Complete a degree or start Ross.

[dorjiako]

Hi,
I am a Registered Nurse with an associate degree.I completed my premed in the same community college (has about 120 credit there). Cum. gpa is 3.5, Science gpa 3.85, will take mcat this August. I am just wondering if my lack of Bachelor's degree would affect my gaining surgery residency in NY if I am accepted and graduates fron Ross. If I do well in Ross and has good step scores, am I now equally competitive as US grad. Or, should I complete my Bachelor's degree first, apply to US schools first before applying to Ross. By the way, I am 27 years, married and with a son.

[AUCMD2006]

gpa is good, may hurt a bit that it is at a community college for US schools but finish your bachelors with that gpa, get at elast a 28 on the mcat and you have a good shot at US MD and DO schools. any caribbean school should be your fall back last option IMHO.

also the competitive specialties, like surgery, you need to do significantly better than US grads so if the avg for surgery is 220, you need a 230 to have a shot at getting interviews for catagorical spots. i.e. i know US grads right now this year that matched catagorical suregry with scores less than 210, and i know 3 imgs with 230+, 2 of which even did a pre-lim surgical year that again did not match. so if you want a competitive field try to give yourself every advantage and that starts by going to a US school

[IMG SURVIVOR]

I agree with him

[McGillGrad]

You would need to see what states require a full BA/BSc to get a license.

[dorjiako]

gpa is good, may hurt a bit that it is at a community college for US schools but finish your bachelors with that gpa, get at elast a 28 on the mcat and you have a good shot at US MD and DO schools. any caribbean school should be your fall back last option IMHO.

also the competitive specialties, like surgery, you need to do significantly better than US grads so if the avg for surgery is 220, you need a 230 to have a shot at getting interviews for catagorical spots. i.e. i know US grads right now this year that matched catagorical suregry with scores less than 210, and i know 3 imgs with 230+, 2 of which even did a pre-lim surgical year that again did not match. so if you want a competitive field try to give yourself every advantage and that starts by going to a US school
Your suggestion was helpful. I am really considering completing my Bachelor's degree and applying to US med school first. You mentioned that completing my premed in a community college might hurt a little. How should I fix this problem? Still needs about 45 credit to earn a degree as a transfer student. Will a major in Bio or Chem help a little as opposed to majoring and getting my Bachelor's in Nursing? Will having mostly A's in these courses offset the "community college premed stigma''.Will mcat in the 30's make me competitive applicant.

[AUCMD2006]

Your suggestion was helpful. I am really considering completing my Bachelor's degree and applying to US med school first. You mentioned that completing my premed in a community college might hurt a little. How should I fix this problem? Still needs about 45 credit to earn a degree as a transfer student. Will a major in Bio or Chem help a little as opposed to majoring and getting my Bachelor's in Nursing? Will having mostly A's in these courses offset the "community college premed stigma''.Will mcat in the 30's make me competitive applicant.

this is ginna hurt and will be difficult to accept but hear me out.

if you are absolutely 100% sure that nursing is not what you wanna do and med school is your only goal change majors as soon as humanly possible to the absolute easiest major you can think of....if music comes easy to you do music, if computers are your thing then do that..there is art, economics, philosophy, women studies, african american studies, latin american studies...anything that will allow you to get as close to a 4.0 gpa. then take only the required courses in the sciences and bust **** to ace those. take a mcat review course and get a 26-30 then apply to US MD and DO schools.

you can even incorporate it into your application essay saying that you started out enjoying nursing but felt a calling for medicine...and changed majors

i did rotations at 3 university programs and 2 community programs with university affiliations, many of my fellow students were US med students who were no dumber or no brighter than anyone in my class...so what was the huge difference? my class had bio chem, molecular engeneering, chem, bio, genetics, engineering majors, some of us had doble majors and a minor while these US students were art, music, psychology majors....they had better gpa's and got in the US schools. US schools care a great deal about anything but boosting their stats and your gpa and mcat score

as for community college- it may hurt you at the US schools becaise we all know how easy community college classes are vs university and as i have been told, US admit coms look at your school. for caribbean schools no it probably doesn;t matter

if you don't get in the US school then auc, ross, sgu, saba will accept you with those stats in a heart beat...

[liqu0rleadstocha0s]

i don't see how that advice can hurt. it's the smartest thing to do! change majors to something easy and spank it...get that 4.0 and ur on ur way

[teratos]

You would need to see what states require a full BA/BSc to get a license.

I don't think any do, do they? G

[jameslynton]

I would add - aim higher on the MCAT for a score above 30. The MCAT is a very doable test with practice. There are several very good prep courses and books. Princeton is what I am in right now. The Barron's MCAT prep and examcrakers are very good also.

[McGillGrad]

I don't think any do, do they? G

I see that New York and Ohio require at least 60 credits from an undergrad and since Carib grads are officially (or unofficially) considered on a care-by-case basis, I would not want to give them any reason to reject the license application from a North American.

[teratos]

I think the most stringent require 90 credits. I have something like 130+, but never technically graduated since I still need to take Ecology. G

[liqu0rleadstocha0s]

I would add - aim higher on the MCAT for a score above 30. The MCAT is a very doable test with practice. There are several very good prep courses and books. Princeton is what I am in right now. The Barron's MCAT prep and examcrakers are very good also.

examkrackers is also good.

[Dru]

Since you have completed your Associates Degreee in Nursing, it would only be necessary to complete 2 more years for your BSN. This could easiy be done with a double major in bio or what ever for premed. If you all ready have a strong foundation in nursing, your BSN completion grades may be the gimme that you need to boost your GPA. You may want to sit down with an advisor and find out how many of your existing credits will transfer, too. A lot of the community college credits may not be able to transfer to a university.

[eyecon82]

if you want to get in an US school..you must have a bachelors to be competitive....

for caribbean..i wouldn't worry...i believe SGU is the only school with a degree requirement....

apply to AUC or ROSS since they have a 90+ rule..

don't listen to the ** about premed councelors at ROSS and AUC telling you that you have a small chance because you don't hold a degree...think about other schools (they don't even require an MCAT)

you have a strong GPA ..you should be fine with caribbean...but as of the mcat..make sure you study hard and rock it...you might even get in a us school..