<p>Hi Everyone,
I'm a second year medical student at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. I graduated from Notre Dame in 2007. I am willing to answer any questions you may have about medical school, so feel free to post anything in this thread or to send me a private message. Best of luck! :)</p>
<p>Good to see you here, PND! =) I’ve been noticing your thread on the forums for a while, and I thought people here would benefit from your experience.</p>
<p>Welcome! As BDM implied, we all have different experiences, and so it’s always nice to have another med student on here.</p>
<p>Would be really nice if we could create a thread where everyone posts which med school they are from (assuming they don’t mind revealing this info). </p>
<p>This way, the younger kids have names of Seniors or alumni within each school to advise them.</p>
<p>Hi PG – I think some of the med students here have opted to deemphasize this to try to demonstrate to the HS students who frequent this board that name-branding in medical school isn’t all that important.</p>
<p>That’s not to take away from PND’s revelation that she’s at a top-flight med school, of course! =) But several of us seem to treat it rather quietly and I think this might be why.</p>
<p>Hey PrincessND, Welcome!, Glad your here to help…</p>
<p>I am an international student aspiring to be a doctor. I would really appreciate it if you could visit this thread and have a look at my query :</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/672614-international-pre-med-students.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/672614-international-pre-med-students.html</a></p>
<p>Basically, I want to know how difficult it is for an international student (even if he can afford it) to get into a med school. Do you know any international student who’s taken this path, after doing pre med in US?</p>
<p>Cheers</p>
<p>I was wondering if you could tell me about what people in your college majored in. Did many do science majors? Are there any engineers? Also, do a lot of people take time off and then apply to medical school? Thanks</p>
<p>My S is takinhg a year off before applying to med school. What kind of job should he be looking for for this year?</p>
<p>Haha – see, PND? You’re very in demand. =)</p>
<p>Hi Amalshine,
I read the thread you linked to, and I’m going to be more optimistic than those who gave you input over there. I found this website which gives you details about different schools’ policies toward international applicants. You should check it out. </p>
<p>[International</a> Students and Medical School Policies](<a href=“http://www.fiu.edu/~preprofc/International_Students_School_Policies.htm]International”>http://www.fiu.edu/~preprofc/International_Students_School_Policies.htm)</p>
<p>I think the take home message here is that it will be tough for you to get in, but there are people who do it every year. And those people were all once in your shoes and I’m sure that people encouraged them not to pursue their dream because of the stiff competition. If you are passionate about medicine and helping people, I say go for it. Worse comes to worse, you go to medical school in another country and then apply for a U.S. residency program when you finish. Also from looking at this website, it seems as though getting permanent residency status greatly improves your odds of being accepted. Is this possible for you? Another option is MD/PhD programs. You might want to look into these because they seem to have more international student presence. </p>
<p>I will say that to be competitive for U.S. schools, you will need to do exceptionally well in college. Great grades, great MCAT scores, great activities, and many examples of leadership and community engagement. In my med school class of 112, there are 4 international students. So it is definitely possible. </p>
<p>I hope this helps and let me know if I can help in another way. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Hi Sciencenerd,
I think the best advice is that you should major in anything you want. In my med school class there are art history majors and chemical engineering majors; about half majored in science, the other half non-science. As long as you have taken the necessary science prerequisites and labs, you will be fine. Many schools offer students flexibility through structured pre-medical programs that allow them to complete a major in another discipline while still taking the standard med school prereqs (i.e. Bio, Gen Chem, Orgo, Physics, Calc). That’s a good option for students who want to double in a humanities or a social science major. Other students choose to take the road of the traditional science majors (i.e. Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry). </p>
<p>What’s my advice? Do something that you love, not what you think you should do or what everybody else is doing. Why? Your grades will better if you like what you’re doing, and you will be able to have passionate and engaging interviews when you’re applying to medical school. :)</p>
<p>Hi mshap,
The key here is that he will be asked in interviews why he chose to take a year off and he needs to be able to say that the experiences during the year off will contribute to him becoming a better doctor. That doesn’t mean that he needs to do something medical. Lots of people take time off to do research, to join the peace corps, to teach in underprivileged schools (i.e. Teach for America), to gain experience in policy, etc. It might be hard to explain how that job at J.P. Morgan contributes to one’s informal medical education though. So when he’s picking a job, he needs to think about how he would justify the time off to a med school. Also, during this time, he should stay involved with activities and keep his science skills sharp. I hope this is helpful. Let me know if I can help in any other way.</p>
