What to do?

[Ihansterx4I]

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I transfered to UCLA from a community college as a history major. I was always interested in the medical field and decided that if I got into UCLA, then I would prusue it. So I got in and to make a long story short, wasnt allowed to change majors and was told by the medical school that I should stick with history because med schools like the diversity as I have also read vigorously here on the forums. Anyways So far I've taken GenChem which i dropped thinking that I would get a bad grade but would have probably done at least a B in which I know isnt great but better then a mark as a dropped class. Took Physics and Life Science and unfortuantely got C-'s in both of them. Reason for the bad grade in Physics was that I never EVER took calculus or trig in HS or college so I was always a few steps behind everyone else. Life science I guess was my fault.
Anyways, I have a few problems maybe you helpful people here could give me some advice on.
1) I need Calculus 3A which is the first calculus class needed for the pre med requirements. Again, I never took any Calculus classes before and the highest math class I took was Math 22 at a CC which is College Algebra. I think If i study hard enough for the proficiency exam then I could possibly take it over the summer at a CC. Do you guys think that I could last in all the chem and physics classes with a non existent math background? Yea of course im going to try my best in the classes but realistically is it something I should be reconsidering?
2) Im 24 years old and am a Junior in college since i transferred. Messed around a little bit after highschool but yea... I know there are a lot of people out there that went to med school at 30+ years old of age but I dont necessarily come from a lot of money so im trying to take the best route fitted for me. This is something I REALLY want to do. Being a surgeon was something I felt like I was put on this earth to do since I was in highschool but always doubted my ability to handle the stress and work. Anyways, again im majoring in History and taking the pre med courses as well. Any advice you have for someone in my position would be fantastic. Like if I should join the campus science groups or AMSA, where to start basically. Maybe someone whose been in the same position as I.

I know im still young but I feel like time is of the essence and that im not getting any younger so I need to capitalize on the youth that I still have. I apologize if what I have written doesnt seem to make much sense, Iv'e been reading all different post on here for a good 4 hours straight now and am gettin a bit weary. This website has opened my eyes a lot and have given me s "second wind", but I feel like I would be more willing to continue if someone had gone through the same things as I have and could give me advice on what to do. Anyways, thanks everybody in advance for replying to this thread. I hope I posted it in the correct place.

 

[slim78]

None of the schools I applied to REQUIRED calculus, so I never took it.

Also, at my undergrad we had two different physics pathways (one that involved calculus and one that didn't). Since I never took calculus I took the physics classes that didn't require calc.

If medical school is really what you want, then take the rest of the prerequisite classes and go for. Just WORK HARDER! You don't seem to have very good excuses for why you didn't get good grades in those classes.

Take a bunch more science classes, ace them, and you will be fine.

Double check this calculus stuff. I'm really not convinced you need to take it. I know I never did.

Oh by the way I'm 27 and I'm just now about to start medical school. So in that sense I know where you are coming from.

 

[ATrain]

You shouldn't need calculus to matriculate into most schools. You might want to look at your options for physics courses since you shouldn't need a calculus-based course to cover your needs for MCAT/matriculation. I won't say that having a strong math background will not help you with your basic sciences, but you don't have to be a wiz at it so long as you can understand some basic (pre-calc) calculations.
I was a psych major in undergrad and I had to to two years of pre-med courses before applying to schools, so you are still within a reasonable timeframe especially still being in undergrad. I will be 27 this September and I start in August. From what I hear that is about average for DO schools. Some may go into it younger, but many also go into it a lot older. I wouldn't worry about being a History major, as your advisor said, being a bit different is a good thing.
If you feel you are here to be a surgeon, then do it. I too felt for a long time that I didn't have what it took to be a doctor, and so didn't take on a pre-med workload and fooled around a bit in undergrad. After having graduated, I found myself working in an area that was just not what I was looking for in life. So I decided to go back to school, attack those sciences, kill MCAT and now I will be starting at UNECOM this fall. Don't look at it as a matter of "what has happened" or "what you have or have not done". Look forward and realize that it is all about what you will do starting today. 👍

 

[Kateb4]

Yeah, I agree with the above. I don't think that any of the schools I applied to required Calculus. It sounds like you may be getting bad advice from your advisor. Do they have a pre-med advisor there or are you talking to a history advisor? If you love history stick with that major, but for me when I went back to school I wanted to quickest path to gettting the pre-req's done and graduating. That was a Bio major. Your school shouldn't be able to dictate to you that you can or cannot change your major unless you are trying to get into a limited enrollment program.

