<p>Hey guys! I'm currently going to be a freshman at UNC this fall. I'm not too sure if I want to major in a science or just minor in it instead (I would have to maintain mostly A's in all my science courses if I wanted to minor :/). </p>
<p>OK, so basically.
Aspects preventing me from going into med field:
1. I am terrified of blood/guts/etc. (I mean, hopefully I will get over this...)
2. I don't truly LOVE and ENJOY some topics - like organic chem and such. I don't mind, but it's not something I would happily choose to do one day.. does anyone know what I mean? :P If I want to pursue this, I should really enjoy learning this.
3. My school has such a rigorous science program that I feel it's going to be impossible to get that 3.4 or whatever GPA. (The average for someone majoring in the sciences is around a 2.8). I would still work my butt off though no worries.
4. I'm not naturally smart.. I spent like 8 hours a week just to maintain my A in my chem class... woo. I would have to work 10x as hard at UNC.. because everyone is basically a genius.</p>
<p>However...
1. I've been set on the medical field since 9th grade.
2. I was fairly decent at my science courses at high school.. but this was high school.
3. After volunteering at my local hospital, I really do like everything about being a physician assistant. </p>
<p>1) you will get over your blood 'n guts aversion, but it takes time and plenty of exposure </p>
<p>2) very few doctors/dentists/pharmacists/nurses/medical professionals I know of actually enjoy ochem for the sake of ochem (If they did, they’d end up with a PhD in organic chemistry and not an MD, DDS, DPharm, BSN, OT, PT, PA, or whatever) But if you can learn to see the science requirements as a means to an end-- an better understanding how the human body works on all levels: molecular, cellular, chemical–then you might have a better attitude about learning the material. (HINT: going into a class dreading it is a recipe to do badly in the class.)</p>
<p>3) competition for good grades is everywhere. UNC is not exceptional in that regard. </p>
<p>4) I doubt that most people at UNC are geniuses. I have a friend who used to be chem prof at UNC-CH (he’s retired now), based on what’s he’s said–I can guarantee that most chem & bio students at UNC are NOT geniuses. (He said most of them were complete idiots…but I digress.) For those in the pre health professions track, hard work is way of life. Get used to it.</p>
<p>Since my son is a UNC grad (who turned down Yale and Stanford among others), I’ll have to disagree a bit here. WOWMom, kind of surprised at your condescension, but that’s another discussion.</p>
<p>ilygurlie</p>
<p>UNC does indeed have a very strict curve in its science and math classes which can make grading a bit of a challenge but one positive note is that UNC has a very cooperative academic atmosphere rather than cutthroat competitive. By this I mean that there’s plenty of help to be had (without paying for tutors) and study groups are easy to form etc. Interestingly, the strict grading curve appears to be somewhat common knowledge at Med schools because he had more than one interviewer ask him about it at schools far from Carolina.</p>
<p>One thing that frustrated him was that several professors came right out and said the first day of classes that the highest grade anyone could expect was an A- because they just “didn’t give A’s” which to me seemed a bit pompous.</p>
<p>My son was a double major in Linguistics and Religious Studies (UNC has one of the top programs in the country) with a minor in Chem and managed a 3.8 overall GPA and a 3.8 math/science GPA. He says that his Honors Orgo class was one of the best classes he took as an undergrad. He had a great, very engaging professor and smallish class size. His Physics class was a beating because it was so boring and taught by a fully tenured professor who, in his words, mailed it in. Other than the grade limitation in a few classes, that was the only negative I heard about any specific science class.</p>
<p>He had four other people within his circle of friends accepted to Med school prior to graduation including one at Harvard and another at Hopkins, and he has a number of others now in Med school after doing things like Fulbright Scholarships, taking a gap year to work at the NIH and Teach For America. All could have gotten into med school when he did but wanted to take some time off before starting.</p>
<p>If you expect your fellow students to be like those described by WOWMom you’re going to be surprised. I’ve spent a lot of time around my son’s friends and found them all to be very smart and talented kids who left UNC to do great things including Rhodes, Rockefeller and Fulbright Scholars. Not everyone at UNC is like that but you don’t have to look hard to find peers like that.</p>
<p>If you work hard and smart you can do better than the 3.4 you’re worrying about and still have a great undergrad experience-after all UNC students are proud of the fact that they work hard and play hard.</p>
<p>Good luck…you’re going to love your time in “Blue Heaven.”</p>
<p>UNC is very competitive for out-of-state high school applicants. Its standardized test score ranges/incoming high school gpa average are VERY similar to many top private schools for out-of-state kids. Obv. these kids won’t be idiots and they will do very well. I don’t know much about the in-state applicant pool, so I won’t comment on that.</p>
<p>OP, one warning, do not form your opinion before you actually have experience. Second, never set yourself up for low goals. Below I re-wrote all your points the way that they should have been written to insure success. Your original statements are insuring failure.</p>
<p>I need improvements if I go into med field:
I am terrified of blood/guts/etc like most people. I am sure I will get over this just like everybody else.
