Music major interested in Med School

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>Hello everyone, this is my first time posting on this website. I am posting because I am in an interesting situation and I was wondering what other people have to say. </p>

<p>I am currently a 2nd year undergrad at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA. Over the past winter break, I have been thinking about my career and how even though I love music more than anything, I would like to explore other things, more specifically science and medicine. The key factor in my motivation to start taking science courses was the fact that students at my school are given the opportunity to "cross-register" to any Arts and Science classes at Northeastern or Tufts university. Feeling very ambitious, I set up a plan for myself to take several "pre-med" classes at Tufts University, in hopes that by the time I graduate, I will have fulfilled all the requirements to apply to med school.</p>

<p>If only it were that easy...</p>

<p>Needless to say, I've done a great deal of research on what I have to do to prepare for the MCAT and which classes exactly I need to take in order to apply for med school... My biggest problem at this point... is TIME. Next semester, I will be a junior, and still needing to take a whole boat-load of prereq courses. Now hypothetically, I believe it is possible for me to take all the classes and the MCAT before I graduate... if I follow this plan:</p>

<p>2nd year Spring Semester:
Biology 1</p>

<p>3rd year Fall Semester:
Biology 2
Chemistry 1</p>

<p>3rd Year Spring Semester:
Chemistry 2
Physics 1</p>

<p>Summer before Senior year:
Physics 2
Calculus 1</p>

<p>4th Year Fall Semester:
Org Chemistry 1
Calculus 2</p>

<p>4th Year Spring Semester:
Org Chemistry 2
(whatever is left)</p>

<p>Okay, now that seems nice and dandy in my head, but here are my problems... If I want to apply for med school after I graduate...when and how am I going to be ready for the MCAT before it's too late to apply for med school, (sometime early in my senior year)? Most pre-med students take the MCAT directly after their junior year. If that's the case, I wouldn't have completed physics or even started Organic Chemistry.</p>

<p>Of course, another very reasonable option would be for me to simply wait out until after I get my degree, then apply to a Post-Bac premed program. But I feel like even though this is a very logical path to take, it's not the most economic. I can basically take the classes I would take in a post-bac program, right now... FOR FREE, through my ability to 'cross-register'. Not only that, but I would still have to be ACCEPTED to a post-bac program, which I'm not so sure I can do, since I've been geared to be a musician my entire life. My high school grades and SAT obviously indicate that my priorities were not aimed toward going to a normal university. Instead, I practiced long hours every day on the piano so that I could be admitted to my current institution. With my high school GPA and my SAT scores, there's no way a Post-bac premed program would accept me... why would they even be interested in that information? Will I not have already obtained a college degree?</p>

<p>However, I feel very strongly that this is what I want to do. I know I can do well in the classes required, whenever I decide to take them. The only thing im worried about is, if all this is actually possible. Nobody is advising me, nobody is helping me, nobody is telling me which path to take.</p>

<p>By taking the courses right now, before I graduate, I run the risk of overwhelming myself with something I am not expecting. I run the risk of not being prepared for the MCAT, and doing poorly on it. What if I take all the classes possible only to find out that, (for some reason), I don't have time to take one or two of them, and that my only choice is to apply to a post-bac, and pay full tuition for those ONE OR TWO classes I couldn't finish in my undergraduate studies. </p>

<p>Logically, waiting it out and doing a post-bac program is the most comftorable, safe, and reasonable way of making my way into med school. </p>

<p>However, I just feel like I CAN do more right now. I should take advantage of the fact that I can take the required classes at one of the leading universities in the US. </p>

<p>Please comment and give me your advice!</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

2

<p>I actually thought of another possibility...</p>

<p>Take all the required courses before I graduate.</p>

<p>Then take one semester off to prepare for, and take the MCAT, after I have graduated...</p>

<p>Is this a good idea?</p>

3

<p>Try to remember that one of the most important things is simply getting the requirements done while still enjoying an excelling at whatever it is that you do well (In your case music).</p>

<p>If you can manage to be effective in the sciences while continuing to shine in your major most med schools will find you to be an interesting and attractive choice. As for time, just get it done. If you take a bit longer simply because you have more classes than the usual student it probably wont be held against you. </p>

<p>Your first priority should be to do well before being speady.</p>

4

<p>D is pre-med with Music Minor. Music classes for her are basically R&R. Be prepared to work very hard in those science classes. They are very time consuming. D is not at any elite school at all.</p>

5

<p>I would just like to add that being a music minor and being a music major are totally different things; especially, at a conservatory. I am a music major at a University and even though the work for my particular instrument is not particularly difficult, it is time consuming. The difference in time spent on your instruments and upper level music courses ( music history, music theory) is vastly different. I am fortunate that I decide to pursue the pre-med track early on;so, I am not exactly in the same boat as alphat 20. Good luck to you! I know you can do it. Musicians' have a determination that's unparalleled!!</p>

6

<p>Thank you all for the advice.</p>

<p>I've pretty much made up my mind. I will be taking all my science courses at Tufts before I graduate from my conservatory. Considering I plan on taking Physics I and II next summer, I will only really have one semester in which I am taking TWO sciences. Fortunately, if everything goes as planned, I will only be taking Organic Chemistry alone during my senior year, so I shouldn't be totally swamped.</p>

<p>I have realized that all these goals I have set for myself are possible to achieve.</p>

<p>Music is different from any other major because it is not objective, meaning there are really no right or wrong answers, there are no tests (except in a class of theory, and even then things can be improvised), and things are more based on talent and practicing. If I were majoring in anything else, then maybe the premed load would overwhelm me, and I wouldn't do well in my classes. As a musician, I feel like I'm put under such a great deal of pressure ALL THE TIME, and that doing premed really doesn't stress me out (I enjoy it), or effect my performances in music or academics. If anything, doing premed is an escape from one world to another, and science can feed off what I do in music, and vice versa. </p>

<p>I just hope I don't run into any problems like my conservatory advisor saying, "Oh, you have too many Liberal Arts credits because of all these science courses you've been taking, and now you need to take such and such classes and you can't graduate if you take more science courses!!!!"</p>

<p>Thanks for reading my rant...</p>

7

<p>Just as an update, here is how I plan on taking my classes, which is slightly different from how I listed it above:</p>

<p>3rd year Fall- Bio 2 , Chem 1
3rd year Spring - Chem 2
Summer before 4th year - Physics I, Physics II
4th year Fall - Organic Chemistry I
4th year Spring - Organic Chemistry II</p>

<p>I still have to consider taking Calculus at some point... (I have already taken care of the English credits).</p>

8

<p>Parto,
D realized that she would not be able to have Performance Minor because of time reguired, and although that would have been her preference she decided on Music Composition instead. She enjoys it tremendously, very relaxing and refreshing after Cell Bio and Org. Chem classes.</p>