so how important it is to have a B.S.?

[wolvbb]

Well this is my dilemma, I play a varsity sport at umich which is very time consuming and demanding, without it I would of never gotten in. My GPA through freshman year is a 3.3. The way they have our sport scheduled really limits me to the number of classes I can take, which typically fails between 12-14 credits per semester. I plan on taking all the med pre-reqs before the MCAT coupled with a few classes like physio, biochem, and anatomy.

My major is in movement science which has a portion of the med pre-reqs tied into it (intro bios/lab, gen chem, physics I/lab and english I/II) but with my time limitations in four years I will be around a semester (if not more) short in classes for my major.

I'm out of state at umich (really expensive) and would prefer to go straight into med school.

I volunteer and shadow and have other EC's

so would not having a undergrad degree matter?

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[TupacalipseT96]

BA vs. BS means nothing... in many cases, you cant even compare BS's at one university to BS's at another. Maybe in other cases, a BA at one place would be even MORE rigorous than a BS somewhere else....

So it really doesnt matter...at all. If art major vs. science major doesn't matter to medical school committees, I can't imagine BA vs. BS even coming up in any discussion.


At my school, the difference between a BS and BA in biochemistry is one elective and a slightly more time-consuming lab. That's it. Nothing of any relevance to medical schools. Not to mention I won't even have my degree until AFTER I am accepted, and I could still decide to switch last minute.

 

[RySerr21]

It doesnt matter at all. I go to a liberal arts college, EVERYONE gets a B.A.. Physics majors, chemistry majors, biology majors, biochemistry majors...they all have BAs when they graduate.

My major is kinesiology...among the anatomys and physiologys and other typical kines courses, we are required to take every pre med req...ochem, physics, gen chem, and a year of general bio.... at the end of 4 years I am leaving with a BA. weird, but its not a big deal.

 

[wolvbb]

let me rephrase bc i screwed up.... not a B.S. or B.A.

a undergrad degree at all

 

[RySerr21]

let me rephrase bc i screwed up.... not a B.S. or B.A.

a undergrad degree at all

oooo. having an undergraduate degree is pretty important. i dont konw off the top of my head, but i thikn its required at most schools. someone else may provide a more definitive answer. if its not a requirements, its definitely heavily preferred.

 

[TupacalipseT96]

oh lol.

You'd probably want to have one of those in some way shape or form by the time you matriculate.

You can't just take another year to graduate?

 

[HumidBeing]

It really makes no difference which an applicant obtains - a B.A. or a B.S.

Whether or not you complete a degree, does make a difference, though. You won't need to complete a program before you apply, but most schools will require that you complete a degree program before you matriculate.

 

[Pedsbro]

let me rephrase bc i screwed up.... not a B.S. or B.A.

a undergrad degree at all

Oh, well that's an easy one. No Bachelors = No med school. Lots of medical schools say they don't require a Bachelors, but only in the rarest, most extreme circumstances (usually involving international applicants) do they take someone without a Bachelors.

 

[mattng]

I think he meant not having a college degree all together? You're saying that in order to get your degree, you would have to stay an extra semester. Most medical schools require you to have at least 90 credit hours to be matriculated but I want to say the majority of students (like 95%) have a bachelor's degree (whether it be B.A. or B.S.). If offered acceptance or maybe even a waitlist to a medical school, you will still have to send in your final transcripts and they will see if you have gotten a degree. Not having a degree will definitely hurt your chances into getting into a medical school. I say take some winter and summer courses and get that degree. You're this close already.

 

[wolvbb]

thx guys

 

[Law2Doc]

so would not having a undergrad degree matter?

Yes it matters. All premeds have time constraints and multiple activities and are expected to manage them well. Not being able to graduate because of yours would be a HUGE concern.

 

[cyclophane21]

Well this is my dilemma, I play a varsity sport at umich which is very time consuming and demanding, without it I would of never gotten in. My GPA through freshman year is a 3.3. The way they have our sport scheduled really limits me to the number of classes I can take, which typically fails between 12-14 credits per semester. I plan on taking all the med pre-reqs before the MCAT coupled with a few classes like physio, biochem, and anatomy.

