<p>Plum. I think I had heard that about Icahn. </p>
<p>And, here’s another med school aberration who aspired to lofty goals outside medicine.</p>
<p>[Harold</a> Shipman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Shipman]Harold”>Harold Shipman - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Some folks are just so competitive that medicine just isn’t enough. ;)</p>
<p>Medicine provides value to society. Hedge funds move money from one pile to another and skim off the top whether they make money or not.</p>
<p>as an MD/PhD student I’m obviously smarter than everyone on this thread including their children, pets, and dead relatives so I really don’t see the point in continuing to discuss Brian’s comments. Obviously Brian’s brilliance means that he need not be reminded of the phenomenon known as self-selection whereby people choose out of their own volition to include or exclude themselves from a group. This clearly has no impact on the number of people who apply to medical school vs. finance, especially since there is no difference in the amount of requirements (course work, exams, application process, fees, etc) just to apply to one vs. the other let alone get in. This therefore has no bearing on the rate of admissions between two different fields.</p>
<p>You know, I think we’ve tried being nice and we’ve tried asking politely what on Earth has driven this ■■■■■ to post here, and I think at some point you have to take the advice your mom gave you in second grade to just ignore the bully.</p>
<p>Let’s stop feeding the trolls!</p>
<p>Ehhhhh…maybe you are Brown but my money is still on the creepy killer doc. Some impressive stats there.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Wait…Are you trying to quantify value of the professions as some sort of exercize in “I’m better than you because I’m a _________”? lol I am starting to see the light./quote]</p>
<p>Oooh, oooh, I love fill in the blanks! Let me start. </p>
<p>I’m better than you because I’m a ******bag.</p>
<p>Who else wants to play?</p>
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</p>
<p>That is one reason; the other, big one is government protection (does the term “too big to fail” ring a bell?). Government protection/financing is no different in medicine. :D</p>
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</p>
<p>Sure, and your comment that ‘anyone with a pulse can get accepted’ is just awe-inspiring. Perhaps you have a future in campaign speech writing? :rolleyes:</p>
<p>It costs a lot more to educate/train a medical doctor. Schools can’t afford to load up their first year classes and wait for some to drop out, like UG’s can. Every student who starts needs to finish. Also, there’s a lot more that goes into getting admitted than just the scores and grades. That’s just the starting point, so you can’t just go by those stats alone. Med school is nothing like UG school, nothing close. If an applicant isn’t willing to put forth the extra effort (volunteering, research, shadowing, getting 5+ meaningful recommendations, dozens of hours writing personal statements, essays, etc…) then he probably won’t want to make the even greater effort and sacrifice in medical school. Besides, when it comes to me or my own being on the gurney, I want an extremely committed, hard-working, and skilled doctor… I want someone that is over-the-top in the excellent factor. So easing up on the requirements doesn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy from a patient’s perspective.</p>
<p>On hindsight, I probably should have done this…</p>
<p>“Like what’s been happening recently for UG, when so many students who apply to numerous colleges, is it because med school applicants apply to 12-18 med schools when all they need is one?”</p>
<p>IMO, they apply to so many because it’s hard to get in.</p>
<p>"Is it because there are fewer med schools than UG college?</p>
<p>Yes. And med schools cost more to build and maintain per student than undergrad schools.</p>
<p>Is it because many more high school students can apply ED without the same pressure that potential med school students may experience? (That is, if you’re NOT accepted ED to med school, you pretty much have to wait a year later because it’s too late to apply to the regular cycle.)</p>
<p>I’m not familiar with the ED process for med schools. From our experience, it seems like the whole process is “ED” in that if you don’t start applying as “early” as you can, you’re putting yourself in a pickle. </p>
<p>Is it because many potential students are really that unqualified?</p>
<p>IMO there are a lot of people who drop the ball in too many places… you can overcome ONE weak aspect on your application. You can’t overcome a bunch of weak spots. You need to check the box on these things: 1. high grades; 2. high MCAT; 3. meaningful experience in medical arena - or - research - or - both; 4. demonstration of people skills/empathy (most likely through extracurricular evidence); 5. solid recommendations (you’ll need about 5, and most of them from teachers, mentors, medical personnel; 6. great essays (the one on the first application is just the tip of the iceberg, you’ll have to write about 30 pages of 10 font, single space text if you apply to at least 8-10 schools); 7. a fantastic interview; 8. and perhaps the most important of all, do NOT wait until fall to BEGIN to apply to med school!</p>
<p>Is it because potential med school students apply to reach schools that were unrealistic choices?</p>
