Theoretical question on 2nd bachelor's degree

So I was talking with a friend today who is considering a career in medicine.

He is thinking about doing an exam and portfolio-based undergrad at one of the Big 3, but was concerned about his prospects of getting into med school with a degree from one of the Big 3.

We were discussing it, and the thought occurred to me that perhaps he could take his TESC or Excelsior degree, for example, and apply to a University of California school for a 2nd bachelors with a different major. In theory, he'd only have to do the credits necessary for the additional major to get the second bachelor's... but, given that the UCs generally don't accept much in the way of credit-by-exam or credit-by-portfolio, would they accept a full *degree* based on those credits to be applied toward a second bachelors? Idea being, having two bachelors degrees, both in areas useful for premed (let's say, bio and chemistry, or chem and neuorscience or something like that) increase likelihood of admission, particularly if one of them is from a more traditional school?

In general, would a typical bricks-and-mortar school accept a degree based on exams and such, whne the b&m school wouldn't have accepted the credits the degree is based on in the first place?

Also... does anyone have any thoughts on the likelihood of med school admissions from one of the Big 3?

 

>>

I doubt it because the premed requirements are all lab sciences. Most premeds have something like 20-30 full years of science. They are all 100 and 200 level, so they won't count as a major. You can't get lab science at the big 3, only transfer them in.
You friend should go to the BM where he wants his second degree and get his premed degree there. Later, if he wants, the big 3 degree could be his second degree.

 

Chip,

I would recommend that your friend complete a BA/BS through one of the "Big 3" schools and then pursue a 1-year Post Bacc Pre-med program. These programs are designed specifically for career changers who would like to apply to Medical/Dental/Veterinary/Podiatry/PA, etc. School, but do not have the appropriate science pre-req courses.

Here is an example of such a program: http://www.brynmawr.edu/postbac/


Another option would be for your friend to complete the science pre-reqs online (yes it is possible) while pursuing a BA/BS through a "Big 3" school.

Ocean County Community College offers a number of DL science courses (w/ labs). This might just work for your friend. It is important that your friend complete the following science pre-req courses before applying to med school:

Biology - 1 year w/ labs MUST be Biology for science majors, not an intro course

Microbiology

General (or Inorganic) Chemistry - 1 year w/ labs MUST be chemistry for science majors, not an intro course

Organic Chemistry - 1 year w/ labs MUST be chemistry for science majors, not an intro course

Physics - 1 year w/ labs MUST be chemistry for science majors, not an intro course

Calculus - 1 year. Not all Med Schools have this requirement. Your friend can check on this.

Additional courses that would be good to have (but are generally not pre-reqs for med school):

Microbiology (w/ labs)

Anatomy & Physiology (w/ labs)

Genetics

Biochemistry (w/ labs)

 

Most premeds have something like 20-30 full years of science.>>


Ok, clearly I wrote that wrong! LOL
Credits, not years. I also like the suggestion for the post-bac option. Here is another one www.harvard.edu

 

Thank you both for your helpful info!

The person in question is extremely intelligent, probably has an IQ of 150 or higher, and has done really well in sciences so far, so I'm sure he'd be able to ace the premed coursework and get very high grades. The main reason for going the Big 3 route is that he's bored to tears with regular classes.

Assuming that he went the Big 3 and then the one-year premed prep route, do you have any idea whether he'd be at a disadvantage in terms of admission to medical school because the original bachelors is from a Big 3 and based primarily on tests and portfolio? (i.e, would a TESC or Edison or Excelsior degree serve to "downgrade" his acceptability because he didn't have a traditional B&M degree from a well-known school?)

 

That is quite possible, but hard to say for certain. Medical Schools are very much a "do things by the book" type of institution. With that said, I would recommend that your friend contact the medical schools he is interested in attending and ask them this very question. Of course, they might not come right out and say "we will not accept applicants with degrees from Excelsior, TESC or COSC."

Anyway, if your friend is starting with zero (or at least less than 60) credits, then perhaps he could complete an associates through one of the big 3, and at the same time complete the science pre-reqs online through Ocean County Community College or at a local community college (I'm certain that these credits could be applied to an A.S. at any one of the Big 3 schools). This would negate the need for the 1-year post bacc program. Once he is done with the A.S. (and the science pre-reqs), he could complete a BA/BS online through any number of "name" schools (e.g. Drexel, Penn State U of F, etc.). BTW, one does not need to be a science major to gain entry into Med School. This is one area in which being non-traditional can be perceived as a benefit. Med Schools are often interested in applicants with degrees in non-science areas (e.g. psychology, english, economics, etc.). Just remind your friend that the science pre-reqs will need to be completed regardless of the major).

In addition to schooling, any volunteer (or paid) work that your friend can complete in a health care setting will certainly be of benefit for the med school application process. For example, my fiancee (who is now a physician) worked at a hospital gift shop in between college and med school.

Here is a good resource for your friend to check out:

http://www.aamc.org/students/considering/gettingin.htm

Finally, since you mentioned that your friend is highly intelligent, perhaps he could gain entry to a combined BS/MD program at one of the following schools:

http://services.aamc.org/currdir/section3/degree2.cfm?data=yes&program=bsmd


Regards,

 

If medical schools are anything like law schools it all comes down to GPA and MCAT and possibly even volunteer activities. I suggest contacting the medical schools to which your friend wants to apply and ask them about an undergraduate degree earned primarily through testing out and portfolio work, in combination with a pre-med post-baccalaureate. The other suggestions offered are equally good.