[euphoros]

other than science classes, what math classes are needed?

It depends on what medical school that you want to go to. I would say, up to Calculus 1 or 2. Make sure you take Statistics as well. They are also part of the science GPA. Remember BCPM. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math.

[chiluvskk]

thank you for answering my question

[tian`tian]

I was interested to know if anybody has had any experience with a PhD/MD program, and where it would be easier to obtain, if the choices were between Cornell University and UPenn.

Also, as an undergraduate, do Med schools also look for diversity in your majors/curriculum? And how important is research to the process? Or is it all right to just do a lot of internships?

Thanks.

My cousin has taken part in the PhD/MD program at Cornell. He applied after graduating undergrad, so I'm not sure what safety_bread means by applying to PhD/MD right out of high school...that is not how it normally goes.

If you ask me which place is easier, I would probably have to say UPenn, according to what I know about my cousin....lol.

Research is important, interning is important as well, but what kind of internships? Strictly just volunteering at a hospital? Or actually shadowing doctors and learning things? Also, diversity is always good. Med schools love well rounded students that have other interests besides just science. So if you love english or philosophy, give it a shot as a minor or join an org that has to do with it and shoot to the top as a leader!

[safety_bread]

^ Hmm, what I meant was like "0-6, Early Assurance, or a 3 year (accelerated) programs =) Sorry about that~!

[koreanCHICA]

when is a good time to start preparing for mcats?
i feel like it's the "sats" all over again in high school, but now for med school.
i'm a freshman in college (almost done!), so should i start studying for mcats next year? so i take them junior year?
or when do i take mcats? i know some people take a year off or something after college, but i would like to continue my education straight, w/o stopping, so i'm not in school until i'm like 40, haha.
help?

[K_Holic]

Does anybody go to med school or know somebody that goes to a med school in canada?

[nyc88]

Hi. I'm a freshman in college and taking the required courses for med school. However, I'm having second thoughts and strongly thinking about switching my career direction to pharmacy. I thinking of changing it because I'm not sure if I'll do well on MCATS, since my SAT and ACT scores weren't so good either. Therefore, I'm not too optimistic about doing well on my MCATs, which is big factor for med school admissions, but I still want to try...So I would like anyone who's going through the same predicament that I am in right now...and I would like to know if the required AND recommended courses for pre-med and pharmacy overlap each other... Thanks in advance

[euphoros]

when is a good time to start preparing for mcats?
i feel like it's the "sats" all over again in high school, but now for med school.
i'm a freshman in college (almost done!), so should i start studying for mcats next year? so i take them junior year?
or when do i take mcats? i know some people take a year off or something after college, but i would like to continue my education straight, w/o stopping, so i'm not in school until i'm like 40, haha.
help?

You can take the MCAT 22 times on 19 dates. MCAT is computerized so you can get your results faster unlike the six months. Have you taken organic chemistry yet? How about physics? How about literature? It is recommended that you take those courses because they are part of the MCAT. There are four subject areas in the MCAT. The first one is verbal reasoning, biological sciences, writing, and the physical sciences.

You can start studying right now if you like (that's what I plan on doing) and you can take them in the summer of your junior year...or during your junior year and apply to medical schools.

I really hope that helps you.

Does anybody go to med school or know somebody that goes to a med school in canada?

I don't go to medical school, but I do know people who do go to medical school. And not anyone in Canada, I'm afraid.

[-Rose-]

haha wow everyone is soo terrified of the MCAT's. I promise you, they're not that bad. I would definitely recommend that you take a prepatory course such as Kaplan or Princeton however.

I feel that the major of a person doesn't really matter; as long as you take the required courses, you're going to be on the same level as other applicants. In fact, non-science majors have a slightly higher acceptance rate than science majors. And yes, I do believe that schools take into consideration the classes you've taken when they look at your GPA. After all, an A in a History of Rock and Roll is not the same as an A in Immunology.

As for interviews...I don't think they're so bad either. Most of them just want to know who you are. I've heard of some people who've had terrifying interviews though, so I guess it just depends on your luck.

