Going for med school with a chemistry degree.

[JSmurfington]

I am a junior, going for a BS in chemistry. I have recently started to become disillusioned with chemistry, and I am not sure if I really want to be a research chemist anymore. I'm not going to lie, becoming a doctor hasn't been some lifelong passion for me. What has been my passion is science and learning. And right now, becoming a doctor seems to be a valid path to pursue that goal.

My concern is that I will not be prepared in the specifics required for medical school. I have no biology background. I am taking one biochem class right now, but that is it. Is it impossible to get into med school (or excel in med school once you get there) without having taken anatomy, physio, etc? I could fit them in senior year, but not before the MCATS

Academically I believe I am a good candidate. I have a 3.94 GPA. I have done undergraduate chemistry research for the past couple years, and I have done an REU. I even have my name as a co-author in a publication in a chemistry journal.

It's not that I don't believe I can handle the material, it's that I'm already a junior and I have been immersing myself in chemistry, not medicine and biology. I have heard people say that chemistry is a great degree for getting into medical school because it is harder than biology (and I have a great GPA), which is the degree everyone else has. But will I be at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to actually becoming a doctor because I don't have the background in biology?

Lets say I got into med school. Am I going to flunk out my first semester because I don't have an extensive bio background?

I just want to keep all my options, including med school, on the table. Because at this point I don't know if I want to be in a lab doing research for the rest of my life.

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[TriagePreMed]

I am a junior, going for a BS in chemistry. I have recently started to become disillusioned with chemistry, and I am not sure if I really want to be a research chemist anymore. I'm not going to lie, becoming a doctor hasn't been some lifelong passion for me. What has been my passion is science and learning. And right now, becoming a doctor seems to be a valid path to pursue that goal.

You need to stop right here. Being a doctor is not just about "science and learning." You need to spend some time shadowing and talking to professionals. You need to volunteer and know that this is what you want to do. The investment, both financial and time-wise, is too great for you to become disillusioned again.

Find some volunteer position, shadow a doctor or two, and if you think medicine is for you, we can all have the necessary conversation on how to get there.

Also consider teaching at a community college level. It requires a masters degree, and most of my CC professors are really happy with their job.

 

[JSmurfington]

You need to stop right here. Being a doctor is not just about "science and learning." You need to spend some time shadowing and talking to professionals. You need to volunteer and know that this is what you want to do. The investment, both financial and time-wise, is too great for you to become disillusioned again.

Find some volunteer position, shadow a doctor or two, and if you think medicine is for you, we can all have the necessary conversation on how to get there.

Also consider teaching at a community college level. It requires a masters degree, and most of my CC professors are really happy with their job.

I just feel like I'm running out of time to make this decision. I already applied for more REUs this summer. So I need to choose whether I want to do those if I get in, or reject my acceptance and volunteer at a hospital instead. This is a really big choice for me. My decisions in the next couple months could shape the rest of my life. How do I get informed about a career in medicine in that short time span? I still have to continue with my research. I still have to spend most of my waking time studying for my courses. This is the rest of my life, yet I feel like I have no time.

 

[Catalystik]

I am a junior, going for a BS in chemistry. I have recently started to become disillusioned with chemistry, and I am not sure if I really want to be a research chemist anymore. I'm not going to lie, becoming a doctor hasn't been some lifelong passion for me. What has been my passion is science and learning. And right now, becoming a doctor seems to be a valid path to pursue that goal.

My concern is that I will not be prepared in the specifics required for medical school. I have no biology background. I am taking one biochem class right now, but that is it. Is it impossible to get into med school (or excel in med school once you get there) without having taken anatomy, physio, etc? I could fit them in senior year, but not before the MCATS

Academically I believe I am a good candidate. I have a 3.95 GPA. I have done undergraduate chemistry research for 4 semesters, and I have done a chemistry REU. I even have my name as a co-author in a publication in a chemistry journal.

