I am a senior in college. I am majoring in anthropology with a minor in biology. I am finishing early in 3 and 1/2 years. I am interested in the medical field. I am in no way prepared for the MCAT. I took microbiology, anatomy & physiology, psychology and nutrition; however, I never took a chemistry class or physics. I am turning 21 this summer. Is it late for me to start working toward getting into medical school? If not, how would I best prepare for it with the background that I already have?
The average age at matriculation in med school is 24. While about 1/3 to 1/2 of med students go directly from undergrad to med school, the rest do not. While most of those take 1-2 gap years to work, travel, take additional coursework, improve their ECs etc, it’s not uncommon for med students to be in their 30s or even older. (There was a 51 year old in the class ahead of D1 at med school.) IOW, you’re not too old to pursue this.
At this point, you should not plan on taking the MCAT. You need to finish the rest of the pre-requisite classes for med school. You cannot be considered for admission without having all pre-reqs completed. (And practically speaking, taking the MCAT without any chemistry coursework is professional suicide.)
Med school pre-reqs are:
2 semesters bio w/labs
2 semesters gen chem w/labs
2 semesters ochem w/labs
2 semesters physics w/labs
1 semester biochem
2 semesters college level math–one of which should be statistics or biostatistics
1 semester intro psych
1 semester intro sociology
2 semesters of English composition or other writing intensive courses as defined by your college
Specific medical schools may have additional requirements. Please check their admission websites for details.
You do not need to enroll in a formal program to complete your pre-reqs–though there are programs available for career changers. You can do a search for programs here: https://apps.aamc.org/postbac/#/index Choose career-changer as the type.
Because you have already taken some of your sciences, you may not be eligible for all career changer programs.
Do-it-yourself post-baccs are fine. You should, however, take your coursework at 4 year college, not at a CC.
In addition to coursework, there are other “unwritten” requirements for those who want to go to med school. Those are ECs. Without these expected ECs, your application will not get considered.
physician shadowing–so you can see what you’re getting yourself into career-wise
clinical volunteering --to see if you really want to be around the sick, injured, chronically ill, demented, mentally ill, permanently disabled, and dying and their families day after day. It’s not for everyone
community service to those less fortunate than yourself --to demonstrate altruism and being of service to others
leadership --because doctors are by default team leaders in healthcare situations
Some schools also want to to see:
teaching/tutoring/coaching experiences-- because a large part of what doctors do is educate their patients about their health
clinical or bench research experience-- to gain a better understanding of the research process and its potentials and pitfalls
tl;dr -- you're not too old
1) finish taking your pre-reqs at a 4 year college
2) start your ECs immediately
3) prepare for and take the MCAT
4) apply for med school
Good luck!
P.S. FWIW-- D1 didn’t decide to go to med school until right before her college graduation. She worked multiple part-time jobs after graduation, finished her pre-reqs, did her ECs, scored well on the MCAT and went to med school. She is now a second year medical resident in the specialty of her choice.