Thinking about MCAT - non traditional applicant!

[MCAT1982]

Hi All,

I am newbie to this MCAT discussion forum.

Its been one of my biggest dreams to pursue my career as a Doctor. Due to many reasons (Parents decision and pressure - well thats what happens in Asian countries !! ), I went along different routes - Bachelors in Engineering, Masters in Business - and ended up in an excellent job.

I am now 29 years old, and I feel like I need to pursue my dream at least now.

Well, I started thinking about MCAT - but then some suggestions from you guys for some generic questions I have, would definitely help me make a decision:

1. I graduated high school with all the prereq courses in 1999/2000 - so its been around 11 years - Will that affect my admission process ? I mean, Will Med schools check stress on me getting the prereqs done again ?

2. I am thinking of going for MCAT prep courses offered by PR/Kaplan - will that comprehensive course package they are offering (105 hrs by PR and 72 hours class by Kaplan + my own effort) be enough for me to give it a shot with MCAT ?

3. I am 29 years old, and I am targeting for the earliest possible admissions (if everything goes fine) - Am I too old for the same ?

Any suggestions would really help. What I need now is some honest opinion and suggestions.

Looking to hear from you all.

Cheers.

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[DAPI]

Hi All,

I am newbie to this MCAT discussion forum.

Its been one of my biggest dreams to pursue my career as a Doctor. Due to many reasons (Parents decision and pressure - well thats what happens in Asian countries !! ), I went along different routes - Bachelors in Engineering, Masters in Business - and ended up in an excellent job.

I am now 29 years old, and I feel like I need to pursue my dream at least now.

Well, I started thinking about MCAT - but then some suggestions from you guys for some generic questions I have, would definitely help me make a decision:

1. I graduated high school with all the prereq courses in 1999/2000 - so its been around 11 years - Will that affect my admission process ? I mean, Will Med schools check stress on me getting the prereqs done again ?

2. I am thinking of going for MCAT prep courses offered by PR/Kaplan - will that comprehensive course package they are offering (105 hrs by PR and 72 hours class by Kaplan + my own effort) be enough for me to give it a shot with MCAT ?

3. I am 29 years old, and I am targeting for the earliest possible admissions (if everything goes fine) - Am I too old for the same ?

Any suggestions would really help. What I need now is some honest opinion and suggestions.

Looking to hear from you all.

Cheers.

1) Yes, you are going to need to retake them, preferably at a 4 year university. Also, you probably did not have OChem is HS.
2) No, you will need to retake the classes to get a good grip on the subjects. The prep courses move way to fast for anyone trying to actually learn the info and not just review.
3) No, you are not too old.

Lastly, the MCAT is chaining is 2015 so planning is going to be crucial for you because if you end up taking the new MCAT, you are going to need a few more courses like Psychology and Biochemistry.

Taking the current MCAT would be possible, but you would need to get all the required courses done in two years and take the MCAT the summer you finish them up.

 

[notbobtrustme]

You need to have completed at least the following:

2 semesters of Intro Biology + Lab
2 semesters of Intro Chemistry (commonly called inorganic) + La
2 semesters of Organic Chemistry + Lab
2 semesters of Intro Physics + Lab
1 semester of Calculus
2 semesters of English


Schools can go above and beyond this. For example, OSU is starting to require 1 semester of Anatomy before matriculation.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

You need to have completed at least the following:

2 semesters of Intro Biology + Lab
2 semesters of Intro Chemistry (commonly called inorganic) + La
2 semesters of Organic Chemistry + Lab
2 semesters of Intro Physics + Lab
1 semester of Calculus
2 semesters of English


Schools can go above and beyond this. For example, OSU is starting to require 1 semester of Anatomy before matriculation.

Calculus isn't required at most med schools.

 

[pkwraith]

Can you elucidate on what you mean by "graduating with all the prereqs from high school?" That's a very confusing statement.

Did you take college classes in high school? Right now, my thought pattern is that you haven't done any of the prereqs, except Physics and Gen Chem.

 

[MCAT1982]

Can you elucidate on what you mean by "graduating with all the prereqs from high school?" That's a very confusing statement.

Did you take college classes in high school? Right now, my thought pattern is that you haven't done any of the prereqs, except Physics and Gen Chem.

Hi...Thank you all for all the responses.

I did my Pre req courses in India - in 11th and 12th grade and thats considered as High School in India - though its basically the same as the Pre Med program.

So I had all the courses - including Org Chem/Bio Chem/Physics/Anatomy/Math

I had good grades in most of those courses(its been 10 years though!) - So I think, I would just need a brush up course, from some Classroom programs like PR classroom program.

 

[silleme]

Hi...Thank you all for all the responses.

I did my Pre req courses in India - in 11th and 12th grade and thats considered as High School in India - though its basically the same as the Pre Med program.

So I had all the courses - including Org Chem/Bio Chem/Physics/Anatomy/Math

I had good grades in most of those courses(its been 10 years though!) - So I think, I would just need a brush up course, from some Classroom programs like PR classroom program.

