how is it possible that few med schools require only 3 years of premed??

[manoj_theprice]

hey guyz.....this is my first post...great info on this forum btw. i am a premed student at U of T planning to specialize in cell and mollecuar bio. I just checked out the prereqs for penn state and according to them they just need a 3 yr premed. Whreas the premed at U of is 4 years. So how is this posible? obviously u need the med school prereqs and other ECs. so i don't need to get my Bsc degree to apply to med school?? most pre meds who have good scores apply in their 3rd year but don't have a Bsc degree....if anyone has any knowledge on this topic please explain!!!

[Jochi1543]

You don't need a bachelor's degree to apply, but you'll need it for matriculation - i.e. people generally apply in their 4th year. Most schools' websites tell you to have 3 years/90 credits by the time you apply and have a 4-year bachelor degree by matriculation. I think something like 99.6% of med school matriculants have a 4-year degree.

[manoj_theprice]

hey thanks for the reply....so that means i can apply to med school in my 4th year but wen i enter med school i will need a Bsc degree rite?? so does that mean that i can apply during the summer after my 3rd year??...one more question when would you recommend taking the MCAT? by the end of my 2nd year..i will be done with my prereqs and additional bio courses too... thanks

[Tan008]

A lot of people applly in the summer after their 3rd year, that way they are applying for medschool that will start the September after they have finished the undergrad.

[Madz25]

A lot of people applly in the summer after their 3rd year, that way they are applying for medschool that will start the September after they have finished the undergrad.

 

yup, apply the summer after 3rd year. mcat - whenever you feel ready. just remember that not having your mcat scores holds up your application, which is bad for US schools since most have rolling admissions.

 

if you don't know what rolling admissions is then i suggest you look through some of the threads in this forum as this topic has been brought up several times.

 

i'd say have your mcat scores in before you start applying - so any time before summer after 3rd year.