Any SGU students admitted with non-physical-science degree?

[Cyrus951]

I'm thinking of majoring in Political Science and completing all of SGU's requirements as well on the side. Have any of you been admitted without a generic physical science degree?

[Cyrus951]

I'm thinking of majoring in Political Science and completing all of AUC's requirements as well on the side. Have any of you been admitted without a generic physical science degree?

[drwanna]

i know quite a few non science grads, most get entry to the foundation medicine or pre med course, but if you managed to take A'level or the equivalent courses in science in addition to your degree or took the mcat exam and did well, then you should be competitive for the direct entry course. best thing is to ask admissions. it also depends on length of time between taking science and starting medicine because i know science graduates who were put on pre med and foundation courses because of the gap in studying, or not having enough chemistry.

you could always apply for pre med directly at sgu and see if you could take extra courses in politics alongside???

[Skipper]

yea there are plenty out there.....you will be fine as long you got the pre-req

skipper

[stephew]

I'm thinking of majoring in Political Science and completing all of SGU's requirements as well on the side. Have any of you been admitted without a generic physical science degree?
of course. also in the us. but if you havent even declared a major i will tell you right now youre barking up the wrong tree. you want to go to a north american allopathic med school (if youre a us citizen) go abroad only if you fail to get in.

[envivany1]

True true. There is no restriction on what you must study as your bachelor degree to be admitted into medical school, as long as you take all the prerequisite (pre-med) courses. but as steph said, sgu is never a first line option for us citizens, its really for those who dont get in

[options]

I'm thinking of majoring in Political Science and completing all of AUC's requirements as well on the side. Have any of you been admitted without a generic physical science degree?

Why are you considering AUC at this point if you haven't started your science credits or picked a major. I think majoring in a non science degree will give you an advantage actually as far as admissions. Hopefully you won't have to go to AUC.

[GonnaBaMD7]

My undergrad degree is in general studies and I wasn't sent to the FOM or any other alternate program. I also have an uncle that is a physician that majored in classical art as an undergrad and went to a US med school. Just make sure you do the pre-med requisites and you should be fine for US or Carib schools.

[stateofequilibrium]

Yeah, as Options said you haven't done any of the pre-reqs and stuff. Do well in them, do well on the MCAT, get some great LORs and apply US. If that fails, then AUC.

[slevit1]

I graduated with a degree in sociology and was accepted. Non-science degrees can actually be beneficial in applying to medical school. No matter which major your choose, you will take the pre-med requirements and take the MCAT. So, you can still prove your ability to do well in the sciences. However, taking a non-science major allows you to broaden your knowledge base and differentiate yourself from all the bio and chem majors. Medical schools are encouraging people to take whichever major they enjoy. You would probably have a better chance as a fine arts major than a chem major, assuming you both did equally well in everything else.

Reminds me of Ben Carson's book, "Gifted Hands," where he talks about his interview for chief of pediatric neurosurgery. He was the youngest ever at Johns Hopkins and believes that it was more due to his shared interest in music with his interviewer than his actual experience as a surgeon.

Everyone who is accepted to med school did well in the sciences and did well on the MCAT (at least in the US schools). So, what can you do to be different from everyone else and make sure you're the one accepted.

[stateofequilibrium]

That and taking a non-science major will likely increase your GPA.

[Skipper]

Why are you considering AUC at this point if you haven't started your science credits or picked a major. I think majoring in a non science degree will give you an advantage actually as far as admissions. Hopefully you won't have to go to AUC.


maybe the person is planning ahead since they already have a bad gpa....

skipper

[DRDRWMD]

I was a woodshop teacher prior to my medical career at AUC. I took the medical school prep courses at my local university/community college and came to AUC. I think most students come from non-science backgrounds, plus it makes people more interesting.

[Jack Bauer]

i was a social sciences major... and got in np... however it doesnt help you when every1 around has seen everything 12x's before and dr. b is doing 1.4 million slides/ second

[Likwidscorpion]

I have a degree in Anthropology.....loved it (wanted to do grad work in Anthro), and also have an MPH. My school offered a ** or a BA degree in Anthro. You get the ** degree by fulfilling the pre-med requirements. I got the best of both worlds.

[dunsoon]

I'm thinking of majoring in Political Science and completing all of SGU's requirements as well on the side. Have any of you been admitted without a generic physical science degree?

