Going to medical school after receiving bachelors in different degree?

Pre-Med & Medical School
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You don’t need to start over. But you DO need to find out what courses will transfer to wherever you want to transfer to. You also need to find out if you need to take any upper level sciences for consideration for medical or dental schools.

As someone suggested upstream…see if you can make an appointment to speak to whomever handles transfers to wherever you plan to go. Take your transcripts with you…ALL of them because they will be required. This person should be able to tell you how long it will take to complete a bachelors degree at their school…and what major(s) place you closest to being able to do so.

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OP- if you were my kid I’d be encouraging you to explore the hundreds of careers out there that are not MD or Dentist. And before you transfer, spend another dime on your education, come up with a complicated and potentially unrealistic plan… make sure that you’ve concluded after RESEARCH and hands on work- paid or volunteer- that medicine/dentistry is for you. I am not sensing that you have fully explored ANY of the career options open to you with your current degree- other than deciding that they are not MD or DMD.

If you put as much energy into exploring your next step career-wise as you would need to in order to prep for the MCAT’s and jump through the med school hoops- I bet you could find a really interesting job that pays better than you think it does.

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And that will give you the quality of life you also desire.

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I have the opportunity during Summer break from college to do this.

Now my sister works in healthcare, and she told me that post COVID, they don’t really allow anyone to walk in and shadow without certifications or a reason to be there.

Maybe I should ask in a different forum, but not sure where or how to get these shadow or volunteer opportunities in hospitals and dental clinics to find out if I actually like it. Do I ask my own personal dentist for help. Maybe talk to him about it?

Now… it’s not so much I have anything against environmental science, it’s just I lost interest. Like occupational/environmental safety, wetlands science, geology, forestry… a lot of those are desk jobs outside of geologists.

I would love the opportunity to have patients, and care for them, and treat them. It really does sound rewarding at the end of the day when you’ve been a success. I went to a technical high school and had to take dentistry and really liked it then. I’m really curious about it.

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I think that this is more of an exploratory discussion rather than
a full commitment discussion from the OP. People have been
quite blunt and truthful (but in a very nice and polite manner), but the OP is not listening until he gets kicked in the teeth.
It’s all good. He will get kicked in the teeth and then decide if he wants more.

Doesn’t really matter if he took CC or online pre-med classes or got 4.0 because the MCAT or the DAT will expose all those are
not prepared or trying to cheat the grind.

I would suggest the OP look up going as a mid-level practitioner
such as PA or perhaps a longer path of BSN to NP, if the medical field is what he wants to do after shadowing and volunteering.
Still very difficult but perhaps an alternative to the MD/DO/DDS/DMD pathway. Good luck.

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I just did a quick search on Indeed with the keyword “Healthcare” located in metro Boston. Dozens and dozens of jobs- some are per diem (they call you when they need you- an interesting sounding job working with families when a baby is born with a drug addiction- requirements are a HS diploma), some are part time, some are full time. Some require certification which you don’t have, and others offer a PAID training period where they get you certification and then you can start the job. Neat sounding role as a radiation tech- transporting patients, answering their questions, helping the team maintain the equipment.

Get a summer job at a hospital. Nobody here is suggestion that you walk into the ER at Mass General and ask “Anybody need an extra pair of hands today?”

Wetlands management is most definitely NOT a desk job. I live in a coastal town which has many environmental issues-- the town employees people who measure water quality, assess the wildlife (plants, fish, animals) in marshes and swamps, the federal government employees people locally who work with the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers on beach erosion and habitat maintenance, etc. These are people in waders who are working with their hands in sensitive environmental areas measuring, assessing, using their professional judgement out in the field every day. I have a neighbor who bricked over a patio which was found to be encroaching a wetlands- he had to remove it. There were folks out there using different types of equipment to show that he had damaged a bird breeding area. Then a big dust-up when the cable provider started laying the next generation of fiber optic cable, and THEIR environmental folks went up against the town’s. There were teams outside 24/7 with video, air quality measuring tools, experts on animal breeding habitat, water, etc. My town has switched from the salt mixture used to coat the roads before ice and snow because a group of environmental activists showed how the chemicals were showing up in ponds, lakes, streams, creeks and were altering the habitats and killing the eggs.

Not a desk job.

There are no shortcuts to finding meaningful and fulfilling work. You actually have to put some muscle behind it whether it’s in environmental work or the medical field.

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I suggested that on one of your threads. I suggested that you see if your own dentist would be willing to sit down first and talk to you about what he needed to do for training, and what his job entails. Then ask if it would be possible for you to shadow. Or if he knows who you could contact.

