Would a 2nd bachelors degree make any difference in getting accepted to medical school?

[868651]

My 1st bachelors was in Business Administration. I’m prepared to start over with a 2nd bachelor of science in Chemistry or Biology and take the MCAT.

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[Catalystik]

My 1st bachelors was in Business Administration. I’m considering doing a 2nd bachelor of science in Chemistry and take the MCAT.

If you need to raise your GPA, the second bachelor's will make a difference. If you need registration priority to get the classes you need, being a degree candidate helps. But since you already hold a bachelor's degree, you have no obligation to finish the second one, as med schools won't care if you do, or not.

 

[HomeSkool]

I agree with @Catalystik. The degree itself won't help you, but additional baccalaureate coursework may be of value if you need to repair your GPA. If that's the case, I suggest doing a post-bacc (either formal or DIY) over a second bachelor's since that will allow you to specifically focus on courses that will bolster your application.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Completing a 2nd bachelors is a waste of time and money. There is no aid, except loans, for a second bachelors.

What’s your GPA from your first?

You really just need to complete the premed prereqs, psych and/or socio, and perhaps the recommended extra science classes (cell bio, genetics, etc).

 

[RangerBob]

Just an FYI, you are typically not eligible for federal loans if you are a non-degree student (i.e., no declared major/degree).

I am not sure if second bachelors degrees are eligible or not as well-that is worth looking into. I remember looking into it a long time ago and I forget what the answer was. I ended up doing a post-bac, where I was eligible for federal loans. But after I finished I stayed to TA and take one course per semester as a non-degree student and I had to shell out for that on my own/take out private loans.

The second degree in of itself likely makes no difference. I had a BA and a BS plus a minor and my post bac. No one cared (nor did I think they would-I knew from the start minors were useless and my BA was really just just for fun and so I could enroll early in art classes...)

I would recommend a post bac. Why spend all that time on another bachelors? Only do that if chemistry is your backup if medicine doesn't work out. The degree won't help you much on the MCAT-people get top percentile scores with just the minimum pre-read. Learn those solidly, retain that knowledge and you should do well.

 

[868651]

Completing a 2nd bachelors is a waste of time and money. There is no aid, except loans, for a second bachelors.

What’s your GPA from your first?

You really just need to complete the premed prereqs, psych and/or socio, and perhaps the recommended extra science classes (cell bio, genetics, etc).

My GPA was 3.0.

I am considering a second bachelors to cover all of the courses like Cell Biology, Biochemistry, and Genetics. Most of those are 300 level courses anyway.

 

[Goro]

My 1st bachelors was in Business Administration. I’m prepared to start over with a 2nd bachelor of science in Chemistry and take the MCAT.

Do a post-bac for career changers.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

My GPA was 3.0.

I am considering a second bachelors to cover all of the courses like Cell Biology, Biochemistry, and Genetics. Most of those are 300 level courses anyway.

But as a major, you’d still have to take many unneeded courses that might hurt your GPA.

How do you plan to fund any of this?

Just an FYI, you are typically not eligible for federal loans if you are a non-degree student (i.e., no declared major/degree).

True. However, I’ve seen students go back for “a second major”, get loans, but really just do the premed prereqs and get loans.

 

[868651]

But as a major, you’d still have to take many unneeded courses that might hurt your GPA.

How do you plan to fund any of this?


Loans, how else? I don’t have millionaire relatives and friends.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Loans, how else? I don’t have millionaire relatives and friends.

Well, then that’s even more the reason NOT to go for the second bachelor’s.

Not only would that result in a bunch of unnecessary debt, BUT are you aware of the loan limits for a second bachelors? You would not qualify for Grad Plus loans, and fed direct loans aren’t likely enough. And how much have you borrowed so far for undergrad?

 

[868651]

Well, then that’s even more the reason NOT to go for the second bachelor’s.

Not only would that result in a bunch of unnecessary debt, BUT are you aware of the loan limits for a second bachelors? You would not qualify for Grad Plus loans, and fed direct loans aren’t likely enough. And how much have you borrowed so far for undergrad?

I don’t really remember, it’s been a while. Also that can affect Grad School loans? I didn’t know that.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

I don’t really remember, it’s been a while. Also that can affect Grad School loans? I didn’t know that.

If you’d be getting a second bachelors, then that would NOT be a grad loan.

 

[868651]

My 1st bachelors was in Business Administration. I’m prepared to start over with a 2nd bachelor of science in Chemistry and take the MCAT.

The reason I’m pursuing another BS is because I could attend a community college, but I’m not sure if that would be competitive enough to apply to medical school.

 

[Catalystik]

The reason I’m pursuing another BS is because I could attend a community college, but I’m not sure if that would be competitive enough to apply to medical school.

It depends on the coursework rigor at your CC. If it's close to a university and the same profs teach at both places with the same textbooks, you're fine. It might be fine anyways; you could look through texts in their bookstore and get an idea of how demanding the classes might be. Even so, you could still start out at the CC and later take upper-level coursework at a university to prove your academic chops.

 

[868651]

It depends on the coursework rigor at your CC. If it's close to a university and the same profs teach at both places with the same textbooks, you're fine. It might be fine anyways; you could look through texts in their bookstore and get an idea of how demanding the classes might be. Even so, you could still start out at the CC and later take upper-level coursework at a university to prove your academic chops.

Don’t I need 300 and 400 level courses to get into a health professional program?

 

[Catalystik]

Don’t I need 300 and 400 level courses to get into a health professional program?

Eventually, yes.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

I don’t really remember, it’s been a while. Also that can affect Grad School loans? I didn’t know that.

If you’d be getting a second bachelors, then that would NOT be a grad loan.

The reason I’m pursuing another BS is because I could attend a community college, but I’m not sure if that would be competitive enough to apply to medical school.

Any undergraduate classes would NOT qualify for grad loans. You’d still fall under the restrictions for undergrad loans: their annual limits and their cumulative limits. You may already have reached half of the cumulative limit of fed student undergrad loans from your first degree.

This may be a possible option.... take some/all lower-division BCPM courses at an inexpensive local CC (part time) while working as well...and pay as you go. You could get a Student loan but you’d need to declare that you’re pursuing a degree (even if later you don’t actually complete that degree). Then take a few upper-division courses (biochem, cell bio, etc) at a 4 year college to demonstrate that you can handle university courses.