Can you really not prepare for med school?

[ExtremeProton]

There's virtually zero overlap other than the name of both courses being microbiology. In medical school, our first two lectures were basically my entire undergrad course speed up to be covered in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

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[BABSstudent]

Yeah, it sounds impressive but just remember one thing. We only cover things in medical school that are pertinent to the human body. So anything that undergrad micro had that did not apply was ignored. Cryophiles? Autotrophs? Ain't nobody got time for that.

 

[mehc012]

That's a great plan if you want to (re)apply in the year after you graduate. Taking the fluffy courses will not assure the adcom that you can handle a rigorous courseload and you may be passed over in favor of applicants who took the tough stuff in their junior year.

What this thread is about is not "taking classes in college" but what do to with one's time away from school during the few months between the end of college and the start of med school when one has already been admitted to med school.

If you look at the OP, this thread IS supposed to be about taking courses in college...people just keep trying to turn it back into the more familiar "should I prestudy the summer before M1", probably because there's already a canned answer in most people's pockets for that one (not saying this question hasn't been asked before as well, but perhaps not as frequently as the prestudying one.)

 

[mehc012]

Here's my example because I took undergraduate micro classes.

Undergrad microbiology: you learn mostly about bacteria, how they make energy, <20 bacteria to know in detail, go into viruses and focus on HIV and flu, and then end the year with a general talk about prions. You have four months to learn it.

Medical school microbiology: here is every type of bacteria that causes human illness, learn every symptom, what type of media is needed to grow it, what it looks like on X-ray. Then learn every type of fungus and the illnesses they cause, what symptoms look like, etc. Then you cover every family of virus and what they cause, what vectors exist, then every prion we know of and what they cause and every parasite. We should also know what type of test we should run to help determine the cause of infection. Add in learning what type of antibiotic to give for each bacteria, a secondary backup antibiotic in case a person is allergic, what antiviral to use for what or which ones to use if someone has two viral infections, what antifungals to use, what vaccines are available and when they should be given and it becomes even more difficult. We should also know the pathophysiology of all of this. Then make a final that is cumulative to make sure everyone knows the material that we covered in two months.

There's virtually zero overlap other than the name of both courses being microbiology. In medical school, our first two lectures were basically my entire undergrad course speed up to be covered in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Or you can find a MedMicro course which does what you listed on the bottom there (albeit minus the XR and 50% of the antibiotics...you still learn all of the abx and their mechanisms, but you don't really match 'em up as nicely). Is there less detail? Sure...but if you take enough of these 60% courses (I'm trying to be harsh in my estimate, as I clearly do not know med school courses yet at ALL, just going on what I'm told), won't that make things just a bit better?

Personally, I like shorter classes (<8wks)...I'm a sprinter, gotta hit my reset button pretty frequently or I start to dilly-dally around.

 

[ronnicus]

That's a great plan if you want to (re)apply in the year after you graduate. Taking the fluffy courses will not assure the adcom that you can handle a rigorous courseload and you may be passed over in favor of applicants who took the tough stuff in their junior year.

What this thread is about is not "taking classes in college" but what do to with one's time away from school during the few months between the end of college and the start of med school when one has already been admitted to med school.

Seriously? I didn't know they looked at your transcript that carefully. What about Exercise Fitness or Sport Injury majors? They only take fluff classes outside of their pre-reqs but they still get admitted. If you were in my position (3.5 gpa) would you take the easy classes to boost it up or take the hard courseload, leaving my GPA in jeopardy and little time for EC's?

 

[LizzyM]

Seriously? I didn't know they looked at your transcript that carefully. What about Exercise Fitness or Sport Injury majors? They only take fluff classes outside of their pre-reqs but they still get admitted. If you were in my position (3.5 gpa) would you take the easy classes to boost it up or take the hard courseload, leaving my GPA in jeopardy and little time for EC's?

