[dark_chancellor]

Hey everyone!

Since there's a law school thread, I thought, "Why not have a med school thread too?"

Now, I'm not in med school, but I know that some of you are planning on going there, some of you are in it, and some others are knowledgeable about it. So if you got questions, put them here. If you feel that you can answer some questions, please come and help your fellow soompiers!

Thanks

[sushiwhore]

i'm afraid to take all the calc physics, biology , and chem classes

to be a dnetist i hate those the most =-= i dont know if its worth it

[Skeptrix]

Darn, Ben beat me to making this kind of thread. Well, I was busy myself so I hadn't the time to make it heh.

Anyway, yes, everyone, please feel free to discuss anything about medschool here. I'm planning to enter the medical class of 2008 at the John Burns Medical School here in Hawaii by next year. Thinking about going into Anesthesiology later on. But until then..

[se7en]

Can't wait till i start my medical science course this year. Dammit, I wasted 2 years of my life on another degree >.<

I hate chem...

[sushiwhore]

Can't wait till i start my medical science course this year. Dammit, I wasted 2 years of my life on another degree >.<

I hate chem...

scince calsses adn the O_O amount of math classes makes me afriad if i should change my major or not =/

[dbsgforever101]

hmm

i have a question:

can you get into med school even if your major isn't a science (like bio, chem, biochem, etc.)?

[josebiwasabi]

hmm

i have a question:

can you get into med school even if your major isn't a science (like bio, chem, biochem, etc.)?

yes, as long as you take the required prereq courses for med school, which include a lot of science courses: general chemistry, biology, organic chemistry, physics, etc

[Skeptrix]

yes, as long as you take the required prereq courses for med school, which include a lot of science courses: general chemistry, biology, organic chemistry, physics, etc

That's right. Just make sure that you do the pre-requisite courses required for that certain medical school(s) you are applying to. Some schools require Calculus, while others don't. Some don't require biochemistry, although some do. The MSAR booklet is a good way to do some background research on the kinds of schools you are thinking about. They are offered on the AAMC website (www.aamc.org) as well as other sources, such as a bookstore. It is revised annually, so get the book that's appropriate for the year that you are applying.

[Boy Wonder]

I'm going through it and my cousins have gone through it. UCLA/USC/ whatever, feel free to ask me questions as well. I'm here to help.

[donny fyasko]

I'm doing biochemistry at U of Arizona and planning to transfer to UCLA winter of '08

Honestly is it as hard as some people make it to be to transfer from one uni/college to another?
Would it be harder since I'm under biochemistry?

[Boy Wonder]

I'm doing biochemistry at U of Arizona and planning to transfer to UCLA winter of '08

Honestly is it as hard as some people make it to be to transfer from one uni/college to another?
Would it be harder since I'm under biochemistry?

Transfer as in, mid-way through your college career, right? I think that would be very difficult especially since UCLA is a public institution and gives priority to California residents. They need the spaces not only for high school kids but also for community college students. I think the reason why transferring from another 4-year is so difficult is because they figure you're already set in a 4 year where you can get a bachelor's degree as opposed to coming from a community college where they don't offer bachelor degrees.

Biochem would make it harder as well since it's so competitive, my friend transferred in from a CC as an Asian American studies major (haha, what a crock ..) but she did it on a fairly ordinary GPA. Then switched. Either way, I'm not saying it's impossible, just complicated. Best of luck either way.

[nyc88]

Hi. I'm also thinking of applying to med school as well. Right now I'm a freshman in college and taking the prereqs for med school. I know the required courses and the recommended courses like biochem, physics, calc and etc. but I heard heard that public speaking and accounting should be taken too...? What do you think?

[soyberry]

how the premed courses in college? i mean if they're hard or it's ok as long as you work hard. i want to go to medical school, but im not very good in science so im not sure haha.

[Skeptrix]

Hi. I'm also thinking of applying to med school as well. Right now I'm a freshman in college and taking the prereqs for med school. I know the required courses and the recommended courses like biochem, physics, calc and etc. but I heard heard that public speaking and accounting should be taken too...? What do you think?

As far as I know, public speaking and accounting is OPTIONAL, but NOT required, for medical school. In a way those classes help to fuel better speaking skills, but you could have also taken a theatre class and did the same thing. If you are thinking about having a joint MD/MBA degree later on in the future, accounting class would help. But I wouldn't see any real use of it if you're merely going to be a doctor, unless you do open up your own private practice, or work within the health management business.

