<p>I think many of y’all are being kinda harsh on the program and the students. If you don’t like the concept, then ignore or don’t apply to Mt. Sinai bcos you might run into one of those non-science types as a classmate! Moreover, the student did not say that they did not want to take Organic, but that they preferred to take something else. Who on cc wouldn’t (besides Chem majors), if given your choice? How many of y’all who are so stringent on the science requirement have added the rigors of P-Chem to your schedule? How about you, future ENT doc?</p>
<p>btw: IMO, college physics ain’t that difficult, particularly the non-calc version which is all that is required for most pre-health programs. And, based on what I’ve read on cc, the physics background necessary for the mcat is pretty basic and can(?) be self-taught over a summer.</p>
<p>Dad2: no one skips the core for Mt. Sinai’s program. Bio & Chem are required for the application. Students apply fall in Soph year and if taking Organic, they must drop it after completing the term. Thus, the only full year courses really ‘missing’ are Organic and Physics, and if the knowledgeable ones on cc are correct, college physics ain’t all that necessary for the mcat (or med school, for that matter). Both organic and physics are taken over the summer at Mt. Sinai, in an accelerated, condensed manner.</p>
<p>this actually sounds really interesting, to bad it requires high school grades cuz that kinda screws any chances i had. most of the reason im excited for college is getting a fresh start</p>
<p>thanks for all the great info about this 8 year program at mount sinai. its definitely worth considering! no MCAT! Plus, its in New York City! :DDD</p>
<p>My daughter (humanities major/bio minor) learned of the program after she had started at Columbia as an undergrad. At the time she was not interested but down the road when she applied to medical school Mount Sinai was on her list. I wondered at the time whether it would be one of the few schools where having been an humanities major as an undergraduate could hurt her chances - my thought being that they had already filled a chunk of their slots for people with a humanities focus through the program.</p>
<p>This seems like a way to get in early application into medschool, and then one can take the weeder courses of organic chemistry and physics in a warm and fuzzy environment rather than with all the other (usually cut throat, yes even at HYPM) pre meds. Having been a humanities major then straight into med school do not under estimate the beating of taking biochemistry for the first time in first year while all the science majors had seen it before. Also I do not know where you took college physics, but my course was easily one of the hardest classes I have ever had :).</p>
My daughter would agree with you. She had been out of the sciences for a couple of years and knew it would be especially hard going in. As she applied she ultimately hoped to end up at a school with a true pass/fail grading system.</p>
<p>^^^ The article may not have indicated that they come from HYPS, but on Mt. Sinai’s Website, it said that kids come from top LAC’s OR top research based universities.</p>
<p>Top Research Based Universities = Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford…None of which are my school. </p>
<p>I like how this program is so selective in the types of applicants it wants, kids who are ONLY social science majors/humanities majors AND they go to a TOP LAC OR A TOP RESEARCH BASED School. </p>
<p>The program seems like the perfect fit for me, but its SO COMPETITIVE.</p>
<p>This reminds me of a question I ask my wife, a lawyer. Is there any reason why I couldn’t pass the bar exam without going to law school? And the answer is I probably could.</p>
<h1>1 My point is that these are very bright studets (1444/1600 SAT M+CR, 3.74 freshman GPA in college) surely they can last through Physics and O-Chem. They obviously dont lack intellect they lack the motivation. Most of them wouldnt have become doctors if it wasnt for this program. America needs more doctors who are motivated to care for people and ones who will perserve through a couple of classes in order to make it to medical school. Not ones who wouldnt care for medicine just because it would force them to take physics and O-chem.</h1>
<h1>2- A lot of people have interests besides the sciences look at all the humanties and Social Science majors that have matriculated to medical school. over 3300 students. what makes these select 30-40 different from the other 3300+?</h1>
<p>Which THEY WILL, Students in this program still have to take ORGO and physics, its just during THE SUMMER BETWEEN JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEAR OF COLLEGE. see my posts.</p>
<p>I think the program is fine; a little strange, but certainly not a problem. And I’m sure Ms. Adler is a perfectly qualified candidate.</p>
<p>That statement, however, reeks of ignorance and entitlement. I sure hope she doesn’t mean it literally. The immediate biology is the first concern of a physician. If she wants something else to be her primary concern, then she needs to pick a different career. That’s not to say that physicians can’t or shouldn’t pay attention to the social contributors (determinants is such a strong word) to disease, but her first responsibility is to contain the immediate biology. Period.</p>
<p>If she thinks that’s a waste of time, then she doesn’t belong in medical school.</p>
