Any advice for dermatology in UNDERGRAD?

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MarioKart

MarioKart

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Hey guys,

i realize that there's not much you can do towards derm in undergrad, or any specialty for that matter, but I would like to know if there are any helpful tips that premeds or medical students that may have helped towards the specialty they're aiming for......so far, I have not gotten lower than an A in any class and have found that I am very good at my premedical science classes (so far atleast.) Ive shadowed various specialities and kind of know that I'll be applying for derm when the time comes (years from now!!!) Now...my questions, I believe I have the aptitude and discipline to get into a good M.D. School in a few years but would like to know if anyone had any advice for me, whether it's involving motivation, ideas on how to network, or any life tips in general for getting my foot in the door as EARLY as possible, not just for med school, but also my chosen speciality!!! I know that my number one priority is first getting into medical school, but I basically just want to know if there's any thing I should do from day one, I figure the earlier you know what you wanna do, the better it is because you have an upper hand and know what you'll be up against

Thanks!
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Yeah the best thing you can do is start loving more than derm because you probably wont have the numbers for it. You should have seen how many orthos and opthos and derms turned to IM, FM, Psych even at the end of first year.
 
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Relax. You got time. But if you're dead set on dermatology, the following steps are necessary:

High GPA+High MCAT+ECs(good)+Research+StrongLORs -> Top/mid tier med school -> Good Grades+Step 1(250+)+Good Clinicals+Honors+AOA+Step 2(250+)+StrongLORs ->Derm Residency

So... a lot of stuff. Just enjoy college and take life one step at a time
 
MarioKart said:
Hey guys,

i realize that there's not much you can do towards derm in undergrad, or any specialty for that matter, but I would like to know if there are any helpful tips that premeds or medical students that may have helped towards the specialty they're aiming for......so far, I have not gotten lower than an A in any class and have found that I am very good at my premedical science classes (so far atleast.) Ive shadowed various specialities and kind of know that I'll be applying for derm when the time comes (years from now!!!) Now...my questions, I believe I have the aptitude and discipline to get into a good M.D. School in a few years but would like to know if anyone had any advice for me, whether it's involving motivation, ideas on how to network, or any life tips in general for getting my foot in the door as EARLY as possible, not just for med school, but also my chosen speciality!!! I know that my number one priority is first getting into medical school, but I basically just want to know if there's any thing I should do from day one, I figure the earlier you know what you wanna do, the better it is because you have an upper hand and know what you'll be up against

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Yes, take this to heart:

"If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans."

No matter your age or stage, you will periodically realize what an incomprehensible nitwit you were just five years before.
 
You won't know until you're in med school. This is coming from someone who has favorites in mind already--it is still really early.

That said, if you're really interested in studying the integumentary system and related fields, have you considered seeking research opps in those areas? (I'm serious--was just wondering.)
 
There's like a 98% chance that you'll change your mind about what specialty you want to go into... this has probably been said hundreds of times on this site. It doesn't matter at all how sure you think you are right now. And you have to get into medical school before it's even relevant.

tl;dr - There are much less silly uses of your time.
 
I have yet to meet a fellow pre-med who said they wanted to do dermatology who actually knew what a dermatologist did... After some digging they always just say, "well I know it pays a lot and seems like an easy job"....:smack:

Honestly just worry about it when you get into medical school. And very few pre-meds actually have a grasp on just how competative it is from my experience.
 
Truly the only thing you can do at this point is shadow docs in your favorite specialties and decide if you actually like it or not. If you have one you're especially passionate about, stick with that same doc for a few months even up to a couple years and try to learn a bit of something about the field and the methods/procedures/operations/etc. Become the mentee to their mentor.

With that being said, it certainly won't help you get into that residency, but if you do well enough on USMLE Step 1 you will at least have some lay of the land and talking points in residency interviews if you get them. And just know that Derm tends to be one of those with a higher average Step 1 score (because the lifestyle is legit, no debate)

This whole post is kind of a stretch, but arming yourself with knowledge on things you are passionate about seems to always pay off. Plus it never hurts to have a connection in a field you are interested in. They may be around long enough to put in a good word for you to the residency director.

EDIT: it is also always a good idea to ask the docs about projects they are working on. For instance my buddy has a publication in peds cardiothoracic as an undergrad and that's what he wants to do (...i know right). Tell me that won't help out a little
 
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MarioKart said:
Hey guys,

i realize that there's not much you can do towards derm in undergrad, or any specialty for that matter, but I would like to know if there are any helpful tips that premeds or medical students that may have helped towards the specialty they're aiming for......so far, I have not gotten lower than an A in any class and have found that I am very good at my premedical science classes (so far atleast.) Ive shadowed various specialities and kind of know that I'll be applying for derm when the time comes (years from now!!!) Now...my questions, I believe I have the aptitude and discipline to get into a good M.D. School in a few years but would like to know if anyone had any advice for me, whether it's involving motivation, ideas on how to network, or any life tips in general for getting my foot in the door as EARLY as possible, not just for med school, but also my chosen speciality!!! I know that my number one priority is first getting into medical school, but I basically just want to know if there's any thing I should do from day one, I figure the earlier you know what you wanna do, the better it is because you have an upper hand and know what you'll be up against

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Yeesh, tough crowd. But everyone is entitled to their opinions. Here's mine.

MarioKart (cool name btw! The N64 version will always be the best).