<p>IMO US accredited med schools ARE reaches.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, physicians in US make more than european doctors because (I believe) euro docs only work 40 hrs/week (or 35 capped or something)- depending on your field, many doctors work 50+ on average + MED school loans= virtually non-existant in Euro</p>
<p>Plus, doctors have the highest IQ’s (I believe tied with hard science PH.Ds), shouldn’t they be paid the most?</p>
<p>I have a question.Before I ask this question I would like to introduce my self I am sammy I am a 13 year old in 7th grade I want to be a doctor when I grow up, I am a straight A’s student.I am in accelerated classes I want to be a doctor when i grow up (kids doctor-Peadatrition) Therefor, I have a question ``Is Med. School very hard, Because I do doubt i will make it into it because there are smarter people out there then me.Well i hope you can answer my question.Farewell <(O.O)> 
(first post ever o:)</p>
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<p>MDs, college profs, PhDs in hard sciences, and lawyers are tied for the highest IQs. <a href=“http://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/Occupations.aspx[/url]”>http://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/Occupations.aspx</a>. Many professors and PhDs get paid less than nurses do. “Should” they is a weird argument. When I was younger, I used to share a similar sentiment, but the world is far more complicated than that. Good athletes, who probably have lower IQs, are fewer in supply and probably should get paid more. A lot of jobs do not require a high IQ and I’m not even sure what a high IQ signifies in terms of practice on a day-to-day basis. I think most people are smart enough that, if they put in the work, can pursue almost any profession they want except maybe rocket science/Physics/NASA type stuff/theoretical fields that rely heavily on conceptual understanding rather than grunt work.</p>
<p>Hi Greetings. You certainly seemed poised to head to med school, but there are many years before you need to think about that. For now, continue studying in your classes and enjoy seventh grade. Don’t worry about how hard the process of getting into medical school may be. That’s in 8 years, which is like a very long time from now.</p>
<p>I still don’t understand why (beyond financial reasons) so many excellent, above average, and even average students who apply to med school don’t get in everywhere. Is there a reason medical school apps are so cutthroat? </p>
<p>With a shortage of doctors in the US, I don’t understand how people with great apps (3.7+ GPA, 31+ MCAT, shadowing, etc) are being rejected. Especially when so many of them go on to become great doctors through other routes. Anyone care to illuminate me on this?</p>
<p>It 's just math. Too many applicants. That 's it. It’s like a popular club. Getting beyond the velvet rope is limited by the “maximum occupancy”.</p>
<p>Some may ask: why can we build a giant-sized club then since there is such a high demand?</p>
<p>I think a reason is that building a club is very expensive. The society as a whole is not willing to allocate more resources to build such a club.</p>
<p>It just costs too much to train a doctor. To put it bluntly, as long as there are enough doctors to serve those patients who are financially capable of paying (which roughly translates to the pool of people who have a good enough job), many are not willing to shell out their tax money to take care of those who “do not have” (or the bottom 47 percents who are not able to take care of themselves and become dependent on other people’s pocket?). Considering the fact that how “stingy” the Congress is willing to increase the funding of the residency program which is key to produce more doctors (I think it has not been increased for several decades), you would know why there are not more residency slots available. Another example is that BCM shut down a very high quality residency program for producing primary care doctors a few years ago. Why? There is not enough financial incentive for doing it.</p>
<p>A couple of options for applicants that have difficulty gaining admission to a US med school:</p>
<ul>
<li><ul>
<li>consider applying to med schools in Ireland and Israel. Med schools in Ireland and Israel place a bit less emphasis on MCATs and provide solid medical education. In particular grads from The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland enjoy favorable residencies in the US.</li>
</ul></li>
<li><ul>
<li>consider attending one of the credible Carribean medical schools: St. George’s, Ross, Amer.U of the Carribean, and Saba. See linked article: [Caribbean</a> Medical Schools: A Good Option?](<a href=“http://studentdoctor.net/2009/07/caribbean-medical-schools-a-good-option/]Caribbean”>http://studentdoctor.net/2009/07/caribbean-medical-schools-a-good-option/)</li>
</ul></li>
<li><ul>
<li>consider attending an Osteopathic Medical School. See link: [U.S</a>. Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine](<a href=“http://www.aacom.org/about/colleges/Pages/default.aspx]U.S”>http://www.aacom.org/about/colleges/Pages/default.aspx)</li>
</ul></li>
</ul>
<p>Good luck to all. Don’t be discouraged.</p>
<p>The demand for doctors is going up any way especially for primary care. So it might be a tad bit easier to get into med school.</p>
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<p>I’m guessing you haven’t taken Econ yet. :D</p>
<p>I only got a B+ in micro so I’m no expert :p</p>