<p>i am going to be going to benedictine university in illinois in fall of 2012. i want to be a doctor so i'm going to be in their pre med track. however, i am having trouble choosing a major. i really like biochemistry and biology but i heard that since biochemistry is a little harder, and more rigorous that i will be more prepared for med school.</p>
<p>i also heard that two students that each have the same gpa, mcat, EC's but one is a major in biochemistry and the other is a major in biology, the one in biochemistry will have a higher chance of getting in? is this true?</p>
<p>when should i start studying for the mcat??</p>
<p>what are your opinions on loyola's stritch school of medicine compared to northwestern's feinberg school of medicine??</p>
<p>^^Complete myth. Biochem is not preferred over bio as a major. </p>
<p>Additionally there are so many soft factors involved in the admissions process that no two students will ever be entirely equivalent in terms desirability. </p>
<p>Don’t start studying for the MCAT until you’re close (how close is matter of preference-- 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 12 weeks…) to taking it.</p>
<p>Northwestern is excellent. Loyola is decent. Don’t bank on getting into a medical school in Chicago, Illinois, or even the entire Midwest. You’ll be applying to at LEAST a dozen schools, likely twice that number.</p>
<p>why? are the schools in the midwest better? also, will a student that went to that school have a better chance of getting into their med school than another student who went to another college?</p>
<p>Medical schools everywhere are difficult to get into. The midwest has its share of very competitive and less competitive schools–just like everywhere else. Because you haven’t started your pre medical education yet, you have no clue how competitive you’ll be in 3-4 years. Or have a clue of how many other well qualified (or better qualified candidates) you’ll be competing against. You’ll want to apply to as many medical schools as is feasible to improve your chances of getting accepted somewhere.</p>
<p>Medical schools do not favor students who attend their undergrad schools. (Except possibly that the med school admission committee is familiar with some of the letter writers personally and may place slightly more weigh on their recommendations.)</p>
<p>My educated guess: What tuftsStudent was trying to say is that the admission to any medical school is so unpredictable for everybody that it is unwise to “fall in love” with any medical school. But, ironically, as an applicant, you need to demonstrate convincingly that you are really in love with every school you apply to.</p>
<p>Regarding your last question: the answer is: It depends on the school. Some eat their own, but some favor their own (to an extent.)</p>
<p>WowMom, Regarding your last statement (which starts with “Except possibly that …” ), it is likely true. No wonder so many juniors/seniors want to do research with a PI in the medical school instead of the professors in their own department. This actually upset some department deans/professors of some science departments at the undergraduate/graduate school. They claim that many research projects at the medical school (done mostly by PhD candidates or postdocs) are so long term that the student really does not learn what they should learn as an UG student. (I think they have some points.)</p>
<p>@mcat2-- I also think it because the admissions committee tends to get letters from some of the same faculty members year after year (OChem prof, biochem prof) and are more familiar with how he/she ranks students. I know that, personally, I’d place more trust in letter from a known quantity than from a complete stranger who might think every student is “the best I’ve taught in my career”.</p>
<p>Miami’s kid had a successful run and picked up a few offers of admission, including to at least one of the schools you mentioned. She’ll start med school this summer/fall.</p>
<p>I disagree with Miami’s statement that “they are not very hard to get into though” because Northwestern’s quite selective and a top-20, and offers very few interviews compared to applications (interviews about 1 in 10 applicants); actually, Loyola offers even fewer interviews (only 7% compared to Northwestern’s 10%) and has a lower overall acceptance rate (slightly better than 4%). </p>
<p>While Loyola may initially appear more likely to an “average applicant” (what with an average MCAT score of ~31), so many people apply that it’s more selective than expected (perhaps because of it’s location in Chicago). Northwestern’s average MCAT score is ~34, and Northwestern’s a higher ranked research institution, thus collecting applications from highly competitive applicants. </p>
<p>All in all, no medical school is “easy” to get into. If you have a strong candidacy and apply smartly, you’ll maximize the chance that you’ll get into at least one. And hey, all you need is one.</p>
<p>But the bottom line is, it’s too early for you to be worrying about any of this if you haven’t even started your senior year of high school yet. There’s plenty of time to stress about and research medical schools over the next five years. Good luck and have a great senior year!</p>
<p>I really think you should have more of an open mind instead of looking at everything purely from your daughter’s perspective. We get that she didn’t like Chicago or Northwestern. But, there’s no reason to just make up stuff. Per their webpage, the current first year class has an average GPA of 3.79 and MCAT of 34.4. Looks pretty competitive to me.</p>
<p>i am pretty much 100 percent sure now that i am going to go with biochemistry. it seems like it well definitely prepare me better for med school and i did see that harvard changed their req’s for my class of 2016. the reason i’d like to possibly go to loyola or northwestern for med school is because i’d really like to stay in illlinois but who knows 4 years from now what opportunities will present themselves to me. as far as med school admissions go, how important is it to have research and paid interships over the summer?</p>
<p>i am most likely going to Benedictine University in Lisle, IL and i heard good things about their internships. also, should i take extra classes in the summer during college or should i just stick to the courseload during the year then just do research and internships in the summer?</p>
<p>also, does anybody know where a 17 year old high school student could get a job in a hospital? i currently volunteer at Central Dupage hospital but does anyone know if any hospitals in the suburbs of chicago would be giving job opportunities to teenagers?</p>
<p>PAID internships are unimportant. (Note that I didn’t say internships are unimportant–just it doesn’t matter whether you’re paid or not.) </p>
<p>Research is expected by most schools, but not required.</p>
<p>Avoid taking your pre-reqs classes in the summer. The content is often truncated. If you want to take GE classes–fine, but summers are best used for ECs like medical volunteering and research.</p>
<p>By job–do mean a volunteer position or a paying job?</p>
<p>i already have a volunteer job at Central Dupage hospital with direct patient contact. i discharge patients and take them around the hospital in wheelchairs.</p>
<p>i’d like a paying job at a hospital though while keeping this volunteer job. the volunteering thing is only one day a week.</p>
<p>I know two direct patient jobs in a Hospital that most undergrad students do, which are EMT or CNA, but both require 6~8 weeks of classes (Could be taken in College of Dupage- Let them know you are from Benedictine they some times have classes for BU students only) and a test for certification. Also, I am pretty sure you need to be 18. I recommend CNA because it is much harder to find a EMT job than a CNA job.</p>
<p>For medical school acceptance, although a EMT/CNA certification looks great, it is not required. I know many people accepted into med school with just volunteering (just make sure you are volunteering in the ER- it has more direct patient contact)</p>
<p>If you didn’t read my other post, I am from Benedictine!</p>
<p>Also Biochemistry is a great major, and a very challenging. However, it is more research oriented with special labs and writing lab reports and one research paper for each lab. I am aiming for an MD and PhD to become a type of medical scientist, so that is why I choose Biochemistry. However, if you have no interest in research in the future, I recommend Biology and just take the extra classes. Also I know a few bio majors who took the 300 level biochemistry instead of the 200 level, so you can do that kind of things too. You haven’t started yet, and you don’t need to choose a major until the spring semester, so test out how you are in your classes/labs and talk to your adviser. I came to BU as a Health Science major before becoming a biochemistry major at the end of Freshmen year, so remember that you can change your major anytime. The only difference in Freshman year for both majors is biocalculus I &II for a biochem major</p>