Am I too stupid for med school?

[HeyYouNotYouYou]

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Hi guys, I'm new to this site and I just wanted some advice! Currently I am attending a community college in CA. I am a nurse major and I am about to take the TEAS test soon! But lately I've been doubting my major. I don't know if I really want to be a nurse and I have been researching about being a doctor and it seems really appealing to me. I'm just wondering if I'm too dumb to get into med school. I do have straight A's in my science courses like Anatomy, Physiology, chemistry, Microbiology, etc. But does that even compare to the classes I have to take for premed? I think I have to take the high end classes like O chem and calculus and Physics. I don't know how I'll do in these classes. Is there a big difference from Anatomy/Physiology? Like difficulty wise... And another question I had was whether or not it would look bad if I took these classes in a junior college rather than at some place like UCLA. I mean, I know for a fact that the classes in universities like UCLA are MUCH harder than that of a cc. Will med schools really care?

 

[SunsFun]

You don't need to be the smartest guy/girl in a room to be a good doctor. To answer your question specifically, I think you will be fine. Those classes are not that bad.

 

[Warrenc]

Hi guys, I'm new to this site and I just wanted some advice! Currently I am attending a community college in CA. I am a nurse major and I am about to take the TEAS test soon! But lately I've been doubting my major. I don't know if I really want to be a nurse and I have been researching about being a doctor and it seems really appealing to me. I'm just wondering if I'm too dumb to get into med school. I do have straight A's in my science courses like Anatomy, Physiology, chemistry, Microbiology, etc. But does that even compare to the classes I have to take for premed? I think I have to take the high end classes like O chem and calculus and Physics. I don't know how I'll do in these classes. Is there a big difference from Anatomy/Physiology? Like difficulty wise... And another question I had was whether or not it would look bad if I took these classes in a junior college rather than at some place like UCLA. I mean, I know for a fact that the classes in universities like UCLA are MUCH harder than that of a cc. Will med schools really care?

Your description of "High end" courses is funny.

Sure, these classes can be conceptually difficult, but how would you know how good you are at X subject without exploring it? Also, determination and hard work are important too in doing well in classes like these.

I would imagine that the classes you take for nursing school are not so much different-- but classes at a university would be more challenging and in more detail.

If you really want to explore becoming a doctor, take the pre-med classes that you need. Organic/physics would be a nice place to start as you've already had general chemistry, I guess. Just work hard and you may find that you like these subjects.

I can't address classes at a cc vs university. I would assume that AdComs know they can be easier, but also that life is a struggle and there are benefits of going to a cc vs university.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

You'll need a four year degree to matriculate into med school and it sounds like you're in your last year of CC, so you won't have a choice whether to take the pre-reqs at a four year or not. Even if you did though, some med schools don't recognize CC credits for pre-reqs so it wouldn't be a good idea either way (although I'll be honest and say I don't know how common it is for schools to refuse CC credits).

As for the difficulty of physics and ochem, it's apples and oranges compared to biology. They're very different classes. Most people find orgo to be one of the hardest classes they take while a pre-med, but not always. I think most people don't find physics to be too stressful since most people take it in their junior year and by that point most of the people who couldn't cut it as a pre-med have been weeded out by the other pre-reqs. That said, if you're particularly terrible at math then you might find physics very difficult. Calculus isn't required by most schools, but if you're planning on applying to one that does then you'll be happy to know that the difficulty of calculus is very overblown. I personally found it to be easier than pre-calc.

I wouldn't get hung up on course difficulty though. As long as you study enough, you should be fine. It would be one thing if you were bombing all your classes, but if you've gotten straight A's so far I don't see you bombing the pre-med pre-reqs. Have some faith in yourself.

 

[Drelizab]

Ignore the poster before me who replied that med schools don't take community college credit. Most of them do and only a few state that they specifically don't accept cc credit.


Also you're in CA and CA Cc's are on par with their UC and state school curriculum so I wouldn't worry about not being able to handle it once you transfer.

Give it a go and take some pre med classes and see if you enjoy it and can handle it. Not that it's not good being a nurse but their is a ton of people who are going into that field right now and it's getting increasingly difficult to find an entry level job so I hear.

 

[Drelizab]

Also I just wanted to let you know, their are a lot of users on sdn that will tell you your dreams of med school are shot because of attending a cc. Don't let them influence you. 😛

 

[BlueLabel]

Hey, you over there...

No, not you, you!

 

[Johansef]

I think if you can do well in anatomy and physiology then you have enough mental capacity do well in medical school. Obviously the classes will be harder, but it's all about how much you're willing to put into it.

 

[PittNeuro21]

It's not about how hard your classes will be, it's about how hard you're willing to work.

 

[Goro]

You won't know until you try.

I'm just wondering if I'm too dumb to get into med school.
This is a good sign. Perhaps you need to work on your self-esteem?

I do have straight A's in my science courses like Anatomy, Physiology, chemistry, Microbiology, etc.

No, but some schools dont' accept credits form CCs, others do,a nd still others don't comment. Invest in MSAR to see what works best for you.

And another question I had was whether or not it would look bad if I took these classes in a junior college rather than at some place like UCLA. I mean, I know for a fact that the classes in universities like UCLA are MUCH harder than that of a cc. Will med schools really care?[/QUOTE]