Re: volunteer work…every EMS service around here has volunteers…but you do need to do the EMT training. You could volunteer at a soup kitchen, or at ask at any of your skilled care facilities if they need or want volunteers. Is there a head start nursery school near you? You could volunteer there. What about contacting the Red Cross and see if they have any volunteer things. You never know.

You could get CNA or medical assistant training…and get a job doing that. Or be a medical scribe.

If you read the posts in your many threads, you will see many suggestions from @WayOutWestMom and @blossom for things you can do. But YOU need to take some initiative.

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I absolutely agree with you and I think the OP’s “problem” with that is they’re doing online courses. Other colleges I know that offer this major have students out in the field/water doing all this work as part of their courses. To me, that seems to set them up far better for the actual job. I’m a bit mystified that this major can be 100% online, but I guess if all one gets is the book knowledge, it can be. There’s so much more to the field though.

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My friend who owns an environmental engineering firm that does toxic waste site remediation would strongly disagree with this. He, his partners and his employees do tons of field work. They have to survey the topology (walk the site while taking measurements), do sampling of soil/water/air at least once a week, be on-site to supervise work done by heavy equipment operators, etc. It’s a physical job. Are there reports to write and meetings to attend? Heck yes, but that’s true of almost every job.

I know three-four forest rangers too. State and National. Mostly outdoor work, but report writing, meetings, paperwork–that’s also part of the job.

And if you think that medicine or dentistry doesn’t require “deskwork” you are sadly mistaken. For every patient you see, you will write patient notes, fill out charts, fill out insurance paperwork, write referrals. Doctors spend about 1/4 to 1/3 of their time at work doing paperwork. And if that paperwork doesn’t get done at work… Guess what? You get to do it at home during your free time because no patient notes = no payment for services. Employers get very upset if patient notes aren’t done in a timely fashion (within a day, two at most). Doctors/dentists get fired for not getting their charting done.

Plus both physicians and dentist have to stay current in their fields by taking continuing education coursework and reading professional journals (on their own dime and in their free time). Otherwise when it comes time for their license renewal, they could be outta luck.

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Finding dentists to shadow–

If you are serious about exploring dentistry as a profession, you may want to contact the Pre-dental clubs at both BU and UMass-Amherst

Although you’re not a student at either, individuals active in the organization may be willing to suggest some dentists who are open to allowing students to shadow or share the names of organizations which welcome pre-dental volunteers.

UMass’s pre-dental society lists several organizations that use student volunteers to help at free dental clinics.

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Dental School Prerequisites

Requirements vary by school, but most require the following courses:

  • Intro Biology I & II with lab (Bio 151, 152, 153)
  • General Chemistry I & II with lab (Chem 111, 112)
  • Organic Chemistry I & II with lab (Chem 261, 262, 269)
  • Intro Physics I and II with lab (Phys 131, 132)
  • Calculus I (Math 127)
  • Statistics (Stats 240)
  • Elementary Biochemistry (Biochem 420)
  • One Year of English/College Writing (EnglWrit 112, Junior Year Writing)

*Click here for class substitutions and more information on academic preparation.

It is strongly recommended that pre-dental students also take 2-3 upper level biology courses. Some of these recommended courses include but are not limited too:

  • Microbiology with lab (Microbio 310 & 265)
  • Anatomy (Kin 270 or 272)
  • General Genetics (Bio 311)
  • Intro Physiology (Bio 288)
  • Histology (Bio 523)

Dental Shadowing

  • 50 to 100 hours (varies between dental schools) of shadowing a general dentist

Keep in mind…

  • Some schools do not accept community college or AP coursework
  • Tufts Dental School requires at least one upper level biology course and UNE Dental school requires Anatomy as well as Microbiology with lab.

Source: Resources - UMass Pre-Dental Society

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BTW, if you’re still interested in UMississippi School of Dentistry…

This is their requirements:

Cognitive and non-cognitive components

Decision and consideration is given to cognitive and non-cognitive components. Cognitive components include overall GPA, science GPA, overall DAT, and overall science DAT. Non-cognitive components include honesty/integrity, ethics/values, respect for others, critical thinking, communication skills, altruism, motivation for dentistry, accountability, support system, maturity, excellence, vision of practice, participation in Health Careers program, leadership, self-appraisal, research and interviews.

Experiences

  • Shadowing - A minimum of 70 shadowing hours with at least 4 dental providers is required.
  • Community service - A minimum of 80 hours of community service with a single organization or with multiple organizations is required. Service hours should be consistent and exemplify meaningful civic engagement. These organizations may be social, community and faith-based, disaster relief, mentoring, tutoring or coaching.
  • Research experience is recommended.
  • Activity in college - Clubs, organizations, leadership roles, scholarships.

