<p>I'm a pre-med (aspiring for UT-Southwestern) thinking of going to UTD with an AES scholarship.
The thing is, I've already finished two years worth of college in high school, and I've already skipped the eight grade, and I'll be 17 when I enter college.
Likewise, I've talked to my pre-admissions counselor there, and I'll be able to graduate in a year (In need to do 50 credits), which would make me 18 when I receive my degree and apply to medical school. I've decided to use two years, which would make me 19 when I apply to med school. I've heard that med schools frown upon young graduates, usually requesting them to apply when they are 20+. Will my age hurt my chances for admission? If I do get into some medcial school early, I'd love being able to enter the workforce early and having more time to pay off my debt.</p>
<p>Another question:
I'm not sure what to major in at UTD. I was thinking of Biology (premed), but I'd like a useful degree (maybe Economics, Business Administration, etc?) that would let me get a paying job right after graduation and before med school so that I could save up. Is it okay to take 1 or 2 gap years before med school to save up for it, or will this also decrease my chances? In this case, I'll probably be 21 or so when I apply. </p>
<p>I’d recommend to check the medical school discussions to ascertain the requirements, and especially how your proposed curriculum might allow for a decent preparation for the MCAT – or the LSAT or the GMAT since you seem quite ambivalent about the degrees.</p>
<p>I am afraid you are grossly overestimating the value of the 2 “years of college.” If based on AP/IB credits or community college credits, I highly recommend to confirm how comparable to your planned school your credits truly are. </p>
<p>For what it is worth, the value of fast track is quite illusory if you end up graduating with a glorified high school education. Do not rob yourself from the opportunity to explore education through a full range of undergraduate study. Use your credits wisely for advanced placement, and … not for replacement. </p>
<p>Thanks @xiggi I talked to the pre-admissions counselor, and I actually only have 50 credits to go= 21 credits each semester plus 9 in summer school :)</p>
<p>I only have 50 credits left, however. Also, minors and double majors are pretty much useless for med school applications. How can I make 50 credits stretch out 4 years?</p>
<p>Humm, it is not about needing those 51 minimum credits at UTD, but about getting an education. And especially an education that will match your grad school requirements. I do not pretend to know how and where you obtained the previous credits, but most of what was NOT obtained at a 4 years college is pretty … worthless as a CREDIT. At best, use them for advanced placement. You shared you were from Dallas, and I do not think there are many places to earn valuable college credits in the metroplex. </p>
<p>I had well over sixty credits in Texas, and I used NONE of them for credits. I also could have graduated in Austin in less than two years, but would never have considered actually doing it. </p>
<p>A popular option is for a Pre Med double major at UT Dallas is Biology/Bus Admin. A popular minor is MASH (Minor in Medical and Scientific Humanities). If you are worried about age, you could graduate and start on a masters program before applying to Med school. You could also work on bulking up your volunteer hours. </p>
<p>Is your college credit from an early college program or AP or IB? If your credits are from AP classes, you may want to talk with an HPAC (UT Dallas Pre Med) advisor. In the past I have heard them discourage a student from using AP biology credit for a medical school application. They typically would advise you to take math and sciences from a 4 year university. </p>
<p>Hi @hello98 I had a friend who was in the same boat as you. He graduated highschool when he was 16 and took TCC and AP courses throughout highschool and graduated undergrad at the age of 18. The thing is medical schools are very biased towards applying at such a young age. This bias seems ridiculous but he found that most schools questioned his ability to finish the rigors of medical school and have the maturity to advance and understand healthcare related decisions. For medical school you can have some pretty old people applying to get in (not just your traditional straight out of undergrad 22 year old applicant). Because he finished so fast he had to take a masters degree and apply again when he was 20-21.</p>
<p>My advice for you would be to take a gap year between the time you graduate (if you apply when you’re 19 then you will apply when you are 20 and enter when you are roughly 21). Use this gap year to scribe, focus on your clinical experience, etc. With a whole year of dedicated clinical experience under your belt you can show medical schools that, even though you are 1-2 years younger than most applicants, you understand deeply the philosophy and experiences associated with being a healthcare provider. Another way is to get your masters degree program in areas like biomedical sciences, this will actually help you with your medical school admissions as they can see that you have already completed a degree in a hard field. </p>
<p>All this being said, remember to check whether your AP scores or community college credit or whatever you have will be viable for admissions. For example, if you have both calculus and statistic credits you may want to forgo one of those credits and take it in a univeristy to show medical schools that you can perform well in a university math class. Especially with UTSW you have to be an excellent applicant so make sure everything is crisp and solid before graduating early. Best of look to you and I envy you so much for being able to zip through undergrad and reach your goal faster!</p>
<p>@hello98 to add on to my previous (looong post), minors and double majors may not help you with the actual medical school admissions but they can enhance your educational experience and give you insight to a way of thinking that is not strictly cut and dry science. For example taking a minor in medical and scientific humanities may not help you directly with medical school admissions but can allow you to better understand the philosophy, ethics, and history pertaining to medicine and better understand the relationship between caregiver and patient. This can also enhance the breadth of your interviews. Whereas a double major in a business field can prepare you later on if you end up wanting to open a private practice. TLDR: Minors and majors don’t help admissions but can help with interviews and make you more well-rounded.</p>
<p>@hello98 if you plan to apply for TX medical schools, luckily most schools accept AP credit without a hitch (as in, no need to take upper-level coursework as a replacement), except for Texas Tech. UT Southwestern will accept AP credits without upper-level courses for all the prerequisites.</p>
<p>As to what everyone’s saying about your age, experience (or lack thereof), and expedited college education, I agree. Chances are, if you’re taking 21 hours a semester, you’re going to be too busy focusing on schoolwork rather than gaining the clinical or volunteer experience needed to catch an accurate glimpse of the level of the maturity or intellectual and moral underpinnings involved in the emotional and technical complexities of being a physician. Granted, one of my Electrical Engineering friends has taken 21+ hours a semester and still has enough time to perform his duties as a cabinet member of his fraternity (and as a freshman, too!). But his 21 hours included elective classes. With the other pre-med courses that aren’t covered by AP credit, you’d be taking major-required courses ON TOP OF Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, both of which include labs AND are considered some of the hardest courses at UTD (especially Biochemistry. I heard that class was BRUTAL and is very harshly curved).</p>
<p>If you’re really that intent on joining the workforce that early, I’d suggest getting a certification in a clinician job (EMT, CRNA, etc.) after you’ve completed your expedited degree.</p>
<p>If entering the workforce at an early age is what you want, and if you’re dead-set on a career in healthcare, may I suggest becoming a PA instead? Medical school will be at LEAST 7+ years before you become an independent provider, while PA school will only last 2 years (granted, you probably need clinical experience first as an EMT and whatnot). </p>
<p>The last thing I’m concerned about is that I’m not even sure if, at your age, you can answer the question above with great certainty. Do you want a career in healthcare, let alone a career as a physician? Judging by your musing of your choice of major and the possibility of law school, it doesn’t seem like your career choice is set by any means. Heck, I’m only a few years older than you and even I’m not close to being sure of what I want to be. At least college gives you that time to help answer these questions I pose to you. And you’re an AES recipient; you’ve got nothing to lose.</p>