Political Science to Biochemistry as a Second Bachelor's Degree

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
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Hi there! I am Maria & I am currently a fourth year Political Science major at UC Santa Barbara and will be finishing my degree this winter quarter. I realized a little too late that I no longer wanted to become a lawyer. My original plan was to be Poli Sci major then apply to Law School. After shadowing a lawyer and really discovering the world of law, I was not as impressed. Then I got to spend a day with a dermatologist and I was so excited and inspired to become one myself. I want to get a second bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry because it is what I found most interesting. Anyways, I have called 5 different CSU and UC around Southern California and they have all said they don’t take in second bachelor students. I am distraught but I am not willing to give up yet. Is it possible to go to a CC first and then apply to a Cal State or UC for a biochem major? I would then be going to Med School afterward. Is this possible or has anyone gone through a similar situation? Thanks!

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  1. you do not need to earn a second bachelor’s degree to go to medical school. You only need to complete your med school pre-req coursework: bio 1& 2 w/labs, gen chem 1& 2 w/labs, ochem 1& 2 w/labs, biochem, physics 1& 2 w/labs, calc 1, stats (or biostats), sociology, psych. I assume you’ve already taken 2 semester/3 quarters/1 year of expository writing classes.

You can do your pre-reqs as a non-degree seeking student at a local university OR you can enroll in specialized post-bacc program for career-changers.

Here is a link to AMCAS’s database of post-bacc programs. Choose career changer as the type.
https://apps.aamc.org/postbac/#/index

  1. It’s best to take your math & science pre-reqs at a 4 year college if it is at all possible.

  2. med school admission requires not just completing the pre-reqs, but also having the right ECs. You’ll need physician shadowing in variety of specialties, especially primary care fields; clinical volunteering where you have direct patient contact (not office or administrative work, you need to close enough to smell the patient); community service with vulnerable and underserved populations; positions of responsibility that demonstrate leadership. Top research-oriented med schools (UCLA, UCSF, UCSD) expect significant clinical or lab bench research.

Med school adcomms strongly prefer multi-year records of activities, not a last minute binge right before applying. If you are serious about med school–start volunteering now.

  1. Please be aware that every year 60% of med school applicants fail to get a single acceptance anywhere. Make sure you have a Plan B.

  2. If you only want to be a dermatologist and would not consider any other medical specialty, particularly if you are totally uninterested or unwilling to consider primary care fields–DO NOT GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL.

Dermatology is one of most competitive specialties to match into. Unless you are tippy top med student with very high USMLE scores, excellent clinical grades and have done research in derm topic during med school, you are wholly unlikely to match into derm, The vast majority of medical students end up in primary fields–Family Med, Internal Med, OB/GYN, Pediatrics or Psychiatry.

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First of all, you should shadow more physicians before you jump in. You should shadow some Primary Care, Family Practice and Pediatrics to have a better exposure of the profession.
Secondly, there is good news and bad news for you, the good news is that med schools like Political Science majors and political majors, like many other liberal arts majors give med schools the diversity they need. OTOH, the bad news is that you need the aptitude to succeed in science and you do love science. Its not some thing you “want” to do because physicians make more money. Those career changers are very intense in science courses and you have very little buffers to spare, in other wards, if you don’t do well in the first semester or year or if you cannot get a good score in MCAT, you basically just throw the money in the drain.
Thirdly, you should be aware that you are in the long run in your quest of a physician, it could take upto 14 years from the day you enter a post bacc program before you are a full fledged, board certified physician.
Lastly, not everyone can be a physician, not academically, but physically. I, for example, as a computer system manager, can never think of sitting myself in the operation room with blood spilled out and try to cut some tumor out of a patient, or dissect a dead human body to learn its hart system.

Good luck to you.