[CHOMP!]

thank you l3oosh, jurassic5 and whoandy for taking the time to answer my questions

[p_lane172]

Aahhh fellow premed-er here! Are you guys at all worried about your stats? I know the average GPA of acceptance is 3.7+ but I know a lot of people who have above 3.9, etc. It's distressing!

[whoandy]

Actually, the average GPA of people who have matriculated is, more or less, a 3.6. Having that said, "average GPA of acceptance" is relative. If your priorities are to go to a top tier school (i.e., UCSF, Harvard, JHU, etc.) then, even a 3.7 may be on the lower end of the spectrum. But remember the definition of average means that people fall above and below the said number. It is also reassuring that your GPA is not be-all, end-all.

[xthefirst]

p_lane172, same here. ): i don't know if i can pull off even a 3.7... I mean, in high school, that was nothing, but it'll definitely be different around in college... T___T

[JunsuLove]

Reading through this thread has been extremely helpful! I just graduated high school and I'm going to attend Wayne State University this fall :] My parents have been kind of pressuring me into deciding on a major.. My older brother who is going to be in his 4th year at WSU is planning on majoring in Chemistry.

I was thinking of majoring in Psychology. I took AP Psychology in high school and it was extremely interesting. Would a major in psychology have just the same chance in getting into medical school as a major in chem/bio/etc?

I don't know what "kind" of doctor I want to be yet 'cause my uncle [who is an ER surgeon] said not to rush it because he didn't figure out what he wanted to be until he got into medical school.

Also, many spoke about volunteer experiences. Do the medical schools look at high school volunteer experiences too? Or only just in college? This might be a "not smart" question, but donating blood is also volunteer experiences, right? lol. And how do the medical schools know what you've volunteered for? Do you write it in when you apply or during interviews? How would you volunteer at hospitals/clinics? Do most hospitals allow volunteers? And what are the jobs you would do at a hospital/clinic?

Thanks for taking the time to read :].

[tian`tian]

Reading through this thread has been extremely helpful! I just graduated high school and I'm going to attend Wayne State University this fall :] My parents have been kind of pressuring me into deciding on a major.. My older brother who is going to be in his 4th year at WSU is planning on majoring in Chemistry.

I was thinking of majoring in Psychology. I took AP Psychology in high school and it was extremely interesting. Would a major in psychology have just the same chance in getting into medical school as a major in chem/bio/etc?

I don't know what "kind" of doctor I want to be yet 'cause my uncle [who is an ER surgeon] said not to rush it because he didn't figure out what he wanted to be until he got into medical school.

Also, many spoke about volunteer experiences. Do the medical schools look at high school volunteer experiences too? Or only just in college? This might be a "not smart" question, but donating blood is also volunteer experiences, right? lol. And how do the medical schools know what you've volunteered for? Do you write it in when you apply or during interviews? How would you volunteer at hospitals/clinics? Do most hospitals allow volunteers? And what are the jobs you would do at a hospital/clinic?

Thanks for taking the time to read :].

You can be any major and still apply to med school and get in. You just need to make sure that you take the proper pre-requisite classes and the MCAT!

Medical schools will mostly look at your college volunteer experiences. Donating blood is NOT a volunteer experience, but running a blood drive is.

The common application for medical school will include a section where you write about extracurricular activities, which includes all your volunteer stuff. You can also talk about it during interviews if it is relevant to the questions they ask you.

In order to volunteer, just contact hospitals or clinics in your area. Most hospitals have volunteers and many clinics do as well. Jobs can range from everything from front desk person to working on floors having direct contact with patients. Most hospitals once you go in and tell them you want to volunteer will have a list of jobs that they allow volunteers to do and then you can usually choose what area you want to volunteer at.

Hope this helped!

[JunsuLove]

Thanks so much for answering my questions, tian`tian!
Learning more about all this is relieving the stress that I have, lol !

When do you think would be a good time to volunteer? During summer or during school?
Is there usually an age they accept volunteers? Like, you have to be 18 to volunteer?
That would stink 'cause I wanted to volunteer this summer [right now] but I'm still 17, lol :[

[Aethereality]

I'm thinking about doing med school after I graduate so I have a couple of questions. I'm starting college this fall and I was wondering about certain things.

