What is the process

[stec04]

ok so first off, i am new to this forum. I found it through google and i really like it so far. Anyways a little background about myself just so i can explain my situation:


I go to Rutgers University. I am finishing my first year. After taking all business classes, i realized that i do not like business and want to go into medicine. I originally went into business because everyone said it was easy and you get good money. Only recently did i finally realize that nothing comes easy and you have to work for everything.

So heres the deal: I have 24 credits, which i can only use 6 (English 101 and 102) towards a major other than business. All my other 18 credits are useless and will not be accepted towards another major or towards some sort of electives.

So now, what i want to do is take some summer courses to get all my electives out of the way and my 2nd year work on my credits towards a pre-med degree.

Now here are my questions:

1.) What is the exact process of becoming a doctor? I know that youre supposed to apply your junior year but if you get accepted what do you do during your senior year of college? Do you attend both college and med school or how does that work? Please explain to the greatest ability.

2.) What should i major in? Theres a Pre-med program at Rutgers but as far as i know i dont think you can get a degree in "Pre-Med" maybe im wrong but hey who knows... I like math and science and if i put the effort into it i can like chemistry too.


I guess thats pretty much it for now.. What i would really like is if someone can give me the exact details of what you have to do and the process of becoming a doctor. (when to take MCAT's. How medschool works and all that stuff)

I know i want to help people and i love science. i was always interested in becoming a doctor but i was always afraid of all the time necessary to become one. Recently i have realized that i want to be a doctor and im willing to put the time and effort into becoming one.

Thanks in advance!

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[RySerr21]

2.) What should i major in? Theres a Pre-med program at Rutgers but as far as i know i dont think you can get a degree in "Pre-Med" maybe im wrong but hey who knows... I like math and science and if i put the effort into it i can like chemistry too.

you did good by moving away from the business path. the most important thing about a major is that you ENJOY what you are learning. it doens't have to be "pre med", it doesnt have to be biology, or chemistry, or physics. it can be whatever you want to learn about. j ust as long as you meet all of the requirements for med schools, they dont care what you take outside of that. in fact theyd like it better if you took courses you were interested in learning about. its the best of both worlds. as youve already found, taking classes you dont like are not fun. you shouldnt take a course or do a major b/c someone says its the best way to go. only you can decide that.

i didnt fill in all the details about MCAT and stuff but ive gotta go so hopefully someone else will respond

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[coldweatherblue]

1.) What is the exact process of becoming a doctor? I know that youre supposed to apply your junior year but if you get accepted what do you do during your senior year of college? Do you attend both college and med school or how does that work? Please explain to the greatest ability.

2.) What should i major in? Theres a Pre-med program at Rutgers but as far as i know i dont think you can get a degree in "Pre-Med" maybe im wrong but hey who knows... I like math and science and if i put the effort into it i can like chemistry too.

1.) Becoming a licensed physician in the United States = 4 years of undergrad with 4 prerequisites (1 year General Biology, 1 year General Chemistry, 1 year General Physics, and 1 year Organic Chemistry) + MCAT exam + acceptance to med school (the big part) + 4 years medical school (where you take USMLE Step 1, and Step 2) + 3-7 years residency depending on what you kind of doctor you want to be.

Most people apply to med school the summer before their Senior year. This means that they will have already taken the MCAT and finished the four required pre-req courses. In most cases you apply a year before you matriculate. So someone applying in the summer before their senior year won't attend medical school til the next summer (after graduating from undergrad). If accepted you finish your senior year of college, graduate, then go to med school that summer.

2.) you can be accepted to med school with any major. You only need the four pre-reqs and the MCAT. Some schools require biochemistry and statistics too IIRC.

A pre-med advisor at your school can give you more specific information.

 

[stec04]

awesome. thanks for all the quick responses.

ok so i can be accepted to med school with any major. all my friends are telling me to major in pre-med so that i can have an easier time in med school. Im pretty confused at this point. i think im going to major in chemistry though.. i dont like going to my counselors at Rutgers because they always rush me they just listen and not advise. like they expect me to know what classes to take and such...so this is why ive turned to the internet for help and to people who i can relate to that went through this process already.

Thanks in advance again...you guys are great help to me!

 

[Pedsbro]

A great resource for you would be the MSAR (Med School Admissions Requirements) book that the AAMC puts out (the organization that represents almost all the medical schools in country). go to aamc.org and order it...it's about 25 bucks. Way worth it if you're brand new to this!! It'll give you all the info you need and it profiles all the medical schools and tells you what their avg accepted GPA/MCAT scores are as well as their prereqs (for example, many schools also require 1 year of English, math, etc).

Major in whatever you want...med school will teach you what you need to know and they teach you assuming you've never had the stuff before (since more and more med students come from non-science backgrounds). I'm in a masters program right now that allowed me to take actual med classes, so i know for a fact that you aren't required to know anymore more than they teach in those prereq classes. While it may make some things a little easier if you're a science major, the point is all you're gonna do once you get into med school is science science science. So college is your last chance to do what you want and take whatever interests you outside of science.

Anyways, I would definitely get that book, or something like it and it'll breakdown all the procedures and even give you a sample timeline. Keep in mind also that it's becoming more common for people to take a year off after graduating college and then apply to med school (the so-called "lag year"). In that time, you can work and/or volunteer in a healthcare setting, do research, shadow doctors, etc. Good luck!