Sociology to Medical School

[avee]

Hi everyone,

I am finishing my M.S. in sociology this Fall, and have been going through a difficult time figuring out where I want to continue my education. I was originally going to stay on the path of a PhD in sociology, but after doing thesis work with a concentration in medical sociology, and being a research assistant on an NCI-funded study of CRC, I am finding that I wish I took more 'science' classes, in order to keep that door open to becoming an MD. One of my professors told me that sociologists are needed in medicine, and some medical schools are very receptive to sociology backgrounds. What would I need to do to prepare for the MCATS (is that right?) and applying for medical school, if I wanted to continue to entertain this idea.

Thanks in advance.

[ktel]

You would first want to research the multitudes of med schools that are available and find out what sort of courses they require as prerequisites. Some requires a larger number of prerequisites than others.

As far as preparing for the MCATs, there are a ton of tools out there to help you with this. You can take a class or buy several prep books. If you're finding the material very unfamiliar, then it is possible that you might have to go back and take a handful of undergrad courses to get the base knowledge.

[MoJingly]

Oh, the med school path. Good luck. I went down it. It's tough.

I'd start out with a lot of reading. A good place to start might be the Student Doctor Network. It's a forum (like this one) that focuses on medical school. People there can be intimidating, though. Get some books out of the library about what to expect in medical school. Make sure it's what you want before you actually go for it. It's a LOT of hard work, but very fulfilling if you commit yourself and feel called to medicine.

The best way to start out would be to talk to a premed adviser at your university. In general, though, the science courses that you need as prerequisites for med school are biology, physics, general chemistry, and organic chemistry (all one year with labs). Some require calculus too.

You can work the fact that you were a sociology major to your advantage for sure. Med schools value diversity, and now you have a way to stand out from "biology" majors. You have to sell yourself! In your application, make sure you highlight WHY being a sociology major will benefit you (different way of thinking, etc). Never rely on the med school to pick valuable things out of your application. POINT them out.

Med school admission is more competitive than (most) grad school admissions, so stay positive and strong! Go for it :-)

[Pāṇini]

Interesting topic; I was a Sociology major in undergrad, and also did the med school thing. Like you, I had a limited scientific background: a couple of bio courses, a couple in general chem, a couple in organic chem, a couple in physics, a couple in calculus, etc. To compound the problem, I took the MCAT a couple of years after I took biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry 1. Hell, I took the MCAT BEFORE I even took physics 1/2 or organic chem 2. So I was essentially self-taught.

What I did--might not work for everyone--was buy a lot of review books. I recommend the ExamKrackers series for each topic. Most people benefit from taking full-length diagnostic tests in testing conditions. I only did one, so I kind of shirked that advice. I was burned out towards the end and didn't think I could bring myself to do a multi-hour test so close to the real thing.

Things worked out well. I got a 30, which I feel was an admirable score for someone in my position. It's also the exact score I was aiming for. I got accepted to multiple medical schools. However, I decided not to attend because I realized my heart just wasn't in it. I think the allure of setting a difficult goal and then obtaining it was what was motivating me more than anything. It was an adrenaline rush that lasted years. Just realize it's a long, trying process that costs a lot of money. Not only do you have to pay for classes, but you have to pay for applications (for the primary and secondary apps--they double dip) and travel expenses (racks up thousands in flight and hotel costs).

But I don't mean to scare you. Honestly, I've realized 95% of pre-meds are crazy and have a distorted view of what it takes to get into medical school. My application was unimpressive compared to others. No research, probably fairly impersonal LORs, and a decent but not awe-inspiring record of volunteerism. I think my greatest asset was myself. I did very well at my interviews.

Anyway, best of luck! Just don't be like me and change your mind! Do some serious soul-searching and make sure it's what you really, really, really want.

[pear]

In most countries, the study of medicine is completed as an undergraduate degree not requiring prerequisite undergraduate coursework. However, an increasing number of places are emerging for graduate entrants who have completed an undergraduate degree including some required courses.

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