tiger909

well i have been admitted to la and b as an english major. however i have just decided that i would like to pursue medicine and i have no idea how to pursue that...what can i do...summer school in summer. are med school prereqs permitted to be taken in ccc? any advice would help

Warrior2005

I am almost positive that you can do your med school pre-reqs at a CCC. Look at the classes you've gotta take (two semester of calculus, two semesters of physics, four semesters of chemistry, and three (or four?) semesters of bio) and see if you could fit that into your proposed english schedule at either of the two schools...seeing if you could use summer school to help you out as well. And remember that these courses aren't easy ones.

PooperScooper

Yes, you can take your pre-req's at a cc; however, medical schools do take note on where you take the classes, so it is recommended that you take them at a better school.

Laguna

PM me your e-mail or AIM or anything. I am in the exact same situation. I was Econ/Business but I am also going to do Pre-Med

PooperScooper

QandA info on berkeley's pre-med program

Q:
"Can I have some college credits done at a nearby community college in Sacramento? Which classes do you suggest?"
A:
"My advice is to take almost all or all of your science classes at Cal. For instance, I recommend that you take the entire chem. sequence at Cal. Where you complete the coursework will be examined, and the medical schools know the level of work at Cal better than at Community Colleges as most of the med students have taken their science courses at a 4-year school. Again, onecourse should not matter. You certainly can take some non-science classes at home, but take the bulk of your work at Cal so as to establish your track record."

Career Center - Pre-Med FAQs - Preparing for Medical School - Getting Organized

kal7

Tiger909, you can feel free to PM me as well. I'm no longer premed but have gone through most of the prereqs and have done a lot of research on the process.

suwaifo

On PooperScooper's post regarding Cal and Premed:

This is bad advice. Many people have taken full sequences of premed requirements at community colleges. In fact, you do not even have to be a biology major. You can keep going as an English major, and all you would have to do is take the premed prereqs while you are completing your degree. Also, take some upper division science classes just for some proof of your discipline.

As the Q and A answerer says, it is only his/her advice.

PooperScooper

This is not my advice, it's coming from Berkeley's PRE-MED DEPARTMENT. Please notice the quotes and the link to the source. sufaifo does have point, however, you should take all advice on-line with a grain of salt.

byla

It's actually a good idea that you're an English Major. At least when you apply to med school (after you've done the pre-reqs,check the AMA website: AMA - American Medical Association Home Page ) you will not be compared to science majors and therefore might have an easier way in to med school. I know because I'm surrounded by people applying to med school or have been accepted (I work at UCLA). At one time, we had this technician who's a Spanish Major at UCLA and got accepted to UCLA David Geffen medical school. She did her pre-reqs and had an outstanding work experience with us and a lot of volunteer work around the area. Plus it helped that she got recommendation letters from UCLA doctors. And MCAT score really matters too.

Then there are people who opt for PA (Physician's Assistant), a lil easier way in to the medical field. I'm not trying to dissuade you from med school, but just opening up some other options.

Med school is tough and long. You have to make sure that you want this for the right reason. At first I wanted it, but decided against it (a lot of reasons). Try volunteering or working at hospitals that will give you patient contact and see if you like the experience. Just always remember, patients are different than any regular clients/customers.

anchor

Physiology and Neuroscience major here. Should be great prep for the MCAT, and well, I enjoy the subject matter. You don't need to switch majors to apply to a Med school, just make sure you take the courses they require of you, and do well on the MCAT.

A few things I've learned in my readings on the matter.
- Where you do your lower division undergrad courses does not matter.
- It DOES matter where you do your upper division work however. For example, if you're at a UC and decide to take o-chem at a CC, not only will it look bad, but you'll probably need to explain yourself to the adcoms when the time comes.
- Your school's prestige does not matter (for undergrad). Sorry to break it to you UCLA and UCB folks. Unless, you're coming in from an IVY, it won't matter in the least.
- Biggest factors influencing your chances are GPA, MCAT, and EC's (e.g. research)
- A 3.3 at Berk or LA, does NOT equal a 3.8/3.9 at Davis/Irvine/etc. It is a 3.3 to everyone that matters.

echan621

Do some research on what medical doctors do to be sure that it's what you wish to pursue. For one reason or another, the plethora of pre-med students sharply dwindle.

Anyways, I'm just an undergrad student myself but here's what I've come up with after much research. Doctors are service providers, problem solvers. This can mean trial-and-error approaches or educated pseudo-scientific guesses. An overwhelming amount of knowledge regarding human beings remain unknown... but people have problems now. Doctors solve the problems people have now with what's known now. This might entail more treating symptoms than curing conditions.

Doctors are like car mechanics; that's where cars go that need to be repaired. Physicians don't, however, engineer dashboards or manufacture transmissions. They also don't really ponder the physics of air flow along the car frame at 70 mph on the freeway.

I don't mean to discourage you, it's just that many pre-meds seem to eventually change their focus. That said, if you are still interested in becoming a doctor, seek out activities, opportunities, clubs, etc. that will expose you more to what being a doctor really means both in theory and in practice. Forget about resume padding, because not only do you need to convince med school ad coms that you are resolute in your decision to pursue a career in medicine, you need to convince yourself of the same thing. The schooling and training are a serious time commitment (7+ years).

tastybeef

If you're doing your pre-reqs at a CCC, then you better have some decent MCAT scores to justify those grades. While the same is true for any 4-year college, it is more pertinent for CCC students.

alansda

tiger909, it seems that you're having cold feet about the direction of your career/life. Since you only said that you were admitted to la and b, it sort of implied that you have not yet decided on which to attend, and now you don't even know if you'll complete your English major. This is all very natural and happens often, so don't stress out about being undecided.

My advice is to take a long breath and use your summer term to either volunteer at a hospital (request to be placed where you can interact with patients) or shadow a doctor. Summer is your transition from a crummy CCC to a big UC, so take it slow

tiger909

thank you all for your advice, you guys are all so intelligent and sincere..