Thoughts on Going Into Premed

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>Well now that my applications are sent off, I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I actually want to major in; and going to med school has always been in the back of my mind. </p>

<p>I'm definitely a math/science person and my initial thoughts were to go into bio or biomed. But I feel like working in a lab isn't nearly as satisfying as working with patients in a hospital seems.</p>

<p>It's always been an interest of mine but the thought of it has always seemed so crazy to consider it realistically. </p>

<p>I guess my request here is for help deciding if it's a good idea to go into premed. The top school I'm applying to is Boston College (top 5% of my class, 2070 SAT with 800 math) and I think my chances of getting accepted are decent but certainly not definite. I'm also applying WPI, Norteastern, and Assumption. I consider myself a pretty dedicated person so I know I'll go through with it if I can make the decision, but the problem is I can't make decisions haha. </p>

<p>So,</p>

<p>-Am I a good candidate for premed?
-Is BC (or any of the others mentioned) a good premed school?
-How difficult is it to get into medical school?
-Is a medical major actually worth the time and money spent to get it?
-What comes after medical school?</p>

<p>And I'm sure I'll think of more questions but this is a good start. I really appreciate any suggestions based off of experience or just general knowledge. </p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>1) You’re as good a candidate as any other high school student. BTW, pre med is NOT a major but series of required classes.</p>

<p>2) Lots of discussion of what makes a good pre med school, see the stickied thread at the top of the forum</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1122176-bluedevilmikes-ten-step-guide-picking-premed-school.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1122176-bluedevilmikes-ten-step-guide-picking-premed-school.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>3) It is quite difficult to get into med school, requiring more than just good grades and good MCAT score. You need a complete package–grades, scores, LORs, research, volunteer medical experience, leadership positions, community service, good writing & communication skills and excellent interviewing skills.</p>

<p>Some sobering facts: </p>

<p>Nationally more than 65% of all pre meds drop out before they even apply to medical school. (Lots of reasons, not all of them having to do with grades.) </p>

<p>Last year, 2010, approx 86,200 people took the MCAT. There are only about 18,000 slots total at all US med schools. Or more than 10 applicant per available medical school opening. (IRL, the number of applicants per slot is actually much higher because not all schools are equally available to all candidates. Also slots are reserved for BA/MD, MSTP, and MD/PhD students.)</p>

<p>4) to reiterate–there is no such thing as a medical major in college. Pre med is series of required courses, not a major. You can major in any academic field you’d like. Really. Even music or agricultural studies or American Lit. (I personally know at least one current med student who majored in each of those.)</p>

<p>Med school is only worth the time & money IF you can’t imagine yourself doing anything else in life. As career, it does have it perks, but it has a lot of negatives too. </p>

<p>5) After med school? Another 2-8 years of residency and fellowship training, often with long hours and low pay.</p>

3

<p>Boston College has a required Core, which includes lotsa readin’ and writin’. For some premeds that can be a plus, (and perhaps even helps in the mcat-VR?), but many science geeks can’t stand the thought of taking one Lit/Hume class, much less 8+ required at BC. OTOH, med school requirements are a-changin’ to require more Lit/Hume coursework.</p>