[l3oosh]

To be a physician requires 4 years of medical school + residency. If I remember correctly surgery is an additional 4 yrs after medical school where as other residency range from 2yrs on.

I believe everyone goes through one year of internship right out of med school then two years+ of residency. Or does two years of residency include that one year of internship? Most hospitals award residency and internship together, but I believe after you finish internship (after which you take your Step III), you're able to apply to another residency (PGY2).

As for looking down at "lower schools", not at all. Getting into med school is hard, no matter which school, so I admire everyone who has made it so far. And honestly, not many patients actually look closely at the medical degrees or certifications physicians put up in their clinics or recognize upper-tier/lower-tier schools so, who cares? xD I do, however, wonder if there is indeed an observable difference in the teaching standards between each school. Is that what distinguishes between upper and lower tier schools?

[yohimbine]

I also have a question, if I take a major that is not nursing but bio sci, I could still become a nurse right? By taking the examinations (NCLEX for example) to get my license.

Also, I'm thinking of going to a grad school too but I've been getting a couple hints that it isn't really necessary. What's your opinion on that? ;_;

I believe so. You would have to apply to nursing school and not medical school. If you want to be a nurse(RN) then you would have to go to nursing school (if you consider that grad school.) But PhD wise, no. Check with the nursing thread.. I'm not too sure :?

I believe everyone goes through one year of internship right out of med school then two years+ of residency. Or does two years of residency include that one year of internship? Most hospitals award residency and internship together, but I believe after you finish internship (after which you take your Step III), you're able to apply to another residency (PGY2).

As for looking down at "lower schools", not at all. Getting into med school is hard, no matter which school, so I admire everyone who has made it so far. And honestly, not many patients actually look closely at the medical degrees or certifications physicians put up in their clinics or recognize upper-tier/lower-tier schools so, who cares? xD I do, however, wonder if there is indeed an observable difference in the teaching standards between each school. Is that what distinguishes between upper and lower tier schools?

l3oosh- I was getting worried haven't seen you answering q's in awhile

Internship is part of residency unless you are doing a transitional and then going on to PGY2. It depends on how the contract is signed and how the program works. I've had the privilege of being taught from faculty who teaches at UCSF, some med school in NJ, Marshall, some canadian medical school, and a couple other I forgot. Like all schools, you have your "bad" lecturer and your great lecturer. I will tell you this the material you learn is all the same. It doesn't change. It's all up to how much you put in and get out of it. That's why there's step a national standard to test your knowledge.

[tknoodles]

Hello all,

I have a question if you guys don't mind me asking. I am a first year student at UCI majoring in Biological Science. However, I am having doubts about whether or not I have a chance to get into med school. I will be completely honest and say that my GPA so far is a 2.0 (receiving B's in Chem, C's in Bio). What should I do? I don't want anything else than to go to med school and be a doctor? Are my dreams really dashed? Please give me some advice. Thank you.

[chiluvskk]

do you guys know where i can find like intership or volunteering opportunities?

I am already volunteering at a hospital, tutoring elementary kids, and will be shadowing a doctor this summer. I am getting good grades so now i'm just looking for more like extracurricular activities or volunteering opportunities to do. is there anything you guys suggest?


THANKS



tknoodles: how many units are you taking? perhaps reduce the number of units so you can focus more on each class and have more time to study. right now you need to raise your gpa to at least a 3.0 and then try to increase it more to be competitive. don't give up yet, you're just a first year, you'll have plenty of time to raise that gpa. were you always good in science in hs? if yes, then you're probably just not used to the pace of college yet so don't give up. make sure you know all your materials way ahead of a test so that if there's something you don't understand you'll have time to ask/figure it out. don't think about volunteering or anything like that right now, just worry about raising your gpa. good luck

[Skeptrix]

do you guys know where i can find like intership or volunteering opportunities?

I am already volunteering at a hospital, tutoring elementary kids, and will be shadowing a doctor this summer. I am getting good grades so now i'm just looking for more like extracurricular activities or volunteering opportunities to do. is there anything you guys suggest?