Anyways, you probably have looked around here already, there are lists of pre-req's but in general you need 2 semesters of bio, 2 sem of inorganic chem, 2 semesters of organic chem, 2 semesters of phys, all of these with labs. Also some schools require biochem. The rest of their requirements are usually university requirements like english and such, so as long as you have these things you should be fine.

I'm 30 now, and starting med school this fall. There are many older than me that I know of starting, so you are not in the minority. If this is what you really want to do, keep plugging away at it. This is a marathon, not a sprint, so don't worry about your age.

 

[REM12]

Just a suggestion- think about taking your science pre-reqs at a community college. It absolutely doesn't matter where you take your courses. What matters is the grades. Whether the course will be easier or not, depends on the instructor. But the smaller class size, I find, makes the curve a bit better to ride. And you can get more 1 on 1 time with the prof etc. You may even want to re-take those C- courses, they will WRECK your BCPM GPA. Thats the GPA thats calculated for Bio, Chem, Physics, Math.

The only stated requirements for almost all med schools is: 1 year inorganic chem, 1 year orgo, 1 year physics (non calculus), 1 year college level Bio. That's it. Also, if you retake the first semester chem and phys you will be in better shape for the later courses.

So, finish up your history major at UCLA, get your science requirements at a community college, DO WELL in those courses, get some extra curriculars like volunteering, community service, and get some patient contact experience and you should be good to go.

It isn't ALL about the GPA and MCAT (you absolutely must have ECs and nice LORs), but the higher these are, the more doors will open.

Again, just my 2 pennies.

 

[Ihansterx4I]

Well the list for pre med req's i got from UCLA was 1 yr of English, 1 yr of Calc, 1 year of Bio, 2 years of Chem, 1 year of Physics, BioChem, and Stats. And the Physics here is very heavy in Calculus. Also UCLA does not allow you to be enrolled in another college at the same time as your enrolled at UCLA. So even if i wanted to take my science classes as a CC, i could only take them in the summer and I would like to graduate in at least 2 years (just finishing my first year here.).
Any surgeons out there who can give me advice on anything. Any pointers for a person who is interested in the field but dont know much about it?

 

[slim78]

Well the list for pre med req's i got from UCLA was 1 yr of English, 1 yr of Calc, 1 year of Bio, 2 years of Chem, 1 year of Physics, BioChem, and Stats. And the Physics here is very heavy in Calculus. Also UCLA does not allow you to be enrolled in another college at the same time as your enrolled at UCLA. So even if i wanted to take my science classes as a CC, i could only take them in the summer and I would like to graduate in at least 2 years (just finishing my first year here.).
Any surgeons out there who can give me advice on anything. Any pointers for a person who is interested in the field but dont know much about it?

Looks like they gave you the prerequisites for their own medical school. Are you planning on applying to UCLA for med school as well? If so then you should take calc. Based on your current science class grades I wish you the best of luck with that.

http://www.medstudent.ucla.edu/prospective/admissions/default.cfm?pgID=3

OR

you could go to the admissions websites of some OTHER schools you are interested in. A guarantee you that most will not require calculus.

 

[EuroPhysician]

I think only a few North American schools require calculus. Most require a year of Gen Bio, Gen Chem, Organic Chem, Physics, and English. There are some that recommend courses like Physiology and Biochem as well, I think only a handful require these courses. A lot of people go to medical schools from non-science backgrounds. Some Osteopathic schools might ask for some social science coursework like Sociology and Economics.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

A lot of the TX schools want calculus. I'm not sure why.

