How medical school REALLY is?

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Hello everyone! I hope everything is going well for you guys. I'm feeling extra chipper because I received a B on a test I drove myself crazy over. And my birthday was last week, I'm the big 20. I don't feel any different, however. I still feel 17 lol.

Anywho, I was talking to a good friend of mine the other day who's also a pre-med (she has aspirations of becoming an OB/GYN) and we were both talking about our deep hatred for general bio.

Her: I can't stand biology, all we learn about is cells and genetics and boring stuff like that. I'm only interested the stuff about the human body. I hope med school is different. I wanna deliver babies, I don't need to know about cells to do that.

Me: Cells are the basic building blocks to all living things. Everything basically starts from the cell. Med school won't be much different, it just won't have all the stuff about plants. And in med school there's 'medical genetics.'

Her: -____- Screw that, I'm switching to nursing.


Was I right about what I said? I was looking through a step 1 study booklet and the material was similar to concepts in general bio. I saw a lot of questions about amino acids and stuff like that.

And do you guys think there's a misconception about how med school is? Some people think that on the first day the students start poking and probing each other and diagnosing, but in reality the first two years are in a classroom setting like undergrad. The basic sciences have to be learned first, right? I remember somebody on this board said that the first two years were a glorified biology grad program.

If after one comment she decided to switch to nursing, please let her.

Originally Posted by iqe2010

Hello everyone! I hope everything is going well for you guys. I'm feeling extra chipper because I received a B on a test I drove myself crazy over. And my birthday was last week, I'm the big 20. I don't feel any different, however. I still feel 17 lol.

Anywho, I was talking to a good friend of mine the other day who's also a pre-med (she has aspirations of becoming an OB/GYN) and we were both talking about our deep hatred for general bio.

Her: I can't stand biology, all we learn about is cells and genetics and boring stuff like that. I'm only interested the stuff about the human body. I hope med school is different. I wanna deliver babies, I don't need to know about cells to do that.

Me: Cells are the basic building blocks to all living things. Everything basically starts from the cell. Med school won't be much different, it just won't have all the stuff about plants. And in med school there's 'medical genetics.'

Her: -____- Screw that, I'm switching to nursing.


Was I right about what I said? I was looking through a step 1 study booklet and the material was similar to concepts in general bio. I saw a lot of questions about amino acids and stuff like that.

And do you guys think there's a misconception about how med school is? Some people think that on the first day the students start poking and probing each other and diagnosing, but in reality the first two years are in a classroom setting like undergrad. The basic sciences have to be learned first, right? I remember somebody on this board said that the first two years were a glorified biology grad program.

med school is about getting the basics down. so yea her reasoning is fine.

Originally Posted by vandyam

If after one comment she decided to switch to nursing, please let her.

My thoughts exactly.

She probably wasn't actually serious when she said that though.

You cram that stuff during the first 2 years and then head off to the wards where you promptly forget it. I'm amazed by how many people will base all long-term future plans on things they want to avoid in the short-term.

Originally Posted by iqe2010

Was I right about what I said? I was looking through a step 1 study booklet and the material was similar to concepts in general bio. I saw a lot of questions about amino acids and stuff like that.

Goodness.

Originally Posted by iqe2010

Hello everyone! I hope everything is going well for you guys. I'm feeling extra chipper because I received a B on a test I drove myself crazy over. And my birthday was last week, I'm the big 20. I don't feel any different, however. I still feel 17 lol.

I'm in the same boat, I was stressing over both a bio1 and drugs/behavior test. Demolished them both with a perfect score and I'm floating on Cloud 9. Oh, and happy belated birthday!

Originally Posted by iqe2010

Her: I can't stand biology, all we learn about is cells and genetics and boring stuff like that. I'm only interested the stuff about the human body. I hope med school is different. I wanna deliver babies, I don't need to know about cells to do that.

Approached this class the same way then my teacher started talking about metabolic diseases during cell respiration, incorrect protein folding and its' link to neurodegenerative diseases during macromolecules. I started looking at how a microscopic understanding of human biology would be beneficial.