It's not that I don't believe I can handle the material, it's that I'm already a junior and I have been immersing myself in chemistry, not medicine and biology. I have heard people say that chemistry is a great degree for getting into medical school because it is harder than biology (and I have a great GPA), which is the degree everyone else has. But will I be at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to actually becoming a doctor because I don't have the background in biology?

Lets say I got into med school. Am I going to flunk out my first semester because I don't have an extensive bio background?

I just want to keep all my options, including med school, on the table. Because at this point I don't know if I want to be in a lab doing research for the rest of my life.

The prerequisites include a year of Biology with lab. Some med schools require or recommend various upper-level Bio classes in addition. While Physiology, Genetics, and Cell Bio may help with the MCAT, they are not essential to getting a good score. And while having additional upper-level Bio besides that can be very helpful in making med school more tolerable for the first year, if you have solid study stragegies and can memorize reams of information rapidly (which your cGPA suggests to be the case), having that type of background isn't necessary either.

Your high GPA and research experience will be useful toward making you an appealing candidate. But there is much more to be done before you have a potentially successful application. I suggest you take the time to do it right and thoughtfully test medicine as a career, rather than making a rash decision.

The average applicant has about 1.5 years of clinical experience. Most gain this at the rate of 3-4 hours weekly by volunteering to help care for sick people somewhere (nursing home, hospital, clinic, hospice, etc.), though some are employed in such locations instead. Average shadowing is 50ish hours split among a few types of doc, including primary care. This does not need to be a regular activity and could be acquired over breaks. Nonmedical community service is another activity that gives strength to an application. I'd also get that going as soon as you can, even if only 1-2 hours weekly, ideally for a cause that you care about; something that serves the poor is a good idea, though other volunteerism is OK. A year of research is about average, so you're solid there. Besides these, leadership and teaching activities benefit you, too. If you aggressively get all these things going, you'd be in reasonable shape to apply summer 2013.

 

[flodhi1]

I just feel like I'm running out of time to make this decision. I already applied for more REUs this summer. So I need to choose whether I want to do those if I get in, or reject my acceptance and volunteer at a hospital instead. This is a really big choice for me. My decisions in the next couple months could shape the rest of my life. How do I get informed about a career in medicine in that short time span? I still have to continue with my research. I still have to spend most of my waking time studying for my courses. This is the rest of my life, yet I feel like I have no time.

Triage has a point, shadowing/volunteering in a clinical setting is essential. Go to a walk in clinic or a hospital and volunteer a couple weeks at least to see the real side of medicine. The whole science and learning reasoning for picking medicine is really not good enough so please be careful. I would rather spend a year or two than get stuck in a profession I hate or the rest of my life.

 

[JSmurfington]

Triage has a point, shadowing/volunteering in a clinical setting is essential. Go to a walk in clinic or a hospital and volunteer a couple weeks at least to see the real side of medicine. The whole science and learning reasoning for picking medicine is really not good enough so please be careful. I would rather spend a year or two than get stuck in a profession I hate or the rest of my life.

Well, if you asked me what my ideal path would be, I think that an MD/PhD sounds great. I think I still want to do research in some capacity. The question is, what does having an MD/PhD do for me that a PhD doesn't? If I am just going to end up in research anyway, what are the benefits of an MD/PhD program?

I am definitely going to try some shadowing and volunteer work in the coming months.

 

[TriagePreMed]

I just feel like I'm running out of time to make this decision. I already applied for more REUs this summer. So I need to choose whether I want to do those if I get in, or reject my acceptance and volunteer at a hospital instead. This is a really big choice for me. My decisions in the next couple months could shape the rest of my life. How do I get informed about a career in medicine in that short time span? I still have to continue with my research. I still have to spend most of my waking time studying for my courses. This is the rest of my life, yet I feel like I have no time.

They could, but they don't have to. There's a reason people in their 30's go back to school for a second degree or med school. Instead of rushing into a new school to do more school, try living. I know the real world is scary, but you need to face it sooner or later.