 

[REM12]

Strange about UCLAs policy. You might want to double check that. They may mean that you can't take any courses at a CC for credit towards your degree. If they are that strict about it, well, do they have to know? I mean, you'll never send them transcripts from the CC, and those courses have nothing at all to do with your undergrad degree... 😎

It doesn't matter now if you want to be a surgeon or an FP. Just concentrate on getting your grades up and getting in. Once in med school, then work towards getting a surgery residency. And even then, you don't really start choosing a specialty until your 3rd year.

 

[Ihansterx4I]

Yea, well I heard from someone too that it doesnt matter where you take the pre med classes as long as you take what they ask. Is that right? But what I always feared is if i got an interview, wouldnt they ask me why i took the "hard" science classes at a CC and not at a university? Would that lessen my chances of getting past the application stage? I would be so willing to take my science classes at a CC instead of at the UCLA. But then again I would think that CC's dont really teach you at the level a University would. If thats the case, then I would be at a disadvantage when i took my MCAT's and at Med school. I want to be the best surgeon that I can be. Any thoughts?

 

[REM12]

Well, the admissions process is very unpredictable, so I obviously can't tell you what the adcoms will think about CC versus university for your pre reqs. What I can tell you is my experience. I went to Berkeley, took my pre reqs at a CC, got 6 interviews and got accepted into my first choice medical school. Nobody asked about taking classes at the CC.

It seems from the way that most adcoms work, that you are put in a pile based on MCAT and GPA, the highest are reviewed for ECs, LORs and essay. The best are then invited to interview. Your goal is to get into that pile. C-'s anywhere are going to look bad compared to A's anywhere.

As far as material covered, again, it doesn't matter where you take your classes. The material is standard. You will cover the same stuff for Bio or Chem anywhere, at least in theory. That's about as much advice as I've got for ya. Good luck!

 

[REM12]

Oh, and if they do ask, maybe say it was to save money on tuition. And, your undergrad work, your MCAT, and even your medical school grades and board scores have absolutely nothing to do with how good a surgeon you will be. That won't be determined until residency, which is a LONG way away from now. Just get those grades up and kick butt on the MCAT for now. One step at a time...

 

[Ihansterx4I]

Wow thats great news. Yea the whole reason why I'd rather take my classes at a CC is for financial reasons but I was always afraid that If I did take that route, they would question me in whether I would be able to handle Med School. If you dont mind me asking what was your GPA and MCAT's?

 

[Ihansterx4I]

And also as for EC's, any advie on what to do or ather where to go? I would love to volunteer full time at a hospital somewhere but I have to pay bills as well so Im wondring what te best solution would be.

 

[REM12]

GPA 3.3, Post Bacc Sci (36 units) 4.0. MCAT 29. You may want to look into getting a medical asst. cert or nursing asst. cert so you can get experience and get paid at the same time. Otherwise, maybe an EMT course (though getting EMT jobs in Cali is tough), and you can volunteer in a local hospital 1-2/week. Just look online at whatever hospital is nearby and go to their volunteer section. I volunteered at Children's and found it very rewarding. You may be able to shadow a surgeon in an OR somewhere as well. You just have to call and ask. I worked as an emergency veterinary tech- if interested, you can usually start as a vet assistant, and they'll teach you how to place IVs, assist in surgery, administer anesthesia, etc. While it was with animals, the responsibilities were similar to an RN, without all the schooling required. If you like animals, you can actually scrub into surgeries- great experience.

 

[Ihansterx4I]

I may have stumbled upon a problem. After talking with a friend of mine, he told me that I might not be able to take the science classes at a CC because I transfered from there to UCLA. Reason being is that I recieved my A.A. at the CC and was told from my friend that you are only allowed to take a certain amount of credits at a CC and after that you are no longer allowed to take any more classes for credit. Is this true, and if so what are my options now?

 

[MedStudentWanna]

GPA 3.3, Post Bacc Sci (36 units) 4.0. MCAT 29. You may want to look into getting a medical asst. cert or nursing asst. cert so you can get experience and get paid at the same time.

If I'm reading this correctly, you took your science classes at a CC as a post-bacc student. In other words, you took those classes at a CC AFTER you graduated from Berkeley. Correct? If so, then your advice doesn't pertain to the OP's question.