THANKS

chiluvskk,

You are already doing more than enough extracurricular work right now as you have stated. Admission committees like to see dedication and the longer you are volunteering or working somewhere, the better it looks. If you keep jumping around from one volunteer job to the next, it shows a lack of commitment. Tutoring elementary kids or volunteering at a hospital (which most premeds do) for as long as you can until you matriculate into medical school looks really good on your resume then say, volunteering/shadowing/working at several locations for temporary or short-term periods. And by the time you are interviewing for medical schools, you are more than prepared as well as confident to share your experiences with a volunteer/shadowing/work opportunity you have been involved with for a long time, and how that has impacted or influenced your decision to choose a medical career.

Think about it!

[l3oosh]

Hello all,

I have a question if you guys don't mind me asking. I am a first year student at UCI majoring in Biological Science. However, I am having doubts about whether or not I have a chance to get into med school. I will be completely honest and say that my GPA so far is a 2.0 (receiving B's in Chem, C's in Bio). What should I do? I don't want anything else than to go to med school and be a doctor? Are my dreams really dashed? Please give me some advice. Thank you.

Freshman year of college is your transition period into college life. Hopefully you've learned from your first year about what works for you and what doesn't academic-wise. If you've found the right study habits for you and adjusted your lifestyle appropriately, you should do fine the next three or so years so you can bring that GPA up! It's not going to be easy, to be honest, but it's doable Like chiluvskk said, if you need to, take less credit hours per semester so you give each course the right amount of attention and time. Be prepared to stay in undergrad for longer than the standard four years if you do this or if you can't bring up your GPA in time. But remember, taking easy classes just to boost your GPA doesn't help - medical schools can tell when you're doing this, and they WON'T be pleased. So take your upper-class sciences, DO WELL, and you'll be fine! Good luck!

do you guys know where i can find like intership or volunteering opportunities?

I am already volunteering at a hospital, tutoring elementary kids, and will be shadowing a doctor this summer. I am getting good grades so now i'm just looking for more like extracurricular activities or volunteering opportunities to do. is there anything you guys suggest?


THANKS

I definitely second what Skeptrix said. Don't move from one place to another when it comes to volunteering. I don't know which year you're in, but I think with the spare time you might be wanting to take on more extracurricular activities, you might want to set the time aside for the upperclassmen classes. They're a little more challenging and may demand more attention. However, if you really want something to do, you should check job listings and see if you can get a job to work in a clinic or something

And yeah, I blocked Soompi for the last two days so I can concentrate on the organic chemistry test I had today xD

[chiluvskk]

^ thanks, good luck on your test ><

[yohimbine]

l3oosh- i hope your exam went well.

Anyone had any "wow" match at their school?

we have 1 ENT so far which was O_O. congrats to that.

[l3oosh]

l3oosh- i hope your exam went well.

Anyone had any "wow" match at their school?

we have 1 ENT so far which was O_O. congrats to that.

Thanks for your well-wishes, yohimbine and chiluvskk I did decently, much better than I had expected.

Oh yeah! Match results came out over spring break. That's pretty cool. Don't have any friends graduating this year, so I haven't heard anything. But congrats to everyone who did get matched, especially if it's to their first or second choice

[yohimbine]

Thanks for your well-wishes, yohimbine and chiluvskk I did decently, much better than I had expected.

Oh yeah! Match results came out over spring break. That's pretty cool. Don't have any friends graduating this year, so I haven't heard anything. But congrats to everyone who did get matched, especially if it's to their first or second choice

That's good. Peeked out my window and noticed a nice "yacht"

this one to be precise

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maltese_Falcon_(yacht)


back to the books >_<

[l3oosh]

Haha wow nice. That's something to aspire to eh? haha.

Question: do any current medical school students hold jobs? Are there a lot of non-traditional students in each class (aka are they older than the usual straight-out-of-undergrad med student?)?

[yohimbine]

Im going to be realistic. Working only as a physician I could never afford that.

I know of no students that hold any job. Some of the spouses yes, but students no. Other than the school work study i.e. tutoring 2hr/wk or libray/computer lab no one holds a job. Being a student is our job.

