Problem 21 Y/O junior going for bsn

[JClass413]

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I have a dilemma I want to finish my junior but drop out of nursing my SENIOR year to go into Pre Med major. Do you people think it would be better to finish my senior year then take my pre med requirements? I just think I will waste my year going for my BSN my senior year when I can just take the pre med requirements which I could have all done probably 08! I would just have to take summer classes and work hard my senior year and I might even have to go into winter break taking classes as well. Do you people think it's worth it.

 

[JClass413]

I SURE HOPE IT's worth it

 

[deleted87716]

IMO, if you're less than one year away from completing your BSN, I'd recommend finishing, even if you don't intend to practice nursing. There's really no such thing as a "pre-med" major at most schools, anyway, so all you have to do is take the basic pre-reqs, and you'll be able to apply to medical school. Having a BSN under your belt can't hurt.

 

[sunnyjohn]

Finish the BSN. You could work part time as an RN while taking your pre-med pre-reqs, make decent money and get clinical experience.

Since the majority of schools do not have a "pre-med major", if you drop now, won't you have to take more classes for a NEW major?

 

[silas2642]

I have a dilemma I want to finish my junior but drop out of nursing my SENIOR year to go into Pre Med major. Do you people think it would be better to finish my senior year then take my pre med requirements? I just think I will waste my year going for my BSN my senior year when I can just take the pre med requirements which I could have all done probably 08! I would just have to take summer classes and work hard my senior year and I might even have to go into winter break taking classes as well. Do you people think it's worth it.

I'd finish the BSN because you're pretty much almost there. Besides, you might change your mind about this medicine thing and go back to nursing some time in the future or choose to pursue an NP or something instead. Also, keep in mind that if you do choose to go for the MD there is no guarantee that you will gain a seat in medical school-- only half the applicants make it and having the RN to fall back on is way cooler than no degree at all. Good luck with your journey.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Finish the BSN. You could work part time as an RN while taking your pre-med pre-reqs, make decent money and get clinicla experience.

*not a nurse*

I've known people to do this, and it seemed to work out well.

-t

 

[JClass413]

yeah i would have to but I don't want to wait that long i think that saving my last year of nursing should be my plan B

 

[JClass413]

I'd finish the BSN because you're pretty much almost there. Besides, you might change your mind about this medicine thing and go back to nursing some time in the future or choose to pursue an NP or something instead. Also, keep in mind that if you do choose to go for the MD there is no guarantee that you will gain a seat in medical school-- only half the applicants make it and having the RN to fall back on is way cooler than no degree at all. Good luck with your journey.

My issue is i dont want to waste more time. And if for some reason I don't make it I could allways go back and finish my LAST year that would not hurt. I just want to give it a shot all the way to the stars, and not have to settle for a degree that my heart is not truley in. Don't get me wrong I like nursing and caring for people, but I really want to help save lives not that nurses don't they just save lifes in a different perspective.

 

[vegetables]

My issue is i dont want to waste more time. And if for some reason I don't make it I could allways go back and finish my LAST year that would not hurt. I just want to give it a shot all the way to the stars, and not have to settle for a degree that my heart is not truley in. Don't get me wrong I like nursing and caring for people, but I really want to help save lives not that nurses don't they just save lifes in a different perspective.

I wouldn't necesarrily worry about "wasting time" - the average age of a matriculating 1st yr med student is in the mid-20s I believe. If anything, you'll still be seen as young by many ADCOMs, so having a focused degree such as a BSN would help you answer the question "How can you really know you want to go into medicine, and how can we tell that you're dedicated to a clinical lifestyle?" It WILL make you stand out in the application process to have it...in fact they may think "Well she gave up pursuing a BSN when she was so close to finishing, maybe she won't be able to commit to an MD either..." if you drop it.

I also think having a BSN under your belt would be a huge help come your clinical years - I have wished almost every day of my 3rd and 4th yrs that I had some of the nurses technical knowledge. I say ya finsh what ya started and then go for the MD if it's truly what you want!

 

[schutzhund]

I AM (was) a nurse. I would probably drop it and just do your pre-med classes. I don't think the BSN will really help you. Experience as a nurse will help in your 3rd and 4th years some but just the BSN won't do much for you. Nursing classes will not help NEARLY as much as some good upper level biology classes (cell, genetics, molecular, immuno, biochem). Also, some schools have a bias against nurses (OTOH, some will like it).

If it were me and I had it to do all over and if I was 100% sure I wanted to be a doctor and had the grades (and can keep the GPA up) I would ditch the nursing degree and start a year sooner.

BTW, think of this. If you start one year sooner that extra year at the end, when you're done with residency and work as an attending, would probably be enough to pay ALL of your medical school debt off.

 

[CmePaddlin]

Dude, I'm in the same boat. I'm going on my final year of a BSN and realized it was a mistake. However, in pre-nursing I took the upper level courses and escaped with a decent GPA, and am receiving my minor in chem along with the BSN.
You could do what I'm doing and take a few difficult upper level courses along with the nursing classes, as I dont find them challenging at all, and there is extra time to study for harder classes.
I say stick with it, get your bachelors out of the way, and that way while you're going through the year long process of applying to med schools you can knock out ~$60k while doing it.

 

[JClass413]

I AM (was) a nurse. I would probably drop it and just do your pre-med classes. I don't think the BSN will really help you. Experience as a nurse will help in your 3rd and 4th years some but just the BSN won't do much for you. Nursing classes will not help NEARLY as much as some good upper level biology classes (cell, genetics, molecular, immuno, biochem). Also, some schools have a bias against nurses (OTOH, some will like it).

If it were me and I had it to do all over and if I was 100% sure I wanted to be a doctor and had the grades (and can keep the GPA up) I would ditch the nursing degree and start a year sooner.

