Hey guys,
okay so im the type of person who isnt too concerned about getting into fancy prestigious schools, however, I want to make sure I get a pretty good chance at getting a great pre-med education because I want to become a dermatologist. I havent picked a major yet but does anyone have any recommendations on how to chose the right pre med college? The colleges around my area have a pre med program but how do I know which college is right for me?
Where you attend undergrad has no bearing on what medical specialty you eventually end up in. Specialty is all about med school performance and board scores (USMLE). I would strongly suggest you NOT plan on med school if derm is the only medical specialty you want to practice. (Derm is among the most competitive of specialties and even among the very top med students nationally only 70% of those applying for derm match into the field.)
Let me repeat this for emphasis: If you wouldn’t be happy as a family practice doc or general internist—don’t go to med school.
Major is a matter of preference. Med school admissions is about GPA, MCAT scores, ECs and LORs. Med schools accept people from all majors so long as they have completed the prerequisite coursework (bio, gen chem, ochem, biochem, physics, calc, stats, English, soc, psych) Choose a major you enjoy and will do well in.
Every 4 year college in the US offers the necessary coursework to fulfill med school admission requirements. Choose one that fits you and that is affordable.
Why is Derm so competitive? Is it intellectually more challenging than other surgical subspecialties?
^^^^
Some specialties are more competitive because they have “favorable hours”. Derm may be considered to be one of those.
Very few “emergency skin appointments”, huh?
High reimbursements and very good hours is why derm is competitive. Toxic epidermal necrolysis is I think literally the only “derm emergency.” It’s the same deal with optho and radiology.
Also derm is generally considered more medical than surgical.
Thanks for all your replies! I am very set on dermatology, perhaps like a surgeon was always set on becoming a surgeon? Also, like a surgeon, there are different types of dermatologist fields: Cosmetic, Mohs Surgery, Research, etc. Of course I could see myself helping people in places like PatientFirst but I really think that me wanting to become a dermatologist is my big motivator to become even just a regular doctor:)
Not quite. General surgery is much, much less competitive than dermatology. Also, there are multiple types of surgery residencies, but everything you described is fellowship level differences in dermatology (i.e. after you finish your dermatology residency)
To add some perspective:
The majority of pre-meds won’t even make it through college competitive enough to apply to medical school. Of the ones who do, 55-60% of them won’t get in to a single medical school. Of the ones who make it to medical school, 51% of the people who end up in dermatology residencies come from the top 17% of their medical school class (i.e. members of AOA - http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Charting-Outcomes-2014-Final.pdf). In general surgery, only 15% of the residents were in the top 17% of their class.
BTW, the idea that surgeons have always wanted to be surgeons is a bit of a myth.