As for me-I'm a graduating senior (majored in Human Biology and Chinese) who is going to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in the fall. I'm wait-listed at 3 other (better) schools, so hopefully that'll work out *crosses fingers*. Let me know if you guys have any further questions!

[chaegyeong]

Are there any good school's for child/adolescent psychiatry?

my dad furthered his studies in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at King's College, Maudsley (University of London).

to be honest, i still don't know how i ended up here. i kinda drifted into studying medicine. since i only have a year before i graduate, i might as well finish my degree otherwise i'd end up neck high in debt to my government. an american friend said malaysians (those in my uni at least) are very sheltered which i don't deny. everything was decided for me. even which med school i go to. all that's left for me to do is study. i pretty much love being a student. i'd stay a student forever and not worry about working & paying taxes if i can. my curriculum is still very focused on medicine only but underclassmen 2 years below have the more all-rounded approach in their curriculum (more like the american way of college) which makes the course vastly interesting although it may sometimes feel like a burden if u don't manage ur time well since there's so much to learn just for medicine alone. but one may argue what makes a good doctor is not entirely dependent on what u know, ur clinical skills are probably as important if not more. most times i don't regret doing medicine cos it's an interesting course but i admit there are times when i feel really stressed (esp near exams) that i do cos i think i'm just doing medicine because it was expected of me. so my advice would be make sure u really wanna do medicine as ur career, that it's imperative that u study medicine or else u'd just die (figuratively speaking of course). cos even if i didn't do medicine and study business or something, there's no saying i won't do well in that either.

[shelly138]

Organic chemistry is NOT that hard...There is also almost no math in organic besides simple arithmetic.

I think organic chemistry is like a math course except with molecules instead of numbers. I think organic chemistry IS HARD. It's really easy to do organic chemistry on a piece of paper, but it gets so much more complicated when you apply it in a lab setting.

[DocKorean]

i'm taking the easy way to become a doctor.... and i honestly recomend it to others... join the military....

i got credits for completing Hospital Corpsman school (basic med training), Field Medical Service School (basically combat medicine), Operational Emergency Medical School (FUN FUN!!! my last lab, they shot a pig 4 times and sliced it open, and i kept it alive for 4 hours!), Advanced Lab Tech school (speaks for itself)...

sure i might not become a doctor, but when i leave the navy i can challenge the boards EASY to go LPN or CNA... good money either way.... military is great training if u dont mind serving for a couple years and going overseas

[shelly138]

Would a degree like Bioengineering: Premedical be counted against me in terms of medical school admission?

I have a friend that is a biomedical engineer and they knew his credentials were good, so I don't think having an engineering degree is bad. Medical schools love English majors because they can formulate good arguments. I don't think the major is a big deal. The only thing that's really important is that you're able to enhance your critical thinking skills. You can do this with any degree.

[shelly138]

Any suggestions for any particular university courses that will be beneficial for Med School?

Get involved in undergraduate research because:
1. You can get a really good recommendation from your research advisor.
2. You can get published, which you can add to your personal statement. Not a whole lot of people get published, so this gives you an advantage.
3. You can make good connections. My research advisor (and professor) is on the board of admissions for the M.D.Ph.D. program at UMich. I'm not saying that you can bribe these people to let you into med school, but having these connections does help because their recommendations count a lot.

[springyi]

Keep in mind to do what you like to do!
don't declare a certain major just because you think it will improve your chances of getting into medical school.
you need to do something that will keep YOU interested. if you force yourself to be a biology major, for example, when you really don't like biology, you won't do well.

also experience in the health field is needed. grades alone will not get you accepted into medical school.

so shadow all different sorts of doctors, and not just for one day. get to know what they do and love.

VOLUNTEER!! very important, because it shows that you are compassionate and love to help people, which is what you need to do.

Research helps, especially for prestigious med schools. publish your paper if you can.

