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25 January How the Heck Do You Get Into Medical School, Anyway? Part II promised my friend Sonia that would would do a series of posts that would attempt to answer all the questions medical school applicants might have.
First, deciding to go to medical school is one thing, jumping through the hoops is a completely different story. For anyone who is considering the leap, be aware that medical school is a little bit like joining the military – you are signing your life away for a long time, except you’re the one paying for the “boot camp”… and if you decide to leave, they won’t arrest you. The schooling breaks down like this:
- Two years of in class basic sciences courses (and your course load is around 30 credit hours per semester.) - Two years of clinical rotations, the first of which has required components (like OB/GYN, surgery, pediatrics), and the second year has more electives. - Two to four years of residency (where you work 80-120 hour weeks, for around $35K a year.) - A one to two year fellowship (if you decide to swap from general medicine to a specialty like immunology or infectious disease.) It’s a long road, so just be aware that you won’t have much time for anything else. Now, if you are still undaunted (and I know you aren’t!) the first step to acceptance to medical school is your undergraduate courses. Every medical school has a core set of courses that must be completed upon entry; however, they vary slightly from school to school. The standards are: 1 year of general biology, 1 year general chemistry, 1 year of organic chemistry, 1 year of physics, and one year of English. Some schools like for applicants to have completed a course in biochemistry, or a full year of psychology. Check out the websites of the schools you are interested in for complete details.
Not only do applicants have to complete the above-mentioned courses, they must do so while maintaining a good grade point average. One “C” won’t ruin your chances, but a full semester of them won’t help (unless you have some sort of unmitigated circumstance, like a severe illness or a death in your family.) Some people say that anything above a 3.5 is competitive, but the higher your GPA, the more competitive you become.
Now, there are people who have made it into medical school with GPAs that are lower than a 3.5. How did they do this? Well, this is the next rite of passage – the dreaded Medical College Admissions Test, or MCAT. The MCAT is a grueling, all day examination that shows an admissions committee how an applicant thinks. In other words, you won’t know everything on the exam, but they want to see how well you can logic things through. Furthermore, there are two hand written essays on given topics that are scored on how well you put your ideas together, and how well you write. The MCAT is administered twice a year (August and April), and many students will take the August one first, and try again in April if they were not happy with their scores. While this strategy works for some, keep in mind that it does cost $150 per session; if you can do well on the first try you’ll save time and energy.
The final things to consider in your undergrad career are extracurricular activities. Like a job application, you are building an academic resume that should make you stand out form other applicants. Are you a member of an honor society? Great! Do you mentor inner-city kids in an after school program? Excellent! Medical schools like to see that you are not only smart, but that you actively want to help other people. Any activity that is connected to “giving back” to the community will not only look great on your application, but will help you see the world from different perspectives, and give you some great experiences you can use throughout your life. Also, try and do some volunteer work at a local hospital or nursing home – direct contact with patients will help you decide if you really want to spend your time with people who are sick.
Next time: I’ll break down the MCAT into little bite-sized bits!
In the meantime, here are some resources to check out:
The Student Doctor Premed Forums are a great place to get information
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