YMMV... at my school a 3.5 is the bare minimum and usually acceptable only for those with the most rigorous undergrad majors and/or the most grade deflating undergrad institutions. You might ask this more broadly.

And, yes, when we need to find a reason to dump 85% of the applicants who come in, we do look at the transcript carefully to find "the best".

 

[ronnicus]

YMMV... at my school a 3.5 is the bare minimum and usually acceptable only for those with the most rigorous undergrad majors and/or the most grade deflating undergrad institutions. You might ask this more broadly.

And, yes, when we need to find a reason to dump 85% of the applicants who come in, we do look at the transcript carefully to find "the best".

So would you prefer an applicant with a couple fluff classes and a 3.7 GPA or an applicant with rigorous classes and a 3.5 GPA

 

[LizzyM]

So would you prefer an applicant with a couple fluff classes and a 3.7 GPA or an applicant with rigorous classes and a 3.5 GPA

I can fill my interview schedule with applicants who have a 3.7 GPAs in a rigorous course of study.

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

But don't ECs also help? Or grade trends?

 

[LizzyM]

But don't ECs also help? Or grade trends?

Yes, in applicants who have a gpa of 3.65 or higher and a rigorous course schedule. Keep in mind that I'm in a number-focused top 20. YMMV.

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

Thanks. Actually, my MCAT is mucher stronger than my gpa.

Keep in mind that I'm in a number-focused top 20. YMMV.

^^ I know.

 

[Goro]

Yup. We do it too. I'm not a fan of lots of Ecology courses.

Seriously? I didn't know they looked at your transcript that carefully. What about Exercise Fitness or Sport Injury majors? They only take fluff classes outside of their pre-reqs but they still get admitted. If you were in my position (3.5 gpa) would you take the easy classes to boost it up or take the hard courseload, leaving my GPA in jeopardy and little time for EC's?

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

My "like" above is in response to your not liking lots of ecology courses. That's a terrible message that students take so many.

At graduation today, when all my Anthropology-major friends stood up, I thought, "there's the next med school applicants". Anthropology?

 

[mehc012]

Yup. We do it too. I'm not a fan of lots of Ecology courses.

Oh good...I don't feel so bad for deciding not to double major in Bio, then. I had finished all of the Micro courses and in order to complete the major I would have had to take a bunch of Ecology that just didn't feel worth it.

 

[ronnicus]

Yup. We do it too. I'm not a fan of lots of Ecology courses.

If I spent my junior year taking mostly GE's: English, Psychology, Spanish, Statistics and only a few upper division bio courses (despite being a bio major) would that look bad as well? I'm trying to boost my GPA to be competitive but also don't want to be disqualified because it looks like I took the easy way out. I was planning on taking the harder biochem, genetics, anatomy courses senior year so I'd remember most of it when I matriculate (however helpful they may be).

 

[moop]

My "like" above is in response to your not liking lots of ecology courses. That's a terrible message that students take so many.

At graduation today, when all my Anthropology-major friends stood up, I thought, "there's the next med school applicants". Anthropology?

I sense the typical STEM condescending tone here...what's wrong with the social sciences?

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

I sense the typical STEM condescending tone here...what's wrong with the social sciences?

Sorry. Didn't mean to be condescending, but aren't they "implied" to be easier? At least isn't that why some pre-meds don't take the "harder" science courses, so their gpas don't suffer? Isn't a 'rigorous course schedule' STEM?

 

[moop]

Sorry. Didn't mean to be condescending, but aren't they "implied" to be easier? At least isn't that why some pre-meds don't take the "harder" science courses, so their gpas don't suffer? Isn't a 'rigorous course schedule' STEM?

"Easy" is relative at the individual level. This implied unilateral superiority of difficulty of STEM over all other disciplines is ridiculous. Show me political scientists who can't do orgo and I can counter with as many, if not more, chemical engineers who can't read critically and formulate a structured argument. Once you factor in school/department reputations and professors, it is not nearly as justified to assume that everything non-STEM is softer and easier. We all know that science nerd who would flunk out of an analytical writing class in a heartbeat. Premeds who try to waltz into American Studies seminars at my school with a superiority mindset find themselves struggling real hard when their reading and writing speed are not up to par.