 

[JSmurfington]

They could, but they don't have to. There's a reason people in their 30's go back to school for a second degree or med school. Instead of rushing into a new school to do more school, try living. I know the real world is scary, but you need to face it sooner or later.

I'm not afraid of the real world, I'm just unsure of what I want to go into. I don't want to waste 5 years of my life in grad school for chemistry if it turns out that isn't for me.

I guess I need to really get involved in shadowing and volunteer work for the time being. It's just that, like I said, I need to be making decisions about what I'm doing this summer, and I need to register for classes next semester within the next month or two. If it turns out that I want to stick with chemistry, I don't want to have given up an REU, or taken useless bio classes.

 

[dreamweaver1988]

I'm seeing a 3.95 (excellent) and research. You will likely do well on the MCAT - just be sure to get a good review set like Examkrackers that covers biology well. Take two bio classes with labs and knock out that requirement.

In other words, you've taken care of the hard stuff (academics). Showing you're interested in medicine via clinical volunteering, shadowing, maybe a CNA course, etc. is the easy part.

 

[TriagePreMed]

I'm not afraid of the real world, I'm just unsure of what I want to go into. I don't want to waste 5 years of my life in grad school for chemistry if it turns out that isn't for me.

But you keep going back to "needing" grad school. Go out there with your BS and find yourself a job. Even if you "waste" 2+ years in a ****ty job, you'll come out with some experience and hopefully know what it is that you want to do.

 

[vayntraubinator]

But you keep going back to "needing" grad school. Go out there with your BS and find yourself a job. Even if you "waste" 2+ years in a ****ty job, you'll come out with some experience and hopefully know what it is that you want to do.

Triage, You're may be right, but no one knows that they want to do something until they've actually experienced it. How can any of the pre-meds applying to an allopathic school truly say that medicine is their passion if they have never actually DONE medicine. The ones who are following their heart by pursuing medicine have shadowed and experienced enough of the job as a physician through a third person perspective to say they need medicine and would like to go to medical school. That's the initial motivation. What propels people are the ECs. For adcomms, I sense that passions like music or sports can translate for adcomms to committed and motivated, physicians that can truly fall in love with what they'll end up doing- medicine. That's the base. Other ECs like volunteering, job experience, and leadership can help quantify for adcomms the relative success of a physician because the job requires superb interpersonal skills in a team-oriented setting to deliver the best healthcare possible for the patient. So to argue that the potential applicant must take significant time off may not be necessary, albeit wise advice. I think OP's life up to now should require major introspection to see if medicine is really for him and if the career choice will encompass all of his passions, skills, and desires whether it takes him this short amount of time or longer. Once and if he gets to medical school, hopefully his experiences will continue to solidify his initial choice for such lifelong commitment. Good luck OP

 

[TriagePreMed]

Triage, You're may be right, but no one knows that they want to do something until they've actually experienced it. How can any of the pre-meds applying to an allopathic school truly say that medicine is their passion if they have never actually DONE medicine.

No disrespect, but I stopped reading here because I think relevant to the OP, he's simply not prepared. I'm suggesting he becomes more acquainted before making such a huge financial, emotional, and time-consuming decision. The OP knows what it's like to become disillusioned with something already. Better get as close as possible as not feeling that way this time.

 

[Ilovewater]

I am a junior, going for a BS in chemistry. I have recently started to become disillusioned with chemistry, and I am not sure if I really want to be a research chemist anymore. I'm not going to lie, becoming a doctor hasn't been some lifelong passion for me. What has been my passion is science and learning. And right now, becoming a doctor seems to be a valid path to pursue that goal.

Do you have any clinical experiences? If you don't, I suggest that you spend some time volunteering or shadowing to see whether this is something you want to commit to. This shouldn't be something you jump into just because you feel like it. Being a doctor is not just about science and learning. If you are just into science and learning, Ph.D. will be a better fit for you.