To the original poster, no, don't take your sciences at a CC at the same time that you're enrolled at UCLA. That will look like GPA padding and you're right, they will ask why you did it and saving money won't cut it when the grades don't jibe with the C- you earned at UCLA for Physics. If you want to take your sciences at a CC because UCLA science classes are difficult, do it after graduation as a post-bacc student.

Also, the C- in Physics won't work. Med schools require a C or better and many won't count a C-. Retake Physics and take the algebra-based course instead of the calc based one.

After talking with a friend of mine, he told me that I might not be able to take the science classes at a CC because I transfered from there to UCLA. Reason being is that I recieved my A.A. at the CC and was told from my friend that you are only allowed to take a certain amount of credits at a CC and after that you are no longer allowed to take any more classes for credit. Is this true, and if so what are my options now?

Anyone can take classes at a CC as a non-degree seeking student. Anyone. The credits just won't count towards a degree, but you can take them towards fulfilling med school prerequisites.

 

[REM12]

Actually, no the post bacc courses weren't my prereqs, they were advanced science courses. I've taken courses at 3 colleges at the same time and that was never questioned in any interview. As to "padding," I don't know. Like I said, who can predict what the adcoms will think. It's all just conjecture. My point was that those C minuses aren't going to get the OP anywhere, so better to get decent grades somewhere else if possible. But, I digress, it may look better if you do your courses at UCLA or wait until after you graduate to take them at the CC as suggested by MSW. Also, I am doubtful that UCLA doesn't offer a non-calculus physics series. Double check that.

Point is, you have to get better grades if you're going to be competitive. So put yourself in a position to do better, whether that means taking less courses at a time, or doing your sci classes elsewhere if possible.

You can do it. Just pace yourself and study hard. I started off with some bad science grades as well, and just refocused my energies and brought those grades up. It may take more time than you had planned...

good luck 🙂

 

[Ihansterx4I]

Well like REM said, all of UCLA's Physics classes are only calculus based. So I dont really have a choice with that. And the reason why it would be easier for me to take classes at a CC instead of UCLA is because of the way the classes all sort of depend on each other. Im not sure how other schools work but im pretty sure its the same. Basically, at UCLA, you can take all the first level courses of Physics, Bio, and Chem without and prerequisites. At the second level, you need Calculus to take Chem, and Chem to take Bio. My Original plan was to take Calculus at a CC over the summer and then transfer it over so that I can take all the second level courses and so on. But as I stated earlier, the last math course i was enrolled in was college algebra and that was a few years ago. It sucks because UCLA is one of the few med schools that require calculus and calculus based Physics. But UCLA is my first choice of med school, Irvine being second. Anyways, If i were to just graduate with a history major and then take my science classes at a CC after, what should I do about the Bio and Physics i got C-'s on? If i took them at a CC after I graduate, will they still view it at padding? Im so confused.

 

[SaveThisLabRat]

Being a UCLA student myself who transfered from a CC, I think (think) I may be able to give you a little advice.

First of all, you're posting in the osteopathic medicine thread. They are different from allopathic schools in that a lot of them don't require calculus or calculus-based physics. I think that is pretty awesome, personally. All of the allopathic schools I know of require calculus.

You are right in that UCLA only offers calculus-based physics (physics 6A,6B, and 6C - you need the entire series). So, you are a little stuck in that department. You say you have only taken up to college algebra. There is a huge step between college algebra and calculus. You won't be able to study for an assessment test and pass your way into a calculus class. You would have to know trig and pre-calculus because they will both be on the assessment test.

You have to retake those classes in which you received a C-. You cannot take them at a CC during the fall or spring semesters while you are simultaneously attending UCLA (it is against the rules), only summer. Otherwise, you would have to take time off officially to take them there and transfer the credits over. I personally am doing this so that I can switch majors.

You can still take CC classes and transfer them over. I don't know what your friend is talking about. Once you are officially accepted, it is just fine to take these classes and bring over the credits to UCLA. My own transfer counselor at UCLA told me to do this very thing. It's before you are accepted that they look down upon this.

