What are the steps needed to get a homeschooled child into a medical school?

[5KidzRUs]

What are the steps needed to get a graduated homeschooled child into a medical school?

I have a 17 year old that wants to be a doctor. He was a 4.0 (is a Phi Theta Kappa) at the local college with about 45 completed college credits already.

We are military and this summer we are moving to Europe for 3 years - he is too young (*I* am not ready) to move out.

Would you all suggest he get his BS online while we are there and apply to a medical school ... or ... ??

I just don't want to skip any steps and fail him early on ...

[BikeBookBread]

I know you don't want him to move out yet, but perhaps he should stay here and go to school... or...

 

is Park University on the Base you'll be stationed overseas? He could at least start to get his undergrad...

[Tutor]

There are a few programs out there that combine undergrad and med school (University of Florida?). You could look into one of those then ask what courses he could take distantly that would transfer in a year when you felt he was ready to live on campus. He could also apply now then defer entry for a year.

 

You may want to (or have him) call around to some medical schools and ask their admissions departments what their ideal homeschooled candidate looks like. I'm sure they would be willing to help him out (and if not, he'll know where NOT to apply).

[5KidzRUs]

Should he continue (online) at the college he is in now - to get his A.S. - or focus on his B.S. ???

He has taken most of his general ed classes and also bio., human anat., calculus and chem.

I don't see how he is going to take the upper sciences online though since they have labs.

[Ailaena]

Med schools don't usually require that applicants major in anything specific, but they are required to take certain classes. Generally, it will be organic chem, Bio, Chem, Calc 1, etc, but it is up to the school. I also cannot imagine why it would matter if someone were homeschooled since they mainly look at undergrad/grad school.

 

I would suggest finishing a BS in something and working (volunteering?) part-time in the medical field to show interest. Would he be able to take any classes locally wherever you are? Local university? Medic courses on base?

 

Either that or finishing the AS, working somewhere and applying to Uni for when y'all get back to the states. Or applying while you are gone? He (you) may not be ready right this moment, but may be before you are done over there!

[Pretty in Pink]

He should check the requirements of any med schools he is contemplating. The specific BS degree doesn't matter so much as having met these course requirements.

 

Check now to see what courses are offered where you are moving to. The last time I was stationed in Germany we had both Park and University of Maryland there on base.

 

Good luck!

[ThatCyndiGirl]

By the time he applies to medical school the fact that he was homeschooled for high school should have ABSOLUTELY NO BEARING WHATSOEVER.

 

HE should google 'getting into medical school' and read studentdoctor.net

 

HE should be very proactive about shadowing/studying for the MCAT/doing VERY well in all classes (not in that order. lol)

 

HE should be researching this, imho.

 

 

I would NOT suggest an online degree at all! He needs a lot of IN PERSON labs.

[Forget-Me-Not]

My husband is a D.O., my brother is a D.O., and my FIL is an M.D. :D

 

I believe most medical schools require calculus, basic physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, and physiology. Nearly every one of those will require a lab, so an online degree isn't going to cut it. Additionally, if he has credit for some of those via AP exam, they may not qualify either. When my DH was accepted to medical school, he had to go back and take Biology 100 even though he'd passed the AP exam for it *and* had a minor in zoology. So senior year in college, he went every morning with his freshman roomate to Bio 100, slept through it, and aced it LOL.

 

He can certainly go for a BS or BA online while you're gone. His bachelor's degree doesn't necessarily have to be in a medically-related subject. My husband's BA is in Humanities with an emphasis in Scandinavian Lit. But at some point he'll have to attend a university IN PERSON and do those prerequisites I listed above. After the prereq's are done, he'll sit for the MCAT, and then start applying to medical school (which is a costly and time-consuming enterprise involving first applications, second applications, interviews, and a fee for the privilege at every stop. . . ).

 

He's still very, very young and it's difficult and competitive to get into medical school. Grades and MCAT scores do weigh heavily, but things beyond academia weigh heavily too. I would strongly suggest he look into part-time work or volunteering. Anything to make him look 'well-rounded' on paper.

[....]

I was Pre-Med and my husband ended up going to med school. Extra-curricular activities, service fraternities, academic groups, a ton of volunteer work, getting published on campus, etc are some of the things kids need to get into med school. Unfortunately, not just grades. The schools we were applying to were massively competitive and just not realistic for most applicants.

 

Also, not to be a crabby pessimist...but my husband owes $175,000 in student loans from this little endeavor and he ended up NOT becoming a doctor because he absolutely hated it. Is your son willing to pay $1,000 a month in student loan payments until he's 70?

