Just Starting Out...advice

[sarahrntomd]

Hi!

Just starting out exploring my options for medical school.

Finished an undergrad in nursing (BScN) at Western University, graduated with a 3.43 GPA (due to very poor marks in 1st year; marks trended up from 2nd - 4th year). Have not completed the required pre-req's for most Canadian schools, and have not yet written the MCAT. Have a wide variety of EC's which may be my only advantage. 

Wonder if anyone advise's writing the MCAT without the science pre-reqs and just self studying/taking an MCAT course. I worry that if I take the science courses, there is potential for a poor mark to decrease my GPA even further. 

I am willing to travel/apply anywhere, just hoping to achieve the med school dream from an untraditional background! 

Any advice would be helpful! 

[chenoa]

Sent you a PM. 

[Sam787]

Before you take the MCAT, you have to take a year of biology, a year of inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, a year of physics and introductory level of knowledge of psychology. I think for you will be useful to read steps of process to became a nurse (it`s  in this article)
 

[ariel11]

I think the courses you decide to take to prepare for the MCAT depends on your ability to learn things on your own/ or to afford a prep-company or tutor to help you study. I'm in nursing school myself and applying to medicine. I took a biochem course as this was a pre-req for the med school I want to apply to, biology, intro chem and psych. I took a prep course which taught me all the physics and organic chem I needed. I don't intend on taking those courses since they aren't a pre-req for the school I'm applying to and I didn't feel they were necessary to study for the MCAT since the prep-course I took covered it all. Mind you the organic chem and physics on the MCAT is tough and I had to put a ton of time into studying them. 

 

If you need the science courses for the med school you want to go to, then you will have to take them eventually. But if they're not a requirement then I'd say you can likely learn the material on your own if you put in the work and buy some MCAT prep books. 

 

Best of Luck!