<p>I get so many private messages that look like this: </p>
<p>“I’m junior at X University. I study so hard and so long and do everything I can to learn the material but I’m just not good at science. My GPA is in the B range: 3.2-3.4. Am I just not cut out to be a doctor? It’s almost time for me to take the MCAT and apply to med schools…What should I do?”</p>
<p>To these students I usually say:</p>
<p>*Hi there,
Let me start of by saying: take a breath. It sounds like you have been working so hard and it makes me smile because you clearly want to be a doctor and that’s great. So as you think about your future, don’t ever let that thought escape your mind. The best thing to do would be to take it one step at a time. </p>
<p>Now, onto your grades. I think that given the reputation of your school, you should apply to at least your state schools and some lower level private schools if you can manage to get a 30 on the MCAT. You also need to consider applying to osteopathic schools. Have you heard of of these? These are schools that grant D.O. degrees and are less competitive than M.D. programs. At the end of the program, you are still a doctor and can enter residency programs with everyone else. Check out the GPAs and MCAT scores needed for a few of them: </p>
<p>[Osteopathic</a> Schools Ranked by MCAT](<a href=“http://www.kcom.edu/faculty/chamberlain/ranmcat.htm]Osteopathic”>http://www.kcom.edu/faculty/chamberlain/ranmcat.htm)</p>
<p>Seems very do-able for you. Another thing that people often do is take a year off and enter a post-baccalaureate premedical program. These programs are usually masters programs that help people prepare for the rigors of medical school and improve their medical school application profile. You can find more info about these programs here:</p>
<p>[Postbaccalaureate</a> Premedical Programs - Search](<a href=“http://services.aamc.org/postbac/]Postbaccalaureate”>http://services.aamc.org/postbac/)</p>
<p>In short, take the MCAT and apply. The worse that can happen is that you won’t get in and will apply to post-bac programs. </p>
<p>In time you will learn that being a good doctor is not about how well you do in science classes. You will be surprised how little of that undergrad science crap is actually even used in med school. I don’t even remember the difference between a diastomer and an enantiomer and I’m doing great in med school. Remember that your personal development is just as important as your intellectual development, so find activities that you love doing and do them. Best of luck. *</p>
<p>Remember that for every Alex Rodriquez there are a million Derek Jeters: people who are very intelligent and exquisitely talented but aren’t the superstars. You can still be very successful and have a great career if you are willing to work hard and keep your eye on the prize. 
Go for it.</p>
<p>Hello PrincessND-
Firstly, CONGRATS on getting into such a prestigious med school! I hope my son is that lucky! :)</p>
<p>I have a couple of questions for you: My son is about to enter undergraduate school as a freshman looking at premed, and either double majoring or major/minoring. He’s also interested in the research aspects of medicine (he’s looking to pursue an MD/PhD). I’ve read the “before you read” sticky threads, and I’d appreciate a med school student’s opinion.</p>
<p>1) Should he take an abroad opportunity, or will this interrupt his premed studies? He’s looking into studying cultures and languages (his second major or minor), which would allow him great opportunties to travel, and he’s enamored with the thought of traveling! But he’s concerned that with such a work-filled schedule, traveling will hurt his studies in Biochem.</p>
<p>2) Do med schools seriously consider ECs? I know GPA and MCAT scores are the two important factors for med school acceptance, but are they looking for ECs? I receive different answers when I ask this question. If so, medically-related (research, internships, etc) or not (community service, yearbook, etc)?</p>
<p>3) Does the undergraduate college you attend really matter? If he attends an unknown state university versus a well-known state university versus a non-Ivy private school (i.e. Johns Hopkins, Emory, WashU, etc) versus an Ivy, does it count for/against him in the med school application process? Again, I know that GPA and MCAT scores are the most important things, but does the prestige factor matter?</p>
<p>4) What do you (the med school attendee) recommend for a successful Med school applicant (beyond the grades/scores)? </p>
<p>Thanks! :)</p>
<p>Thanks a lot PrincessMD… that was really very helpful.</p>
<p>I have another doubt. Suppose I dont get into a US Med school, after my pre med. Is it possible to get into a similar Med program in another country like UK, Australia or something? I am not talking about the normal undergrad med degree. Im talking of the accelerated med programs, i.e. the ones that graduates take. Cuz if its an undergrad degree, i might as well apply now and not go through 4 years of pre med. So do pre meds go abroad for med studies, similar to US med schools? Ive heard UK accelerated programs prefer EU citizens only, somewhat similar to the US situation.</p>
<p>Hi, PND!</p>