 

Same with my sister, the attorney...$1,000 a month in student loan payments and she had to move back in with my parents and drives a car that's completely crumbling into little pieces. She graduated in 2000 and still makes a third of what my husband makes.

 

Make sure he looks at it from those angles, also. It's hard for us to make those student loan payments. :glare:

[Dobela]

If he is looking at AS degrees, he may want to get one that is in the medical field that can also help pay his way thru school. One of my friends is in medical school now after first becoming an LPN and a hematologist. I dated a man once that was first a respiratory therapist before going to medical school. The advantage of having those degrees is that there is usually more flexibility in work time availablity.

 

Oh, and when I was in college, one of the PhDs in the education department decided it was time for a career change. He took the necessary pre-reqs and then went on to medical school. He is now the pediatrician of a friend's children. And my son's first ped was once a dental hygenist.

[BikeBookBread]

Also, not to be a crabby pessimist...but my husband owes $175,000 in student loans from this little endeavor and he ended up NOT becoming a doctor because he absolutely hated it. Is your son willing to pay $1,000 a month in student loan payments until he's 70?

 

One way to pay for the horribly expensive medical school is to go military -- they will pay for med school (I don't know the ins and outs) in exchange for a time commitment. They also receive really nice pay extras. Just food for thought.

 

So perhaps a university with ROTC might be a good way for him to dip his feet into the water of military life, and possibly get an undergrad and then med school scholarship.

Edited May 4, 2010 by BikeBookBread

[Orthodox6]

All salient points seem already posted !

 

Finish a "brick-and-mortar" college degree (not an online program).

Consult closely with the college faculty and advising staff about the hope to attend medical school.

Homeschooling does not matter to anybody by time a student is ready to apply for medical school.

 

What I would add, however, is to think through with ruthlessly objective self-scrutiny whether one truly wishes to obtain a medical degree in today's destructive climate. Know whether one can bear the strangulation from insurance companies, and the crafty manipulations of pharmaceutical companies, both of which prevent a physician from practicing medicine according to his or her own common sense and personal code of ethics

[Dobela]

I was Pre-Med and my husband ended up going to med school. Extra-curricular activities, service fraternities, academic groups, a ton of volunteer work, getting published on campus, etc are some of the things kids need to get into med school. Unfortunately, not just grades. The schools we were applying to were massively competitive and just not realistic for most applicants.

 

Also, not to be a crabby pessimist...but my husband owes $175,000 in student loans from this little endeavor and he ended up NOT becoming a doctor because he absolutely hated it. Is your son willing to pay $1,000 a month in student loan payments until he's 70?

 

Same with my sister, the attorney...$1,000 a month in student loan payments and she had to move back in with my parents and drives a car that's completely crumbling into little pieces. She graduated in 2000 and still makes a third of what my husband makes.

 

Make sure he looks at it from those angles, also. It's hard for us to make those student loan payments. :glare:

The man I dated that was a respiratory therapist first was able to have most of his loans for medical school paid. To do that however he had to sign a long term contract with a hospital in a very rural area that would otherwise not have a physician. Isaw him recently and he hates the area and regrets signing the contract. If he breaks the contract he is then responsible for his student loans and of course that is more than he wants to take on as well.

 

I was a biology major first and there were many people who came in premed that later switched majors. Some had the intelligence but found they enjoyed other subjects and fields more. If he is going with you, I would encourage he take business classes like accounting and marketing since he will most likely have his own practice in the future and to be successful he needs to understand the business side as well.

[kalanamak]

Med schools don't usually require that applicants major in anything specific, but they are required to take certain classes. Generally, it will be organic chem, Bio, Chem, Calc 1, etc, but it is up to the school. I also cannot imagine why it would matter if someone were homeschooled since they mainly look at undergrad/grad school.

 

 

 

Some require one or two semesters of Calculus, but not most of the schools. You should be able to find the requirements on line or one of those Barron's Guides. If he wants to do research in a MD-PhD program ("mud-fud" we called it) I'd do a BS in bio or biochem, personally, but it wouldn't be crucial. He should have research/lab work under his belt and get letters from researchers. If he wants to do a plain old MD, the schools are coated with "yet another science dummy", as I heard it put, and something to make him stand out would be good. It could be straight A's and incredible MCATs with a name brand undergrad, or it could be good grades, volunteer work, decent MCATs and some good letters. Being able to relate to all kinds of people, including middle aged interviewers is really a plus.

 

Several attendings and lecturers in med school were very pleased I was "not another science dummy", and I got a probably slightly undeserved "honors" grade in surgery because I knew 1) the books of the Alexandria Quartet and 2) the translation and meaning of "post hoc ergo propter hoc", as well as some British history (several of my attendings were South African Jews who'd left there in the 60's, but had regal British accents). However, I had the luxury of not trying to go into ophtho or ortho, which were the fields, in my day, that required planning from high school on.