Any reputable school can still teach critical thinking and analytical skills through non-STEM departments. Ivies can send as many social science/humanities people to med school as they like, and those students will succeed even with minimal science preparation because they've learned transferable skills.

The real problem arises when schools only require students to regurgitate facts and scattered info contained in dumbed down textbooks in an area and give a grade based on that. (Curiously, this probably happens in STEM a lot more than other departments.) Adcoms may look down on ecology classes, but I firmly believe that a well-structured ecology program can still be challenging and teach transferable skills for med school. Maybe this is another reason school rep matters.

 

[nabilesmail]

Here's my example because I took undergraduate micro classes.

Undergrad microbiology: you learn mostly about bacteria, how they make energy, <20 bacteria to know in detail, go into viruses and focus on HIV and flu, and then end the year with a general talk about prions. You have four months to learn it.

Medical school microbiology: here is every type of bacteria that causes human illness, learn every symptom, what type of media is needed to grow it, what it looks like on X-ray. Then learn every type of fungus and the illnesses they cause, what symptoms look like, etc. Then you cover every family of virus and what they cause, what vectors exist, then every prion we know of and what they cause and every parasite. We should also know what type of test we should run to help determine the cause of infection. Add in learning what type of antibiotic to give for each bacteria, a secondary backup antibiotic in case a person is allergic, what antiviral to use for what or which ones to use if someone has two viral infections, what antifungals to use, what vaccines are available and when they should be given and it becomes even more difficult. We should also know the pathophysiology of all of this. Then make a final that is cumulative to make sure everyone knows the material that we covered in two months.

There's virtually zero overlap other than the name of both courses being microbiology. In medical school, our first two lectures were basically my entire undergrad course speed up to be covered in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

That sounds amazingly interesting!

 

[ToldYouSo]

The undergraduate classes do not have the same level of depth or focus as medical school classes.

I thought UG biochem went into more detail than the med school version.

 

[ZezKaiEll]

I'm sure you can TRY to prepare for it, but from what I hear its just not worth it.. low yield and such.

 

[cs24]

That sounds amazingly interesting!

Some of the material is actually interesting, but most of it isn't, and you won't have time/inclination to go in depth into the stuff you do like anyways.

 

[tantacles]

I thought UG biochem went into more detail than the med school version.

If you're a Biochem major, probably, and it's probably TOO detailed to be of great use. If you're a normal person who took one Biochem class, definitely not.

 

[Amba]

Here's my example because I took undergraduate micro classes.

Undergrad microbiology: you learn mostly about bacteria, how they make energy, <20 bacteria to know in detail, go into viruses and focus on HIV and flu, and then end the year with a general talk about prions. You have four months to learn it.

Medical school microbiology: here is every type of bacteria that causes human illness, learn every symptom, what type of media is needed to grow it, what it looks like on X-ray. Then learn every type of fungus and the illnesses they cause, what symptoms look like, etc. Then you cover every family of virus and what they cause, what vectors exist, then every prion we know of and what they cause and every parasite. We should also know what type of test we should run to help determine the cause of infection. Add in learning what type of antibiotic to give for each bacteria, a secondary backup antibiotic in case a person is allergic, what antiviral to use for what or which ones to use if someone has two viral infections, what antifungals to use, what vaccines are available and when they should be given and it becomes even more difficult. We should also know the pathophysiology of all of this. Then make a final that is cumulative to make sure everyone knows the material that we covered in two months.

There's virtually zero overlap other than the name of both courses being microbiology. In medical school, our first two lectures were basically my entire undergrad course speed up to be covered in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Sounds like my entire Med Micro & Immunology major crammed into 2 months