Can I do college in 2 to 2.5 years if I want to go to medical school?Answered
Hi, I'm a rising junior from CT. I want to major in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Connecticut and eventually go to medical school. I will have a lot of AP credits by the time I graduate high school, and I plan to take community college classes over the summer to get to skip the more basic college classes. I want to try to get through college as fast as possible to save time and money. However, I am concerned that my application to medical school might look weaker as a result. Does anyone know of drawbacks to doing college quickly, especially if I want to get into graduate school? Thank you!
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2 answers
My 2 cents since everyone will have a different answer.
Becoming a Dr. is very expensive for both undergrad and grad school.
Medical school is the bigger expense because you can go to great State Schools or CCs to cut down on cost.
But Top Medical schools are mostly private. To the point, there is not much tuition difference between say UMich or UCLA and Private colleges when you are applying out of state.
So the goal is a.) get into a Top 20 Medical school and b.) to get in with as little cost as possible.
Since you live in CT and within driving distance or train distance to #4 NYU Medical School, I would aim to get into NYU. Even though they only interview 10% and Matriculate 1%, the big point I'm making is that they are the only Top 20 Medical school that is 100% free as of last year.
So while you might be thinking you'll save all this time and money to be able to apply to Medical school by grinding now and forgoing your social life and college experiences to finish 1.5 - 2.0 years early, you are definitely going to end up with less than a stellar transcript and amount of research and work experience that other candidates will have you are competing with.
Remember, this is not a race. Being a Doctor is a lifetime and lifestyle choice and once you are Doctor you die as a Doctor. You can either shake someone's hand and invite them to your office and say "yes I went to Univ. of PR Medical School". or "yes, I went to NYU and I'm part of the faculty." But you get buried with that medical degree 60 years later.
If you are a world-class runner and want to make the 2024 Olympic team, then you have a deadline. You have to get to run an Olympic Standard time to qualify during the year of the Olympics and run a race at U of O to make the team in June of that year. This is not the case for you if you are trying to be the best doctor possible.
In addition, to missing out on all the great opportunities to meet and work with faculty and doctors prior to attending Medical school, you are going to miss out on intangible experiences that make you the best person possible. I have no interest in being doctor but I expect them to be not only smart people but great, kind, funny, caring, and interesting people. I think some of the best learning experiences have nothing to do with what happens in the classroom or in books.
If doctors were graded and rewarded only on merit I'd say knock yourself out. Prove to everyone that you can do it faster than anyone else.
But seriously what's the point? Isn't the point to get trained by the best Medical School in America while building relationships, networks, and a body of work that gives you credibility so you can continue being the best in your field.
Good luck with your decision whatever that may be.
So make sure your college accepts the credit from the CC. If you get an associates degree worth of credit then you get your major that would likely be feasible. As for med school you will likely not have decreased chances.
If you are worried about undergrad cost consider applying to a school that meets full need as that can arguably be cheaper for low income students. Also due to the schools prestige and academics you will be in a great place for applying to meet school.
In regards to drawbacks of going through college quickly is the social aspect and the networking. Networking is professional relationships with professors. Also depending on your med school program they MAY be reluctant to admit someone who went to a CC. I’m not sure but CC rigor is vastly different from a prestigious undergrad state school.
Also look at BSMD programs at schools that meet full need.
Hope this helps and please comment if you need clarification as I’d be happy to help clarify!
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Thanks so much for your detailed answer! A lot of your points make great sense and I will keep some of the new pointers you brought up in mind when I am planning. Thanks again!