I planned on completing my degree @ FHSU in December, however a few hurdles were thrown in my way this year and I won't be completing my degree until the Spring (which I am quite alright with)... I want to complete this degree as I am but 12 credits shy of it (and it goes in line with my current career). After one current career oriented train of thought which had me thinking of pursuing a Masters in an IT section once I complete the undergrad @ FHSU, something transpired today (though I will spare you the details) which has me rethinking my aspirations and I am seriously contemplating a 180degree change... Yes, this will sound crazy and some of you may read this and shake your heads, but that, too, is alright I am very seriously considering Med School (something I thought about many years ago but have put aside) to pursue a career as a physician (more specifically specializing in palliative medicine once residency is done)... So here is my current train of thought... (obviously not a DL med school question - my intention is to attend a B&M Med School in .ca) 1) Complete degree @ FHSU 2) Complete 2nd undergrad degree... but I am seeking input in what area to pursue... (realizing that I have only one physics course and 1 Bio course with a lab as part of my current degree) I was thinking about Psychology and then taking extra Chem / Physics / Biology courses to increase my knowledge). I have always had an interest in Psych so it would not be that difficult of a transition. I would also like to transfer in credits already earned to shorten the time frame to obtain this 2nd degree (I'm in my mid 30's... I would like to be done by the time I hit my early 40's). I believe that this will allow me to garner a good foundation to enter med school as well as provide me with a competitive GPA. Clearly this would have to done through an RA school; ideally at a Canadian University as I reside in Canada - though with RA accreditation it should not be an issue (but then I would need to couple a degree with has a reasonable cost (low if poss - as this is self financed) alongside a reputable University))... Thoughts about this 2nd degree as a pre-med course of action? Does anyone else have ideas/thoughts about how I should go about my plan?
That's awesome bro! If she hasn't seen the thread yet once she does Jennifer will post...I guarantee it! I wish I could offer guidance as to the how, but I really have no idea. I can just say good luck and kick it in the teeth if you decide to go for it.
I say go for it! No need to complete a 2nd bachelors though (make you nail your last four courses, as you'll need a high GPA to be really competitive). Just focus on completing your remaining science pre-reqs (make sure that the courses are for science majors, including the two that you have already completed). Note that you may complete these courses online through Ocean County Comm College or The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, just to name two options (do check with your med schools of interest first to make sure that they will accept DL science courses. Not sure how it works in the great white north, but in the US, you would then prepare to take the MCAT and then submit your applications. Anyway best of luck!
Sorry about all the typos in my previous post. I need to stop using my "smart" phone to reply to threads! Stupid virtual keyboard!!
Certainly finish your bachelors with FHSU! Perhaps you should consider a post bachelor premed program. Links: Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs - Search Results Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs - Search
Do a post-bac, will only take a year and is designed to help one be more competitive with med-school applications.
Thanks for the info thus far, but I don't know of any post-bacc in .ca (those in the list provided are all in the US and seem to run quite a bit of cost, too) ... Athabasca offers some courses: How to become a Physician - Counselling Services - Athabasca University which look to fit the bill; there are these options: University of Manitoba: Distance and Online Education: Bachelor of Arts - BA in Psych (3 years, but I would transfer in some GenEd credits to shorten that) or Bachelor of Science, Major Program, Thompson Rivers University, Open Learning, Distance and Online Education, British Columbia, Canada Thompson Rivers University - a BS in biology/life science... I would like a solid foundation before attempting the MCAT, so I don't mind doing it right and not rushing it...
That sounds like great advice, but I'd be curious if Med Schools would allow you to use your post-bac GPA toward admission. I guess you would have to conctact the school and ask. I'm pretty sure for law school they didn't calculate it into your GPA, but law school /=/ Med School.
I was going to suggest this, but I don't believe that this would be a viable option for the OP, as he has already completed two of the science pre-reqs. My understanding is that the post-baccs are only intended for those students who never attempted the science pre-reqs during college, and are now looking for a career change. There is another option for people who completed some of the science pre-reqs - a masters degree. I don't have the details handy, but a google search, or a quick trip to the SDN should provide the answers.
Yes, they will count the post-bacc toward your sGPA (science GPA). The OP's FHSU degree would be factored in to calculate his/her cGPA.
If it were me, I would finish the BS degree. I don't think DL will work for the science courses because they need a lab component. If DL is the only, only option then consider the University of Utah Organ Chemistry courses Continuing Education Class Information or Oklahoma University IS CIDL College Course These are big schools in the sciences and should have some respectability but like I said, I don't believe US medical schools like the DL option but usually foreign medical schools don't differentiate. Then I would focus on studying for the MCAT for 4 to 6 months with the intent of scoring the highest score you can. Scores of 28 will get you into DO schools and some MD programs. 30 is a great goal but if you can aim for 35 or better, I read about an applicant getting a scholarship. I've notice a lot of Canadians coming down to the Caribbean to study medicine as well. Unfortunately, the Canadian residency match is extremely competitive so getting into a Canadian school would obviously be the best choice. I suggest you (meaning anyone who is interested) take a look at ValueMD - Best Caribbean Medical Schools, Top International Foreign Med School for foreign degree options/ comments.
