<p>Hi...Im a soon to be High School Senior and want to get into med school after getting a Bachelors in Nursing (which will be my major in college). So.......questions:</p>
<p>1) Is nursing a wise choice or will a bio major give me better chances of getting into med school?</p>
<p>2) what are some of the best colleges with a nursing programs in MA/ what are some of the best schools for a biology major in MA?</p>
<p>3) Are the nursing programs difficult to get into???</p>
<p>Please HELP</p>
<p>If you want to be a doctor, why become a nurse? I think health majors are frowned upon by med schools. So a bio major may be more beneficial. But usually major doesnt matter as long as you fulfill the pre med requirements. A high gpa and mcat is must important.</p>
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<p>nursing is a safety net in case i cannot get into med school. I figured that nursing is closely related to a bio major knowledge wise and it would give me more hands on work. What jobs are available with a bachelors in Biology? A registered nurse can make $50,000+ a year. But i am not very knowledgeable in the matterā¦</p>
<p>You do have to be careful because the bio, physics, and chem classes required for BSN are usually the āeasierā versions (the ones that say āfor non-majorsā or ānon-science majorsāā¦not the harder versions that pre-meds usually take.</p>
<p>Pre-meds usually take the sciences that the students in major take.</p>
<p>I can understand wanting some kind of back-up plan, but youāll probably know early enough if thatās necessary. If youāre not getting top grades the first few semesters in bio, chem, and physics, youāll have time to choose to become a BSN. If you are getting top grades those first few semesters in your pre-med pre-reqs and other courses, then your chances of acceptance into med school is pretty high with a strong MCAT.</p>
<p>A nursing major will very much decrease your chances for medical school. The pre reqs are different and medical schools want students who have a passion for medicine not nursing.</p>
<p>Prepareing for a back-up career path is wise. Would you be interested in being a physicianās assistant if you do not want to go to medical school? I think that a student with Biology major would be able to pursue that with a MS degree. It would be a very good profession considering the aging Boomers.</p>
<p>@mjscal: I donāt really understand why you say that med schools want students who are passionate about medicine and not nursingā¦I get the differences between the two careers, but they are both so intertwined that one might think med schools would appreciate the fact the student wanted to get ahead in their hospital experience/financiallyā¦(seeing as how nursing pays well right after undergrad, and med school is so expensive)</p>
<p>As a matter of fact, I am in the same position you are, Aer0hybridā¦Iām an upcoming HS senior considering a BSN before applying to med school.</p>
<p>I understand what you guys mean about the classes for BSNs not being at the same level as the pre-med requirements, but what if we took the requirements over the summer, so that they were what we would need for pre-med? (Sorry if that was convoluted a bit, Iām running on like two days and no sleep 
)</p>
<p>P.S., Aer0hybrid, Boston College is a really good nursing program in MAā¦</p>
<p>isimarieā¦</p>
<p>Med schools donāt want pre-reqs taken over the summer.</p>
<p>But Iāve heard of a few students at our med school who have taken the pre-req classes after their undergrad, even one or two as a summer course? It was easier for them to get the right class in then (they worked while taking the pre-reqs). Sorry if Iām wrong, Iām just a bit confusedā¦</p>
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<p>Yes it is, but not one of the nursing science/math courses would fufill a premed prereq ā not one!</p>
<p>And think about, does it make sense to spend $250k for a nursing degree only to then have to take 2 years of prereq courses after the fact?</p>
<p>Much better to be a liberal arts major, apply to med school and consider nursing or PA if you donāt get into med.</p>
<p>Majoring in nursing with the intention of applying to med school and using nursing is a bad idea for several reasons:</p>
<p>1) (depending on the school) Youād be taking a BSN spot from someone who really wants to do nursing
2) A BSN program is a program leading to a specific career, which is frowned upon by medical schools because they want to see that youāre committed to becoming a doctor and the question becomes āIf you want to be a doctor, why did do a program where the only purpose is to lead to a specific career?ā
3) Because they are a 4-year program leading to a specific career, the course curriculum of these programs tends to be very regimented and might not (emphasis on the āmightā) cover all the med school pre-reqs. </p>
<p>Why not major in something you enjoy and get to med school the traditional way? If you canāt get in or change your mind and still want to do nursing, there are accelerated BSN programs for people who already have a Bachelors. </p>
<p>A few of my classmates are nurses, but they actually worked as nurses for years before deciding to do med school.</p>
<p>I know Iām going to be beat up for saying this, but if I were you, Iād go ahead and get my BSN. Medical school is becoming more and more competitive every year. Itās NEVER a bad idea to have a back-up plan. I donāt understand how the OP would be taking the spot of a student who wanted to become a nurse? In so many ways premedās do the same thing. Why are premedās taking engineering and business spots from people who actually want to work in engineering/business post-graduation?</p>