Also, if you don't know why you want to be a doctor, what are you going to write in your personal statement? How are you going to answer "why medicine" at interviews? You need to take your time and establish a foundation for your interest in medicine. It's not a waste to spend time figuring that out now. A lot of people take a year off after undergrad before going to med school to do more clinical work. Better find out now then to be in med school with a crap load of loans and then regret your decision later.

My concern is that I will not be prepared in the specifics required for medical school. I have no biology background. I am taking one biochem class right now, but that is it. Is it impossible to get into med school (or excel in med school once you get there) without having taken anatomy, physio, etc? I could fit them in senior year, but not before the MCATS

You will be perfectly fine. I have friends who were non-science majors (history, French, English, psych, etc), and they are performing well in med school. I never took histo, neuro, or anatomy in undergrad, and I did well in all of those blocks. As long as you take the pre-reqs, you have adequate knowledge for med school. Med school will teach you everything you need to know. This should really be the least of your worries.

 

[JSmurfington]

Do you have any clinical experiences? If you don't, I suggest that you spend some time volunteering or shadowing to see whether this is something you want to commit to. This shouldn't be something you jump into just because you feel like it. Being a doctor is not just about science and learning. If you are just into science and learning, Ph.D. will be a better fit for you.

Also, if you don't know why you want to be a doctor, what are you going to write in your personal statement? How are you going to answer "why medicine" at interviews? You need to take your time and establish a foundation for your interest in medicine. It's not a waste to spend time figuring that out now. A lot of people take a year off after undergrad before going to med school to do more clinical work. Better find out now then to be in med school with a crap load of loans and then regret your decision later.

This is what I am worried about, but I don't necessarily think that I am less qualified for becoming a doctor if that desire is new found. I could be someone who wanted to be a doctor since they were 5, or I could be me, in my junior year who decides to shadow and volunteer a little bit and come to the realization that medicine is for me. I will absolutely be shadowing and volunteering before I make any decisions.

If it took me longer in my life to consider medicine, but then I become inspired to become a doctor, will med schools look down on me for that? My record in chemistry shows that I can be passionate and committed to a subject. It just may be that that subject will become medicine instead of chemistry research.

Look at it this way; if you ask me why I want to be a chemist for the past 5 years, I would say that obtaining a comprehensive knowledge of chemistry science and applying this knowledge to do original research is what sounds neat. Thinking about scientific problems in an original way sounds like a great career. If you ask me why I want to be a doctor, I would say that applying science and health knowledge to real people to diagnose and treat them sounds rewarding and interesting, an opportunity to make a difference, and something I could devote my life to (both examples are deeper than those simple sentences I just gave, but this is just for the sake of argument).

Is my latter, new found reasoning less sincere than my long held desire to be a chemist because I am just now realizing it? I will put myself in a clinical setting to see if I like that type of thing. If it turns out that I do indeed enjoy medicine, would being honest about my situation be a bad thing? I don't think it SHOULD be bad, but realistically, would it?

You will be perfectly fine. I have friends who were non-science majors (history, French, English, psych, etc), and they are performing well in med school. I never took histo, neuro, or anatomy in undergrad, and I did well in all of those blocks. As long as you take the pre-reqs, you have adequate knowledge for med school. Med school will teach you everything you need to know. This should really be the least of your worries.

Well, that is a relief.

EDIT: I am going to be making an appointment to meet with a prehealth adviser tomorrow.

 

[theseeker4]

This is what I am worried about, but I don't necessarily think that I am less qualified for becoming a doctor if that desire is new found. I could be someone who wanted to be a doctor since they were 5, or I could be me, in my junior year who decides to shadow and volunteer a little bit and come to the realization that medicine is for me. I will absolutely be shadowing and volunteering before I make any decisions.

If it took me longer in my life to consider medicine, but then I become inspired to become a doctor, will med schools look down on me for that? My record in chemistry shows that I can be passionate and committed to a subject. It just may be that that subject will become medicine instead of chemistry research.