To enroll in most medical schools in the US, you need an undergraduate degree from a 4-year institution. Even Canadian students find it hard to get accepted into US medical schools with a degree from a non-US school. So your courses from high school wouldn't count at all toward this process other than giving you a head-start with knowledge when you take the classes over again in a US college. And you'll need to take the full list as referenced by notbobtrustme with the exception of calculus.

I'm not trying to discourage you, as I'm older and only a year ahead of you in the school process, but I'd rather you had realistic information and expectations of this process. I believe if you really want it, the work you'll put into is is all worth it.

 

[Veritas86]

For nontrads who suddenly realize that they want to a doctor, one of most common mistakes is developing the almost crisis attitude of "I'm old! I have to do everything NOW!"

My response to this is the question: is your goal to get into medical school or to get into medical school quickly?

Don't risk your chances under the impression you must rush and take too many courses, thus overloading and having mediocre grades. GPA and MCAT score will get you in, not trying to do everything at once

This one actually hit me today. I'm taking my time getting there. I'm only 25, and I do want to take some time between now and med school, especially since I've still got a couple years of undergrad. Gives me more MCAT prep time and time to focus on actually learning rather than forcing everything all at once.

 

[notbobtrustme]

Hi...Thank you all for all the responses.

I did my Pre req courses in India - in 11th and 12th grade and thats considered as High School in India - though its basically the same as the Pre Med program.

So I had all the courses - including Org Chem/Bio Chem/Physics/Anatomy/Math

I had good grades in most of those courses(its been 10 years though!) - So I think, I would just need a brush up course, from some Classroom programs like PR classroom program.

You're definitely going to need to retake the pre-reqs unless you took them here in the states as part of your engineering degree (assuming your engineering degree is from the states).

 

[MCAT1982]

Thanks again guys...

My Pred Med coursework, my Engineering bachelors - its all from India. But, my Masters degree is from the US.

 

[dmf2682]

Are you a us citizen or permanent resident?

 

[MCAT1982]

No..I am not a US citizen...I am having EAD using which I am working right now...

I was checking for Pre req courses (Pre Med programs) at some Community Colleges - the one close to me is the Austin Community College - and this is the list of courses they have as a part of Pre Med program. Can you please check this link and tell me whether these are pre reqs you guys are talking about ?

http://www3.austincc.edu/it/cms/www...ar=2011&type=CC&group=@0007&nid=9746&apid=719

But this counts to only 63 credits - so what is it about 90 credit requirements ? I have a Bachelors in Engineering from India (which was considered as accredited for my Masters degree in US).

Also, the course listing above shows History and stuff..is that required for Med school admissions ?

Thanks all...

 

[MCAT1982]

Hi all..Thanks again..

Can someone list down the coursework that would be needed as a part of pre req completion - say for eg: Cell and Molecular Biology is a BIO course requirement. Similarly, can someone help me with the exact course names ?

I went to a Community college today and they said that they want to evaluate some of my Undergrad course work from India and see whether it can be transferred (like Engg Math to meet Calculus requirement, and such ) - Hope I am able to get atleast a few done that way.

Thanks again...

 

[dmf2682]

I was surfing today and saw that Cincinnati is pretty lenient with their requirements. They accept foreign degrees if you had grad school in the US and do not have formal course requirements either. I thought of you, might be worth a look.

here's the link:
http://med.uc.edu/StudentServices/MedicalStudentAdmissions/Requirements.aspx

good luck

 

[MCAT1982]

Hi...

Thanks a lot for that info...

I started with my Prereq courses now - started with Gen Chem 1 from Austin community college.

Hoping to get all the major/mandatory premed courses done..as soon as I can.

 

[Tummytroubles]

1) Yes, you are going to need to retake them, preferably at a 4 year university. Also, you probably did not have OChem is HS.
2) No, you will need to retake the classes to get a good grip on the subjects. The prep courses move way to fast for anyone trying to actually learn the info and not just review.
3) No, you are not too old.

Lastly, the MCAT is chaining is 2015 so planning is going to be crucial for you because if you end up taking the new MCAT, you are going to need a few more courses like Psychology and Biochemistry.

Taking the current MCAT would be possible, but you would need to get all the required courses done in two years and take the MCAT the summer you finish them up.

Not necessarily true, I am also 10 years away from pre-reqs and several years out from any coursework and I did alright on the MCAT (10 or above in each section which tends to the cited goal on here).

I also called schools and most schools do not require recent coursework. The MCAT is VERY basic and the material can be easily picked up on your own. Plus, you have seen this material before, you will be surprised how quickly it comes back.
Start studying and maybe take a practice test to see where you are at and call the schools you want to attend and see how they feel about someone who graduated a long time ago.

Also, most US medical schools require you to have permanent residency or citizenship for admittance. Some may take you but they will want you to prove you have 300,000+ in the bank to pay tuition and living expenses first.