<p>Hi everyone. I just had a few questions about Pre-Med requirements. So hopefully you guys can help me.</p>
<p>To start, I have an Associate of Arts degree from a community college, and I am one semester away from finishing my Bachelor's degree. I am double majoring in both History and Political Science, and minoring in American Studies. My overall GPA is a 3.96. Within the last year, I have decided that both history and political science, however, may have been a mistake and I am highly interested in pursuing medical school instead of furthering my studies in graduate school.</p>
<p>The biggest problem I face is that I have only taken a few classes that are required to get into medical school. During my time at community college I took 2 physics classes, as well as statistics before transferring to a university. Other than these classes, however, my degree never required any additional math/science courses. So, needless to say, I have several premed classes I need to take still. Now that I am finishing school, there is no time to squeeze these additional requirements into my schedule. So, after I finish school in December, I was thinking that it might be a good idea to finish my premed classes at a community college (mostly because it would be a lot cheaper than taking postbac classes at a university). I was just wondering if you guys think this is a good idea or not? I have heard that medical schools often look down on students that have received premed credits at CC. Also, will it matter that my degree is not science/math based? Will that aspect hinder my chances of getting into a medical school?</p>
<p>Thanks so much for reading!</p>
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<p>Bad idea. Most medical schools will be relectuiant to accept a student who has not taken any pre-reqs at a 4 year college. </p>
<p>Rightly or wrongly there is perception that CC courses are easier and less competitive than courses taken at a 4 year college. Med schools want at some confirmation that your CC science/math grades aren’t a fluke and you really are a strong science student. </p>
<p>If you want to pursue med school, you don’t need to enroll in a formal post-bacc. You can put together a “do-it-yourself” post bacc at a local 4 year college as non-degree seeking student. </p>
<p>One thing you need to be aware of is that the content of the MCAT is changing in 2015. It will expand to include psychology, sociology, medical ethics, stats and biochem in addition to current requirements.</p>
<p>Your non-science degree will not in any way hinder your chances of a medical school acceptance so long as you have a strong science GPA (3.5+) earned at 4 year college.</p>
<p>I should also mention there are a number of medical schools which will not accept pre-reqs done at a community college. Off the top of my head: JHU, Creighton, Cooper Medical School at Rowan, Virginia Commonwealth. </p>
<p>A more complete list is available in the MSAR.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t suggest taking all of those courses at a community college. Although a high MCAT score may prove you know the material, med schools still don’t view CC as an appropriate alternative.</p>
<p>To your other question: No, majoring in political science or any other non science major will not hurt your chances. It actually may help your chances. Med schools want people that stand out. Almost every applicant is majoring in biology or chemistry(myself included). To major in something else shows that you had to take additional courses. Bio/chem majors already have the required pre-med courses worked into their coursework.</p>
<p>with that GPA, I would highly recommend you get a year of med-type volunteering going and then apply to one of the top post-bac programs. Yes, they are expensive, but so is med school. However, unlike courses taken at a juco, the top post-bacs have an extremely high placement rate into med school, which is your goal.</p>