<p>Good afternoon, friends. As promised, I’ll answer the questions that have been asked.</p>
<p>One by one:</p>
<p>@texas2bama</p>
<p>If political science is what you want to spend four years studying in undergrad, by all means, do it. You should pick the major that interests you the most. That said, if you want to attend medical school, the current prerequisites are:</p>
<p>1 year of general biology with lab
1 year of general chemistry with lab
1 year of organic chemistry with lab
1 year of physics with lab
1 year of English (freshman comp)
Math – school dependent, most are happy with calculus, but some require a year of college math (i.e. calculus + a stats class).</p>
<p>Since the MCAT is changing in 2015, you will need to also make sure to take biochemistry, psychology, and sociology to prepare you. This has the potential to make elective space a little scarce, but if you’re interested in political science, don’t let this deter you! You will be the most successful if you study something you’re interested in. Medical schools honestly don’t care about your major… as long as you’ve completed your pre-reqs, done well on the MCAT, have clinical exposure, and stay involved out of class, you’ll be fine no matter the major. JD/MD is indeed doable, and I think your major/minor plan sounds good to pursue your variety of interests. New College, if I understand correctly, allows you to tailor your own course of study. It’s very independent, but if you’re content with the poli sci/hard science course offerings, then you would be okay out of New College. That said, if you want to explore your interests a little more, check out NC.</p>
<p>Additionally, it’s worth noting that pre-law requires NO specific coursework. You can take whatever you want so long as you’re prepared for the LSAT. For this, a class in the philosophy department in logic (check out PHL 106) would be useful. I would suggest shadowing lawyers and doctors, checking out some research in the field (look into Harvard’s Petri-Flom Center.) To reiterate, the expense of both professional schools is high. You need to be crystal clear about why you want to do either. I’ve heard first-hand from some dual-degree physicians that most MD/JDs wind up using one degree far more than the other; staying up to date on the cases, research, court rulings, etc. in both fields to remain competent as both a physician and attorney can be nearly impossible.</p>
<p>@wvacupuncture:</p>
<p>I am an in-stater. I can’t really speak for how life is for out-of-state students, but everyone I know is well-adjusted, and there are plenty of different outlets for OOSers. Here is one example, The 49: Student Involvement & Leadership
Other outlets include Greek life (if you’re so inclined,) undergraduate research (labs are fantastic for social connections,) club sports, living-learning communities, Honors College Assembly, Educational Outreach… there’s a lot to do, and the mix of IS and OOS students really gives campus a variety of ideas. It’s not the UA of 10 years ago, where only a handful of students were OOS.</p>
<p>All of this said, as a life-long native of Alabama, I can give you plenty of information on what it’s like here, places to go, sights to see… there is obviously a lot of history here, and if you like nature, there are tons of breath-taking state parks. We have (small) mountains in the north, beaches in the south, rivers and forests in between, cotton fields and cotton fields…</p>
<p>I have been pleased with pre-health advising. They’re good about letting you know the things you need to be doing, and they stay in contact throughout the year by offering information about interesting lectures, job or service opportunities, and deadlines for RUI or med/dental/etc school applications. There is also a service where students can apply to do primary care shadowing at the Student Health Center; many people take advantage of this. There are also many service opportunities abroad.</p>
<p>I haven’t really been involved in much volunteerism through AED, the pre-health society, or the advising office. I have worked in the DCH ED as an emergency department scribe; I found out about the opportunity through the AED listserv. I also do clinical volunteer work with Hospice of West Alabama as well as non-clinical through Honors College Educational Outreach. As far as shadowing goes, if you want to do something other than primary care (which many schools LOVE to see primary care shadowing,) it’s generally up to you to reach out to the physician and make it happen. Most of my shadowing has been through family friends who are surgeons, although I have shadowed my primary care physician back home for a time, and plan to do some more before I apply starting in 2015.</p>
<p>@TheWolfman
Ok, one quick question: Would I be able to do the STEM Path to the MBA and follow the pre-med track, or is that not possible for whatever reason? And if it is, will the pre-health advisory folks work with me on that?
Yes; I have friends who are STEM Path to MBA/pre-med. Pre-health will help you get all of that sorted out, and your major adviser will also help you in making sure your courses are scheduled. Keep in mind that the two may be at odds sometimes with regard to take classes when… the pre-health office wants to get you done with prereq coursework to get you on your way.</p>
<p>Alright, make that two questions. If it is possible to do this, since I will be a Computer Eng’g Option major I would have to do the Bio/Chem/Stat/Psych/English requirements on top of my major (except for basic chem, of course) right? Eng’g alone will be tough, is that going to be soul-crushingly difficult? I want to have fun at college too…
It may delay your entrance to med school depending on how much credit you come in with, when you can fit classes into your schedule, etc. Honestly, as long as you’re motivated and willing to put in the work, your pre-req classes aren’t difficult. The caveat is that you must be willing to hit the books and do work. Try to schedule your classes in such a way that you’re spreading out the hardest stuff… you don’t want to be taking DiffEq, organic chemistry II+lab, upper level econ, etc. all together at the same time. There is no prize for finishing first. You want your GPA to be sparkling clean, so just be prepared to work, and do long term planning – and then constantly reflect on it, revise, and keep your nose to the grindstone as you work through the courses.</p>
<p>Ok–last one, I promise. Would AP credits be accepted in the place of pre-med requirements? I got a 5 on my AP English Language Exam, and I’m pretty happy about my chances on AP Bio (I’m a rock star at that class for some reason) and AP Calc AB, so that would help out the courseload I’d think.
**The short answer is maybe. Med schools will generally take the English credit. AP Calculus will usually be acceptable too. AP Bio/Chem/Physics, etc. is where people run into trouble. DO NOT use your AP credit unless you plan to take the equivalent number of upper-level courses and rock them. That is to say, if you take AP Bio, be prepared to take BSC 300 Cell Biology, and BSC 315 Genetics to show that you have mastered intro coursework and can hack a year of upper level biology. I generally would recommend refreshing any general science coursework. I took AP bio and chem, got credit for them, but took the honors versions of both my freshman year. It was plenty doable, and it was a nice refresher on the material I had seen before (and will see on the MCAT.)
**
Sound good? Did I make more questions? Anything I missed?</p>
<p>I really enjoy helping you guys out, so let me know if you need anything.
Roll Tide, and I look forward to doing this again when more questions roll in!</p>