I don’t care for organic chem. as most do not enjoy it either. I will be like everybody else, do my best to get the highest grade possible in class that I do not enjoy. I will seek help if needed.
My school has such a rigorous science program, but ALL UG’s do, so my school is not different. While it requires to work hard to get high GPA needed for Med. School application, many applicants have GPA close to 4.0. I am not any worse than these people. I can work hard and achieve the same.
I’m not naturally smart, but I have great work ethic. I will work harder in classes that are more challenging for me. I heard that some people had to spend 30 hrs preparing for every test in Ochem. I will do the same if I have to. Whatever it takes, I will be there with the bunch of other successful Med. School applicants. At the same time there will be classes that are easy for me, I will sail thru them and be ablle to focus on my challenges.</p>
<p>My niece was a Phi Beta Kappa grad from UNC a couple of years ago, and while a wonderful young lady, she is no “genius.” It is truly a wonderful undergraduate experience. The good news about UNC is that the state’s primary engineering school is in Raleigh, so the the true math/science geeks – those who dream of algorithms – live elsewhere. :)</p>
<p>But if you are concerned, I suggest you check out the tutoring services once you arrive on campus. Get into a study routine early while everyone else is out playing. If math is a weakness for college math/Calc (~600 SAT score), do some review this summer.</p>
<p>There is no shortage of brainpower or highly talented people on the UNC campus despite your feelings about your niece or your thoughts about “geeks.”</p>
<p>From UNC FAQs</p>
<p>"Since the U.S. Rhodes Scholar program began in 1904, 47 Carolina students have been selected tying the University for first among top public research universities in the United States.</p>
<p>In the past 25 years, Carolina has produced more Rhodes Scholars than any other national public research university. Among all research universities, the University ranks fifth for the most winners in the last five years, behind only Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Princeton.</p>
<p>In November 2010, Carolina had two Rhodes winners, and both were seniors and Morehead-Cain Scholars. That marked the seventh time and third consecutive year that two Rhodes winners came from the University. " (all were Morehead Scholars)</p>
<p>And besides, when you are practising medicine, it doesn’t seem to faze me as it is part of the job that you are having to do. If I am watching something on TV however…!</p>
<p>…then do not “watch something on TV” that make you feel not good. TV is for entertainment…nothing else…not a good learning tool, got to get own personal experince.</p>
<p>Pls show where I posted anything about the “shortage of brain power” at UNCH. (On the contrary, I have frequently posted that, IMO, it is one of two best publics for undergraduate education.)</p>
<ul>
<li>I posted one anecdote about my niece. She was PBK at Carolina, but not a ‘genius’ by any stretch, since she wasn’t even admitted as a Frosh.</li>
<li>I posted a fact that the instate engineer-wannabes tend to gravitate to NC State, which is very strong in that curriculum. (And, that tends to change the dynamics of the math/science competition at a liberal arts-focused college, such as UNCH…)</li>
</ul>
