<p>Hello! I am looking at colleges to apply to this fall. I want to study medicine but would like to know if I can do it in less than the usual 8 years. I know about those 6-7 BS/MD programs but I do not find them attractive because I feel that they restrict you in a way.</p>
<p>Are there any schools (good ones in the field of medicine, etc...) where I can get my undergrad done (and then just graduate) in less than 4 years? </p>
<p>Stats:
ACT-32
GPA-3.9/4
AP Classes- 10 by the end of my senior yr.
ECs- they are very strong</p>
<p>I’m not familiar with the premed track, so I can’t help you there. However here are the general recommendations for students who want to graduate in less than four years and who don’t want to go abroad:
-Look for a school that will allow you to place out of most of the gen eds/ intro classes with your AP credits. Generally speaking, publics are more generous than privates, although this obviously varies
-Overload on classes and/or take some during the summer
-Don’t go to a school with a core curriculum.
-Don’t switch your major unless it’s to a very similar program with similar requirements
-Go to a school with a lot of sections offered for the classes you need to take (ex: some schools offer mineralogy every semester. Others offer it once every two years. If you’re a geology major, go to the one with more sections offered)</p>
<p>Ok.
Yes, at this point I really think my best bet is to finish my undergrad as quickly as possible so I can then concentrate on med school.
Any other suggestions?</p>
<p>However, note that medical schools generally want to see college courses for pre-med course requirements, as opposed to AP credit.</p>
<p>Medical schools are also said to frown upon taking pre-med courses during summer sessions or at community colleges. You may want to ask your question on the pre-med forum.</p>
<p>Is there a particular reason you want to finish your undergraduate degree in less than four years? It’s definitely possibly, depending on your school, your major, and how many credits you come in with, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re doing it for financial reasons. I know a handful of people who graduated in three years, but they often took a gap year before going on to higher education (some worked, one got her master’s, etc).</p>
<p>Schools with fewer general education requirements and more course offerings (particularly one’s with major courses offered frequently, so that you’re more likely to get the classes you need when you need it) will likely be easier to graduate early in.</p>
<p>However, unless you can’t afford it or have other restraints that force you to graduate early, you may be more competitive for medical schools if you take the fourth year. That way you can take less classes each semester/quarter and spend that time on your extracurriculars or other activities (volunteering, research, internships, study abroad, work experience) or allow you to do better in your classes, all of which would make you a more competitive applicant.</p>
<p>My brother decided to graduate early with honors from college and was premed at ubercompetitive private. After he graduated, he enrolled at instate flagship and took graduate courses and did research and med school applications.</p>
<p>Yes, I’m thinking about doing this mostly do to financial reasons. I am academically strong but I worry that I might not be able to afford college… </p>
<p>I am not very sure that I will be getting much help financially from my family. My parents refuse to discuss the cost of college with me and often warn me that I better get LOTS of scholarships if I plan to go to college. I just do not know (at all) how much money I will have available and for how long. I also do not wish to be a burden on my loved ones. However, there is nothing else I imagine myself doing, I was that kid playing doctor in kindergarten! :D</p>
<p>Follow the links in #6 and make your application list from the schools listed there (including at least one automatic full ride as a safety – there are about ten in the list that your stats qualify for). Also check your in-state public schools to see if there are in-state full rides available.</p>
You better have that discussion this summer or all your planning may go to waste. On the one hand maybe your parents are not well off and are telling you to apply to colleges that meet full need, preferably with packages tilted more towards grants than loans. Or it may be that they know colleges will expect a family with their income and assets to contribute heavily towards your college education and they will not do so. You need to find out which it is.</p>
<p>The whole financial aid process is murky to many people. I suggest you read thru a book on college admissions that covers this in detail, or find some websites covering this.</p>
<p>You should also take the time to inform yourself on premed requirements. A good starting point is <a href=“https://www3.amherst.edu/~sageorge/guide1.html[/url]”>https://www3.amherst.edu/~sageorge/guide1.html</a> and there are many books on subject. Note that you are swimming against the tide trying to start med school early. Because admission is so competitive many find it useful to take a year or two after undergrad to enhance their app, as pointed out in post #7. The link I just gave you says
