Re: Pre Med Education Confusion


"Jeff" <news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"Paul" <dymind@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Hello all,

I am a first time poster to this group so please tell me if this topic
would be better suited for a different group.

I have a couple of questions but first let me give some background on
me.

I'm 25 years old / Male / Married / No kids. I've been attending
college off and on for the past 8 years (wow ... that long) and have
accumulated enough credits that finally amounts to getting all of my
pre requisite class requirements out of the way. For most of my life
I settled on the fact that I would major in Computer Science and be a
programmer. I have since changed my mind and decided that I would
like to become a doctor. Particularly, at this time, I would like to
specialize in the area of Neurology. I say at this time, as I am not
naive enough to believe that my choice in specialty could very well
change as I move through school. I currently have a 2.2 GPA and am
starting pre med in the fall. I anticipate that it will take me
roughly two years before I will finish my degree, which brings me to
my first question.

A GPA of 2.2? That is awfully low to get into med school. You had better
gets lots of As in the next two years.

Is there a preference in major for pre med students?

Yes, something that the student likes. In your case, computer programming
is fine.

I have been told
no by my adviser, but wanted the opinions of people who are, perhaps,
in the field. I have chosen a major, currently, in Biology with a
minor in Computer Science (I would very much like to explore the
correlations between computing technology and the brain, thus
utilizing my inherent knowledge of computers and programming and
applying that to the field of Neurology).

Neurology is spelled with a lower-case 'n', not an upper case one.

There is very little use of computer simulation in neurology. There is a
lot in neuroscience, especially computational neuroscience.

You may be better off going for a Ph.D. in neuroscience or an M.D./Ph.D.

Secondly, is my previous history of lackluster grades going to affect
how a medical school evaluates me?

Yes.

I know that i need at least a 3.5
GPA or higher to gain admittance to most medical schools, so that is
already an undeniable goal. Am I going to be penalized, however, even
if I reach that goal?

If you were on the admission committee at the med school, would you take a
student with a 3.5 who had a 3.5 all through college or one who has had
2.2 and worked up to a 3.5?

The medical school will see you had problems in the beginning, but that
you learned how to study and achieve as time went on.

So, yes, they will look at your grades, but no, it is not a show-stopper.

I will, more than likely, think of other questions, but would be most
appreciative if someone could touch on those two and perhaps impart
some of your experience. Thank you in advance.



I agree with that, but it means that you'd better knock the lid off,
gradewise, on the medical school required courses you have left to take,
such as chemistry, physics, math through calculus and genetics. If you're
seriously contemplating such a switch, it's time to start planning the
courses you need and get your nose to the grindstone.

The other important consideration is MCAT scores. Doing well (VERY well) on
the MCAT goes a long way toward mitigating GPA indiscretions in a previous
life (you'll have to take the Kaplan course because everyone else is).
Likewise, some sort of medically-related service that demonstrates interest
and dedication, an excellent personal interview, and excellent letters of
recommendation. It's the total package that admissions committees take into
account, but I'm confident that a medical school application with a 2.2 GPA,
no matter how good the other stuff, will go into the wastebasket in the
first round. Get the grades up, you've got a shot, IMHO.

HMc



.

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