Okay, that's all the advice I have. I know, pretty crappy? You aren't paying me. Shut up.

 

[REM12]

I assumed that you are pre-DO since you posted here. If your heart set on UCLA med, you will have to follow UCLA's rules. FYI: you will end up applying to many schools, and chances of you going to UCLA (sorry to say- with those C minuses on your transcript) are probably slim at best. Many med schools (both allopathic and osteopathic) don't require the calculus based physics. So I guess you have a few choices: spend an extra year or so doing the math series that you are supposed to do to have your pre reqs done in order (if a class is required, believe me, it is required- ie: taking calculus based physics w/o calculus makes as much sense as taking orgo without gen chem 😱). Or do as LabRat suggested, take time off UCLA to go back and do your pre med course work, then come back applying as a Bio major or something related. Or finish what you started, and if you still want to go to med school, tackle that as a post bacc at the CC.

Trust me, it is a lot better to do this right and get good grades the first time around then to spend years later trying to clean up the mess you've made. Sounds like you have to decide what's more important: going to a UC or going to any medical school that will take you. UC's are HARD to get into, I'm talking 3.7-3.8 Sci GPA typical.

If you repeat the bio and physics anywhere, the GPA will be (at least for DO schools) calculated only based on your most recent grade. IE: all will be forgiven (almost). It will be listed as a repeat, but your overall GPA won't reflect the C minuses. Not sure about how it works for allopathic.

As an aside: A friend of mine who is a surgeon told me that he went to SF state so that he could get better grades than if he went to Cal. He kicked a**, got into UC Davis med and his friends who went to Cal and got mediocre grades are working in labs (didn't get into med school). So take that for what its worth- not a whole lot. But his point was GPA, GPA, GPA.

The rest is up to you. Go now my son, it is your life's journey. You choose your path. And it'll be a twisty one, it always is...

 

[MedStudentWanna]

Okay, first off, if you have your heart set on attending UCLA med school, then you shouldn't, under any circumstances, take the prerequisites at a CC while doing undergrad at UCLA. That won't be looked upon favorably. If you want to go to med school there, then you need to do your prerequisites there and C's won't cut it. You have to get A's because UCLA is very competitive.

Second, there are only 16 medical schools in the country that require Calculus. There are a total of 200+ medical schools (both allopathic and osteopathic). With only 16 that require Calculus, you need to decide what you want to do. If you want to go to one that requires Calculus, you have to take Trig and Pre-calc. Trying to get by with only College Algebra and hope that no one notices while you try to take an assessment test is a huge mistake.

Most schools' pre-requisites aren't Calc based. In Physics, you get a choice. But I have yet to run across a Chem I or II class that uses Calculus. That's something unique to UCLA.

If you want to go to UCLA med school, I suggest you take Trig and Pre-calc then take Calculus, then retake the classes you got a C- in, then take all the med school prerequisites and strive for an A in ALL of them. From here on out, you need A's. Your GPA should be as close to a 3.8 as possible by graduation because UCLA is a tough med school to get into.

If you decide that you'd be happy at any medical school, then forego the Calc thing, take your pre-requisites at a CC (including NON-Calc Physics) after you graduate from UCLA as a History major and apply. It's all up to you.

 

[Ihansterx4I]

First of all, you're posting in the osteopathic medicine thread. They are different from allopathic schools in that a lot of them don't require calculus or calculus-based physics. I think that is pretty awesome, personally. All of the allopathic schools I know of require calculus.

You are right in that UCLA only offers calculus-based physics (physics 6A,6B, and 6C - you need the entire series). So, you are a little stuck in that department. You say you have only taken up to college algebra. There is a huge step between college algebra and calculus. You won't be able to study for an assessment test and pass your way into a calculus class. You would have to know trig and pre-calculus because they will both be on the assessment test.

You have to retake those classes in which you received a C-. You cannot take them at a CC during the fall or spring semesters while you are simultaneously attending UCLA (it is against the rules), only summer. Otherwise, you would have to take time off officially to take them there and transfer the credits over. I personally am doing this so that I can switch majors.