I wouldn't say there are a lot of non-trads. It would depend on the school, I'd say I have about 5-7 non trad max though I can only think of 2.

[jurassic5]

Im going to be realistic. Working only as a physician I could never afford that.

I know of no students that hold any job. Some of the spouses yes, but students no. Other than the school work study i.e. tutoring 2hr/wk or libray/computer lab no one holds a job. Being a student is our job.

I wouldn't say there are a lot of non-trads. It would depend on the school, I'd say I have about 5-7 non trad max though I can only think of 2.

as a spouse of a 3rd year DO student...I will say that none of our friends that are in my wife's class hold a steady part-time job.

As for non-trads, there are quite a few in her class. In fact, a lot of students took a year off between undergrad and medical school for various reasons. I think each school and each class will be different. My wife is thankful for not going right into medical school after undergrad. She was able to get some great volunteer experience and live/work in Korea for a few years.

Being a medical student spouse/signifigant other can be interesting. get used to never seeing them. haha

[nara jjang]

yeah i never held a steady part time job....
i did go help at my fathers bar when i had the chance
but when i was at school no one saw me..
i was always studying either at home,library, bookstore.

and for what i can say there are some non-traditional students in the class...
for what i can see it is better taking a couple of years off before med school
just u don't get burned out in the latter stages of it...get some experience
or just have fun before u start school...
like i mentioned before i am taking year off right now and it helping me alot
just getting all the stress out and realxing it rechraged me

[yohimbine]

as a spouse of a 3rd year DO student...I will say that none of our friends that are in my wife's class hold a steady part-time job.

As for non-trads, there are quite a few in her class. In fact, a lot of students took a year off between undergrad and medical school for various reasons. I think each school and each class will be different. My wife is thankful for not going right into medical school after undergrad. She was able to get some great volunteer experience and live/work in Korea for a few years.

Being a medical student spouse/signifigant other can be interesting. get used to never seeing them. haha

haha. We have a spouse organization at our school and they do spousey stuff? haha was wondering if your spouse school had something like that. maybe you spouse can join up and rant bout them never being home etc keke

[sPark*]

--editted--
erased original long post lmao

[l3oosh]

heyy im a senior in high school and im trying to find the college i want to attend next year.
However, i messed up my chances of getting into any combined degree programs blahblah so i'll be taking the traditional route.
and i am pretty much stuck between two colleges.

Boston College (honors) and Boston University (honors)

I know that BC has a Tufts Early Acceptance program while BU has the Modular Medical Integrated Curriculum (MMEDIC).
you apply to both programs after 2 years of undergrad at BC or BU.
Both assure you a position at med schools. the Tufts program does not require MCATs while MMEDIC does.
Tufts = not binding. BU = binding. Tufts = min. 3.5 for both sciences and overall BU = 3.0 for sciences and 3.2 for overall
as for financials, BU has offered $42800 (with loans, $48300) while im still waiting on BC

if i were to choose based solely on (undergrad) name recognition, i would choose BC.
however, financially, BU (since BC is known to not give great fin. aid) and based on med school "ranking," BU is better than Tufts. but i personally prefer BC lmao. so im really stuck... :X my parents are willing to send me to whichever one is "better"

also i am on waiting lists for Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, and Williams
and if by chance i get in, my parents are willing to send me to JHU and Williams
I am aware that if you go to a certain undergraduate school, the affiliated medical school is more likely to choose you over a similarly qualifying candidate. so it appears that JHU would be the better choice..? though i've heard that students at jhu dont like it..?

basically what im trying to do is something i havent done in high school very well... PLAN AHEAD
furthermore, i know prestige of a school isnt necessarily the "most important" thing but i do know the more name recognition = the better chance of getting top residencies~

any advice would be immensely appreciated! thank you!

Firstly, a big congratulations on your acceptances and waitlists! I'm curious; do the early acceptance and MMEDIC programs allow you to go to med school after your sophomore year of college or do they just reserve a spot for you to go after your senior year? If it's the former, I'd think twice before deciding to go to those schools solely for those programs. It's not really a benefit to go to med school when you're 20 and miss out on two years of college. I had the option to skip ahead to med school next semester (I'm currently a second semester sophomore), but I passed on the offer since I want to be able to enjoy the next two years of free time I have and to take more interesting classes in college.