- Volunteer work: My boyfriend said start ASAP and keep to one thing - is it better to work at like a hospital for volunteer work? Or does it not matter and as long as you are committed they don't care?
- Does anyone know about the Med School they plan on opening at UCR? Do you think it will benefit if you go to UCR? Do you think it will be just as impacted as other med schools?
- Overseas Med Schools? I heard there's one in the Philippines. Are there any disadvantages about going to an overseas school?
- RESIDENCY! Omg. Anyone know the length of residency for radiologists? ;[
- And what are all the kinds of doctors that don't have to deal with blood (or not a lot of it)?

Just a couple of things on my mind ^___^"

[l3oosh]

Thanks so much for answering my questions, tian`tian!
Learning more about all this is relieving the stress that I have, lol !

When do you think would be a good time to volunteer? During summer or during school?
Is there usually an age they accept volunteers? Like, you have to be 18 to volunteer?
That would stink 'cause I wanted to volunteer this summer [right now] but I'm still 17, lol :[

Summertime would be a good time for you to volunteer, but since there are always so many people who want to volunteer over the summer, it might be tough for you to find a position. They usually ask you to apply early on, like in March or April. You can always still check though.

Most volunteers have to be working age - 16 or older, though if you want to actually start doing something more than just running the gift shop, you'll have to be 18. Volunteering when you're not 18 can be a little tedious. Heck, it's tedious when you're just starting out, but it's much better to get your first volunteering experiences before your hours actually "matter" (aka before college). You'll usually be allowed to do more things when you tell them that you've already had volunteer experience.

I'm thinking about doing med school after I graduate so I have a couple of questions. I'm starting college this fall and I was wondering about certain things.

- Volunteer work: My boyfriend said start ASAP and keep to one thing - is it better to work at like a hospital for volunteer work? Or does it not matter and as long as you are committed they don't care?
- Does anyone know about the Med School they plan on opening at UCR? Do you think it will benefit if you go to UCR? Do you think it will be just as impacted as other med schools?
- Overseas Med Schools? I heard there's one in the Philippines. Are there any disadvantages about going to an overseas school?
- RESIDENCY! Omg. Anyone know the length of residency for radiologists? ;[
- And what are all the kinds of doctors that don't have to deal with blood (or not a lot of it)?

Just a couple of things on my mind ^___^"

1. Your question about volunteer work was discussed more in depth in the last two pages, I believe. Basically, theoretically if you volunteer anywhere for the duration of your undergrad career, that's a very good thing on your med school application. Volunteering at a hospital or a clinic is even better and highly encouraged, since it gives you some clinical experience and more exposure to life and routine as a physician, but not necessary. However, as someone mentioned earlier, they're making it more and more of a requirement to have clinical experience before you're invited to interview for the school. I would encourage you to find a hospital or a clinic to volunteer at and not take the chance of not having the "proper" volunteer work.

2. Isn't there already a school of medicine at UCR?

3. A lot of people opt to go to med school overseas - Caribbeans, India, China, Philippines, etc. The disadvantage to going to an overseas school is that it might not be easy for you to come back and practice in the US, if that was your intention. You'll have to take your USMLEs overseas, and you'll have to apply for a US residency, which is a lot tougher for overseas students to get into. But if you were planning on practicing in the Philippines, there's not disadvantage.

4. Radiology residencies last about 3 - 4 years, which includes your 1 year internship, I believe.

5. Um, you won't have to deal with too much blood in radiology or maybe general practice. But, if you're afraid of blood or don't want to handle any, then you need to contemplate a different career. You'll be working with a lot of blood throughout medical school, and there isn't one specialization of medicine that is guaranteed to not deal with blood. A friend of mine picked radiology to do a doctor shadowing program in because he thought he wouldn't need to see blood. Something went wrong during the procedure, and he ended up being splattered with blood and fainting. Don't force yourself to become a doctor if the blood thing bothers you. Not a smart decision...

[kylie945]

Is there anybody here who went to a CC first before transferring to 4 year and got into a good med school or graduated from med school yet?

[dizboiukno]

Is there anybody here who went to a CC first before transferring to 4 year and got into a good med school or graduated from med school yet?

ME! dang man i been seeing you around. but yeah this is what i really plan on doing. i'll be taking courses such as bio, chem, and physics in a two year CC and then i'm gonna transfer into a 4 year med school.

