<p>I've been hearing of this premed major and although it's probably only a track and not actually a major, there still seems to be some distinguishment b/w the premed major and just premed. Does anyone know if it's just a preprofessional program? Also, what are the acceptance ratings into medical school? I'm very interested in Notre Dame. I'm waiting to hear from them just like everyone else but I'm anxious to hear what people think of premed at Notre Dame.</p>
<p>last year 84% of students who applied to med school were accepted.</p>
<p>There are two programs - Science preprofessional and A&L preprofessional. First, although it's called "preprofessional," it means premed. Now, the difference between the Science and A&L: Science is the preprofessional major in and of itself, with a heavier emphasis on the bio/chem/physics side of things. A&L prepro is an interesting program, in which you have an A&L major - anthropology, english, spanish, history, etc - but your electives are filled by science classes required for med school.</p>
<p>^ exactly. the preprofessional in arts and letters is more of a supplement/minor for those who aren't sure if medicine is their thing or if they are interested in majoring in something else with the prereqs out of the way, while the sciences one is for those who are pretty sure medicine is what they want to do and is a major itself.</p>
<p>Thanks so much that definitely helps a lot! Do any ND people who are going Science preprofessional have any advice or could tell me their experience so far? I've heard that at certain schools there is significant grade deflation (Johns Hopkins) and at others there is grade inflation...how does ND rate? I expect to be working very hard, but how many hours do you usually put into your classes, studying, ect.? Is balancing your work and social life difficult?</p>
<p>Notre Dame is typically recognized as having grade deflation. Also, the preprofessional office won't tell you this, but I have heard from several professors that people who major in a science typically do better on the MCAT and have higher rates of acceptance into medical school than the preprofessional kids. However, the preprofessional classes are definitely easier so it helps your GPA. If you aren't sure about medical school and are interested in science, or if you want a really strong background in science, I would advise against going preprofessional (instead majoring in biology/biochemistry/physics in medicine, etc). If you aren't sure and lean more towards arts and letters, then go ALPP. If you are sure you want to go to medical school, don't really like science, and don't want to have to work as hard, then you should probably go SCPP.</p>
<p>Wow, shellzie2006, are you going premed? I recently got my Course Selection Form and have been looking through it. I am definitely sure I will be going SCPP but I have some questions about the Univeristy requirements/Program Requirements. What would be the best approach for signing up and taking these? Are freshmen, sophomores, ect typically put in the same classes with each other? Would it be wise to do those "harder" courses like history or social science (in my case) during freshman year and what are considered the more difficult university requirement courses?</p>
<p>I'm actually double majoring in biochemistry and Chinese. I haven't decided yet if I'm planning on going to medical school or graduate school. </p>
<p>For university requirements, they usually have some specific freshman classes like First-Year Composition, freshman seminars, and theo/philo classes just for freshman (though these requirements can be fulfilled later on). If you're going SCPP, most of your premed classes will be taken with people in your year, although some of them can be taken out of order, and you can put other electives in wherever they fit into your schedule. </p>
<p>As for the difficulty of the university requirements, it kind of depends on which classes you choose and what your strengths are. I know some people for whom the science requirement was a joke and some who struggled in the easiest science classes offered to arts and letters majors. They do offer classes that fulfill the university requirements that are tailored to those who don't have specific skills in that area. For instance, there is a chem class for chem majors, a chem class for premeds, and a chem class for non-science majors. Obviously, there is a range of difficulties, but any one of these would fulfill the requirement. As I mentioned before, some classes are offered only to freshman and these are sometimes easier classes and are tailored to those still getting used to college classes. If you're looking for an easy social science class, I'd take intro to psych. There are a lot of football players in that one... :)</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your advice! I definitely chose intro. to psych. You were saying that there are different chem. classes, do I have the chance to choose which of those classes I get to take? Also, I have heard that if you're struggling in a class (or even if you're not), you can attend TA review sessions or meet with your professor. How often do these occur and what are your experiences with them? Final question (sorry for the many questions), where can I go to find old practice tests to help me study for exams for my science classes? Is there a specific club I should join for this, do the dorms keep this, or are they in the library? Thanks for your help! I REALLY do appreciate it!</p>
