Undergrad Question - Freaking Out

[faithful gal]

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[laffertydaniel]

your a sophmore and your already thinking of post bac? i commend you for thinking into the future, and for setting goals, but at the same time take college one step at a time, one class at a time, one test at a time. It's like ferris bueller said, "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." If you decide to do post bac in something non science related i would urge you to do some research on the side to show that you have an interest in science as well.

 

[DrMidlife]

I am NOT a good test taker, but can pull off Bs in science classes if I work my butt off. I am thinking about doing a post-bac program for students with NO science background; although I went to a science magnet. Preferably I'd like to do a post bac program with linkage schools. I can't take the science courses at my school because everyone here is super prepared for science.

Science magnet is a high school ? (I have no idea.) How are other students "super prepared" and you're not? Have you taken any university science? My point is that you could be underestimating yourself.

I agree with the previous poster that thinking about a postbac at this point doesn't make any sense. If you want to be a physician then get going. If you have yourself convinced that you can't get A's in science at your current school, then think about changing schools. You could also think about finishing your current degree, and then going into the Peace Corps or similar. If you still want to be a physician when you get home, do a postbac then.

Either way get your fanny in a hospital and start volunteering. Right away.

Also, this is pre-osteo, and we don't wet our pants over getting straight A's here. If this is a miraculous "DO is better and I'm not interested in MD" case, then hallelujah, but I suspect you're thinking DO's easy to get into. Not so much.

Best of luck to you.

 

[laffertydaniel]

Science magnet is a high school ? (I have no idea.) How are other students "super prepared" and you're not? Have you taken any university science? My point is that you could be underestimating yourself.

I agree with the previous poster that thinking about a postbac at this point doesn't make any sense. If you want to be a physician then get going. If you have yourself convinced that you can't get A's in science at your current school, then think about changing schools. You could also think about finishing your current degree, and then going into the Peace Corps or similar. If you still want to be a physician when you get home, do a postbac then.

Either way get your fanny in a hospital and start volunteering. Right away.

Also, this is pre-osteo, and we don't wet our pants over getting straight A's here. If this is a miraculous "DO is better and I'm not interested in MD" case, then hallelujah, but I suspect you're thinking DO's easy to get into. Not so much.

Best of luck to you.

great point! a good option like midlife said is to change schools to a place that is more conducive to getting A's. The only reason i would say to not to do this would be if you feel that the school you are at right now will best prepare you for the MCAT. If you get B's and learn a lot then your good. If you get B's and you learn zilch, then your screwed for the MCAT. I had a friend at cornell, and he said that the avg for his tests were in the 40's and although he got an A- with the curve, he didnt really learn much and he suffered on the MCAT because of it.

 

[HrvatskiDoktor]

Since you are only a sophomore, you could drop the poly sci and just do a straight pyschology degree and start taking the basic general pre-med classes and see how you do. I'm sure that a degree in pyschology will help you out in medical school just as much as, if not more, than a basic science degree.

And I don't know of any post-bac straight to DO programs without you having to take the MCAT. It's not a scary as you think once you start to prepare---and seriously 80% of the test is mental prep, not academic!

 

[hermit]

Dear board,

I am in a very difficult situation here. I'm in an undergrad at an Ivy League institution doing very well academically, but majoring in political science and psychology.

I am a 2nd year and am considering the pre-DO track now. I am NOT a good test taker, but can pull off Bs in science classes if I work my butt off. I am thinking about doing a post-bac program for students with NO science background; although I went to a science magnet. Preferably I'd like to do a post bac program with linkage schools. I can't take the science courses at my school because everyone here is super prepared for science.

Has anyone here done post-bac programs with no science background as an undergrad? If so, what were they?

Also, has anyone done a post-bac program and been accepted into DO school without MCAT scores through a linkage program?

Thanks so much

You are selling yourself WAY too short. Forget about the postbac, you are a sophomore and have plenty of time. Postbacs are for people who screwed up somewhere along the line (logistically or academically) and you fall into neither category. I would advise you to drop one of your majors and replace the empty spots in your schedule with med school pre-reqs. If you are worried about the difficulty, only take one or two a semester. If this extends your undergrad time by a semester or two, well, that time would have been consumed by a postbac anyway. Keep the grades up (especially the science), find a DO to hang with long enough to write you a letter, get some clinical/volunteer experience, and make a decent score on the MCAT. DO schools will gladly take you.

PS: This plan will work just as well for MD schools.

 

[Saregamapadanis]

Dear board,
I am a 2nd year and am considering the pre-DO track now. I am NOT a good test taker, but can pull off Bs in science classes if I work my butt off. I am thinking about doing a post-bac program for students with NO science background

Err, if you are bad in sciences now, how can you be sure you will excel at a post-bac program? if you are not a good test taker, then you can always learn this skill. First figure out what is wrong with your study methods and change them. To be a successful physician, you need to be able to think critically within the realm of natural sciences. I hope you do well, good luck.

 

[Yourmother]

Err, if you are bad in sciences now, how can you be sure you will excel at a post-bac program? if you are not a good test taker, then you can always learn this skill. First figure out what is wrong with your study methods and change them. To be a successful physician, you need to be able to think critically within the realm of natural sciences. I hope you do well, good luck.

I second and agree with Saregamapadanis....he knows his $hit!