<p>I also donāt understand why medical schools will look negatively upon the OP. How? My mother was a BSN major/premed and got into plenty of medical schools (although she didnāt go because she got pregnant with my brother senior year of college). There can be a multitude of reasons an applicant might have been a nursing major, some of them didnāt realize until junior year that medical school was a better option. Believe me OP, you wonāt be looked down at for being a nurse. It may not help you, but you wonāt be looked down at. It has been stated clearly that pre-medical students can major in whatever they choose before med school and it will not make a difference as long as they fulfill their pre-reqās. Nursing isnāt an exception. </p>
<p>And lastly, there arenāt very many premed coursesāyou should be fine completing them. Instead of taking the āchemistry for non-majorsā on your degree plan, take general chemistry and so on. If you donāt have enough room to take the courses in your schedule, you can either take them over the summer or spend about another 1.5 years finishing up the pre-reqās post-grad.</p>
<p>Plain and simple, if thatās what you want to doādo it. Iām getting my paramedic certificate at the end of next year, and Iām also premed. Everyone discouraged me from going all the way but Iām pretty sure being the youngest paramedic ever in my state will show a dedication to medicine to the adcomsāeven if it doesnāt, Iāve enjoyed it, which is all that matters. Not only that, but Iāve already gotten many summer volunteer position offers over the summer in the third world nations of Africa, South America, Asia, etc. in which Iāll be a āprimary care providerāā¦unlike most premedās who volunteer abroad with no medical training whoās main job is probably janitorial. </p>
<p>Do what you want to do.</p>
<p>I donāt understand how the OP would be taking the spot of a student who wanted to become a nurse? In so many ways premedās do the same thing. Why are premedās taking engineering and business spots from people who actually want to work in engineering/business post-graduation?</p>
<p>???</p>
<p>How does a pre-med student take someone elseās spot? Schools donāt usually limit the number of students who can be pre-medā¦and many donāt limit the number who are in engineering. Mostly only the top schools have impacted engineering or B-schools. However, schools do often limit the number of kids admitted into the College of Nursingā¦because many/most are impacted.</p>
<p>@whs2010</p>
<p>Mostly everything you said was wrong. There isnāt many premed reqs? Taking them in the summer? Premed taking engineer spots? And how are you the youngest parameds in your state? This is irrelavant but interesting but where are you from? I know three 18,19 year olds who are parameds. In not trying to bash you, but dont give advice on things you dont know much about. Your mom does not represent a large proportion of premeds today (tens of thousands apply to med school a year!!), so dont generalized based on her results.</p>
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<p>Nope, not on this thread; too many classy people to ābeat you upā. However, nearly everyone would disagree with your post. But, beat you up over it, nah. :)</p>
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<p>I suggested just the opposite planningā¦take the RN classes after obtaining a liberal arts degree and being rejected by med schools.</p>
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<p>I would find some new advisors, if I were you. Many colleges offer a paramedic program designed specifically for premeds. The colleges encourage EMTāsā¦</p>
<p>*spend about another 1.5 years finishing up the pre-reqās post-grad.</p>
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I suggested just the opposite planningā¦take the RN classes after obtaining a liberal arts degree and being rejected by med schools.*</p>
<p>Exactly. If the student fails to get accepted to med schoolā¦or realizes during undergrad that pre-med is too tough, then switch to nursing at that point.</p>
<p>Iām 17. I turn 18 in May of next year. Iām a freshman entering college in the fall though. The youngest paramedic ever in the state of Texas was 18 years and 3 months (whoās actually my instructor). Iām getting my paramedic in less than a month after my 18th birthday. </p>
<p>And seriouslyā¦there arenāt many premed courses. 4 isnāt many (bio, gen chem, orgo, physics). You can take 3 of the 4 in high school. So I do have a point at where Iām coming from.</p>
<p>Also, last time I checked, you had to APPLY for business school after sophomore year and students are turned downā¦at least at my university. Not only that, but engineering school isnāt open to everyone. I have many friends that were rejected from the engineering program at a university but granted their back-up major. </p>
<p>And please donāt just restate me and say I donāt know what Iām talking about without giving me an explanation of why Iām wrong. Because again, there is no statement written by medical schools that state nursing majors arenāt given an equal chance as biology majors.</p>
<p>Actually 4 of the 4. If I would have stayed in high school another year, I couldāve taken organic chemistry dual-enrollment with a local university.</p>
<p>Follow your plan, then. And please get back to us in 3+ years and let us know how it worked out. Good luck.</p>