<p>If you are going into SCPP, you are going to have to take either the premed chem or the chem majors chem. I took chem majors chem and it was probably the best class I have taken at Notre Dame. The professor is phenomenal. However, it is a HARD class, so, if you aren't good at chemistry, take premed chem. I helped a lot of people with their homework in that class and its basically a repeat of AP Chem.</p>
<p>If you are struggling in a class, professors are generally very helpful. Most profs will hold office hours at least weekly and are usually available by appointment. Some classes also have TA review sessions built in (a lot of math classes have these). For classes that don't, your TA might set up office hours of their own. They're usually pretty accessible and most TAs will answers emails pretty quickly, but, of course, some are going to be better than others. I'm not one to attend office hours too frequently, though I do go to work on problem sets for some classes. A lot of TAs also hold review sessions before tests, which can be helpful. You should definitely go to the review sessions for intro to psych, because they basically tell you everything you need to know for the test. Alternatively, befriend an athlete, because they basically give them the answers (which is so not fair...but take advantage if you can...). Also, for freshmen, you can sign up for tutoring at FYS if you're really struggling in a specific class.</p>
<p>And in response to your final question, a lot of dorms have a place to keep old tests. You can always ask someone who has taken the class before you also. And some professors will provide old exams for practice. It really depends on the class.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any other questions.</p>
<p>Wow! I cannot thank you enough for your help shellzie2006! This is such a great help to me! I have been reading another thread by PrincessND called something like "Questions for premed at ND" and have come across some other valuable information. I have recently contacted the preprofessional advisor, Father Foster, and have requested a meeting with him. My question is: what info do these advisors supply that FYS advisors cannot help you with? basically, I have questions about the premed process and such, but I'm really unfamiliar and unsure of what exactly I should be asking them. </p>
<p>Second question, how is it possible to do community service and volunteer work during the school year? I realize ECs and experience, interning, and research are highly regarded for med schools and I wish to start as soon as I can, but how exactly am I to balance my schoolwork with all this? I am afraid I will become too overwhelmed and end up with a low GPA since I am coming with a not-so-strong science background.</p>
<p>Thanks so much again for your awesome answers. You have been such a blessing! Feel free to provide any other tips you find have been helpful for you at ND!</p>
<p>No problem, I'm happy to help. I would say that its a good idea to talk to the preprofessional advisors instead of just FYS, because they will know a lot more about what you need to do for your 4-year plan instead of just for freshman year. The preprofessional office should have some info on how to get involved in service and volunteer work also. Its good to start early. I made the mistake of waiting and now I think I'm a bit behind (I have plenty of research and leadership experience, but I need more service/clinical). So talking to Fr. Foster is a great idea. If I were you, I'd ask him about good electives to take and what kind of EC opportunities there are. You could also ask him questions about the med school admission process, so that you know what your ultimately preparing for. You should also look into the preprofessional society, they have more information about service opportunities and the like.</p>
<p>In response to your second question, it depends on how you manage your time. If you feel like you might be overwhelmed with coursework at first, you could always take it slow and just focus on coursework your first semester and add in more ECs after that once you're used to the college workload and know what to expect and how much more you can take on. You'll still have plenty of time to get some service experience, etc. after that. Most people at ND do some sort of EC activity and most find a way to balance their ECs with classes and their social life, though this is sometimes at the expense of sleep...</p>
<p>As for other tips, I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but if you come up with any other questions, let me know.</p>
<p>I have heard that most premed students take the science physiology elective because it helps a lot with preparation for the MCAT. Is it a particularly difficult class? What are considered the more easier science electives? Would it be better to take an easier science elective so as to help my GPA or would you suggest going for those more difficult/recommended courses and take the chance of possibly hurting my GPA? The reason I ask is because as preprof, students already have to take premed required courses which already contain all the info covered on the MCAT. By taking these science electives, particularly the more difficult ones, would I be simply adding more "unnecessary" work? I plan on taking Princeton Review, or Kaplan, or ExamKrackers in preparation for the MCAT as well.</p>