<p>I am a U.S. citizen and a public Ivy freshman who has been to the U.S. for a little more than three years. Now I have completed two quarters. My GPA is very low 2.8. I do not have much of ECs. I took chem, phys. and last quarter of calc. People thought it was a hard schedule however I did not think it was hard at all. I had done well along until finals. During finals time I was looking for an apt. and moved out from dorm and got distracted somehow. I did poorly on the finals and at the end of this quarter I maintained a 3.0ish grade overall. So I just calculated that even though manage to obtain a 3.5 overall my grade will just be above 3.0 after my freshman year. That is disappointing and pathetic. I know that med schools do not only look at grades they take other factors into account. But my biggest concern at this moment is my GPA. I never really thought that a slip of thought and attention would give this big an impact on the pre-med path.</p>
<p>I am looking for some advice on grade and if you can shed some light on other alternatives besided MD and PHD? For instance, DO?</p>
<p>Hey! First of all thanks for being generous with your time to answer our questions =) I was considering taking summer courses at the same school i will be attending during the school year to lighten my load and feel better prepared for the MCAT…how do med schools feel about maymester courses?</p>
<p>^^ i was wondering the same too, but in my case i’ve already taken a couple of classes, and was wondering if I should take the risk of taking more of these…</p>
<p>Hi PND!
I was wondering how can I know if I am good enough/smart enough for med school?</p>
<p>Hi Collegebound_09, </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Yes, go abroad! It’s a great opportunity even if you have to rearrange your curriculum. Med schools like to see that students have diverse interests, so if he is interested, tell him to go for it. </p></li>
<li><p>YES!!! Med schools do SERIOUSLY look at extracurricular activities. It is important to remember that students who survive the rigorous premedical curriculums are generally very bright and good test takers. Admissions committees can fill a class with people with 40s on the MCATs and very high GPAs. What often determines who gets in and who doesn’t is the resume. Research (and this doesn’t just have to be science research) is helpful. Med schools also like to see an applicant’s demonstrated commitment to helping others. When they ask you why you want to be a doctor in the interview and you say “because I like helping people” you should be able to back that statement up with your track record of doing so. Another huge one is leadership; you should have activities where you’re able to demonstrate your capacity in a leadership role. By no means do all of your activities need to be medically-related. Admissions committes know that college is time where students learn a lot about who they are. Sometimes they may be weary of a “one track mind” who hasn’t explored other interests and thus has failed to confirm that a life long commitment to serving others is for them. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Also, I have personal experience with this. I had a friend from college who graduated Summa Cum Laude and did very well on the MCAT and didn’t get into a single med school. My scores weren’t as high and I fared much better. I think the difference was in our resumes. They give you 15 slots on the AMCAS application and he said he only filled in one activity because he didn’t think they mattered. Boy was he wrong. </p>
<p>Sorry for the tangent, but to be short, I think some good advice for your son and anybody else thinking med school, is to not view college just as a vehicle for getting to medical school. College is really your last chance to take quirky classes, go abroad (for free), party without remorse, etc. Med schools know this, so do what you love and you will do it well. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>As much as I hate to say it (I know how many cringe reflexes I’m about to elicit), going to a high caliber undergraduate institution really does give you many opportunities. If you look at the “top” med schools (I put that in quotes because whether you graduate from Hopkins or Anonymous U you are a doctor), many fill their classes with students from schools in USNWR top 20. But that’s not to say that those same schools don’t admit students from lesser known schools; schools want to admit people who will become good doctors and there are brilliant people at every school. I would say it doesn’t hurt you to go to a lesser known school, but it can definitely help you if you go to a well known school. While I believe that many admissions committees would deny this favoritism, it does indeed exist at many schools. </p></li>
<li><p>I think the biggest things that medical schools are looking for are academic talent (you have to be able to get through medical school and pass your boards) and humanity. By the latter, they are looking for people who will provide compassionate care for patients, who are engaged in the things that interest them, who have well informed opinions on various issues, who are mature and well balanced, and who are sure that they want to be doctors. A good medical school application takes a diversity of experiences from the applicant’s life and renders a story about how each of those experiences has helped them become who they are and convinced them that medicine is for them. Sorry if that is really abstract, but it is because there is nothing that makes you a perfect applicant; medical students are diverse group of talented individuals. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Best of luck!</p>