Questions from high school sophmore

[Lily5945]

Hi everyone, thanks for reading. I'm a high school sophomore and have many questions for current or past medical students (particularly pediatricians, but not only)

1. What did you major in?

2. Between biochemistry and biomedical engineering majors, which one do you think is the most successful (in the sense of providing a job with simply that degree, as a back-up plan for medical school)

3. Did you have a back-up plan for medical school, just in case it didn't work out for you? If yes, what was it?

4. How many medical schools did you apply to, how many were you accepted to?

5. Is it possible to have a part-time job during medical school? And if not, then how do you financially support yourself?

6. Do you have time to work out/exercise during medical school? I've heard no, but I just don't buy it.

7. What was the hardest part of medical school for you?

9. This is not exactly medical-related, but what is the difference between a major and minor? And what did you minor in?

10. I want to become fluent in Spanish, is it possible for me to study abroad during my undergraduate, or will that impair my studies?

11. Did you find it easier to apply to a medical school out-of-state or in-state?

12. Was it difficult to find a job after completing your residency?

13. When did you apply for medical school/what was the process?

15. Was residency more or less stressful than medical school?

16. If you don't mind sharing, how much debt did you have? Or what would you say is the average debt of a medical student?

17. Any other tips for medical school/things you wish you would have done differently?

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[BioBeaver]

Not a Pediatrician, but there are some easy answers in this one:

1. Major doesnt matter. Major in what you enjoy and can get a good GPA in.

2. Anything with "Bio" in it seems to have bad job opportunities (at least with only a Bachelors). Of those two though, Biomedical Engineering probably gives you a better chance of a job with a Bachelors.

5. Not much time for a job, although it is possible. Most people support themselves with LOANS.

Most of what you're asking can be found with searching through the site.

 

[hmockingbird]

I'm an MS2.

1. What did you major in?
English

3. Did you have a back-up plan for medical school, just in case it didn't work out for you? If yes, what was it?
Reapply, master's degree in ethics or 1-year BA->nursing program

5. Is it possible to have a part-time job during medical school? And if not, then how do you financially support yourself?
Possibly the first two years with good time management, but I only know one person who has a job outside med school.
LOANS

6. Do you have time to work out/exercise during medical school? I've heard no, but I just don't buy it.
Yes, you have some time for whatever else you want to do, but not as much as in undergrad so you just have to make it a priority.

7. What was the hardest part of medical school for you?
Time management/schedule... my major wasn't one that required you to study every day so that was an adjustment

9. This is not exactly medical-related, but what is the difference between a major and minor? And what did you minor in?
amount of credit hours (classes) required (major is more), and you don't need a minor
History

10. I want to become fluent in Spanish, is it possible for me to study abroad during my undergraduate, or will that impair my studies?
YES study abroad!! There are tons of programs out there so you are sure to find one that fits what you need/want. You might need to take some pre-reqs in the summer to make room for it, but it's worth it. Studying abroad was the best part of college for me.

11. Did you find it easier to apply to a medical school out-of-state or in-state?
I had a lot of in-state schools so I guess in-state

17. Any other tips for medical school/things you wish you would have done differently?
If I could give anyone a piece of general advice, it would be don't make college all about med school (don't let that goal dictate your entire college career), because that's what med school is for! Have fun in college and take advantage of opportunities you probably won't have again, like studying abroad.

 

[evrybodylies]

1. What did you major in?

Molecular Biology/Biotechnology

2. Between biochemistry and biomedical engineering majors, which one do you think is the most successful (in the sense of providing a job with simply that degree, as a back-up plan for medical school)


Usually anything dealing with engineering has a great job outlook after undergrad


3. Did you have a back-up plan for medical school, just in case it didn't work out for you? If yes, what was it?

Had a few…possibly get a PhD in Microbio or maybe teach high school science

4. How many medical schools did you apply to, how many were you accepted to?

I was a special case where I was in a fast track program so I only went with one school

5. Is it possible to have a part-time job during medical school? And if not, then how do you financially support yourself?

I would advise against it. Time is very limited during school and the free time you do have should be spent doing things that YOU like. Loans are the way to go.

6. Do you have time to work out/exercise during medical school? I've heard no, but I just don't buy it.

Absolutely. Best way to relieve stress during school. I typically wake up early and go before class but others go throughout the day/evening.