<p>I took your advice and looked up the Preprofessional Society. Are you a part of it? I emailed them asking for more information (there's only about a paragraph on the ND website about them). Thanks so much for your help!</p>
<p>Your answers have been wonderful. When it seems I have no more questions, though, more come up. Thanks for your help again.</p>
<p>I've heard that physiology is GREAT prep for the MCAT. I have also heard that it's hard. I haven't taken it and probably won't (I have zero room in my schedule for electives since I'm double majoring in biochem and Chinese...), but I have some friends who are taking it this fall, so I can let you know. My personal philosophy is to take more difficult classes (hence the biochem major), because I feel that to be the best doctor one can be, one needs to have a truly strong background in the sciences. Others have different views or simply don't want to or can't handle the more difficult material. From an admissions perspective, I guess it depends on what you can handle. I'd wait to decide on a class until you get a feel for college courses. If the premed classes are difficult for you, you probably can't handle what the science majors do. If you find that you can handle them just fine and want to challenge yourself, get a better background in science, and prepare yourself better for the MCAT, then you can take on elective courses like physiology. Obviously, people can take the MCAT without it, but having a better grasp of the difficult material can only help your MCAT score, which, of course, helps your med school admission chances. As far as easier electives go, many of my biochem friends who have already taken cell bio have told me it is a complete joke and I heard from one of my premed friends that physical chemistry for premeds is easy (if only real pchem were easy too...). PrincessND might be able to help you more with this, since she probably took more premed classes, whereas most of my classes are science major classes.</p>
<p>I have been signed up for the preprofessional society for the past couple years, but haven't really done any activities with them. I will probably be participating more this year. As I said before, they do have info on worthwhile extracurriculars, as does the Biology club. </p>
<p>I'm glad I could help, let me know if you think of any more questions.</p>
<p>Okay then, my next question is: Have you done any research at ND? If so, could you tell me more about it? I have been looking to do research next summer at the NIH (of course, chances are very slim that I'll actually get an internship) but how does research at ND compare? Would you suggest applying for a specific area? Does anyone participate in any research during the school year? </p>
<p>Also, I have a few questions not related to academics. I'm flying up from Texas (no such thing as even ice here) and I'm beginning my packing this month. I know that it gets extremely cold so I really want to make sure I'm prepared. So far, I have all of my bedding, a fan as well as a heater, plenty of jackets/coats, plenty of boots, a good amount of jeans and shirts, socks, scarves, picture frames, school supplies, stereo, bathroom caddy, and I can't even remember what else, but is there anything you definitely would recommend that most people wouldn't think to bring? I've heard that it really doesn't start getting cold until after midsemester break. Should I wait to bring all of my heavy "winter gear" until then? Also, I'm unsure right now if I'm bringing a laptop, but would you recommend it? How is the availability of computers and printers there?</p>
<p>Just a small note: I commend you for going Biochemistry. I've heard that that is considered a really tough major. Also, do you happen to be chinese? Anyways, thanks again!</p>
<p>I would strongly recommend a laptop. Campus computers are accessible, but a personal computer (laptop or desktop) is basically a necessity.</p>
<p>You'll learn to deal with the cold. Just make sure you don't throw on your huge parka when it drops down to 40 for the first time, because you still have about 50 degrees to go until it gets "cold." My freshman year it dropped to -26. Learn to layer.</p>
<p>I have done some research at ND. You can get into a lab by talking to professors. However, I didn't really like the lab I worked in last semester and am currently trying to find another one to work in. A lot of students do research at ND and most have good experiences. Some work during the school year (either for credit, pay, or just for the experience) and some stay for the summer (you get a stipend for this). If you are looking to do summer research, there are a lot of other REU programs out there as well. You can check the NSF website for more info on those. I am currently working at the Mayo Clinic in their SURF program, which is a great option to check out too, especially for biomedical research.</p>