I don't know about Canada but getting into med school in the USA and the UK is exremely competitive. My nephew, in the UK, went into med school straight from high school but needed a whole buunch of A levels including math, biology, and chemistry. My current doctor earned two BS degrees in Biology and Chemistry before getting into a US med school. Athabasca has an online Biology degree: Canadian Virtual University - Programs
Actually, it's Thompson Rivers, not Athabasca that offers a DL bachelors in "biology/life science". However, one does not need to major in the sciences to gain entry to med school. There are many of examples of students pursuing majors in a myriad of areas (including psychology, english, french, etc.) and going on to med school. The important criteria is that one completes the science pre-reqs (with a high sGPA) and does well from a GPA and MCAT perspective.
I agree, that butt-in-seat is preferable to DL for completing science courses with labs. However, there are a number of medical (and other professional schools) that do accept online DL science courses as meeting their admissions requirements. For example, here is a list of professional programs (med school, dental schools, etc.) accepting the UNE COM's (College of Osteopathic Medicine) online biochemistry course. UNE COM also offers Bio I and II, Gen and Org Chem I and II and a number of other online science courses w/ labs (basically all the med school science pre-reqs, with the exception of physics I & II).
I am very seriously considering Med School (something I thought about many years ago but have put aside) to pursue a career as a physician (more specifically specializing in palliative medicine once residency is done)... So here is my current train of thought... (obviously not a DL med school question - my intention is to attend a B&M Med School in .ca) Me too! Big decision! 1) Complete degree @ FHSU 2) Complete 2nd undergrad degree... but I am seeking input in what area to pursue... (realizing that I have only one physics course and 1 Bio course with a lab as part of my current degree) I was thinking about Psychology and then taking extra Chem / Physics / Biology courses to increase my knowledge). I have always had an interest in Psych so it would not be that difficult of a transition. I would also like to transfer in credits already earned to shorten the time frame to obtain this 2nd degree (I'm in my mid 30's... I would like to be done by the time I hit my early 40's). Two thoughts- first, can you do it with a USA degree and second, can you do a postbac instead? As you probably know, foreign medical students have a far more challenging time getting into USA schools with a foreign degree. In my opinion, if you did a USA postbac you'd be more competitive. I believe that this will allow me to garner a good foundation to enter med school as well as provide me with a competitive GPA. Is your GPA not competitive now? What were your 2 science grades? If your GPA was less than 3.5, I'd change my above advice and suggest doing whatever it takes to raise the GPA. You can use an online GPA calculator to see how many credits you would have to earn to get your cGPA back up to or > 3.5 Since you are just starting your sciences, simply- kick butt. You need A's. The end. Clearly this would have to done through an RA school; ideally at a Canadian University as I reside in Canada - though with RA accreditation it should not be an issue (but then I would need to couple a degree with has a reasonable cost (low if poss - as this is self financed) alongside a reputable University))... How much money do you have to spend? I'm being serious. $X per year spread out over X years, $X for 1 year? If you can pay for it, a 4 year university is CLEARLY the recommended choice for your sciences. Visit any of the med school web sites, and more than half will say so in writing. If you are applying MD only, I think it's pretty much a given. If you are applying DO and MD, then I think you might be better off. I'm applying to 20ish DO schools and 1 MD school (my state) and they tend to be more community college friendly- but even still, several have told me straight out to only take my premeds at a 4 year uni. I'm doing mine at University New England's College of Medicine - they are online except for physics which I'm doing at Ocean Community College. The UNE classes are $1300 each (books included) so my whole premed sequence will be about $10,000. Yes, I'm paying cash as I go. If I had less money, I'd have to go to my local cc. I could go butt in seat for $5000. Thoughts about this 2nd degree as a pre-med course of action? Unnecessary. Does anyone else have ideas/thoughts about how I should go about my plan? Yes. You'll need a SOLID 3 months of 40hr/week MCAT time, so plan that in. I think it's highly suggested by the >30 crowd to finish all of your prereqs first. Also, application cycles open in June each year- be first. [/QUOTE]
Just to throw this in- yes absolutely 100% do. In fact, if you apply to MD programs, it is added to your existing sGPA and cGPA. If you apply to DO programs, it overwrites any prior sGPA courses.
>> Some postbacs are master's degrees made up only of premed sciences, others are certificates, some are nothing. Harvard, for instance, allows you to enroll with prior science credit but won't award a certificate if you have prior prereqs already done. If the chem and bio were either 3 credits/survey/intro/exploratory, then they don't count. AND it's worth pointing out that many schools WILL NOT accept a broken sequence. For instance, if you take Gen Bio 1 at school ABC and Gen Bio 2 at school XYZ, that doesn't count. So, for the OP, he would essentially have to take the full years anyway. P.S. Sorry I posted 3 times lol, clearly I've had a little too much coffee tonight.
