[dragon555]

Can I get I get into medical school with a mechanical engineering major?

[joonage]

Yes, as long as you fulfill the pre-requisite classes necessary to get into medical school.

Like, 2 years of chem with labs (organic and inorganic), 1 (or 2???) year of biology, 1 year of physics, 1 year of calculus, and for some schools, 1 year of English

[ricegod]

Question to ppl who had majored in Bio: What kind of jobs can I expect to get graduating with a degree in Bio (in case Med school doesn't work out)? I've read some of the replies that said Bio is useless and some said Bio is useful, so can someone at least direct me to some sources that offer facts about this? Thanks

[YeonCouture]

I was wondering how the process to becoming a neurosurgeon is?

[chiluvskk]

WOW, your friend James must be a very hard worker.

[silver-typhoon]

Mr. James is a gamer. What he's done so far is most likely pure intellect and minimal work =( It makes me feel more stupid. But he didn't retake it after all (though he says he'll think about it, for kicks).

And thanks to all those that replied. I thought what he got was quite high, but he kept telling me it wasn't, which made me question how exactly these MCAT worked

[shakepear]

this medical school question has been on my mind for some days, so i guess i'll ask it here

so these pre-med programs in the U.S., do they basically guarantee you a spot into med school after completion of your undergraduate degree once you satisfy basic requirements such as GPA consistency and certain course completions? (although there are probably more requirements based on your pre-med institution)

I dunno I've always thought that pre-med programs weren't that beneficial in one's route into medical school because it's so difficult to fulfil the basic GPA requirements and other requirements when your competing with other bright students.

so i guess what i'm trying to ask is: are most pre-med programs in the U.S. too difficult to graduate from to actually proceed into the medical school itself? i mean how many people are they even allowed to graduate to enter medical school itself...can't be the entire pre-med undergraduate class i'm guessing?

[mz.carolyn]

this medical school question has been on my mind for some days, so i guess i'll ask it here

so these pre-med programs in the U.S., do they basically guarantee you a spot into med school after completion of your undergraduate degree once you satisfy basic requirements such as GPA consistency and certain course completions? (although there are probably more requirements based on your pre-med institution)

I dunno I've always thought that pre-med programs weren't that beneficial in one's route into medical school because it's so difficult to fulfil the basic GPA requirements and other requirements when your competing with other bright students.

so i guess what i'm trying to ask is: are most pre-med programs in the U.S. too difficult to graduate from to actually proceed into the medical school itself? i mean how many people are they even allowed to graduate to enter medical school itself...can't be the entire pre-med undergraduate class i'm guessing?

Are you talking about the 7 or 8 year programs? Yes, it's basically a program where you have a spot saved for you in medical school, provided that you maintain a certain GPA and don't get in too much trouble...etc.
And for the bolded part, when you say pre-med programs, do you mean the 7/8 year programs, or just the pre-med track?

Question to ppl who had majored in Bio: What kind of jobs can I expect to get graduating with a degree in Bio (in case Med school doesn't work out)? I've read some of the replies that said Bio is useless and some said Bio is useful, so can someone at least direct me to some sources that offer facts about this? Thanks

It's definitely not useless...biology is really broad, and there's a lot of things you can do with it. However, your best bet is to go for a PhD or Masters in Biology after undergrad. A Bachelor's degree in biology is not that impressive (but neither are a lot of Bachelor's degrees these days..)
After that, you can become a professor or teacher, you can do research, you can do field work; there's lots of things!

Try this link:

http://facweb.furman.edu/~jsnyder/careers/careerlist.html

Can I get I get into medical school with a mechanical engineering major?

Sure! Just make sure you get all your pre-medicine pre-requisites done: 1 year of bio with lab, 1 year of gen chem with lab, 1 year of orgo with lab, 1 year of physics with lab, english, calc, and depending on the medical school, sometimes stats, biochem, etc.
Just major in what you want

oh my gosh. do not take orgo & bio together. they will kill ya!

Then how would you finish all the pre-reqs in 4 years? If you don't double up on the sciences, I mean..
I suppose you could do bio first year, gen chem second year, orgo third year, and physics fourth year, but then you definitely won't be prepared for the MCATs.

[chiluvskk]

^ mz.carolyn: let's say i don't double up on the sciences, just because it happens to be too difficult and i know i can't get a good grade as if i were to take one science class at a time (along with other classes for my major like english, math, social sciences...). Then instead of graduating in 4 years, can't i just graduate in 5 years, and take the MCAT in my 4th year instead of my 3rd year like many pre-meds who graduate in 4 years do? or take a single science each year like you stated above, and then graduate in 4 years, and then take the test, and i guess just take a break during that year and apply?

I hope you understand what i'm asking lol. i will be a freshman in UC next year majoring in bio sciences. thanks!

[mz.carolyn]

^ mz.carolyn: let's say i don't double up on the sciences, just because it happens to be too difficult and i know i can't get a good grade as if i were to take one science class at a time (along with other classes for my major like english, math, social sciences...). Then instead of graduating in 4 years, can't i just graduate in 5 years, and take the MCAT in my 4th year instead of my 3rd year like many pre-meds who graduate in 4 years do? or take a single science each year like you stated above, and then graduate in 4 years, and then take the test, and i guess just take a break during that year and apply?

I hope you understand what i'm asking lol. i will be a freshman in UC next year majoring in bio sciences. thanks!

