[erure]

^I'm seriously having doubts on whether I can make it into medical school. I'm just too ordinary

[chiluvskk]

nara jjang: do u mind if i ask for your stats? (if u haven't already posted it on here )
or not, can you post what were your extracuriculars?

b/c i'm having trouble finding ec activities to do? for now i just know volunteer at hospital, shadow a doctor, maybe go on a medical mission trip with my school (but that costs money). what else should i think of?



btw, i had fun reading your blog haha!

[nara jjang]

^ glad u are enjoying the blog...

this is what i did in college
GPA 3.87 accum
GPA CBMP 3.88
MCAT Score 32
Medical Missions trip to Peru
500+ hours volunteer work in ER and OR
Shadowed in two specialties,
Lab to gain research experience

yeah those activites are good...basically that is what i did....
i guess one thing i do recommend is trying to do some research... cause they do put that into consideration alot i hear

[THEmerryJANE]

^
Geez...now I'm scared whether my stats are good enough to get in.

[hello_its_pearl]

hello i have a quick question. so i just decided that i wanted to go to med school after community college and i was wondering if i can still apply to pre-med programs in universities or are the pre-med programs there only for those that apply straight from high school?

[l3oosh]

If your GPA is 3.0 and you're a junior, should you give up trying to get into medical school? If so, I'm telling my friend not to get her hopes up... She has a 2.5 GPA and wants to go to medical school

2.5 is a little too low for sure. A decent GPA that might get you into a medical school would be around a 3.0, but you have to make sure you do really really well on your MCATs and volunteer like crazy. If she still wants to go to med school, tell her to take one more year to take more classes (science classes, not easy-A classes) to boost the GPA as much as possible.

Hey guys quick question. I've been volunteering at a local medical center and I've managed to make friends with some of the doctors there. They say that most doctors especially med-students have little to no spare time whatsoever. I'm sure this is just an exageration but just wondering, how much time do doctors really have to dedicate on other activities such as playing tennis, working out at the gym, partying, etc?

It really depends on the physician. If you open your own practice, have a few associates to help you out, you've got a lot of time on your hands. If you're a physician in the ER of a public hospital or something, you don't have as much time to pursue your hobbies. It depends on the field you go into and where (hospital? clinic? etc).

You have the time to socialize, but mostly, physicians just hang out with other people in the medical field. Heck, even now, I don't have any friends who aren't going into medicine in some shape or form.

I'm back again. I guess I have a lot of questions.

So I was granted an opportunity to graduate a year early (thereby matriculating into medical school when I am 20), but that means applying to med school this June. I don't have organic chemistry or physics done yet as I was planning to take them together next year (a lot of people have been telling me not to do this, but I think my background in linear algebra/multivariable calculus/differential equations should help with physics.) But this means if I apply, these sciences will not appear on my transcript. My academic advisor says this puts me at a disadvantage compared to other med students, who have completed the basic requirements and then some. She recommended that I don't apply this year, and I'm beginning to see that she is probably correct on this.

Thanks to some advice I got on here, I got a research position under a doctor at a biomedical research center. If you don't want to go back a page to see my statistics, my GPA is currently a 3.8, I volunteer regularly at a hospital, and have not taken MCATs yet.

So with all this in mind,

Should I go ahead and graduate early and apply this year (this one turns me off because I would be highly stressed trying to make deadlines, but I don't really want to go an extra year), graduate early and do something else (i.e. a job) for a year while I apply to medical school, or should I not graduate early and take the extra year doing research/science classes?

Thanks to anyone who replies.

I'm almost 100% sure that organic chemistry and physics are a requirement to enter any medical school. You will definitely be at a disadvantage because organic chemistry and physics are considered the weed-out courses: they weed out the people who don't have the mindset/dedication to become a physician. They are also considered the hardest of the four courses necessary to apply to medical school. So, your transcript, in the eyes of the admissions panel, would be "incomplete" and not a full story of who you are. You also desperately, desperately need to know your physics/ochem for the MCATs. There's one whole section dedicated to the two subjects (physical sciences). Were you trying to take the MCATs so that your scores would be ready by the time you apply? O.o Because that is definitely not enough time to learn physics and ochem and review and practice the other sections....