My major is in movement science which has a portion of the med pre-reqs tied into it (intro bios/lab, gen chem, physics I/lab and english I/II) but with my time limitations in four years I will be around a semester (if not more) short in classes for my major.

I'm out of state at umich (really expensive) and would prefer to go straight into med school.

I volunteer and shadow and have other EC's

so would not having a undergrad degree matter?

If I understand you correctly you are saying that you would be applying without ever attaining your BA OR BS?

Yeah, that's not possible. Because even if you did get in you would not be able to matriculate without some sort of bachelor's degree.

 

[wolvbb]

the sad state of things is that most coaches put athletics before academics, even though I do not agree with this, its tough to bite the hands that feed you.

and the summer class thing.... 99% of the time you are playing or training for your sport away from your home institution or any other 4 year university. Unless you opt not to play during the summer (semi-death wish)

I emailed my advisor to see if i could start some of the later research classes now, so hopefully I'll be able to knock those out early.

but ok i see what i need to do! I always pondered this but now i know! thx

 

[cyclophane21]

the sad state of things is that most coaches put athletics before academics, even though I do not agree with this, its tough to bite the hands that feed you.

and the summer class thing.... 99% of the time you are playing or training for your sport away from your home institution or any other 4 year university. Unless you opt not to play during the summer (semi-death wish)

I emailed my advisor to see if i could start some of the later research classes now, so hopefully I'll be able to knock those out early.

but ok i see what i need to do! I always pondered this but now i know! thx

I understand your plight, but honestly none of this will matter to medical schools. You either have it or you dont...and so that being said you really need to get the degree done and then depending on the GPA think about your chances/future.

I wish you ALL the best though, and good luck. Go PENN STATE!

 

[shiftingmirage]

Could you just stay for 5 years? I realize that may not be ideal, but if your dream is to be an MD, an additional year is not the end of the world and it will allow you to continue with your sport.

 

[wolvbb]

there are a few reasons why I would not want to stay 5 years:

1. Your not guaranteed your or any scholarship or even a roster spot

2. If I wasn't playing, its not worth waking up at 5:30 every tues/thurs in the morning for 4 months (accompanied with practices later in the day)

3. Out of state tuition is insane

4. I have a girlfriend who plans on entering med school at the same time
(after a few classes together we've found out we compliment each other very well and hopefully we be able to continue it)


and p.s. i always love playing penn st. most of yall have class (unlike OSU or MSU)

 

[Danbo1957]

You can attend at least two dozen US med schools that do not require a degree. But you do need to have around two-thirds (90 hours) done including pre-med requirements. Your current GPA will matter, as will all the other credentials normally wanted by med schools.

So: go talk to your pre-med advisors, they'll know what you need to do....

 

[Bacchus]

If this is a sports issue then you should talk to the coach. If that doesn't help/alleviate any problems you may have to seek out help elsewhere. Since you're not going pro (you haven't indicated) you need to worry about your degree/occupation first and sports second.

 

[HoboCommander]

so would not having a undergrad degree matter?

according to the MSAR, an MD is itself an undergraduate degree. to some school it might matter but not to others.

 

[tourniquet1963]

nevermind

 

[fastdude400]

and p.s. i always love playing penn st. most of yall have class (unlike OSU or MSU)

No class? At least we've made the NCAA tournament the last 11 years....

I'm guessing you're a basketball player by your SN.

 

[nogolfinsnow]

I'm going to diverge from the original question and ask the OP a few others...

Do you like playing at UMich? You seem so set on med school that maybe playing out your career their isn't your top priority. Have you considered transferring to a program that will work with you to balance sports/school? It sounds like you might need the 5th year to i) complete your degree ii) take enough credits to get your GPA into a more competitive range iii) how are you going to travel for med school interviews without missing practice/games? iv) how are you going to study for the MCAT, study for classes, and spend the requisite time involved in athletics? I know it's tough to balance D1 athletics and school (I played baseball) but you're not going to get a lot of sympathy from any adcoms. I don't know how you could be involved in one of the time-consuming sports and still finish in 4 years while applying to med school with all that entails.

 

[wolvbb]

ha no not a basketball player, and couldnt care less about basketball in general.


I love playing at umich, its great and i wouldnt trade it for the world.

but i've figured out that if i take next summer off, and take 2 classes, ill be able to grad in 4 years