Puerto Rico Ec's

[XavierPR]

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I am about to finish my bachelors on computer engineering im 19 and in my last year, I always wanted to go to medschool but my plan was a really naive and an ignorant one. Im from Puerto Rico i wanted to study something computer related because i really enjoy it but my main focus was always medicine and since i learned that you dont really need a specific bachelors degree i chose CompEngi...now im really worried that this might not have been a good idea after all.

First of i dont know anyone in the medical field...my plan was to go to the Dominican Republic and attend UNIBE a dominican univeristy that most puertoricans that fail to enter schools in PR or are too old or have no money like me usually go to. They are the only med school in DR with federal loans and its really cheap like 7k per semester i believe and they have a 1 year premed program. But just recently i learned about bein an "IMG" and reading forums i can tell is a real problem and basically a 200k gamble.

My main problem is that i dont have money to pay for pre med courses and i was wondering if i could use the same loan i would use to pay for the pre med courses to pay for medical school or how do people do this? also the EC's to enter medical schools shadowing,volunteering, RESEARCH! i know nothing about this if any of you have any idea of any of this or how to do it in PR please tell me when and where. I dont even ask about giving DR a try because i know what everyone will say but in the case that I end up going there would it really be THAT hard i mean with good step scores could it still be a gamble?

 

[slopes23]

Why don't you worry about getting the pre reqs done before you worry about anything else. Also you need to have a bachelors degree if you are 19 thats only am associates. It sounds like you dont have any of them done except for probably calc.

Also I don't understand how you went from 7k per semester to a 200k gamble.

Lastly, UPR is not all that expensive.

 

[LizzyM]

@XavierPR You say you are finishing a bachelor's degree in computer engineering but that you have not taken the pre-med prerequisites. Usually when students who want to go to medical school are told, "you can major in anything" the unspoken part of that sentence is "but take the pre-med pre-requisites at the same time." If you have not done that and are in your final year of study before receiving your bachelor's degree., you will need to find a way to take the pre-requisites outside of the usual undergraduate program.
Some students do a post-bac which provides the course work and advising, often with help in finding volunteer opportunities and research settings. Some students do the pre-reqs and then do research during the year when they are applying. Other students do a "do it yourself" post-bac by taking classes as a student at large (in other words, not a student seeking a degree) at a four year university or at a community college. Some schools may have loans available to students who wish to take pre-med classes. Check with schools in your area about the availability of student loans. If money is a big issue, community college is often much less expensive than other options.
Before you get too deep into this process you should get to know some physicians and do some shadowing. One starting point can be volunteering in a medical facility or asking your doctor or a family member's doctor to introduce you to someone you can shadow.
Do buy the MSAR (it is about $25) and read up on the medical schools located in Puerto Rico. Those should be on your "list" as well as schools on the mainland. Your knowledge of language and culture may be particularly valued by medical schools along the Eastern Seaboard with large populations of Puerto Ricans.

 

[darklabel]

If you can't enter a school in PR and are willing to travel, I am sure you'll be able to enter a university in the mainland. Any with the premed track available would work.

Besides that, I would follow LizzyM's advice. Good luck!

 

[XavierPR]

Why don't you worry about getting the pre reqs done before you worry about anything else. Also you need to have a bachelors degree if you are 19 thats only am associates. It sounds like you dont have any of them done except for probably calc.

Also I don't understand how you went from 7k per semester to a 200k gamble.

Lastly, UPR is not all that expensive.

well its 5 years + living expenses yeah maybe its not 200k but roughly and no i do mean bachelors degree i started in the university of puerto rico when i was 16 people in here asume too much and i have calc 4.

 

[XavierPR]

@XavierPR You say you are finishing a bachelor's degree in computer engineering but that you have not taken the pre-med prerequisites. Usually when students who want to go to medical school are told, "you can major in anything" the unspoken part of that sentence is "but take the pre-med pre-requisites at the same time." If you have not done that and are in your final year of study before receiving your bachelor's degree., you will need to find a way to take the pre-requisites outside of the usual undergraduate program.
Some students do a post-bac which provides the course work and advising, often with help in finding volunteer opportunities and research settings. Some students do the pre-reqs and then do research during the year when they are applying. Other students do a "do it yourself" post-bac by taking classes as a student at large (in other words, not a student seeking a degree) at a four year university or at a community college. Some schools may have loans available to students who wish to take pre-med classes. Check with schools in your area about the availability of student loans. If money is a big issue, community college is often much less expensive than other options.
Before you get too deep into this process you should get to know some physicians and do some shadowing. One starting point can be volunteering in a medical facility or asking your doctor or a family member's doctor to introduce you to someone you can shadow.
Do buy the MSAR (it is about $25) and read up on the medical schools located in Puerto Rico. Those should be on your "list" as well as schools on the mainland. Your knowledge of language and culture may be particularly valued by medical schools along the Eastern Seaboard with large populations of Puerto Ricans.