7. What was the hardest part of medical school for you?

Time management was most difficult. Also realizing that there is always too much material and never enough time can be frustrating.

9. This is not exactly medical-related, but what is the difference between a major and minor? And what did you minor in?

Major is what your degree would be in and what the majority of your classes revolve around while a minor is more of focusing on a particular subject but not to the extent your major is in. I had a minor in Philosophy just because I found it interesting.



10. I want to become fluent in Spanish, is it possible for me to study abroad during my undergraduate, or will that impair my studies?

I had friends that studied abroad in undergrad. Just make sure where you study allows you to fulfil requirements for your major so you don’t get behind. Campuses typically have a “study abroad club” so look into that once you get there.


12. Was it difficult to find a job after completing your residency?
I’m a first year but it typically is not.


13. When did you apply for medical school/what was the process?

You usually apply the summer between your junior and senior year. First take the MCAT which is like the SAT for med school then fill out the first application and pick what schools to send it to. Schools that liked your first application will typically ask for a secondary application which is specific for that school. Next, if the school still likes you, you go in for an interview at the school.

15. Was residency more or less stressful than medical school?

Different kinds of stresses I hear.

16. If you don't mind sharing, how much debt did you have? Or what would you say is the average debt of a medical student?

You’ll more than likely have over six figures of debt in the end.

17. Any other tips for medical school/things you wish you would have done differently?

Study hard and do well on the MCAT. Get active on campus and enjoy college as much as possible!

 

[Arayh]

1. What did you major in?

Molecular Biology/Microbiology

2. Between biochemistry and biomedical engineering majors, which one do you think is the most successful (in the sense of providing a job with simply that degree, as a back-up plan for medical school)

Biomedical Engineering will probably let you do somewhat more than a Biochem degree, but BME's job field isn't that big right now, according to some of my engineering friends.

3. Did you have a back-up plan for medical school, just in case it didn't work out for you? If yes, what was it?

Didn't really have a backup plan.

5. Is it possible to have a part-time job during medical school? And if not, then how do you financially support yourself?

Not really, med school is a pretty full time "job," you can take out loans to help throughout medical school.

6. Do you have time to work out/exercise during medical school? I've heard no, but I just don't buy it.

You can get in at least a few hours each week to work out, it's good

7. What was the hardest part of medical school for you?

Getting accustomed to the work load and large amount of knowledge.

9. This is not exactly medical-related, but what is the difference between a major and minor? And what did you minor in?

Major is taking a full set of classes and getting a degree in that discipline. Minor is something you can focus on just as a secondary interest.

10. I want to become fluent in Spanish, is it possible for me to study abroad during my undergraduate, or will that impair my studies?

Yes you can study abroad during undergrad, many people do it. It shouldn't impair your studies.

11. Did you find it easier to apply to a medical school out-of-state or in-state?

I applied to both in state and out of state, do your research on the schools and their preferences.

13. When did you apply for medical school/what was the process?

You apply your junior year, or senior year (if you apply your senior year, you get 1 gap year off).

17. Any other tips for medical school/things you wish you would have done differently?

Try to stay caught up with the weeks of material.

 

[Instatewaiter]

Hi everyone, thanks for reading. I'm a high school sophomore and have many questions for current or past medical students (particularly pediatricians, but not only)

2. Between biochemistry and biomedical engineering majors, which one do you think is the most successful (in the sense of providing a job with simply that degree, as a back-up plan for medical school)

3. Did you have a back-up plan for medical school, just in case it didn't work out for you? If yes, what was it?

4. How many medical schools did you apply to, how many were you accepted to?

5. Is it possible to have a part-time job during medical school? And if not, then how do you financially support yourself?

6. Do you have time to work out/exercise during medical school? I've heard no, but I just don't buy it.

7. What was the hardest part of medical school for you?

9. This is not exactly medical-related, but what is the difference between a major and minor? And what did you minor in?

10. I want to become fluent in Spanish, is it possible for me to study abroad during my undergraduate, or will that impair my studies?

11. Did you find it easier to apply to a medical school out-of-state or in-state?

12. Was it difficult to find a job after completing your residency?

13. When did you apply for medical school/what was the process?

15. Was residency more or less stressful than medical school?

16. If you don't mind sharing, how much debt did you have? Or what would you say is the average debt of a medical student?