Yes, I don't understand why people keep posting these "I am in high school, how do I get into SGU for med school?"- type questions. Why aim so damn LOW?? The goal is not to AVOID going to SGU or any other foreign medical school if you want to practice in the US.

Also, if you are that interested in political science from the outset, then why are you planning on going into medicine? Most people who end up in medicine after having done a non-science major or whatever decided to do med school relatively late in their college career or even after having graduated college. I've never met anyone who knew as a freshman they wanted to be a doctor but chose to major in a non-science. I'm just curious what you're reasoning is, not trying to attack you.

[stephew]

i dont either and its disturbing to see so many lately. itsa VERY poor idea and you are likely consigning yourself to a second rate career, not just because youre already behind the 8-ball as an img, but PD's wqill question your judgement.

[GonnaBaMD7]

I've never met anyone who knew as a freshman they wanted to be a doctor but chose to major in a non-science. I'm just curious what you're reasoning is, not trying to attack you.

I knew as a freshman that I wanted to be a doctor and didn't major in a science. I didn't find much interest in biology, physics, or chemistry but that doesn't mean that I'm not interested in medicine. And so far, after the first 1.5 years of med school I've found almost zero use for the vast majority of the basic science coursework that I did have in undergrad. I figure all the basic science I need to know for medicine will be taught to me in medical school and I would rather learn about other aspects of the world while given the opportunity.

[Arkie]

One of our classmates was a photography major.

[Arkie]

Oh, and I think most ppl here have biological science degrees...not physical science

[Cyrus951]

Quite honestly, it primarily has to do with time constraints.

I've completed my second year at a JC and am about to take a couple more semesters before I transfer in Fall of 2008 to UCLA.

In my past, I've taken a lot of social science classes, getting a little taste of everything, with no general direction. It wasn't until my second year at the JC that I realized that my true passion is medicine and that I do ultimately want to become a physician.

I have strong interest in Political Science, more so than any of the other social science courses I've sampled. I just love politics.

I figured why not major in Poli Sci and take the med school requirements in the next two semesters (and strive to do extremely well in them) while still at my JC. Where as if I were to major in say Microbiology, I'd have many more requirements I'd need to meet before I transfer. With most of the classes being relatively unrelated to what I want to do and what I love.

It's not to say that I'm depending on SGU or AUC primarily out of undergrad, but I am being realistic, knowing how competitive US med schools are nowadays. Why is that so looked down upon? Is is that tough for a FMG to do well and practice in the states?

[Cyrus951]

**double post**

[stateofequilibrium]

Being a caribbean graduate will add several layers of difficulty, yes. You have to pay $$$$ and perform at a level equal or higher to any US student.

[stephew]

the bottom line is offshore schools are an alternative if you FAIL to get into the us. its concerning that you are defaulting to the position of not getting in the US. it reasonably raises the question can you handle the courseload? Many can't. Those who do typically had a reason for a weak undergrad performance (namely, immaturity though not exclusively).

[Cyrus951]

Being a caribbean graduate will add several layers of difficulty, yes. You have to pay $$$$ and perform at a level equal or higher to any US student.

Is there anywhere I can read more about this?

[Cyrus951]

the bottom line is offshore schools are an alternative if you FAIL to get into the us. its concerning that you are defaulting to the position of not getting in the US. it reasonably raises the question can you handle the courseload? Many can't. Those who do typically had a reason for a weak undergrad performance (namely, immaturity though not exclusively).

I'm still aiming for US schools. My GPA is pretty bad right now, ~3.45
I admit during my freshman year I was not working to my potential, but I have learned from it. I have set new standards for myself and am open and willing for any new challenges coming my way.

[Cyrus951]

I was curious what people from each of the schools had to say. Any specific reason for the merge?

[stateofequilibrium]

Is there anywhere I can read more about this?

Yes, all over ValueMD in fact. But certain places will be closed to you forever, it will be more difficult for you to land a good residency, the more competitive residencies will increase exponentially in the difficulty needed to match, some will almost impossible (Ortho, Derm), or once in a blue moon type of thing.

Tons of issues.

[stephew]

only one post per topic is permitted. as a courtesy the threads were merged. find the one best place for your thread and post in that forum.

there is no debate over this and no one with any knowedlge oft he situation will give you any other advice. i suggest you read a bit first here for a while to get some background on this well trod topic. ill move the to the premed forum where the issue has been reviewed before.