Chris asked:
I have currently taken all classes that are required to take the MCATs, and I see no point in wasting four years in college repeating such courses. The only field I am not familiar with is premedical studies, which medical schools do not require.
Is it possible to apply for medical school this senior year? I am an International Baccalaureate student in Chicago, and I should be filling out applications for college soon.
Lastly, if anyone knows what steps are necessary to attend medical school as soon as possible, it would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you
No, all medical school applicants need to first have a college degree before they can go to medical school.
No, it isn’t….at least not in the United States. American medical schools require a bachelors degree for admission.
Yes, you take the premed subjects in high school, but that’s not the same level as the college courses. Even if you took bio, physics, chemistry, etc. in high school you have to take the college level to be eligible to apply to American med schools. Most medical schools don’t “count” AP or IB credit as having completed a required college course. Being a “premed” MEANS that you’re taking the prerequisite classes….bio, physics, chemistry, organic chemistry and so on. Most schools require a complete year of each, including labs.
If you for some reason took these classes at an accredited college while still in high school, you don’t retake them again in college–you are expected to advance on to more challenging levels of coursework. Medical schools aren’t at all impressed by people who want to do the bare minimum required to get by.
The “fastest” way to get to med school is accelerating your time in college (usually by entering with enough credits to start as a sophomore)….but graduating early often puts you at a disadvantage in applying to med school because you have a year less of grades, activities, and research compared to the other students you’re competing against.
My advice: chill out and enjoy college and life.
There are some “direct” medical programs where you apply right out of high school. They generally last 7 years, so you save one year as compared to 4 years of college and 4 years of med school. Boston University has one, and there are a few others.
But just because you have completed MCAT courses doesn’t mean you know everything. You will learn a lot more in college that you need for med school, even if it’s not on the MCATs.