Look at it this way; if you ask me why I want to be a chemist for the past 5 years, I would say that obtaining a comprehensive knowledge of chemistry science and applying this knowledge to do original research is what sounds neat. Thinking about scientific problems in an original way sounds like a great career. If you ask me why I want to be a doctor, I would say that applying science and health knowledge to real people to diagnose and treat them sounds rewarding and interesting, an opportunity to make a difference, and something I could devote my life to (both examples are deeper than those simple sentences I just gave, but this is just for the sake of argument).

Is my latter, new found reasoning less sincere than my long held desire to be a chemist because I am just now realizing it? I will put myself in a clinical setting to see if I like that type of thing. If it turns out that I do indeed enjoy medicine, would being honest about my situation be a bad thing? I don't think it SHOULD be bad, but realistically, would it?

EDIT: I am going to be making an appointment to meet with a prehealth adviser tomorrow.

First, lots of med students didn't decide in grade school to become doctors, so having come to that decision "late" will not be a negative on your application. I was originally going for law, graduated with a history degree, then returned to take the pre-reqs. It hasn't hurt me, and hasn't hurt the many other non-trads who didn't enter college knowing they want to be a doctor. There is no reason to lie about anything, or even worry.

It sounds like you are worried about having to decide NOW which you are going to do. This is certainly NOT the case. You have time, and you definitely should take the time to fully investigate this before you jump in. Just relax, you are not hurting your chances at all by deciding now, or next semester, or next year, that you do, indeed, want to be a doctor. Just make sure you are certain (or as certain as you can be) before you commit to it.

Oh, and make sure you double-check anything your pre-health adviser says. Many, many advisers don't know what they are talking about, yet make statements as if they are cold hard facts.

 

[JSmurfington]

The prerequisites include a year of Biology with lab. Some med schools require or recommend various upper-level Bio classes in addition. While Physiology, Genetics, and Cell Bio may help with the MCAT, they are not essential to getting a good score. And while having additional upper-level Bio besides that can be very helpful in making med school more tolerable for the first year, if you have solid study stragegies and can memorize reams of information rapidly (which your cGPA suggests to be the case), having that type of background isn't necessary either.

Your high GPA and research experience will be useful toward making you an appealing candidate. But there is much more to be done before you have a potentially successful application. I suggest you take the time to do it right and thoughtfully test medicine as a career, rather than making a rash decision.

The average applicant has about 1.5 years of clinical experience. Most gain this at the rate of 3-4 hours weekly by volunteering to help care for sick people somewhere (nursing home, hospital, clinic, hospice, etc.), though some are employed in such locations instead. Average shadowing is 50ish hours split among a few types of doc, including primary care. This does not need to be a regular activity and could be acquired over breaks. Nonmedical community service is another activity that gives strength to an application. I'd also get that going as soon as you can, even if only 1-2 hours weekly, ideally for a cause that you care about; something that serves the poor is a good idea, though other volunteerism is OK. A year of research is about average, so you're solid there. Besides these, leadership and teaching activities benefit you, too. If you aggressively get all these things going, you'd be in reasonable shape to apply summer 2013.

So you are saying I wouldn't be able to apply this fall, I would have to wait until summer 2013 and then apply? Or are you saying if I get all these things going I will be able to apply for starting summer 2013 (I think it is the former, I'm just double checking because it would be disappointing if the earliest you think I could do it would include an extra year of undergrad)?

 

[StoicJosher]

So you are saying I wouldn't be able to apply this fall, I would have to wait until summer 2013 and then apply? Or are you saying if I get all these things going I will be able to apply for starting summer 2013 (I think it is the former, I'm just double checking because it would be disappointing if the earliest you think I could do it would include an extra year of undergrad)?

Yes. It would be a waste for you to apply this summer (summer 2012). You apply summer of 2012 for matriculation into medical school in Fall 2013. What Cat is saying is that you need to use this year and a little bit of the next (2012 and 2013 through May) to build up a resume that shows interest in medicine. That includes taking the pre-req classes, clinical volunteerings, shadowing doctors etc. You need to convince the admission committee that you have really thought through your plans of going into medicine (it took your three years to realize chemistry isn't for you, what if the same happens your third year of medical school?).