I, too, have the option to graduate early and go straight to my medical school. But I'm not taking that opportunity and neither are the people who are in the same program as me. Your undergraduate years are the last years you have of freedom before you enter medical school and kind of lose all the free time you have. Take it slowly. Enjoy your youth. Instead of jumping straight into medical school, take the "extra" year to take classes you really really want to take, whether they're science courses or humanities or physical education etc. For example, I'll be spending my extra year either studying abroad or taking courses in world music, neuroscience, and medicine and society courses. Learn what you want.

yeah its pretty crazy...but i go to thomas jefferson medical college in philly....
i took a year off to do research on cancer genetics on the bladder and earn my phd....so it will be good for me when i apply to hospitals for my internships and so on...

yeah if any of u guys have questions feel free to pm or just ask me in this thread

You earned your PhD in one year? I didn't know it was so short a time...

As for the year-off-medical-school topic, I believe the med school I'm going to doesn't really like that sort of thing. You have to have a really good reason to take the year off. Research is a good reason, but I know this one person who took the year off to sort of just sightsee, and she got an earful from the dean >.<

you have a long ways to go my lad....
so are talking about maths in college or in high school...
in college if you are going pre med route here are some requirements
-one to two years of Biology, including labs (8 to 14 semester hours)
-one year of Physics, including labs (8 semester hours)
-one year of English (6 semester hours)
-two years of Chemistry, including one year of Organic Chemistry, and labs (16 semester hours)
-one year of Calculus (6 semester hours)

Just to add to what nara jjang said, the physics you're required to take for medical school admissions is the non-calculus-based one. So if you hate both physics and calculus, fear not xD

^ glad u are enjoying the blog...

this is what i did in college
GPA 3.87 accum
GPA CBMP 3.88
MCAT Score 32
Medical Missions trip to Peru
500+ hours volunteer work in ER and OR
Shadowed in two specialties,
Lab to gain research experience

yeah those activites are good...basically that is what i did....
i guess one thing i do recommend is trying to do some research... cause they do put that into consideration alot i hear

lol sorry nara jjang, I keep quoting you.
Very nice stats! You're pretty much the ideal medical student.
My concern now isn't really getting into medical school but surviving it >.< How tough is it? I hear scary stories all the time, but all of the med students I know are so darn...happy all the time. I'm taking fewer classes than they are and certainly less intense courses, and I'm still not as content/bouncy as they are xD

^
Geez...now I'm scared whether my stats are good enough to get in.

You have a 3.8, don't you? That's pretty good. Just make sure you study and practice a lot for the MCATs. Aim for something higher than 30, but anything 35 and above and you're already in the 99th percentile.

hello i have a quick question. so i just decided that i wanted to go to med school after community college and i was wondering if i can still apply to pre-med programs in universities or are the pre-med programs there only for those that apply straight from high school?

I don't believe you have to apply for pre-med programs. You just apply to the college/university and state that you are premed. Just transfer from community college to university.

[crescendoll]

Everyone's been saying that research is really important.
How do I go about researching? Who do I ask? Do I just find a professor at my uni who is doing research and ask them if I can help them?
Also, I really want to shadow a surgeon and .. hm, do I just pop into the hospital and ask if I can shadow someone? What does shadowing entail? Just following around or do I get to do something? :]

[tian`tian]

About the friends being all med students/doctors thing. So not true.
I have friends in med school, but I still have friends from before who are extremely diverse in what field they went into. A ton of finance and accounting, an environmental sciences, law, psychology, etc. You'll only end up with only med friends if you choose to do so.

[THEmerryJANE]

Everyone's been saying that research is really important.
How do I go about researching? Who do I ask? Do I just find a professor at my uni who is doing research and ask them if I can help them?
Also, I really want to shadow a surgeon and .. hm, do I just pop into the hospital and ask if I can shadow someone? What does shadowing entail? Just following around or do I get to do something? :]

I'm not too sure if your college has the same programs mine does but this is what I did:

My school has a website dedicated to matching students up with mentors for various research opportunities. I chose one in the medical field and found a doctor whose work had interested me. Then, I emailed him explaining that I wanted to be an undergraduate research assistant and set up an interview. After that, he allowed me to volunteer in his lab this semester and if things go right, I will get paid next year as a formal research assistant. Make sure you go into a project that you like though.

And about shadowing a doctor, I volunteered for a couple of months and spent quite some time in the OR with some surgeons so they got to know me. Then I was given opportunities to shadow them which meant I was prepped and allowed to see any surgeries I wanted to right there in the operating room. I remember when I was in high school I shadowed an EKG specialist, but I wasn't allowed to do much because I was so young. So I guess it depends on your age too? I actually had to apply to be a volunteer at the hospital because they hand selected only a few students who could work in the recovery room (otherwise they would shuttle you around doing clerical work or something). It was pretty intense, but other places I heard you just ask to be a volunteer.

