Hello
I'll be graduating next spring with a BS in Management Information Systems and a minor in Computer Science. I'm most likely going to be doing a masters degree in either CS, Information Systems, or Industrial Engineering. However, I am curious to know whether I could apply for medical school with my current educational background. I've always looked up to those who work in the medical field, and when I was a little kid I always thought that becoming a doctor would be cool.
I have a pretty good GPA, extracurricular activities, and during high school I volunteered for 3 years at a hospital where I took care of basic office staff duties, making sure patients were okay, and managing the telemetry floor's inventory. I had tremendous respect for the nurses, doctors, and other others who took care of all those patients.
So... is it possible? If possible, and I'm sure if it is it's probably going to be tremendously challenging, I'll be not only be satisfying my own goals, but those of my grandmother as well who wanted to be a doctor when she was younger but did not have the money needed to go to school. And if possible, challenge accepted.
The Optimist,
In order to apply to medical school, you would first need to complete the required pre-med coursework. The required pre-med courses are 1 year biology, 1 year general chemistry, 1 year organic chemistry, and 1 year of physics. You would need to take these courses at the same level as someone majoring in that field - so the same chemistry courses chemistry majors take, etc.
You also would need to take the MCAT, which covers the material you'd learn in the pre-med science courses.
You can major in any field and still go to medical school.
The Optimist,
In order to apply to medical school, you would first need to complete the required pre-med coursework. The required pre-med courses are 1 year biology, 1 year general chemistry, 1 year organic chemistry, and 1 year of physics. You would need to take these courses at the same level as someone majoring in that field - so the same chemistry courses chemistry majors take, etc.
You also would need to take the MCAT, which covers the material you'd learn in the pre-med science courses.
You can major in any field and still go to medical school.
Thank you for the reply, Dr Dave.
In your honest opinion, do you think it would be a good idea to spend a semester back at college after I graduate next summer to complete those 4 courses? I'm currently studying for my GRE, but I can study for both that and the MCAT, as well the topics I'll need to study in order to be eligible for med school. In addition, do you believe it would be possible for someone with my background to successfully apply to a top medical school granted I do well in those 4 courses and the entrance exams?
Thank you
The Optimist,
I don't know which of those pre-med courses you still need to take. If you need to take all of them, I don't think it would be possible to take them all in one year, let alone one semester. Most people would take those courses over a 2 year period. You can either taken them as a general university student, or you can look into post-bacc programs which are geared towards people who go back to complete pre-med requirements.
You also wouldn't be able to take the MCAT until you have completed most, if not all, of those pre-med courses. The MCAT tests you on the material covered in those courses.
Getting into any medical school is a challenge, let alone getting into a top medical school. There are definitely people with your background (based on what you've said so far) that have gotten into top medical schools. The important factors would be your GPA and MCAT scores. Additionally, for a top medical school it may matter where you went to college.