BTW, think of this. If you start one year sooner that extra year at the end, when you're done with residency and work as an attending, would probably be enough to pay ALL of your medical school debt off.

Thats how I am looking at it i do not think that the Nursing scope of practice is totaly different from a doctors. I have expierence working with nurses and I see what they do where I work at and it's not something I think I want to do. Plus even if i did get my BSN is it possible to work while in med school i'm no Genuius but, I can get the grades if I do it the old fashion way hard studying.

 

[JClass413]

Dude, I'm in the same boat. I'm going on my final year of a BSN and realized it was a mistake. However, in pre-nursing I took the upper level courses and escaped with a decent GPA, and am receiving my minor in chem along with the BSN.
You could do what I'm doing and take a few difficult upper level courses along with the nursing classes, as I dont find them challenging at all, and there is extra time to study for harder classes.
I say stick with it, get your bachelors out of the way, and that way while you're going through the year long process of applying to med schools you can knock out ~$60k while doing it.

Sorry I do not have that Luxiory I have to work 24hrs a week night shifts and it sucks man. If I did not have to work school would such a breeze. If I to do medschool I would not even work honestly

 

[JClass413]

Dude, I'm in the same boat. I'm going on my final year of a BSN and realized it was a mistake. However, in pre-nursing I took the upper level courses and escaped with a decent GPA, and am receiving my minor in chem along with the BSN.
You could do what I'm doing and take a few difficult upper level courses along with the nursing classes, as I dont find them challenging at all, and there is extra time to study for harder classes.
I say stick with it, get your bachelors out of the way, and that way while you're going through the year long process of applying to med schools you can knock out ~$60k while doing it.

Sorry I do not have that Luxiory I have to work 24hrs a week night shifts and it sucks man. If I did not have to work school would such a breeze. If I to do medschool I would not even work honestly

 

[JClass413]

I wouldn't necesarrily worry about "wasting time" - the average age of a matriculating 1st yr med student is in the mid-20s I believe. If anything, you'll still be seen as young by many ADCOMs, so having a focused degree such as a BSN would help you answer the question "How can you really know you want to go into medicine, and how can we tell that you're dedicated to a clinical lifestyle?" It WILL make you stand out in the application process to have it...in fact they may think "Well she gave up pursuing a BSN when she was so close to finishing, maybe she won't be able to commit to an MD either..." if you drop it.

I also think having a BSN under your belt would be a huge help come your clinical years - I have wished almost every day of my 3rd and 4th yrs that I had some of the nurses technical knowledge. I say ya finsh what ya started and then go for the MD if it's truly what you want!

I am a male by the way. I see your point but I do not think they would really look at me like that. I think if anything they would see a resiliant young man who made it out of the projects an tough streets to fufill his true dream. I think that they would also see it as "okay this man left his senior of nursing to commit himself to a whole other degree," and with that said they will see how commited I am to my decision to be an MD. Also being a minority " Puerto Rican," could also help me into getting in to a Med school becuase of certain regulations of quotas the sometimes have to fufill. Not to say that I am any less qualified than any other applicant. Also whats the worst that can happen I see as a win win situation if I do not suceed with my MD then I have RN to fall on. I only would have to do one more year for my degree for a BSN! So why not shoot for the stars instead of the moon. My true goal is to be an MD not a nurse.

 

[CmePaddlin]

Loans?
Also, counting on minority status is a huge mistake. Use your GPA and MCAT, as well as EC's, to make you shine, not your ethnicity.

 

[JClass413]

Loans?
Also, counting on minority status is a huge mistake. Use your GPA and MCAT, as well as EC's, to make you shine, not your ethnicity.

Offcourse I am not counting on that i am qualified as a whole but, being minority plays to my advantage from the material I have read.

 

[vegetables]

I am a male by the way. I see your point but I do not think they would really look at me like that. I think if anything they would see a resiliant young man who made it out of the projects an tough streets to fufill his true dream. I think that they would also see it as "okay this man left his senior of nursing to commit himself to a whole other degree," and with that said they will see how commited I am to my decision to be an MD. Also being a minority " Puerto Rican," could also help me into getting in to a Med school becuase of certain regulations of quotas the sometimes have to fufill. Not to say that I am any less qualified than any other applicant. Also whats the worst that can happen I see as a win win situation if I do not suceed with my MD then I have RN to fall on. I only would have to do one more year for my degree for a BSN! So why not shoot for the stars instead of the moon. My true goal is to be an MD not a nurse.

I absolutely think you should shoot for the stars and go for what you want!

I'm just coming at this from the perspective of a 4th year med student who's been a part of the admissions committee. I've seen plenty of good applicants rejected b/c of the question of "will this person stick it out?" b/c something on their app made them questionable. But, if you can convince them via excellent grades, MCAT scores, LORs, and interviews, than you're set either way...

At my med school we get 7000 applications for 155 spots - so with those numbers, work on what you can control (grades, degrees, etc) and consider that quota stuff pretty nearly irrelevant, b/c whose to say there aren't say, 600 other people with the same financial and ethnic backgrounds thinking the same thing?

Bets of luck in whatever you choose to do!

PS - While lots of people have made the point that getting done med school 1 yr earlier will save you money, that is a point to consider, but there's more to it. I know lots of people (myself included) who did the college straight to med school route and some regret it, basically b/c short of taking a year off in med school, your life is medicine from the day you start school onward. Lots of my classmates did completely unrelated things for a year (volunteer, travel, started a family, etc) and love the fact they got that in before the big career. So just think that it's more than $$ - and in the end, unless you kinda suck (!), there are no poor (good) doctors, so it shouldn't be a *huge* deciding factor. And I'm 200K in debt in school and saying this!! Again best of luck.