If you apply to medical school in the summer of 2013, you will matriculate in the Fall 2014.

 

[Catalystik]

So you are saying I wouldn't be able to apply this fall, I would have to wait until summer 2013 and then apply? Or are you saying if I get all these things going I will be able to apply for starting summer 2013 (I think it is the former, I'm just double checking because it would be disappointing if the earliest you think I could do it would include an extra year of undergrad)?

Theoretically, you could apply in September, with 6 months of pertinent activities to list, but that would be considered a "late" application, which puts you to a statististical disadvantage. If your MCAT score is amazing (which might be difficult if you'd planned to learn some of Basic Bio on your own), it's not impossible that some school would snap you up on the basis of your stats. That would be more likely to happen if you applied to MD/PhD programs with an excellent reason for doing so, as they are less interested in ECs other than Research. You would have to enter into this precipitous plan with the understanding that you'd probably need to reapply and so would continue to engage in pertinent ECs. I don't recommend this course (preferring to see application dollars used to better purpose), but yes, you could give it a try.

 

[JSmurfington]

Here is my issue. I fully understand the need to thoroughly vet this career before I decide for sure this is what I want to do. However, in order to fully consider this as a career, I feel like I will have had to already make a large commitment to it. A commitment which detracts from my other prospect of continuing with chemistry.

For example, if I need to volunteer at a hospital this summer, it will mean giving up an REU away from home. This would be very bad if I decide I want to stick with chemistry and go to grad school. So in order to start volunteering to decide if I want to be a doctor, I have to commit to diminishing my qualifications for my other default option which I do believe I could have a happy life with as a career.

It's not that I don't like chemistry anymore, I just feel like I may not want to be a researcher for the rest of my life when I consider the new option of becoming a doctor. Having a profession that allows me to use my expertise to have a direct impact in someones life is starting to sound more appealing than being in a lab for the rest of my life. Working directly with people to solve their medical problems sounds much more fulfilling than chemistry research at the moment. It's not that I don't like chemistry, it's that I wonder if I will like medicine more.

 

[theseeker4]

Here is my issue. I fully understand the need to thoroughly vet this career before I decide for sure this is what I want to do. However, in order to fully consider this as a career, I feel like I will have had to already make a large commitment to it. A commitment which detracts from my other prospect of continuing with chemistry.

For example, if I need to volunteer at a hospital this summer, it will mean giving up an REU away from home. This would be very bad if I decide I want to stick with chemistry and go to grad school. So in order to start volunteering to decide if I want to be a doctor, I have to commit to diminishing my qualifications for my other default option which I do believe I could have a happy life with as a career.

It's not that I don't like chemistry anymore, I just feel like I may not want to be a researcher for the rest of my life when I consider the new option of becoming a doctor. Having a profession that allows me to use my expertise to have a direct impact in someones life is starting to sound more appealing than being in a lab for the rest of my life. Working directly with people to solve their medical problems sounds much more fulfilling than chemistry research at the moment. It's not that I don't like chemistry, it's that I wonder if I will like medicine more.

Well, yes, it sounds like you will need to decide between the two. You will need to sacrifice a lot more in your life than a summer research program in the course of becoming a doctor, so if doing so is this distasteful to you, you might want to stick with chemistry. Ask yourself if losing the REU is worth finding out whether you want to pursue medicine. If yes, you still haven't destroyed your chances of pursuing a research degree in chemistry, and if no, you haven't ended your chances to decide, after this summer, that you want to find out about medicine. No matter what you decide about the REU, both options are still open to you, though you may be sacrificing the strength of your PhD apps by forgoing the REU, and you may be pushing your med-school apps back by a year if you forgo the volunteering.

Basically, yes, you have to make a decision about this now, but that doesn't mean you are picking one or the other, chemistry or medicine, for the rest of your life, now.

