what should i do?

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jesse14

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Hello all,
i have a bit of a delema........ I'm in 2nd year undergrad school and i want to apply to med school. Some schools dont require the 4 year degree and they only want 3 years of university. I've been told i should apply afer this year for conditional acceptance for after my 3rd year. BUT i want my degree which is something i couldn't get if i decided to go to med school after 3 years of university. What should i do? should i just wait untill after my 3rd year of school to apply so i can have my degree in hand for should i just forget about my degree and worry about getting into med school?

Thank you all very much

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I would get your degree, it gives you something to fall back on if you decide you do not want to be a doctor. Surprisingly, there are a lot of people who quit medicine after school. Plus, if you have to reapply you can use your degree to get a job and earn some money while you wait. So I would apply during you junior year, since it is a year long process. Hope this helps.
 
I would also like to mention that even though they only require a three years, most people have at least a BA or BS and some people are even PHD's. I think for you to be competitive you need to be on the same level as the other students applying.
 
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jesse14 said:
Some schools dont require the 4 year degree and they only want 3 years of university.
Actually, most schools don't REQUIRE a degree, but it is extremely rare that a candidate is accepted without one. It does happen though - a former student of mine got accepted to vet school (which some say is tougher to get into than medical school, at least in Ohio) after her 3rd year without a degree.

I've been told i should apply afer this year for conditional acceptance for after my 3rd year.
Can I ask by who? and Why? You must be an exceptional student/person.

BUT i want my degree which is something i couldn't get if i decided to go to med school after 3 years of university. What should i do? should i just wait untill after my 3rd year of school to apply so i can have my degree in hand for should i just forget about my degree and worry about getting into med school?

I think you answered your own question. If you want your degree, finish your degree. Again, unless there is something absolutely spectacular about you, the chances of your getting accepted w/o one are slim.

A better option might be to investigate schools who have and early admittance program (note - this is NOT Early decision). I know MCO has a program (Medstart) which admits students during their junior year for a start date the year following the completion of their degree. It requires a GPA of 3.7 and an ACT of 29. If you are accepted, you have to maintain at least a 3.5 your senior year, and you do NOT have to take the MCAT. (in 2004 33 students applied for this and 30 were accepted) There are some financial penalties if you decide to not attend MCO after going through this program.
 
jesse14 said:
Hello all,
i have a bit of a delema........ I'm in 2nd year undergrad school and i want to apply to med school. Some schools dont require the 4 year degree and they only want 3 years of university. I've been told i should apply afer this year for conditional acceptance for after my 3rd year. BUT i want my degree which is something i couldn't get if i decided to go to med school after 3 years of university. What should i do? should i just wait untill after my 3rd year of school to apply so i can have my degree in hand for should i just forget about my degree and worry about getting into med school?

Thank you all very much

1. You can apply now, and if you get accepted you can defer.
2. You can realize that your Bachelor's degree will be of no value to you. Ever.
 
AmyBEMT said:
I know MCO has a program (Medstart) which admits students during their junior year for a start date the year following the completion of their degree. It requires a GPA of 3.7 and an ACT of 29. If you are accepted, you have to maintain at least a 3.5 your senior year, and you do NOT have to take the MCAT. (in 2004 33 students applied for this and 30 were accepted) There are some financial penalties if you decide to not attend MCO after going through this program.

I believe they've cut this number back some to 10-15, but I'm not certain. Nevertheless it is still a great program!
 
Some schools like UCSF give bachelor's degrees to people they accept who only have three years of undergrad. Good luck getting in with only three years though.
 
Absolutely get your degree. In the scope of your medical career the additional year it takes for you to get your degree will make no difference, but it WILL make you a more appealing candidate. And I do think that having a bachelors is of some value, especially if the other option is essentially doing 80% of the work, and then not completing the degree. Also, as someone else mentioned, it is nice to have something else to fall back upon just in case.

Goodluck :)
 
nycmed8 said:
Absolutely get your degree. In the scope of your medical career the additional year it takes for you to get your degree will make no difference, but it WILL make you a more appealing candidate. And I do think that having a bachelors is of some value, especially if the other option is essentially doing 80% of the work, and then not completing the degree. Also, as someone else mentioned, it is nice to have something else to fall back upon just in case.

Goodluck :)

If you apply and are not accepted, then you can reapply once you recieve your degree.

If you apply and get accepted, then obviously you WERE an appealing candidate.

There is no reason not to apply now unless you are afraid of using the money.

Don't forgot you are going to be making a little extra cash when you are a physician.
 
You may as well get your degree...its only 1 more year, plus if you're even thinking about applying for conditional acceptance, I have no doubt that you'll be fine in taking the MCAT as well as applying for med school once you have your Bachelor's degree...
 
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