You can do that. But there's problems with it:
Yeah you can take only 1 science at time. Take bio freshman year, gen chem sophomore year, orgo junior year, and physics senior year. Take your MCATs after senior year, and if I'm not mistaken, you'll actually be 2 years behind. You can't apply to med school without your MCAT scores, so you have to wait until you get those. But med school applications don't start until around May/June/July, so that'll be another year wasted. By the time you apply/get accepted (that's if you do), you'll be 2 years behind: one year behind after graduating because of MCAT, and one year for applications. Normally, you take MCATs junior year, and apply senior year.
Not only that, but during med school interviews, even if you take just a general requirement class somewhere else (like psychology at a community college), they're going to ask you why. Imagine only taking 1 science a year...they're going to ask you why. And you're going to have a good reason for it. If you say "my grades wouldn't be as good if I doubled up", well then, that doesn't look very good. They like to see college students take everything during the year (preferably), because it shows you can handle a tough workload.
Not only that, but if you can't take sciences doubled up in college, how are you going to manage a 25-30 credit semester with only sciences in medical school? You can't just take one class at a time in med school...that'll take forever.

I know all of this sounds really harsh, but med school is really hard to get into. Anything done differently will be questioned, and if you don't have a good reason, that's an automatic disadvantage to you.
Just trying to let you know how tough it's going to be taking only science a year.

...this may be uncalled for...but if you think it's too difficult to double up on sciences in college...do you really think you can handle medical school?

[chiluvskk]

^ thanks mz. carolyn. i was only considering that option because i was looking on my school's website and it said that there are three paths to medical school haha. one was 4 year, 5 year, and a 6 year one. and for the 5 year one you would complete the requirments your freshman, sophmore, junior, and senior year (as opposed to finishing it by junior year), and then take MCAT spring of senior year. then take a year break after graduation, apply to med school, and work/volunteer that break year to raise the "competitiveness" of one's application. But i wasn't sure about it, because i was also thinking what you were thinking about how med school would ask such questions...

thanks for your advice!

[mz.carolyn]

^ thanks mz. carolyn. i was only considering that option because i was looking on my school's website and it said that there are three paths to medical school haha. one was 4 year, 5 year, and a 6 year one. and for the 5 year one you would complete the requirments your freshman, sophmore, junior, and senior year (as opposed to finishing it by junior year), and then take MCAT spring of senior year. then take a year break after graduation, apply to med school, and work/volunteer that break year to raise the "competitiveness" of one's application. But i wasn't sure about it, because i was also thinking what you were thinking about how med school would ask such questions...

thanks for your advice!

You're welcome
Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions~

[minwoogrl]

What kind of work/volunteer project do they look at when you apply for MED school? Do they weigh this field more heavily than say your MCAT or GPA?

Another question. Is it better to major in chemistry or biology in preparation for the MCAT. I heard that the majority of the questions are chemistry based. Is the MCAT extremely hard? What happens if you can't pass it? Can I do anything with a 4yr degree in Biology? ><

[dunn_note]

Being in the medical field is hard. The essence of it is felt when you save a life.

[mz.carolyn]

What kind of work/volunteer project do they look at when you apply for MED school? Do they weigh this field more heavily than say your MCAT or GPA?

Another question. Is it better to major in chemistry or biology in preparation for the MCAT. I heard that the majority of the questions are chemistry based. Is the MCAT extremely hard? What happens if you can't pass it? Can I do anything with a 4yr degree in Biology? ><

The MCAT and GPA rules all. The best thing volunteer work does is give you an advantage over a candidate who's similar to you, with almost-same MCAT and GPA. Of course, volunteering is always good; I'm not saying it's useless. But admissions definitely does NOT weight it more heavily than MCAT & GPA --> those are most important above all.

I wouldn't know about the majors..I don't necessarily think one preps you better for the MCAT than the other. Just major in what you like, and make sure you study hard in your pre-requisite classes; they cover most of what you need on the MCAT.

As for a Bachelor's Degree in Biology...check this section:

http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?sho...3155&st=440

There was another thread on it, but I can't find it =x

Hope this helps!

[ulat_bulu]

Yeah right. I'm still in the college, and I already feel 'the hardness'
I'm afraid I can't do well in my trainee phase...

[charcoalwing]

The thought of medical school is a scary thing indeed. That's the course I'm on right now, and I was wondering has anyone taken the Kaplan MCAT prep courses, or any MCAT prep courses for that matter? I've always wanted to know if they really are worth the time and money to take.

[Krnuckfan]

The thought of medical school is a scary thing indeed. That's the course I'm on right now, and I was wondering has anyone taken the Kaplan MCAT prep courses, or any MCAT prep courses for that matter? I've always wanted to know if they really are worth the time and money to take.

The general consensus is that if you're a poor student, then the prep courses will make you into an average student. However, if you're already a good student, those prep courses are just a waste of money and you're better off studying on your own.

[Eyrique]

Yep. Many people say studying medicine is hard...

I use to think like this -->
before entering the course, I had this thing circulating in my head: umm... it can't be that hard, right? I mean it's all about memorising stuff...

NOW, AFTER joining the course -->
first sem: still okay... can breath normally
second sem: wriiten essays in finals?! lab experiments?! anatomy spottting?! *dies*

So it's true. Studying meds is hard... You've got to be persistent. And in my case I don't have to do foundation courses hehe That's a bonus for me ^^

[justsopeachy813]

If you have a D or a C on the transcript, would you not be accepted?