 

[Catalystik]

Here is my issue. I fully understand the need to thoroughly vet this career before I decide for sure this is what I want to do. However, in order to fully consider this as a career, I feel like I will have had to already make a large commitment to it. A commitment which detracts from my other prospect of continuing with chemistry.

For example, if I need to volunteer at a hospital this summer, it will mean giving up an REU away from home. This would be very bad if I decide I want to stick with chemistry and go to grad school. So in order to start volunteering to decide if I want to be a doctor, I have to commit to diminishing my qualifications for my other default option which I do believe I could have a happy life with as a career.

It's not that I don't like chemistry anymore, I just feel like I may not want to be a researcher for the rest of my life when I consider the new option of becoming a doctor. Having a profession that allows me to use my expertise to have a direct impact in someones life is starting to sound more appealing than being in a lab for the rest of my life. Working directly with people to solve their medical problems sounds much more fulfilling than chemistry research at the moment. It's not that I don't like chemistry, it's that I wonder if I will like medicine more.

I think you can do both to "hedge your bets". You only need to do clinical volunteering 3-4 hours a week, and maybe 1-2 hours a week in some nonmedical community service. You could start near your current campus now and set up something else wherever you spend your summer. Shadowing can be fit in here and there, largely over school breaks.

Just wondering: How do you think that doing another REU is going to help you? A short-term experience is not going to result in an amazing LOR after such brief interaction with a PI. Why not stick with the lab where you are right now? I would think thast jumping from lab to lab would be a negative (but acknowledge that I am naive when it comes to grad school applications).

 

[JSmurfington]

I think you can do both to "hedge your bets". You only need to do clinical volunteering 3-4 hours a week, and maybe 1-2 hours a week in some nonmedical community service. You could start near your current campus now and set up something else wherever you spend your summer. Shadowing can be fit in here and there, largely over school breaks.

Well, right now I feel like applying this year is kind of out of the question. I'm not ready to give up on chemistry yet in order to make a commitment to med school. It is a good point though that I can volunteer wherever I am. So I can start volunteering and shadowing this semester, do an REU and volunteer this summer, and by then I will have the experience to make my mind up. But at that point I have started building my resume for med school as well as not given up a summer of research. So I can still go for either one and the only negative is that if I decide to go for med school, I will just wait an extra year.

Just wondering: How do you think that doing another REU is going to help you? A short-term experience is not going to result in an amazing LOR after such brief interaction with a PI. Why not stick with the lab where you are right now? I would think thast jumping from lab to lab would be a negative (but acknowledge that I am naive when it comes to grad school applications).

Well, this isn't why I'm doing it, but my PI is actually moving to a different school this summer so that isn't even an option. But even before I knew that, I decided to apply for REUs because I believe it looks good to have a wide variety of research experience. I have been with my lab during the semester for 2 years now, so I don't think it hurts to get into a competitive research program during the summers.

And ten weeks isn't a huge amount of time, but how am I going to get more letters if I don't branch out to different groups? I can't just have one letter of recommendation.

 

[Catalystik]

And ten weeks isn't a huge amount of time, but how am I going to get more letters if I don't branch out to different groups? I can't just have one letter of recommendation.

What about the REU you already did? Was it too long ago for them to remember you?

 

[JSmurfington]

What about the REU you already did? Was it too long ago for them to remember you?

Oh they definitely remember me. I worked 40 hours a week for ten weeks in that lab. I gave a presentation on my research. I got to know know my mentor very well. I still am in contact with my REU mentor from this summer. Probably more so than typical because my paper (from that summers research) just came out. I will have a very strong letter from that REU. I will also have a very strong letter from my PI from my home university. But I feel like another REU would only make me that much more competitive for chemistry grad school. My PI seemed to agree, and he pushed me towards doing another one.

 

[Catalystik]

Would the current PI be as open to recommending you for med school?

 

[JSmurfington]

Would the current PI be as open to recommending you for med school?