[yochillfelix]

hi im a high school senior looking to go become either a doctor or a dentist... im about to get accepted into college cause its almost march and college acceptances are coming... but do u think that the army or marines will help me to become a doctor or dentist?

[IGNITION]

Hello, I'm currently a junior in high school.
I'm contemplating on whether or not to take AP Bio next year. I don't want to take it because I heard the workload is heavy (my friend is barely hanging on to her A and she only has 1 other ap class, sleeps at 2/4 every night, studies in class a lot...). And ap bio is only offered 6º so i'd have to skip some classes since I'm on a sports team. Also, I'm planning to take 4 ap classes and an honors class next year and I'd like to enjoy my senior year xD.
So my question: Are there any disadvantages to not taking AP bio in high school if I'm planning to pursue a medical career? Or am I just freaking out and there's really nothing to miss?

[CUG]

Medical school seems impossible for me at this point. My grades just aren't good enough, but I haven't completely given up. I've been thinking heavily on what I want to do for the rest of my life and after all that thinking, I've decided not to think about it until after I graduate -,.-

I SO feel you there. My gpa is not so good ~3.2. But i have such a strong desire to become a doctor one day. I hope i'm not making myself live in illusions. All the financing for education is a big headache.

[THEmerryJANE]

Hello, I'm currently a junior in high school.
I'm contemplating on whether or not to take AP Bio next year. I don't want to take it because I heard the workload is heavy (my friend is barely hanging on to her A and she only has 1 other ap class, sleeps at 2/4 every night, studies in class a lot...). And ap bio is only offered 6º so i'd have to skip some classes since I'm on a sports team. Also, I'm planning to take 4 ap classes and an honors class next year and I'd like to enjoy my senior year xD.
So my question: Are there any disadvantages to not taking AP bio in high school if I'm planning to pursue a medical career? Or am I just freaking out and there's really nothing to miss?

That sounds like a tough workload, but I think I also took around that many (ended up testing 6 AP exams senior year). AP bio is definitely one of the harder classes because it demands a good chunk of your time.

If you're good at biology, then I really don't think there is a disadvantage to not taking the class. However, there are a lot of benefits that can help you out when you start going to college. I ended up getting a 5 on the exam but took the introductory course anyways. I've found out that people with prior experience in advanced placement generally are better off, since they already have established study habits and the material isn't as new. Of course, you can also use the credit, which saves you time and money.

[thuclinh]

I know how you can have other majors and still be accepted into med school.
Currently, I'm a psychology major, can anyone help me out by suggesting what classes that I should take.
Thanks.

[ladygongzhu]

im doing "nuclear medicine technology"
its like radiology and i have to take calculas,bleh!

[HelloMoto]

Is it too late for me to aspire to be a doctor?
I did so-so in AP biology.
I don't really want to take AP chem next year. (Should I?)
I am not taking regular chemistry this year so AP chem might kill me.
I'm taking regular physics next year as well.

So should I give upp this fantasy?

[tian`tian]

Is it too late for me to aspire to be a doctor?
I did so-so in AP biology.
I don't really want to take AP chem next year. (Should I?)
I am not taking regular chemistry this year so AP chem might kill me.
I'm taking regular physics next year as well.

So should I give upp this fantasy?

You're only in high school, of course it's not too late to aspire to be a doctor!
AP classes in high school do not determine whether you'll get into medical school or not. Just make sure you work towards it once you're in college.

As for taking AP Bio, it's not required of course. I did take it and use my credits to opt out of the introductory biology classes, but that just helped me to finish my major faster, not anything related to MCAT or what I am learning in med school.

[twix0rz]

AP Biology and AP Chemistry helped me out a lot!!!! I would strongly recommend people to take it. But then again..my school's AP classes were awesome.
I am a freshmen at college and i having ap bio/ap chem knowledge is helping me out a lot. I didn't think the workload was that bad.

I didn't do so hot my first semester as a freshmen [3.4 gpa] and i am really trying this semester to bring up my gpa. I was just wondering if i just totally ruined my chance to get above a 3.7 gpa cumulative? I know classes will get harder and harder...

also, when did you guys start studying for MCATs?

[chopstickss]

Out of curiosity; is there anyone here doing anesthesiology?

[wicked_]

^
^OMG me me me! LOL~ Well, I will be once I appply!

The classes certainly suck right now, the only classes I actually enjoy are the ones for my fashion merchandising major ^^

-An