Lastly, and I usually bring this up so I’m not just picking you out or trying to dissuade you, how do you know that being a doctor is right for you? You mention being interested from an early age but I think you’d agree that as a child you did not really know what doctors do. Have you done volunteer work in a medical setting (an unofficial requirement for med school admissions, BTW) or have other exposure? Have you looked at alternatives such as nursing, the whole gamut of therapists (physical, respiratory, etc) that work with patients? Maybe it turns out that being a doctor is the right choice for you but you should take the time to investigate. You are looking at 11 years minimum from HS graduation as well as considerable debt before you are a practicing doctor, add on up to 5 more years if you want a specialty. One doctor I know said that if she was going to do it all again she would have gone into nursing.</p>
<p>No, my family is upper-middle but every time I try to sit down with my parents and show them lists of colleges and talk about financials they tell ME to apply and then figure out what works best… :/</p>
<p>@mikemac: I know I want to study medicine. I really do not imagine myself doing anything else (I do not really find anything else even remotely interesting). But yes, I am considering other routes, like becoming a nurse first and then thinking about med school. I just want to know what are my options. Also, Thanks for your post, it is very informative :)</p>
<p>Just about the only top tier school that I know of actively promoting a 3-year bachelor degree is Wesleyan and they are quite upfront about it being a way for middle-class families to save money (about 20% off total costs by the time you factor in fees for summer school - and, who knows? Maybe someday you’ll be able to take a MOOC or two.):
[Three-Year</a> Option, Academics - Wesleyan University](<a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/academics/curriculum/3year.html]Three-Year”>http://www.wesleyan.edu/academics/curriculum/3year.html)</p>
<p>First, something I don’t understand. You don’t like BS/MD programs because they restrict you … but you want to skip a year. Wouldn’t skipping a year create similar restrictions as a BS/MD program (limiting electives, etc)?</p>
<p>Second, Med schools will compare your 3-year application to a 4-year applicant on even terms. A four year program would likely allow you to carry a lighter/less dense course load which would likely help your GPA. A 4th year also gives you an additional year for things like research and internships. If you believe you in 3 years you can match 4 year applicants you’re good to go … however if it might hinder putting forth your best med school application you may want to reconsider.</p>
<p>(PS - my pre-med daughter delayed appyling to med school for a year so preparing for the MCATs and med-school applications/interviews would not be piled on top of her senior year school stuff).</p>
<p>^^It’s not clear from the sample itinerary explored on the Wesleyan site how the OP’s final year in a three year degree would be any different from the final year of a fourth year student. The real crunch - if you want to call it that - comes during the second year when the model suggests taking an extra course for two semesters. The applicant would have to weigh that against a phantom fourth year for which they pay nothing and which they can use any way they want, including preparing for the MCAT.</p>
<p>If you go to Northeastern University and don’t do all of the Co-Ops, you can graduate in three years. A significant number of students go this route, so you wouldn’t be alone.</p>
<p>95Carol, the Wesleyan plan sounds great but those 3 years could be more expensive than 4 years with great scholarships. Depends on financial aid.</p>
<p>With your stats you should be able to get excellent scholarships at many schools. Follow the links provided earlier for automatic and competitive scholarships and browse around the financial aid forum generally to get some ideas about what schools offer the best aid, both merit and need based. Also do the Net Price Calculators linked to from collegeboard for various schools to see what type of aid you might get. You’ll need your parents to provide you with the financial information that is required input.</p>
<p>Your parents are most likely stressed when they look at the cost of attendance at college these days. Who isn’t? I’m sure they’d be happy if you showed them a financial safety option that’ll offer a full ride or at least a full tuition scholarship. I’m not sure what state you are from or what part of the country you’d be willing to go for college but from my research, U Alabama and Temple would give you full tuition automatically. Others known for generous aid are South Carolina, Tulane, and Pitt. If you are a NMF then NEU would also give you full tuition.</p>
<p>Generally, if your heart is set on becoming a doctor, you want your undergrad to cost as little as possible since you’ll be tacking on big debt to attend med school.</p>