You can still take CC classes and transfer them over. I don't know what your friend is talking about. Once you are officially accepted, it is just fine to take these classes and bring over the credits to UCLA. My own transfer counselor at UCLA told me to do this very thing. It's before you are accepted that they look down upon this.

Okay, that's all the advice I have. I know, pretty crappy? You aren't paying me. Shut up.[/quote]

Ohh well sorry everybod for posting in the wrong area. Im still clueless as to what DO or MD even means.
Hahaha and you busted me on tyin to just pass the assesment test and just placing into calculus. I was just figuring that if could get a C- in physics 6A without having any math background at all, maybe its possible to just learn calculus as i go along. I guess that was a little farfetched.
Ok now if i wanted to go osteopathic, what should I do about the physics that i got a C- in? Do you know if Irvine is allopthic or osteopathic?

Also if i did take a "break" from UCLA and took classes at a CC would I have t reapply to get back into UCLA?

And trust me, any advice is good advice. Ive dont so much research on all this but it makes more sense if your actually talking to someone. Thank you everyone, seriously.

 

[Ihansterx4I]

I assumed that you are pre-DO since you posted here. If your heart set on UCLA med, you will have to follow UCLA's rules. FYI: you will end up applying to many schools, and chances of you going to UCLA (sorry to say- with those C minuses on your transcript) are probably slim at best. Many med schools (both allopathic and osteopathic) don't require the calculus based physics. So I guess you have a few choices: spend an extra year or so doing the math series that you are supposed to do to have your pre reqs done in order (if a class is required, believe me, it is required- ie: taking calculus based physics w/o calculus makes as much sense as taking orgo without gen chem 😱). Or do as LabRat suggested, take time off UCLA to go back and do your pre med course work, then come back applying as a Bio major or something related. Or finish what you started, and if you still want to go to med school, tackle that as a post bacc at the CC.

Trust me, it is a lot better to do this right and get good grades the first time around then to spend years later trying to clean up the mess you've made. Sounds like you have to decide what's more important: going to a UC or going to any medical school that will take you. UC's are HARD to get into, I'm talking 3.7-3.8 Sci GPA typical.

If you repeat the bio and physics anywhere, the GPA will be (at least for DO schools) calculated only based on your most recent grade. IE: all will be forgiven (almost). It will be listed as a repeat, but your overall GPA won't reflect the C minuses. Not sure about how it works for allopathic.

As an aside: A friend of mine who is a surgeon told me that he went to SF state so that he could get better grades than if he went to Cal. He kicked a**, got into UC Davis med and his friends who went to Cal and got mediocre grades are working in labs (didn't get into med school). So take that for what its worth- not a whole lot. But his point was GPA, GPA, GPA.

The rest is up to you. Go now my son, it is your life's journey. You choose your path. And it'll be a twisty one, it always is...

Yea well the only reason I want to go to UCLA Med is because its close and it just looks good. Personally I dont like their program there. Too much research and not enough clinical rotations where as Irvine you start rotations the first year all the way through till the last. I learn better when im actually doing it rather then reading and reading for hours. And I know, I took the Physics and Life Science classes a little too lightly. I need to pick it up.

Okay, first off, if you have your heart set on attending UCLA med school, then you shouldn't, under any circumstances, take the prerequisites at a CC while doing undergrad at UCLA. That won't be looked upon favorably. If you want to go to med school there, then you need to do your prerequisites there and C's won't cut it. You have to get A's because UCLA is very competitive.

Second, there are only 16 medical schools in the country that require Calculus. There are a total of 200+ medical schools (both allopathic and osteopathic). With only 16 that require Calculus, you need to decide what you want to do. If you want to go to one that requires Calculus, you have to take Trig and Pre-calc. Trying to get by with only College Algebra and hope that no one notices while you try to take an assessment test is a huge mistake.

Most schools' pre-requisites aren't Calc based. In Physics, you get a choice. But I have yet to run across a Chem I or II class that uses Calculus. That's something unique to UCLA.

