<p>Can anyone tell me what are the best grad schools to get a M.D and PH.D in. Also, I plan on becoming a neurosurgeon. So, can anyone tell me how long it takes to become a neurosurgeon, how hard the coursework to get the degree is, and how hard the job is. Finally, I am a high school senior and woul like to know when is a good time to start to start to study for the MCAT and GRE. Any help is appreciated.</p>
<p>Google best schools for MD and PHD. [Top</a> MD/PhD programs? | Physician Scientist [MD/PhD, MD/MS, DO/PhD, DDS/PhD] and Biomedical Research [PhD/MS] | Student Doctor Network](<a href=“Top MD/PhD programs? | Student Doctor Network”>Top MD/PhD programs? | Student Doctor Network)</p>
<p>I assume it is really hard, takes 7 years of school, but then you have your hospital stay and such. I also assume the job is extremely stressful, but pays well, considering the type of work done.</p>
<p>You don’t need a PhD to be a neurosurgeon - unless you want to do research in that particular field, a PhD will be more or less useless to you. Especially given that the PhD will add at least 3 years onto an already grueling training (4 years of med school + 3 years of a normal residency + 3-5 years of a surgery training), and you will be wholly uninterested if you don’t want to do research.</p>
<p>Assuming that you DO want to do neurosurgery research of some kind, though, the ‘best schools’ are going to depend largely on what your research interests are. You have to go based on fit - find professors at those places who are doing research in the fields that you are interested in, who can show you the ropes, introduce you to the right people, and help you learn the techniques you need to learn to do research in that field. If you are a high school senior then it is way too early to begin thinking about this - you will shape your research interests and goals when you are in college, and you probably won’t have a real solid idea until you are in around your junior year of college.</p>
<p>If you are serious about an MD/PhD program, however, try to do some research with a professor as early as you can in one of the science departments at your school or a nearby university. This will probably realistically happen in your sophomore year at the earliest.</p>