if you don't plan to work (risky if you plan to use the law degree as you won't have anything on the resume like your peers). But hardly seems worth it.

 

[DrZaius]

Actually the argumentative (born debator) types who have been told their whole life that they would make great lawyers seldom do.

Why is that?

 

[Law2Doc]

Why is that?

Because bringing people together at the bargaining table is a far more useful skill in most of law. The way law firms see it, anyone can be taught to be a brawler, a hired gun. It's much harder to teach mediation/negotiation/client management and draftsman skills. Which is why the big and respected firms stay away from contingency fee type work. More often than not the "born arguers" are blessed with skills most clients want to avoid having to bring to bear unless other avenues don't pan out. The great lawyers are the ones that keep their clients happy and out of court.