Also keep in mind that medical schools consider your overall gpa as well as your science gpa. both need to be as high as possible!

pre-med courses are more demanding than other courses. pre-med course workload is nothing compared to the course workload in medical school---it gets harder =) so work hard and make some sacrifices.

to do better on the MCAT, READ!!!
the mcat tests your critical thinking and analyzing (basic science knowledge is required).
reading improves your knowledge and thinking. don't read just fiction books and comics.. things like that. but something that will challenge your thinking.

also keep in mind that medical schools want students who will be great doctors. So the rigorous workload and experience is crucial. you have to prove to them that you have what it takes to become a great doctor.


.... DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT DECIDE THAT YOU WANT TO BE A DOCTOR JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU SEE ON TV SHOWS, LIKE HOUSE, GREY'S ANATOMY, ER, ETC.... remember that TV shows just show the glitz and glam part of it. it's drama to hook viewers. it's true that doctors do some of the things that you see on TV, but TV makes everything pretty and attractive. plus a lot of the things that happen on TV are interesting cases that will interest viewers. interesting cases do not happen everyday.

if your main reason to be a doctor is because of what you saw on TV last night, then stop while you're ahead. don't risk ruining your gpa and not being able to graduate on time and being stressed.

you might have watched the shows and be like, "hey, i want to do that" and then decided that you wanted to go to medical school. that's fine, but you have to keep your gpa up, build experience and knowledge.

Also don't decide to go to medical school because of the money! please don't! it will not make you a very good doctor, plus i don't think money is a big enough motivator to get through medical + residency (and for some specialties, fellowships). if you want to be a doctor, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.

if anyone has additional questions, let me know. ^^

good luck everyone!! =)

[shelly138]

Does anyone plan to take a year or two off before going into med school? I need to take time off to figure why I want to be a doctor since that's what goes into the personal statement. If anyone could give me advice on what to put into my personal statement, it would be much appreciated.

My reasons for being a doctor so far are:
1. I am interested in a science that allows me to use cutting-edge technology.
2. I want a leadership position.
3. I want to build relationships.

I don't really have that "it" moment where I knew I wanted to be a doctor. My story is pretty cliche. No one in my family really wants me to be a doctor. My grandpa was the only one that wanted me to become a doctor so that I could save people because I couldn't do anything for him when he passed away (cancer). I don't think the interviewers will find this eye-catching at all.

I used to really believe that I could change the world when I became a doctor. But I don't feel that way anymore. I think it's because my confidence is shattered.

[jurassic5]

Does anyone plan to take a year or two off before going into med school?

my wife did. she is currently finishing up her first year at PCOM. she took off 3 years before going back to school. during that time she went to korea and volunteered at a hospital on base, worked in an ER, and basically kept studying for the MCATs.

her class is diverse...some came right out of undergrad, others went to grad school before med school, some worked, some were PA's etc.

[Vivskies]

Out of curiosity, for people who are already in Med School, is the MCAT hard?
And what type of grades did you get in High School?
And if I wanted to go to the University of Cali, which "campus", is best for med school?
Like Berkeley, or University of California, Los Angles, or what?

Yeah, because I'm a Freshmen in High School, doing Physics, and I have a B in it.
o.o Yeah, I probally have a B because I've been sleeping in class 2/3 of the time....

[-Rose-]

Out of curiosity, for people who are already in Med School, is the MCAT hard?
And what type of grades did you get in High School?
And if I wanted to go to the University of Cali, which "campus", is best for med school?
Like Berkeley, or University of California, Los Angles, or what?

Yeah, because I'm a Freshmen in High School, doing Physics, and I have a B in it.
o.o Yeah, I probally have a B because I've been sleeping in class 2/3 of the time....

The MCAT is not an easy test...so I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that it'll be a breeze. Right now they changed it so that it's shorter and computer-based, but I think the content is still the same level of difficulty as before.

As for high school grades, the don't even look at your high school transcript, so it doesn't matter. As for the absolute BEST med school in California, it'd be without a doubt UCSF, but it's super-competitive and practically impossible to get in from out-of-state.

[Vivskies]

o.o What about the 2nd and 3rd best?