Letters of recommendation

Four (4) letters of recommendation must be submitted through AADSAS. These four letters should be as follows:

  • College science faculty letters from biology, chemistry, or physics instructors (2)
  • Master’s degree program (1) only if you are enrolled in or have completed a master’s program; this letter will fulfill one of the science faculty letters as noted above
  • Dentist who you have shadowed (1)
  • Community service/volunteer letter (1)
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Understood. I would also add that when speaking to others in the field, what I was referring to…

I was told that field workers get to work away from the office, but if you want to move beyond field work into upper role positions, you begin to do less and less field work as you gain more experience.

It’s the more office oriented positions that tend to make the highest salaries. Not the case in the med/healthcare fields which is what was drawing me more towards that. Don’t want to be stuck in a career I end up hating.

You can definitely choose to stay in field work, but that you would not be making a six figure salary doing field work in forestry or wetlands. That’s usually the first 5 years of your career. I feel like working in healthcare has more opportunities to work directly with people and make higher salaries at the same time.

Exactly why I shied away from law and economics degrees, naturally knowing who I am, also disclosing I have ADHD. I like to move around. I like mental brain stimulation. I like hands on learning. I’m extremely good at chemistry but terrible at math. Back to the op, I don’t think anything would be more stimulating and hands on than performing literal surgery on a patient.

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Dental School Prerequisites
Requirements vary by school, but most require the following courses…

That certainly seems doable in comparison to the engineering path I dropped out of.

I see no major engineering, physics, or math courses. Just up to Calc 1. My last major was chem engineering a year ago, and yikes that was an overwhelming schedule for someone who dislikes math in general.

The one thing that attracted me to the med side of STEM, one of the few STEM majors that doesn’t require that you be a super numbers whiz. You don’t have to be incredibly gifted at math to be a dentist or doctor.

I see that med schools look for students who show perseverance, top of their class, and a willingness to go above and beyond, knowing you would be able to handle the intensive schedule of med school which is by all means the opposite of easy. Understood.

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Finding dentists to shadow…

Not sure if you are allowed to reach out to a doctor who you were a former patient of, but I have a great relationship with an oral surgeon in our area. A Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, with DMD and MD degrees from Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Harvard Medical School. I may just write him a letter for recommendations and explain what I would like to pursue. Perhaps even getting some volunteer opportunities, or if he knows of any opportunities elsewhere. I already have his personal cell number so I may reach out.

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Ok…so for at least the third time, I will suggest you reach out to dentists you know and ask first if you can discuss their career/training with them, and then ask about shadowing. And if they can’t accommodate you, then see if they know someone else who can.

Or use the nice links provided by @WayOutWestMom to find a dentist in your area to shadow.

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I’ll add the suggestion to take an in person anatomy class w/lab on here too. If you do well in that grade-wise and enjoy what you are doing, you’ll have an idea if health care (somewhere) is a good path for you to pursue.

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As a FYI, you need to shadow general dentists, not specialists like an oral surgeon, for dental school admission. Your LORs need to be from general dentists.

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“naturally knowing who I am, also disclosing I have ADHD. I like to move around. I like mental brain stimulation.”

In order for you to be successful in any medical or dentistry school, you have to be able to follow directions. You like to “move around” and that is very obvious based on your academic history of frequent changes.

However, in a very strict, cohesive discipline of patient healthcare/medicine and dentistry, you really can’t do that. You have to listen and follow directions or people get hurt. No one wants to be the patient of a person who can’t follow directions.

You’ve been given a lot of good suggestions from people who actually have experience in the fields of medicine and dentistry, and yet you seem to be deflecting that information and making every effort to go contrary to what the recommendations are.

If you can’t follow the suggestions, listed here, by experienced posters, then what makes you think you’ll be able to follow the directions in a teaching hospital experience?
All of your ideas, you’ve posted, have been based on lack of research and untruths.

You’ve been advised to speak to an academic counselor.
Have you made an appointment yet?
You’ve been told that you need to actually take some in person anatomy and physiology courses.
Have you looked into that?

You also been advised that you need to shadow and get info from dentists and get some volunteer contact hours. Instead, you’ve twisted that info and decided to jump directly to contact an oral surgeon.

I have a lot of experience working with ADHD students and, I get that you like to “follow the shiny penny”, but you really need to use the resources that have been directed for you.

I know you don’t like paperwork, because it is a challenge, but make a list of the next steps you need to do.

Use your iPhone and dictate your list to yourself.
Follow the steps needed, to advance your career by speaking to a career counselor at your university.
Any career.

Otherwise, I fear that you will be jumping from place to place, with no direction, as has been evident on this website. You have two posts going at the same time, and following the same subject, seemingly going in circles.

I don’t wish for you to be 40 years old, still trying to figure out what you can do with your life.

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Speaking of the two different posts, can they be combined?? I’m getting a little confused by the double-posts myself.