<p>When I saw this article go up on the NYTimes website last night, I was sure it’d get posted here. I was also pretty sure the discussion would go nukular, and FutureENTSurgeon and Colleges00701 have proved me right.</p>
<p>Again, facts not in evidence. Moreover, many countries do not require a BA prior to entering a professional school, including Med.</p>
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<p>Perhaps my critical reading skills are woefully inadequate in comparison to yours, FutureENTSurgeon. But I did not find that in the article either. What I read was about students who preferred to take courses other than Organic at their undergraduate college. </p>
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<p>What makes 'em different is that Mt. Sinai has a program for which they can apply. (Don’t blame the students for Mt. Sinai’s admissions practices.) If the students are rejected, and the vast majority are rejected, they will continue with Organic+ physics+mcat should they wish to continue in the premed track. If not, they do what the vast majority of premeds do, don’t apply and go get a job.</p>
<p>This program is certainly interesting. I had no idea that sort of thing even existed…</p>
<p>I also don’t think you can say that people who major in the humanities are too lazy to take orgo, physics, etc. I think most doctors would probably be the first to admit that orgo and physics are pretty pointless classes - science majors have to take them, they’re pre-med requirements, they’re subjects on the MCAT… but after all that they’re kind of useless!</p>
<p>I got into Mount Sinai SOM the regular way, and I think the HuMed program is great. There, I’ve said it. I welcome your nasty letters and rotten tomatoes. :D</p>
<p>On one hand, I understand the anger that some traditional pre-meds have towards people who go through the HuMed program, but on the other, I think it’s bizarre. If anything, it goes to show how few pre-meds really enjoy classes like Gen Chem, Orgo, or Gen Bio - it’s more like an ordeal or a series of elaborate hoops they’ve been forced to jump through. As I see it, if you really liked those subjects, why would you care that someone else hadn’t taken them? I imagine I’d also be angry and bitter if I had had to earn A’s in philosophy or art history classes - subjects that I find hard and only topically interesting - in order to get to medical school.</p>
<p>I have no intentions on going into the medical field, but I am majoring in the hard sciences. I honestly do feel that this is cop-out to forgo the sciences. The majority of people go through with the MCAT’s and science requirements, while these people just find a way to get around it. </p>
<p>The program seems is towards the highest achieving students (top LAC’s and research Universities). What is one supposed to do if they aren’t in the upper echelons of academic institutions? I guess you’ll either have to go through with the science classes and MCAT…</p>
<p>And lets be honest, what are the chances that someone who majored in the humanities, who would rather take some class other than physics or o-chem get into med school w/o the existence of this program?</p>
<p>Lol, you guys are still not understanding the program. Every pre-med has to take one year of bio, one year of chem, one year of orgo, and one year of physics (if they are not the HuMed program). Those are the only requirements for medical school (some schools may require a few upper level science classes, but most don’t). In this program, the kids are still taking one year of biology, one year of chem, and an 8 week program that teaches them orgo and physics. The only thing that they are “getting around” is the mcats. They are still taking all the required classes for medical school.</p>
<p>Honestly do you guys think a TOP medical school would take kids who haven’t taken orgo or physics. NO!</p>
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<p>^^^ Do med students at Mt. Sinai that got in the regular way dislike the HuMed program? Or could they they care less?</p>
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^^^^hahaha, I just didn’t like that FutureENTSurgeon was thrashing a program that he/she didn’t fully research.</p>
<p>My H is a physician and thinks this program is a good idea. He pointed out that future psychiatrists don’t really need any of those science pre-reqs. </p>
<p>I believe WashU also has a scholarship each year for an undergrad where they’re automatically admitted to the med school regardless of their major. They wanted to give at least some pre-med students the option of taking a different course load than usual.</p>
<p>You are mistaken. The 8-week program is nowhere near the rigor of 4 semesters of orgo and physics - it is not anything like “taking all the required classes.” HuMed students do not have the same science background that regular applicants do. It shows during the first semester when we take Molecules and Cells, Sinai’s cell biology and biochem course. After that, the gap rapidly narrows, and I’d say it’s non-existent by the end of the second year. It goes to show that generally, orgo and physics doesn’t have much to do with how good or effective of a medical student a person end up being.</p>
<p>That aside, I find it a little odd that you’re trying to school me about a program at my own institution.</p>
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<p>By that standard, a future radiologist doesn’t need to learn any physical exam skills and a future general surgeon doesn’t need to know any physics.</p>