Yeah I'm kind of worried about that. I'm sure he would accept it, but I have told him in the past that I wanted to go to grad school for chemistry. He tries to convert everyone he comes in contact with to chemistry research as a career, and he would definitely be disappointed if I told him I wanted to go to med school instead. I feel like he would still write me a great letter though. He will be disappointed, but he won't be vindictive...

 

[Catalystik]

Well, if you asked me what my ideal path would be, I think that an MD/PhD sounds great.

I bet your PI would be happier with this option.

Why not learn a bit more about this path? See SDN's physician Scientist Forum, attention to Neuronix' sticky at the top. It can only help to have more information.

 

[Ilovewater]

This is what I am worried about, but I don't necessarily think that I am less qualified for becoming a doctor if that desire is new found. I could be someone who wanted to be a doctor since they were 5, or I could be me, in my junior year who decides to shadow and volunteer a little bit and come to the realization that medicine is for me. I will absolutely be shadowing and volunteering before I make any decisions.

You would not be less qualified because of your new found interest. However, if you are unsure why you want to be a doctor...that's a different story. That's why I suggested you look into volunteering and shadowing, which you are, so that's a great start! Good luck on your application.

 

[gtbROX]

I am a junior, going for a BS in chemistry. I have recently started to become disillusioned with chemistry, and I am not sure if I really want to be a research chemist anymore. I'm not going to lie, becoming a doctor hasn't been some lifelong passion for me. What has been my passion is science and learning. And right now, becoming a doctor seems to be a valid path to pursue that goal.

My concern is that I will not be prepared in the specifics required for medical school. I have no biology background. I am taking one biochem class right now, but that is it. Is it impossible to get into med school (or excel in med school once you get there) without having taken anatomy, physio, etc? I could fit them in senior year, but not before the MCATS

Academically I believe I am a good candidate. I have a 3.94 GPA. I have done undergraduate chemistry research for the past couple years, and I have done an REU. I even have my name as a co-author in a publication in a chemistry journal.

It's not that I don't believe I can handle the material, it's that I'm already a junior and I have been immersing myself in chemistry, not medicine and biology. I have heard people say that chemistry is a great degree for getting into medical school because it is harder than biology (and I have a great GPA), which is the degree everyone else has. But will I be at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to actually becoming a doctor because I don't have the background in biology?

Lets say I got into med school. Am I going to flunk out my first semester because I don't have an extensive bio background?

I just want to keep all my options, including med school, on the table. Because at this point I don't know if I want to be in a lab doing research for the rest of my life.

I'm currently a bio and chem double major, and to be honest, you can't put bio and chem on the same level and then say that one is easier than the other. There are classes in biology that are incredibly easy and are basic memorization, but there are also ones that are filled with memorization of proteins and signaling cascades (cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, etc...) that you have to study by memorizing, but also understanding enough to get past tricky logic questions like those tested on the MCAT.

I would say that if you take the prereqs for bio and find yourself doing well (getting As mostly) you'd be a great applicant for medical school since you have great research experience and show an interest in learning, but make sure that you find yourself interested in the biomedical and bio research fields as well because as an M.D. you have to be constantly learning.

As a side note, I personally feel that having a strong chemistry background can only help you for med school (getting there, getting out, and actually practicing). I know it made me extremely strong on the science portions of the MCAT, that it increased my understanding of biochemistry, makes me interested in molecule-protein binding interactions (basically how medicine interacts with the body). And according to my research PI (a research oncologist) It is especially prevalent in Oncology since the methods of chemotherapy dosing are easy to memorize if you understand the chemistry of the drug structure (IE cisplatin, platinum as a soft electrophile can easily bind to the Ns on DNA, but prefers protein cysteines due to the softer S nucleophile - this has implications for how oncologists structure metronomic dosing regimes for the drug). If you find yourself having an interest for these types of areas where bio meets chem in the clinical setting, you could definitely make a great doctor. You just have to get more clinical experience to find out where you would like to go in the field of medicine.