17. Any other tips for medical school/things you wish you would have done differently?

1) Major: Biology
2) Biomed is a better backup. Probably harder to get into medical school though
5) It would be near impossible to have a job during medical school You support yourself with loans.
6) During the first 2 years you'll have time but may be too tired to do it frequently. During 3rd year you probably wont have time
8) You skipped 8
9) Major requires a lot more hours.
10) I strongly recommend you study abroad. It will be a once in a lifetime chance.
15) Residency was much, much more stressful than medical school.
16) I don't have any. My wife does. Average debt is approximately 150K. It is a moving target and changes year to year. Use google to get the exact #.

 

[MedAhmed]

Hi everyone, thanks for reading. I'm a high school sophomore and have many questions for current or past medical students (particularly pediatricians, but not only)

1. What did you major in?

2. Between biochemistry and biomedical engineering majors, which one do you think is the most successful (in the sense of providing a job with simply that degree, as a back-up plan for medical school)

3. Did you have a back-up plan for medical school, just in case it didn't work out for you? If yes, what was it?

4. How many medical schools did you apply to, how many were you accepted to?

5. Is it possible to have a part-time job during medical school? And if not, then how do you financially support yourself?

6. Do you have time to work out/exercise during medical school? I've heard no, but I just don't buy it.

7. What was the hardest part of medical school for you?

9. This is not exactly medical-related, but what is the difference between a major and minor? And what did you minor in?

10. I want to become fluent in Spanish, is it possible for me to study abroad during my undergraduate, or will that impair my studies?

11. Did you find it easier to apply to a medical school out-of-state or in-state?

12. Was it difficult to find a job after completing your residency?

13. When did you apply for medical school/what was the process?

15. Was residency more or less stressful than medical school?

16. If you don't mind sharing, how much debt did you have? Or what would you say is the average debt of a medical student?

17. Any other tips for medical school/things you wish you would have done differently?

Don't focus too much on medical school. Your main focus should be getting into college first..

 

[Oso]

Dude you're a sophomore in high school, why are you thinking about college majors and how many medical schools to apply to?

If you'd like, do some shadowing to see if medicine is for you, but other than that, don't think about the med school application process until you get to college. And even then, take it one step at a time (focus on major, grades, EC's.. Not when to apply to med or taking out loans).

I'm not trying to be harsh, it's just that worrying about some of these things will just unnecessarily stress you out and it's just not very helpful in the end. Good luck.

 

[Hillo]

It's quite possible that he/she has already shadowed.

You're never too young/old to ask these great questions.
And some people actually ENJOY knowing exactly what they're getting into and their future.

 

[SweetBurger]

All i have to say is try to really understand the concepts no matter how difficult in your high school sciences it will definitely benefit you.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Hi everyone, thanks for reading. I'm a high school sophomore and have many questions for current or past medical students (particularly pediatricians, but not only)

1. What did you major in?
Biochem

2. Between biochemistry and biomedical engineering majors, which one do you think is the most successful (in the sense of providing a job with simply that degree, as a back-up plan for medical school)
Maybe bioengineering

3. Did you have a back-up plan for medical school, just in case it didn't work out for you? If yes, what was it?
No

4. How many medical schools did you apply to, how many were you accepted to?
I dont remember how many i applied to. 30? Regardless i did about 10 interviews and got in to a few.

5. Is it possible to have a part-time job during medical school? And if not, then how do you financially support yourself?
Yes, for parts. I worked a few hours a week 3 of the four years. Loans and family handouts.

6. Do you have time to work out/exercise during medical school? I've heard no, but I just don't buy it.
If it is a priority

7. What was the hardest part of medical school for you?
Not being able to write orders.

9. This is not exactly medical-related, but what is the difference between a major and minor? And what did you minor in?

10. I want to become fluent in Spanish, is it possible for me to study abroad during my undergraduate, or will that impair my studies?
Yup

11. Did you find it easier to apply to a medical school out-of-state or in-state?
Equal

12. Was it difficult to find a job after completing your residency?
I hope not
13. When did you apply for medical school/what was the process?
Same as now but on paper
15. Was residency more or less stressful than medical school?
Im guessing more

16. If you don't mind sharing, how much debt did you have? Or what would you say is the average debt of a medical student?
About 80k, average debt is like 150.
17. Any other tips for medical school/things you wish you would have done differently?Nope

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