If you prefer to go to BC and your parents are willing to front money for it, then go for it! Like you said, the prestige of your undergraduate/medical school isn't the most important thing. Where you went for undergraduate has almost no effect on med school admissions. I know you heard that the affiliated med school is more likely to choose you, but I heard differently, at least for graduate schools. They actually prefer that you go elsewhere for your graduate degree, see the world, etc. In any case, don't choose your undergrad based on where you want to go for med school; based on your acceptances, I'm sure you'll be able to get into Tufts, BC, and Johns Hopkins later on no matter where you decide to go now if you continue to work hard. I think you should try to go to Johns Hopkins to survey the campus, talk to a few students. Find out why they don't like it, etc, if you want to make a better decision.

[yohimbine]

heyy im a senior in high school and im trying to find the college i want to attend next year.
However, i messed up my chances of getting into any combined degree programs blahblah so i'll be taking the traditional route.
and i am pretty much stuck between two colleges.

Boston College (honors) and Boston University (honors)

I know that BC has a Tufts Early Acceptance program while BU has the Modular Medical Integrated Curriculum (MMEDIC).
you apply to both programs after 2 years of undergrad at BC or BU.
Both assure you a position at med schools. the Tufts program does not require MCATs while MMEDIC does.
Tufts = not binding. BU = binding. Tufts = min. 3.5 for both sciences and overall BU = 3.0 for sciences and 3.2 for overall
as for financials, BU has offered $42800 (with loans, $48300) while im still waiting on BC

if i were to choose based solely on (undergrad) name recognition, i would choose BC.
however, financially, BU (since BC is known to not give great fin. aid) and based on med school "ranking," BU is better than Tufts. but i personally prefer BC lmao. so im really stuck... :X my parents are willing to send me to whichever one is "better"

also i am on waiting lists for Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, and Williams
and if by chance i get in, my parents are willing to send me to JHU and Williams
I am aware that if you go to a certain undergraduate school, the affiliated medical school is more likely to choose you over a similarly qualifying candidate. so it appears that JHU would be the better choice..? though i've heard that students at jhu dont like it..?

basically what im trying to do is something i havent done in high school very well... PLAN AHEAD
furthermore, i know prestige of a school isnt necessarily the "most important" thing but i do know the more name recognition = the better chance of getting top residencies~

any advice would be immensely appreciated! thank you!

When do you have to notify BU/Tufts?

If you are still waiting on NW/JHU/Williams by the time you have to decide, I'd say go with BU. Binding is always better than non-binding. You never know what will happen in the future so you might else well have secured a spot.

You could also try sending a snail mail letter to NW/JHU/Williams expressing your intent to enter, basically a letter of interest. Something that might separate you from the rest of interviewees.

[l3oosh]

When do you have to notify BU/Tufts?

If you are still waiting on NW/JHU/Williams by the time you have to decide, I'd say go with BU. Binding is always better than non-binding. You never know what will happen in the future so you might else well have secured a spot.

You could also try sending a snail mail letter to NW/JHU/Williams expressing your intent to enter, basically a letter of interest. Something that might separate you from the rest of interviewees.

Binding means that you can't change your mind and decide that you want to go to a different med school. It's a binding contract that you have to go to Tufts. Non-binding on the other hand means you have the spot, but if you ever feel that you want to go to another med school, that's fine too. IMO, non-binding is better than binding.

[yohimbine]

Binding means that you can't change your mind and decide that you want to go to a different med school. It's a binding contract that you have to go to Tufts. Non-binding on the other hand means you have the spot, but if you ever feel that you want to go to another med school, that's fine too. IMO, non-binding is better than binding.

Eck! I didn't read the original closely enough and see that both guaranteed admission to the medical school. Ccompletely my fault, and thanks B. for pointing that out. My mind was somehow set on binding contracts and non-binding agreements (I think my friends and I were discussing MBA and law or somthing haha). In light of the "new" information, I would go to the non-binding.

How's school going B?