What classes that I would recommend a pre-med to take are sociology, psychology, religion, philosophy/ethics, microbiology, immunology (if it is offered), histology (if it is offered), anatomy & physiology, embryology, bacteriology, & health economics. Do check the catalogs for the medical schools that you are applying for, to see what courses are required and what's not.

how the premed courses in college? i mean if they're hard or it's ok as long as you work hard. i want to go to medical school, but im not very good in science so im not sure haha.

It depends on the person. For some, premed courses can be very demanding, yet to others it is just plain simple. It's good to set realistic goals in order to achieve good studying habits, which in turn will reflect on your exam scores. Talk with an advisor (preferably a premed/biology advisor) about your thinking of medschool. Get other people's opinions as well.

[Jay Chou]

i'm afraid to take all the calc physics, biology , and chem classes

to be a dnetist i hate those the most =-= i dont know if its worth it

cool to hear that someone is pursuing a career in dentistry.
i'm actually a dental student myself =)

hmm

i have a question:

can you get into med school even if your major isn't a science (like bio, chem, biochem, etc.)?

yeah you can get into med school even if your major is not science.

i don't know if i should say this or not, but majoring in biology is probably not the smartest idea.
the reason why ppl major in biology is because they want to get into professional school (med/dental/pharm/etc)
but the thing is, not everyone will get into professional school whether u like it or not. (well of course the smartest ppl get chosen first)
so if you can't get into professional school, you're pretty much stuck with a bachelors degree in biology (which is pretty much useless),
and the salary isn't high at all (we're talking about <30k/year salary).
btw my brother has a friend who finished her degree in biology and now she is washing test tubes at a lab or something.

[jurassic5]

my wife's in med school now (first year). from what i can tell...a lot of her classmates were pre-meds in undergrad, but there are a few who were psych majors, comm majors etc.

Student Doctor Network Forums has a lot of good info on it as well.

[Boy Wonder]

Bio isn't the best choice for a major because it's ultra competitive, and yes, the degree isn't useful if you somehow fail to get into grad school. There's also the matter of taking too many credits and graduating too late because of the number of credits. On average, bio majors graduate in 5 years. The MCATs are only one part bio, it's more chem than anything so if you're a bio major, you're overkilling it. I know a surgeon who was an Art History major ... as long as you fill the pre-reqs and can pass the MCATs with a decent score-- you're good to go.

Honestly, you don't really learn how to be a doctor until you get to med school so don't be worried you won't be prepared. All med school applicants are required to take the same classes anyway.

[donny fyasko]

Transfer as in, mid-way through your college career, right? I think that would be very difficult especially since UCLA is a public institution and gives priority to California residents. They need the spaces not only for high school kids but also for community college students. I think the reason why transferring from another 4-year is so difficult is because they figure you're already set in a 4 year where you can get a bachelor's degree as opposed to coming from a community college where they don't offer bachelor degrees.

Biochem would make it harder as well since it's so competitive, my friend transferred in from a CC as an Asian American studies major (haha, what a crock ..) but she did it on a fairly ordinary GPA. Then switched. Either way, I'm not saying it's impossible, just complicated. Best of luck either way.

Fudgin' bananas. Well, I'll be trying anyways.
The only reason why I'm doing biochemistry is because of the degree's flexibility and versatility. I can apply to pharm school and/or med school.

[danceplaylove]

I'm a sophomore in high school and I working to get into a med school, lol. Hm, is it better if I major in chem or math and then try to get into med school? And what are good Unis that are good in the medical field? (esp in California}


Am I allowed to post here, since I'm not in college? But I'm researching....! haha

[starrydreamer]

^

On the one hand, it's great that you have a direction in life. On the other hand, I would suggest leaving your options open. There are many other fields and career paths out there... don't be afraid to explore your interests in college! Take classes in a variety of subjects so you can find something you can harbor a life-long passion for, or to reaffirm your passion for medicine.

You can major in anything, as long as you take all the pre-med requirements. Most people major in biology because biology major requirements just happen to overlap with pre-med requirements.

For everyone in this thread, studentdoctor.net is a great website where you can find tips about applying to medical school and all that stuff. But don't go there too much cuz then it'll just make you a crazy hardcore pre-med!

Have fun in high school and college!!