<p>I can't think of anything else right off the bat that you'd need to bring, but there are a lot of packing lists in some of the other forums. I would agree with Kevdude, bring a laptop. Computers are accessible, but more for printing something out before class or quickly checking e-mail while waiting in DeBartolo, etc. Also, laptops are definitely better than desktops. I have a friend who had a desktop and really regretted it. You can get away with not bringing a printer. I brought one freshman year and then decided not to bring one sophomore year. They are nice to have, but not necessary.</p>
<p>As for the cold, I'm from MN, so I don't think its that bad. I usually don't bring heavy winter stuff until after the break, but since you're from TX, you might want to have at least a light jacket just in case. I remember the first time it snowed freshman year, I came home to find my roommate from Alabama wrapped up in 3 blankets and huddled on the futon whimpering. But you'll get used to it, don't worry. And Kevdude is right again- learn to layer. And don't wear your parka when it gets down to 40. Although there will be some days on campus when you'll see some people wearing t-shirts and others wearing heavy winter coats.</p>
<p>And in response to your last question, nope, I'm not Chinese, but I've been taking Chinese since grade school. I'm also co-president of the Chinese Culture Society on campus if you're interested in that. :)</p>
<p>Okay, then, I'll definitely wait until after the break to bring all of my heavy winter stuff. I have another question though about the clubs. Does the preprof society or biology club or any other club require you to attend meetings, be involved, ect? I don't really want to join a club that requires that much attention. I just want a way of finding opportunities for doing clinical service and volunteering.</p>
<p>Could you also explain how the whole football season tickets process goes? I do want to attend every game if I can but if there is assigned seating, I would like to go with my roomate(s). What do you know about getting these?</p>
<p>That's awesome that you know Chinese. I'm Chinese (more specifically, Taiwanese), but I don't know ANYTHING. I can't speak, I understand VERY little Cantonese, and I've just never really grown up around other asian people besides my family. In fact, I believe my family is one of maybe two asian families in my school. I DO know though, that I absolutely love the food. Any kind: Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, never tried Korean but I'm pretty sure when I do I'll like it. Please tell me about your club!</p>
<p>Don't worry about the football tickets. They change the process every year, but, don't worry, like I've mentioned many times before, your inbox will be inundated with e-mails about EVERYTHING. Also, there's a meeting during Frosh-O that you MUST attend, or you aren't eligible for tickets. It's their way of blackmailing the students into attending a long, boring lecture about how drugs, alcohol, and hormones are all evil and you are evil for being under their influence (OK, so it also warns about rape, which is serious business, and shouldn't be joked about. But the meeting format could still use some overhaul. I guess there's no good way to discuss things like that). </p>
<p>In other news - you are guaranteed season tickets every year as a student, for half price, which is nice.</p>
<p>Neither preprofessional society nor biology club requires attendance at any meetings unless you want an officer position, so don't worry about that. </p>
<p>And now for some shameless advertising for my club...If you love Chinese food, you should definitely join CCS. Last year was sort of a rebuilding year for the club, since it had sort of disappeared for a few years, but my co-president, Hui, and I tried to start up several new events and get the club to grow. We started (sort of) monthly dumpling/Chinese noodle nights and we're planning on continuing them this year. We also participate in Asian Allure and work with the East Asian Languages and Cultures department and the Chinese Friendship Association to plan events for Chinese holidays (and yes, these usually involved food too). We also planned a trip to Chicago last year to eat at a Chinese restaurant and see a Chinese New Year parade. And we are planning on sending people to more conferences related to Chinese language and culture. I'm also hoping to start some service initiatives. We're also open to suggestions anyone has. And anyone can join. We have a lot of members who aren't Chinese and we have a lot of members who can't speak a word of Chinese. We even have some members who aren't Chinese AND can't speak a word of Chinese. :) </p>
<p>We also have a facebook group: The</a> CCS | Facebook</p>
<p>And a website: [url=<a href="http://nd.edu/%7Eccs%5Dindex%5B/url">http://nd.edu/~ccs]index[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Also, Vietnamese Student Association has pho nights a few times a year. It's $5 to join for the whole year. I would DEFINITELY suggest joining VSA for this reason alone. If you're looking for good Asian food, it's sadly one of the only ways to get it on campus. Most of the food at the dining halls is pretty good, but the "Asian" food selection is terrible.</p>