If you want to go to UCLA med school, I suggest you take Trig and Pre-calc then take Calculus, then retake the classes you got a C- in, then take all the med school prerequisites and strive for an A in ALL of them. From here on out, you need A's. Your GPA should be as close to a 3.8 as possible by graduation because UCLA is a tough med school to get into.

If you decide that you'd be happy at any medical school, then forego the Calc thing, take your pre-requisites at a CC (including NON-Calc Physics) after you graduate from UCLA as a History major and apply. It's all up to you.

The problem with taking trig and pre calc is that like stated before, I can only take classes at a CC over the summer and I would be set back way too long if I took those course at UCLA.

God im so lost and confused. Im so sorry everybody. I know my questions probably sound like the stupidest questions you've ever heard. But I REALLY appreciate any help. I tried talking with the counselors at UCLA and they dont know what they're doing. You guys are much more help.

 

[Porco Rosso]

from what I remember, one semester of calc is a pre-med requisite. You dont have to take calc based physics, which is a requirement for engineering majors.

I miss those weekly 40 calc based problems that were due every tuesday by 4am 😴

 

[MedStudentWanna]

from what I remember, one semester of calc is a pre-med requisite. You dont have to take calc based physics, which is a requirement for engineering majors.

I miss those weekly 40 calc based problems that were due every tuesday by 4am 😴

First off, he's not majoring in pre-med. He's majoring in History. Calc is NOT a requirement for the majority of medical schools.

 

[SaveThisLabRat]

Also if i did take a "break" from UCLA and took classes at a CC would I have t reapply to get back into UCLA?

And trust me, any advice is good advice. Ive dont so much research on all this but it makes more sense if your actually talking to someone. Thank you everyone, seriously.

Nope, you would not have to reapply. You are forever a UCLA student as long as you are deferred. You can come back any time, just by filling out the paper work at Murphy Hall. Make sure you do it officially though, and not just disappear one day. Because then they will assume you withdrew entirely.

Be advised though, that if you are going to do this, don't do it just to take pre-med courses at a CC. As someone mentioned above, this will look awful. I'm doing it because I originally applied as an anthropology major and want to switch to physiology without using up my UCLA units (UCLA has a "unit cap" meaning you are only allowed to take a certain amount of units for your entire life at the school).

If you remain a history major, I'm not sure what you should do. Do an official post-bacc? Someone probably has better advice. Oh now that I think of it, I did know a guy who graduated from UCLA as a psychology major and came to the CC to do his pre-reqs since he also didn't have the required math. I'm not sure whatever happened to him.

 

[REM12]

Listen to the folks from UCLA, the advice is very good. They know your situation there best. To recap, your options seem to be:

1) finish your history major at UCLA and then do your pre med classes elsewhere (as an official post bacc or at a CC).
2) defer from UCLA to take your pre meds at a CC, but only do this to officially change majors- to Bio or Phys or something like that. You'd still have to do the Calculus route, but would be able to apply to UCLA med.
3) Stay at UCLA, get your degree in history as planned and take the time to do your pre med classes in the order required (ie: trig and pre-calc first).
4) Drop out of UCLA, go back to the CC, take your courses, and apply to other schools as a bio (pre-med) major.

Note: if you change majors to a bio type major anywhere (ie return to UCLA or go to another undergrad school), you will need calculus anyway. The only way to avoid calc is to do your pre-reqs at a CC after you graduate.

Many students come to medical school with non-bio degrees (history, psychology etc), do their pre reqs afterward, get accepted and do just fine.

Basically, you are going to need more time than you hoped. The easiest, and probably smartest thing to do is to cool your jets, stay at UCLA, and do the courses in the correct order. You should repeat those C- courses for either DO or MD schools. And do some research about DO/MD schools (Irvine is an MD school).

It is a long haul, so be prepared for it. You need A's, period. Again, best to do it right the first time, you already will have some 'splanin to do about those C minuses. But, if it makes you feel better, I got some of those early on in my scholastic career, retook the courses, got A's, and now I'm in medical school 😎

 

[SaveThisLabRat]

You're fan-freakin-tastic, REM12. I didn't even read half of the posts in this thread.