Well i dont know how well you know Puerto Rico but this is not the mainland here advisors dont tell you anything especially in the public system...and like i said studying here wasnt my first option i wanted to go to the Dominican Republic but after i learned what being an IMG was, i rather not be one...anyways my main question here was about the loans can i take a loan and pay for the premed courses and use the same loan for medschool? also there are no community colleges in Puerto Rico.
And shadowing in here is really hard if you dont know anyone no doctor is willing to do it just cuz you are nice and well presented as for volunteering there is absolutely nothing medically relevant at least not that i know of thats what i was kinda wondering too about specific things or places i should go or ask. Anyhow thank you very much! i would be buying the MSAR as soon as i can

 

[XavierPR]

my mom always told me that if i had nothing nice to say it was better to say nothing at all thank you for your w/e u want to call it apparently it was totally necessary...have a great day!

 

[LizzyM]

Well i dont know how well you know Puerto Rico but this is not the mainland here advisors dont tell you anything especially in the public system...and like i said studying here wasnt my first option i wanted to go to the Dominican Republic but after i learned what being an IMG was, i rather not be one...anyways my main question here was about the loans can i take a loan and pay for the premed courses and use the same loan for medschool? also there are no community colleges in Puerto Rico.
And shadowing in here is really hard if you dont know anyone no doctor is willing to do it just cuz you are nice and well presented as for volunteering there is absolutely nothing medically relevant at least not that i know of thats what i was kinda wondering too about specific things or places i should go or ask. Anyhow thank you very much! i would be buying the MSAR as soon as i can

There are community colleges in PR. Here are a list of the public 2-year schools:
Instituto Tecnologico de Puerto Rico-Recinto De Guayama
Instituto Tecnologico de Puerto Rico- Recinto De Manati
Instituto Tecnologico de Puerto Rico-Recinto De Ponce

All seem to focus on full-time students so you might need to check on whether they offer the courses you'd need as a pre-med and if they would allow you to register as a non-degree seeking student.
You are very young to be finishing a bachelor's degree... would you consider changing your major to something like biology or chemistry and taking the chem, physics, organic chemistry, biology courses plus whaterver additional courses are needed or your major while still registered as an undergrad?

Volunteering to help the community in some way, medical or non-medical, shows that you are willing to put in the time to be of service to others. That is considered important if you are seeking a career that is focused on service.

How can you make a decision about being a physician if you don't know what physicians do all day (and through the night in the hospital? Contact one or more of the medical schools on the island and ask about the criteria on which they judge applicants and ask for advice on acquiring whatever exeriences are deemed necessary for those speciic schools.

 

[slopes23]

well its 5 years + living expenses yeah maybe its not 200k but roughly and no i do mean bachelors degree i started in the university of puerto rico when i was 16 people in here asume too much and i have calc 4.

First off, what high school did you go to? Second there may not be any community colleges near you (as all the ones listed by LizzyM are not close to San Juan, but like I said UPR is not all that expensive, literally only 5k per semester if that. You are going to have to invest at least another 2 years to do your pre reqs. As for shadowing, go volunteer at a hospital and meet doctors that way, then ask them if you can shadow them or someone they know. Being from PR is not all that different then other places when it comes to those type of opportunities.

 

[XavierPR]

First off, what high school did you go to? Second there may not be any community colleges near you (as all the ones listed by LizzyM are not close to San Juan, but like I said UPR is not all that expensive, literally only 5k per semester if that. You are going to have to invest at least another 2 years to do your pre reqs. As for shadowing, go volunteer at a hospital and meet doctors that way, then ask them if you can shadow them or someone they know. Being from PR is not all that different then other places when it comes to those type of opportunities.

How is my highschool relevant to any of this? i went to the UHS (University High School) is basically the high school of the UPR and of course UPR is not expensive but i already did a bachelors or im about to finish.My only question was if i could use the same loan to pay for the pre med classes and use the same loan to pay for med school.

 

[XmedBarney]

How is my highschool relevant to any of this? i went to the UHS (University High School) is basically the high school of the UPR and of course UPR is not expensive but i already did a bachelors or im about to finish.My only question was if i could use the same loan to pay for the pre med classes and use the same loan to pay for med school.

Stated in one word: No. Well, not unless you break causality.

 

[slopes23]

How is my highschool relevant to any of this? i went to the UHS (University High School) is basically the high school of the UPR and of course UPR is not expensive but i already did a bachelors or im about to finish.My only question was if i could use the same loan to pay for the pre med classes and use the same loan to pay for med school.

Knowing what high school you went to would give me a better understanding of who you were, and depending on what high school you said I could have perhaps known who you were (althoguh you are a few years younger than me so prob not. I had my hopes.

 

[DrOne]

I'm from Puerto Rico. If I were you I would either graduate and take the pre-reqs (mejoramiento profesional) or take the pre-reqs before graduation. UPR is very cheap so the loan amounts would be very small. For med school you would have to take a different type of loan, than the one you have in undergrad. Besides that, shadow a physician, so you know if you like medicine after all. If you still have time, do some research, there's a ton of undergraduate research opportunities in UPR Medical Science Campus. If after that you want to go to med school, take the MCAT and send the app. You're really young, I'm 23 and will be starting med school this year, so don't rush it. Loans are intimidating but it will be worth it in the long road. Going to the Dominican Republic, or any other non-LCME school should be the last choice. Most of the graduates of those schools have problems with the Steps and the Puerto Rico Board Exam.

I wish you luck, if you want any other advice, feel free to PM.