 

So, if he has a bug for history, let him be a history major! Just nail the science requirements, do some volunteer work, and get a general education in the school of life.

[Danestress]

I would probably want to visit some medical schools and talk to admissions officers before I went to Europe, and I would talk to medical school graduates and just start forming a long term plan that sets him up for being academically competitive.

 

But if he's only 17, can he go with you to Europe for one year as a dependent and apply for college from there in the fall? There are probably many really great opportunities that he would have, especially if you can afford to travel with him some that first year.

 

Then after he's matured a little, you could let him consider college opportunities. I would imagine that competitive medical schools can be pretty discriminating about applicant's resumes. I would want him to start college at a good university where he can excel and really prove himself later. Also, if he gets into a university, he will meet people and have the opportunity to consider other ways that he might want to use his interest in science.

[Penelope]

 

HE should be researching this, imho.

 

 

:iagree:

 

Why not have him call some younger doctors to find out what it was like, what they would recommend, also? He could start with his ped or your family doctor. Has he shadowed? I was just reading the other day about how much debt doctors take on for med school? I would want to be sure my kids have some medical experiences before they would take that on.

 

If I have any children that decide to try for these things I will also encourage them to have a back-up plan. I had a friend who tried for years to get into dental school, unsuccessfully. Another for med school. If they don't have degrees or skills that will be useful for some other employment, then what?

[....]

I was a biology major first and there were many people who came in premed that later switched majors. Some had the intelligence but found they enjoyed other subjects and fields more. If he is going with you, I would encourage he take business classes like accounting and marketing since he will most likely have his own practice in the future and to be successful he needs to understand the business side as well.

 

Very good advice. I was Pre-Med and had to do an internship at a very famous museum (OK, not going to say which). Anyhoo, I walked into the Zoology Department on my first day and my boss was wearing a Grateful Dead T-shirt, they were eating take-out and the Wallflowers were blaring from an old boombox that sat next to a box full of flesh-eating beetles. AWESOME... Needless to say, I changed majors that semester to Biological Sciences. Biologists are some of the weirdest, but nicest people to work with. :D

[Barb_]

Should he continue (online) at the college he is in now - to get his A.S. - or focus on his B.S. ???

He has taken most of his general ed classes and also bio., human anat., calculus and chem.

I don't see how he is going to take the upper sciences online though since they have labs.

 

If he wants to go to medical school, he should take all of his science courses at a University just to hedge his bets. My oldest is toying with the idea of med school and she is finding many schools look down on CC classes taken after high school graduation.

 

Barb

[Barb_]

I would probably want to visit some medical schools and talk to admissions officers before I went to Europe, and I would talk to medical school graduates and just start forming a long term plan that sets him up for being academically competitive.

 

But if he's only 17, can he go with you to Europe for one year as a dependent and apply for college from there in the fall? There are probably many really great opportunities that he would have, especially if you can afford to travel with him some that first year.

 

Then after he's matured a little, you could let him consider college opportunities. I would imagine that competitive medical schools can be pretty discriminating about applicant's resumes. I would want him to start college at a good university where he can excel and really prove himself later. Also, if he gets into a university, he will meet people and have the opportunity to consider other ways that he might want to use his interest in science.

 

I really like this idea. If it were my son, this is the idea I would run with.

 

Barb

[Barb_]

He's still very, very young and it's difficult and competitive to get into medical school. Grades and MCAT scores do weigh heavily, but things beyond academia weigh heavily too. I would strongly suggest he look into part-time work or volunteering. Anything to make him look 'well-rounded' on paper.

 

Yep, it's a lot like the college aps grind. All over again.

 

Barb

[5KidzRUs]

Thank you all for the great advice and perspectives. We have A LOT of doctors in our family here in the US - though non of them went to medical school in the US. He wants to be a neurosurgeon and we have a close family friend in GA that is an established one. Also, he has aunts and uncles in CA that are doctors. But getting into med school in Europe is different than the US. Would character references from them be good to put in his application? I can look into getting him into a shadow program locally.

He is a very pragmatic, serious person - I do want him to go to good university - I think he needs another year or two before he has himself squared away to go out in the world.

My dh is military and so is my oldest son - and my 17 yos wants to get his MD via the Air Force. But I have seen my dh off to war zones 6 times and my oldest son twice - I am heartbroken to think of this child going military too - although, maybe with his character, it might be a great fit for him :glare: as he is so serious and studious and practical and big into time management and education.

You guys are great - thank you for the input! I am going to give him these leads so that he can start his quest :001_smile: