What are the statistics of premed students actually ending up being doctors one day?

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uafootball27

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Even through non-traditional paths. How many will actually end up being doctors, and how can one avoid being just another statistic of failure?

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Google AAMC Table 25. That will show you how many premeds including traditional and non-traditional apply in a 2 year period and how many actually get admitted with tables stratified by race. There are also other tables showing similar stats by major, by state, etc. When all is said and done, of those who get far enough along to apply, the proportion who get admitted to at least one medical school is about 45%. Of course, many fall by the wayside and change their career plans after freshman year, after organic chemistry, after taking the MCAT, after getting arrested, etc, etc before they even apply for admission.

To avoid being another statistics:
Work hard and keep your grades up
Keep your nose clean; don't cheat
Find time for worthwhile and fun activities
Get a taste of research
Give some of your time in service to others
Arrange for an employment or volunteer experience in a setting with patients
If you are at the start now, at the end of your second year, find a schedule for preparing for the MCAT and prepare to take the MCAT in Spring of your Junior year. If you are a non-trad, plan on the MCAT at the point where you are taking the last of your pre-reqs.
 
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If there was a way to calculate this and I had to take a guess, of EVERYONE who started college on the pre-med track or even started on that track later in life, based on what I’ve seen I’d say 1 in every 5 people. This is after seeing so many people start off as pre-med and then run into the things that LizzyM stated above.
 
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As Lizzy said, about 45% of applicants make it in. I believe about twice as many people take the mcat every year than apply. And I bet twice as many fail to study for and take the mcat and at least 2 times as many drop out earlier due to grades, etc.
So ~1/16 get in, ~1/8 make it through the mcat, ~1/4 make it to the mcat, so ~1/2 or less gunning from 1st year drop in the first couple years.
I wrote that backwards, but you get the idea.
 
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Literally everybody in my biology class freshman year was pre-med. 3 of us out of 35-ish are in medical school.
 
To avoid becoming a statistic: actually shadow doctors and become committed to their work before calling yourself a premed.

Exactly. I would say that the overwhelming of people that declare themselves pre-med and don't end up applying to medical school (let alone get in) are those that have no idea what the process requires, realize that it will require some degree of effort, and decide to do something else.
 
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