General premed advice.

<p>hi,
question for all those dispensing advice,
im currently at northwestern university, having a good time, gpa so far freshman year is a 3.67, so im off to an okay start. i've been thinking about graduating a year early or 2 semesters early (we have trimesters) because my sister will be a freshman in college when i would be a senior, and well that would be quite painful financially. would this hurt me in the med school process though? also, does anyone know how easy/hard it is to pay off medical school loans? any advice would be helpful. also, does anyone know anything about how good/bad mt sinai is? like would it be worth going to over a state school even though its more expensive? i live close to it, so im thinking that would be very convenient.
thanks</p>

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would this hurt me in the med school process though?

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<p>Although my cousin does not have experience with grad school admissions, he was on the Harvard undergrad admissions committee for a few years, and he told me graduating early is absolutely not an option if you want to stay competitive for Med school admissions.</p>

<p>I wanted to know if you guys knew anything about the premed curriculum at USC. I am attending there in the fall and wanted to get an idea of what I was up against. Thanks</p>

<p>hey,
So i've gotten into UCLA, Berkeley, Tufts, BC and USC...which school has the best premed program and will give me the best chance of getting into a good medical school? thanks</p>

<p>Please correct me if I am wrong: Statistically, med schools like to see well-rounded apps, which is why accepted music majors, history majors, etc. generally have lower gpa/mcat scores than sccience majors that also get accepted. (correct?)</p>

<p>Would majoring in Psychology give me any boost whatsoever over majoring in Brain and Cognitive Science?</p>

<p>No, its a little different. Usually the fact that these crazy majors such as music get accepted in proportionally higher amounts is because of the fact that they usually HAVE the higher gpas, and then its just a matter of studying for the MCATs and doing decent on those..</p>

<p>No, no certain major will give you a definitive boost. Both Psych and BCS are open to a great deal of oppurtunities, plus, if you are doing your BCS at U of Rochester, (UR is well known for it's BCS), the only reason you may end up better is because of the wide array of undergrad research oppurtunities that are available since its a budding field there. Then again, a great number of research positions are available for Psych, so we're just chasing our tails lol, the true answer is NO, your major really has no great effect.</p>

<p>I am new to this forum, but I've been reading a lot of the posts and you all seem to have lots of experience with Pre-med issues. So for anyone who can dispense some good advice...</p>

<p>I graduated two years ago from a good undergrad program and am now thinking of going to Medical School. I did not graduate with degrees in science (I'm one of those crazy Theatre & Journalism people), so I will need to go back and take the required science and math courses, of course. I am more dedicated now to my pursuit of medicine but feel like I might be at a disadvantage since I did not go to school for science and will be starting school a lot later than others. Anyone have any advice on how to make the most of my situation and give me the best chance at getting into a great program?</p>

<p>To those who know about California's transfer system...
I'm also thinking of UC schools but am not currently a resident. Would it be better to move out to CA and go to community college for basic classes or would I be better off taking my chances at getting accepted as a transfer student from where I'm at now?</p>

<p>Thanks to all who reply!</p>

<p>I know someone who went to a state school after graduating from college (rutgers univ. ) , and decided to take his premed reqs. Took them, got a 4.0, and went on to md. I think def. it would be better to go to one of the UCs and take your premed reqs there......take your chances, if doesnt work out, go to cc...</p>

<p>summer school for physics ok? (top-five private --> top-30 overall (public))</p>

<p>What school? </p>

<p>Why would you want to do a summer session course when you can just take it during the regular year? It'll be much easier as summer sessions are very rigorous .</p>

<p>Hey all. I was wondering where the better pre-med program is, Cornell or Johns Hopkins. I've heard that the pre-med kids at Hopkins are intense, but is Cornell any better? Its an Ivy after all, but aren't they a bigger journalism/international affairs school? I'd appreciate any answer to these questions.</p>

<p>up on sal's ques too. Hopkins = better premed reputation? Cornell is more cutthroat for premeds?</p>

<p>Hey all--</p>

<p>Does anyone know if Georgetown has a good premed program to be considered in the "top" medical schools? I've tried to ask around a little and wonder if anyone knows the answer or any stats?</p>

<p>Sal487, I was really considering Cornell :) I believe they have very strong math/science overall. However going to premed at Hopkins and doing well may be better because, as shawn said, they have a better rep.</p>

<p>Hi folks,</p>

<p>I was wondering, what if your overall GPA is okay (3.7/4.0), but you've gotten B's in most of your premed classes other than the intro science classes (physics, general chemistry, bio)? Should that be explained in the personal statement? For a bit more context, my science GPA is around 3.7 as well, and I'm an engineering major at MIT. Also, are GPAs calculated to the tenths place and rounded to the nearest by the AMCAS and as reported to medical schools?</p>

<p>Thanks so much for any advice.</p>

<p>With grades like that you have no explaining to do. For most med schools they are perfect and just what they want to see. Just do well on the MCATs nail your interviews and you should be in.</p>

<p>I've heard a lot of emphasis is placed on doing well in organic chemistry, and I got B's in both organic classes, as well as biochemistry, and biology lab... ?</p>

<p>My MCAT scores are fine, especially in the biological sciences section, though I have a low verbal score which I hope will be offset by my good performance in writing classes... I <em>have</em> heard that some schools place a lot of emphasis on the verbal score? </p>

<p>Bigndude, are you a medical school student?</p>

<p>Nope, but I have quite a few mentors and friends who are doctors on adcoms that give me info and tell me what to do to get in. And with grades and stats like you should be fine as long as you have medical related work experience be it volunteer or paid.</p>

<p>Hey Bigndude, when are you applying?</p>

<p>I've shadowed (freshman and junior year), and I'm involved in a few medical clubs. That's about it. Struggling with my personal statement as we speak, sigh: trying to figure out how much to put in, how much story and how much statistics. :)</p>

<p>I have a quick question. Do the top tier med schools like good students at top tier LAC(Amherst,Williams etc.)? Or do they still prefer students - who are not as strong in GPA - from Ivy's?</p>

<p>LAC's typically have higher med school acceptance rates than Ivys probably because they can provide more personal attention and better advising.</p>