[JunsuLove]

Thanks l3oosh for replying! I called a hospital earlier today and they said their summer program was all filled lol
Darn, I should've figured out this stuff sooner, xD! She said that they started applying in March! [LOL @ me] But she did say that I could have a chance for the Fall program and she's sending me an application. I guess that'll be a good chance for me.

About the interview for the volunteer program, what kinds of questions would they ask? What would they want to know? If I get called for an interview for the Fall program, I want to be prepared!

[dizboiukno]

Thanks l3oosh for replying! I called a hospital earlier today and they said their summer program was all filled lol
Darn, I should've figured out this stuff sooner, xD! She said that they started applying in March! [LOL @ me] But she did say that I could have a chance for the Fall program and she's sending me an application. I guess that'll be a good chance for me.

About the interview for the volunteer program, what kinds of questions would they ask? What would they want to know? If I get called for an interview for the Fall program, I want to be prepared!

Hey are you volunteering while you are in a medical school? Should I volunteer while I'm taking my courses in a CC? I plan on transfering over to medical school after two years and I'm wondering if I should get involve as much as I can

[JunsuLove]

Hey are you volunteering while you are in a medical school? Should I volunteer while I'm taking my courses in a CC? I plan on transfering over to medical school after two years and I'm wondering if I should get involve as much as I can

I'm just starting college this fall, xD! But from what I've been told, volunteer as much as you can. It'll look real good on application/interviews for medical school. I want to volunteer so I could have a chance of getting accepted to medical school and that they can see that I've been experienced in working in hospitals/clinics.

[hysteriic]

I was wondering if anyone here knows of someone who has completed med school, or about to, and want to start there own practice? ...someone in canada please...

pls pm me...thx

[yeuthuong]

Is anyone pursuing a career in pathology by chance? My cousin just told me a little about it and I just wanted to know some more about it. I've tried looking up information online but most of the sites give the same general information about it. I've also been trying to contact some of the pathologists in my area but I have been unsuccessful. I'm still going to try but I just want to start gathering some information on it. Thanks!

[oblivious2dobvious]

sigh...i can't spend too much time surfing the net now...

class just started...

sleepless nights and meal-less days...here we go again...

it's only my second year in my pre-med course...and i'm already tired of it...

sigh...but, i need to get good grades...

good grades means award/case price from my parents...haha...

i'll take up surgery once i graduate med proper...cardio surgery to be exact...

do you know anyone who can give tips to me? i really want to be a cardio surgeon...

[whoandy]

To the poster above,

If by "cardio surgery" you mean cardiac surgery well...

1) it's a very long process: 4 years medical school + 5 years general surgery residency + 2-3 years CT fellowship (depending on the institution). Moreover, to land a prestigious fellowship, applicants often do 1-2 years of research and so, add another 1-2 years for the calculation done above. CT surgery stands for cardiothoracic surgery. Once you have completed your CT fellowship, you can find your niche and gear your practice more towards cardiac surgery (which is, more or less, doing CABG's all the time) if that's what you want. Having that said, there are currently 4 academic institutions which offer an integrated track -- 0+6 and hence, you don't get board qualified for general surgery. What does that mean? You better be sure you want to do CT surg for the rest of your career.

2) CT surgery is in a predicament right now -- the most obvious being the current job market for CT surgeons. It's very bleak and it doesn't look like it will get any better. But take that with a grain of salt; it is impossible to predict the future of any medical specialty. Why is job market bleak you ask? Well there are many facets to it...

Edit: This is, of course, assuming you are in the US.

[supa'Wanki]

Does anyone think it'll be beneficial to getting accepted to Med School to obtain and work as a nursing, emt, paramedic license while going to a CC/4-year?

[oblivious2dobvious]

no..im not from the US...im from the Philippines...

med school here is sooo much cheaper than the other countries...

i dont know, but i'd like to study abroad for my surgery...

wooooohhh...taking medicine is toooo long..but at least, i will still be receiving money from my parents for a long time...

(they told me that they will stop supporting me after i finish MED...after i get a JOB!!!)

sigh..i really want to graduate now though...

school is tougher than i thought...11 hours straight class...no breaks or whatsoever... only 2 weeks had passed, but im already feeling SICK...

i skip meals and dont sleep sometimes...awww...

but i can do this!!! i think...