<p>I just got done taking physics 1 (without calc.) at UNC-Greensboro, it was a 5 week course. And there were quite a few students in it from Chapel Hill. We all had to work our butts off, but most the people in there from UNC had already taken it at Chapel Hill and didn’t perform well so took it at UNCG instead. The guy that sat next to me in class is a genius, just really sharp. Then again, he had taken the class in highschool and previously at Chapel Hill. I came out with a C in the class, which I am not ashamed of considering i had never been exposed to physics before, and only had 5 weeks to learn 15 chapters worth of material. My point being, I have always thought that students from Chapel Hill were superior and extremely smart, but in reality they are just humans just as I. Being smart, having the ability to learn material quickly, does help. But eventually you have to sit down and put in the study time. Practice makes perfect.</p>
<p>Wow, 5 weeks? D. took it for 2 semesters. Why they even offer 5 weeks? I would not advise anybody to take 5 weeks Physics class, way to cramped, even if you study 24hrs/day for all these 5 weeks.</p>
<p>Not sure how UNC counts rhodes scholars. Looking at US scholars since 1998, UNC has had 9, for 12th rank of US universities. In the past five years, they’ve had 5. In the same time period, Harvard had 18, Yale and Stanford 11, Princeton 9, Chicago and MIT 7, West Point (USMA) 5. That’s 6 schools ahead of UNC, one tied. </p>
<p>Maybe they count international scholars in their totals, a misleading practice. </p>
<p>It is true that UNC has for years been the top producer of Rhodes Scholars among public universities, and ahead of elite private institutions such as Columbia, Penn, Cornell and Dartmouth. That’s an admirable accomplishment, worthy of note in its own light. All the more puzzling why the U press office issues misleading press releases like the one you quoted.</p>
<p>Miami, your D took both Physics 1 and Physics 2 in 2 semesters. Gibson, only took Physics 1 in 5 weeks over the summer. Summer school is the same at any school. One summer school session is usually 5 weeks and you can receive credit of up to 2 classes in 1 summer school session.</p>
<p>All of their Rhodes winners have been Morehead Scholars and there are Morehead Scholars from both Canada and the UK. They may be international, but they are still UNC students so the Press release really isn’t misleading.</p>
<p>From the Morehead-Cain website:</p>
<p>"Our deepest congratulations to Paul Shorkey 11 and Laurence Deschamps-Laporte 11! Each has been awarded a 2011 Rhodes Scholarship, recognized as one of the most prestigious academic awards in the world.</p>
<p>Paul and Laurence join a long tradition of Morehead-Cain Scholars who have gone on to win the Rhodes…</p>
<p>In the past eight years, 12 Morehead-Cain Scholars have won Rhodes Scholarships to England’s Oxford University, one of the world’s most competitive and prestigious awards for graduate study. Since the first Morehead Scholars graduated from Carolina in 1957, 29 of UNC’s 32 Rhodes Scholars have been Morehead-Cain graduates."</p>
<p>Also from the Morehead-Cain website, FWIW:</p>
<p>“Morehead-Cain Scholars have accounted for 21 of the Universitys 30 Luce Scholars and 19 of Carolinas 32 Truman Scholars, among the nations most generous and distinguished awards for graduate study. Twenty-six Morehead-Cain Scholars have won Fulbright Fellowships.”</p>
<p>If you think picking a range of years that puts UNC in the best light (8 years? I suppose that just “happened”?), and that comparing a count of US and international scholars against US only counts at other institutions is not misleading, maybe “fair and balanced” like Fox news, then I have no argument.</p>
<p>What is probably sadder is that UNC does not seem to invest much in top students that are not Morehead Scholars. But that’s perhaps another story. </p>
<p>Sorry for a mini hijack of this thread. I’ll step out, since there’s no reason to flog this topic.</p>