I’m really happy that I’m at UVA but I’m still not sure of what I want to study. I’m currently in the College and planning to transfer to the E-School and major in computer science. But I also want to do medical school after graduating so I’m planning on doing the pre-med courses.I want to transfer to engineering because I really don’t want to take all the humanity and writing classes I would have to take under the BA CS.
If I do pre-med and CS, I’ll have to skip some summers and do some kind of research/volunteering instead of getting a CS internship.
How important is a CS internship after graduating?
How manageable is it to do BS CS and pre-med?
Background: For the pre-med requirements, I only need my bio 1, bio 2, orgo 1, orgo 2, and sociology. I don’t need any math classes or physics.
For CS, I’ve already taken 1110 and taking 2110 and 2102 next semester.
Since you are currently enrolled at UVA, I think you would be better off talking to your academic advisor vs. seeking advice on an internet message board. Good luck.
I had read a couple years ago that UVa has at least one dedicated pre-med advisor. I think you need to talk to some well informed people (such as a computer science program advisor), beyond the generic advisor typically assigned to you by the U. in your first year.
How manageable depends on you. If you are doing extremely well now, you can try. Remember that medical school is all about GPA and you need to be above 3.6 to be competitive. CS may not be hard for you but can be time consuming. MCAT include verbal, psychology and social science. Those humanity class that you do not like may help you not only on MCAT but could also be a GPA booster (easier class than E-school). E-School also tends to have lower GPA. (Yes they know engineering is harder, if you don’t get screen out. The average acceptance rate is less than 3%.)
Internship is more important in CS. If you do well, hopefully you get an internship the summer between your 3rd and 4th year and have an offer locked in when you graduate. Medical schools look for you to be involved in medical/people interaction related activities. They would like your EC needs to include activities like volunteering, shadowing doctors, research… Want to know more, go to the forum in Student Doctor Network. (Your summer becomes somewhat of a conflict on CS and Med School route). You will also need to allocate time to study for the MCAT and prepare essays for your med school application.
How much the pre-med advisor can help you depends on how much you already know. I suggest doing your own research and you will find things the advisor is not aware of. Specific med schools have different missions and requirements.