Engineering Undergrad to Medicine Switch

[ENG4Medicine]

Hello everyone,

I realize there are several engineering to medicine stories out there already. Mine is that I went into engineering because I was always good at math and science, and those who I knew in medicine always scared me off saying it was too expensive or too long and that I should focus on something shorter that I would love.

I thankfully have no debt coming out of my undergrad (I am going to be a senior this year), and my professors are encouraging me to go to grad school, while I am thinking medical because honestly, although I am good at engineering, my real passion is helping others and I want to become a doctor.

The advice I could use is that although I have the physics pre-qualifications out of the way, I have a lot lacking both for the MCAT and general preparedness. At this point, I have seen several post-bachelor's pre-med programs and am wondering if this is a trustworthy way to go? Also, I will not be able to work during this education (half of these programs cite this specifically) and I don't know what the financial situation at medical school will be like. I have a few thousand to my name, but I truly scared that 1) I may not have recommendations or qualifications to get to these pre-med programs, 2) I may not be able to afford them at all, and 3) I may not even be a good candidate or seriously considered.

If anyone can provide any advice, I would greatly appreciate it. I intend to pursue this path even if I am in debt and struggling through; I want to follow this passion in my life and will do virtually anything for it. I'm still affraid it may be fruitless or impossible in some ways though too. For the record, my GPA is above a 3.5 in aerospace engineering, I am a resident assistant and a part time Minister on the side, have a decent amount of campus and off-campus leadership and volunteer experience, and I will be shadowing a radiation oncologist (my desired field of interest) later this summer as well.

Thank you all for any feedback and advice you may provide!!

Respectfully,
A passionate student

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[DocJanItor]

Congrats, a 3.5 GPA in aero is quite an accomplishment. As a former ME, not many other majors are as hard as engineering. That being said, the difficulty of your major is generally not a significant factor when it comes to med school applications. So a 3.5 isn't a barn burner, but it should be fine.

In terms of coursework, I don't think you'll need a formal post-bacc. Assuming your grades remain the same this year and you graduate with a 3.5 GPA, you can take all the necessary pre-reqs at a community college. You don't need to take rigorous courses, you need to 1) get A's and 2) prepare for the MCAT. You'll need Chem I and II (which I'm sure you took 1st year), OChem I and II, Bio I and II, Biochemistry, Psychology, Sociology, and maybe Genetics (it can help on the MCAT even though it isn't strictly required). I'm sure your Physics is quite up to date, but if you're like me you may need to refresh on electromagnetism and optics. Also, if you have the time or inclination, Anatomy and Physiology I and II can be a big help. Assuming you do well this can be a nice little boost to your GPA.

As for the debt, I wouldn't worry about it. You're already ahead of the game by not having undergrad debt, so you'll have a few hundred thousand by the time you get out of med school. That's pretty typical and you'll be able to pay it off easily once you get out of residency.

One last comment: medical school is significantly different than engineering in terms of learning. In engineering, you're learning concepts, understanding them, and then applying them. Once you've figured it out, you can pretty much apply it anywhere. In medicine, it's basically straight up memorization. Just be prepared for it.

Good luck, and feel free to hit me up if you have more questions.

 

[pinetree12]

There are mixed opinions about taking classes at community colleges, with most being against it. A do-it-yourself post-bacc may be a better option than CC or a formal post-bacc.

 

[njtrimed]

There are mixed opinions about taking classes at community colleges, with most being against it. A do-it-yourself post-bacc may be a better option than CC or a formal post-bacc.

That's only true in some cases. An engineering major with mostly As and Bs who takes the remainder of prereqs at a CC after graduating with a BS is not someone who is avoiding "harder" science classes. A liberal arts major with no upper level science classes probably shouldn't take this approach, but I would think the OP would be fine.