Originally Posted by iqe2010

I was looking through a step 1 study booklet and the material was similar to concepts in general bio. I saw a lot of questions about amino acids and stuff like that.

Gunner! LoL/jk.

Originally Posted by iqe2010

Her: I can't stand biology, all we learn about is cells and genetics and boring stuff like that. I'm only interested the stuff about the human body. I hope med school is different. I wanna deliver babies, I don't need to know about cells to do that.

I am not sure if this is a serious post? Yea you have to know about cells and boring stuff like that b/c it is completely relevant to everything in the human body.

Originally Posted by iqe2010

And do you guys think there's a misconception about how med school is? Some people think that on the first day the students start poking and probing each other and diagnosing, but in reality the first two years are in a classroom setting like undergrad. The basic sciences have to be learned first, right? I remember somebody on this board said that the first two years were a glorified biology grad program.

This is not completely true. I don't know how it is at most schools, but I definitely knows programs where you interact with patients the first few weeks of school and continue to do so throughout the 4 years.

it varies from school to school, but generally (from what i've seen at interviews) it seems like the first few months are on "basic bio" to catch everyone up to speed -- genetics, biochem, etc. then they start doing systems bio, which is still a lot of cell work but also starts to pull you up to the macro level for the next few years. then you do clinical work m3/m4. most schools these days offer some kind of clinical exposure in the first two years, but if your friend seriously (although it sounds like she's just complaining/being a typical premed) doesn't like that stuff, you can either tell her to suffer through it for the end goal or she can just switch to nursing and no one will care one way or the other

Originally Posted by gmcguitar4

I am not sure if this is a serious post? Yea you have to know about cells and boring stuff like that b/c it is completely relevant to everything in the human body.

This is not completely true. I don't know how it is at most schools, but I definitely knows programs where you interact with patients the first few weeks of school and continue to do so throughout the 4 years.

You do, but it's very superficial in the first couple years. You're largely just going through the motions since you don't have any idea what you're looking for in a history and physical and can't put together a decent differential.

lol nursing.

Originally Posted by Holy FranZ

lol nursing.

Nursing school is harder than medical school........



































or so I've been told, by nurses

Originally Posted by Double Trouble

Nursing school is harder than medical school........


or so I've been told, by nurses

And admissions to nursing school makes med school admissions look like a joke...so I've heard.

Originally Posted by Double Trouble

Nursing school is harder than medical school........



or so I've been told, by nurses

PA students feel the same way.

Is any type of schooling actually more demanding than med school?

Originally Posted by Double Trouble

Nursing school is harder than medical school........



or so I've been told, by nurses

Originally Posted by bassvp

And admissions to nursing school makes med school admissions look like a joke...so I've heard.

lol i wonder how many babies she'll get the deliver? Or rather wipe afterbirth off of.

But OP, I can imagine medical school sucking. I'm a current SMP student so I get a taste of both med school and grad, and our medical school classes (taken with m1's) were no walk in the park. You have to learn minute details.... especially in histo!

It going to suck, but we all know this going in.

Originally Posted by ppfizenm

PA students feel the same way.

Is any type of schooling actually more demanding than med school?

no way

Maybe a dual degree MD/MBA.

Well for me at least, since I was a biol major and would have to work extra hard to play "catch up"

You both sound like you should go to nursing school...

Originally Posted by sliceofbread136

You both sound like you should go to nursing school...

I'll see you there chief

we can form a study group, since its so much harder than anything in education.

Originally Posted by Holy FranZ

I'll see you there chief

we can form a study group, since its so much harder than anything in education.

Dude im a freaking chief!? Where's my teepee?

Originally Posted by iqe2010

I was looking through a step 1 study booklet and the material was similar to concepts in general bio. I saw a lot of questions about amino acids and stuff like that.

Must be pretty high yield for that Biology 101 class you're taking...

Originally Posted by sliceofbread136

Dude im a freaking chief!? Where's my teepee?

Right here

You guys are asses.

..but I already knew that.

Carry on!

Last I checked, molecules make up cells. Guess she won't be taking anything that requires Chemistry either.

Originally Posted by ppfizenm

PA students feel the same way.

Is any type of schooling actually more demanding than med school?

Engineering