You will be interested to know that I actually wrote a Medium blog post that answers your very question. Just in case you're interested, here's the link: https://medium.com/@sampark/for-pre-meds-choose-your-medical-specialty-asap-2d12ad6d881e#.jhvth6xlv.

The truth of the matter is, those specialties that are considered "life-style" specialties are extremely competitive to get into (we're talking derm, plastic surgery, etc.). This competitive arena is filled with individuals who have gone above and beyond in both grades and experiences (the kind of experience that takes some insight and initiative in order to get involved). The truth is, Medical school is very busy, man. Everyone tells you that you have plenty of time to choose a specialty but you kinda don't (I'll write a separate Medium blog post about this later). Medical school will breeze by (just like your fading youth!).

Btw, it is pretty typical for many pre-med and med classmates to hate on those students who have chosen a competitive lifestyle career path in Medicine from an earlier age. But don't let that stop you from your goals. You are pretty insightful for determining earlier on that your quality of life is high priority so you are willing to work your butt off to match into this positions.

It's good that you're thinking such a question early on. Here's the next step. Develop connections through networking with individuals that are in the academic specialty of your choice. See if there's opportunities to help out in research, especially menial work. Let them know you pay extreme attention to detail and you are a quick learner. Take notes, work hard, ask questions, learn, and get great letters of recommendation. But most importantly, get along with everybody and never complain. Oh, while you're doing all this, you will be studying A LOT to rank as highly as you can in your classes. Yes, it will take all that effort and there may always be a student who is smarter than you are, but in the end if you gave it your all and that meant you matched into your number 1 specialty, more power to you, MarioKart!

Cheers
 
reck1ess said:
Yeesh, tough crowd. But everyone is entitled to their opinions. Here's mine.

MarioKart (cool name btw! The N64 version will always be the best).

You will be interested to know that I actually wrote a Medium blog post that answers your very question. Just in case you're interested, here's the link: https://medium.com/@sampark/for-pre-meds-choose-your-medical-specialty-asap-2d12ad6d881e#.jhvth6xlv.

The truth of the matter is, those specialties that are considered "life-style" specialties are extremely competitive to get into (we're talking derm, plastic surgery, etc.). This competitive arena is filled with individuals who have gone above and beyond in both grades and experiences (the kind of experience that takes some insight and initiative in order to get involved). The truth is, Medical school is very busy, man. Everyone tells you that you have plenty of time to choose a specialty but you kinda don't (I'll write a separate Medium blog post about this later). Medical school will breeze by (just like your fading youth!).

Btw, it is pretty typical for many pre-med and med classmates to hate on those students who have chosen a competitive lifestyle career path in Medicine from an earlier age. But don't let that stop you from your goals. You are pretty insightful for determining earlier on that your quality of life is high priority so you are willing to work your butt off to match into this positions.

It's good that you're thinking such a question early on. Here's the next step. Develop connections through networking with individuals that are in the academic specialty of your choice. See if there's opportunities to help out in research, especially menial work. Let them know you pay extreme attention to detail and you are a quick learner. Take notes, work hard, ask questions, learn, and get great letters of recommendation. But most importantly, get along with everybody and never complain. Oh, while you're doing all this, you will be studying A LOT to rank as highly as you can in your classes. Yes, it will take all that effort and there may always be a student who is smarter than you are, but in the end if you gave it your all and that meant you matched into your number 1 specialty, more power to you, MarioKart!

Cheers
Click to expand...


exactly what I'm looking for. I figured since I already knew what I wanted, I would do my best to prep myself and know my obstacles as early as possible. Thanks much for the post, reck1ess!
 
reck1ess said:
Btw, it is pretty typical for many pre-med and med classmates to hate on those students who have chosen a competitive lifestyle career path in Medicine from an earlier age.
Click to expand...

If you look back over this thread, the dominant sentiment isn't "hate," it's "relax and slow down." The simple fact of the matter is that it is extremely rare to encounter a premedical student who has a clear understanding of what "lifestyle" specialties do. They come to the table gunning for something they grasp only on superficial terms. "Relax and slow down" isn't what they want to hear, but it remains the most sound advice. Or, as the old saying goes, "With one eye fixated upon your goal, you only have one left to find your way."

Missives to the contrary, while well intentioned, risk doing little more than feeding stress, anxiety, and tunnel-vision. And we already have truckloads of that stuff at the warehouse.
 
MarioKart said:
exactly what I'm looking for. I figured since I already knew what I wanted, I would do my best to prep myself and know my obstacles as early as possible. Thanks much for the post, reck1ess!
Click to expand...

I've heard that occasional residency programs will ask about EC's that you did in your undergrad. It certainly cannot hurt to gain experience as an undergraduate in dermatology if you can find research or something to get involved in.
 
1) relax.

2) it's fine to have an interest, just don't be naive and close minded to other specialties. Try to find a few you'd like to do.

3) regardless of what someone else may say, there is VERY LITTLE you can do now that will have any importance in you matching to derm. Get into the best med school as possible. Learn the best study habits.

4) if you go in to an interview and say that you're all about derm and you "know" it's what you're going to do, they'll think you're a gunner and close minded.
 
reck1ess said:
Yeesh, tough crowd. But everyone is entitled to their opinions. Here's mine.

MarioKart (cool name btw! The N64 version will always be the best).

You will be interested to know that I actually wrote a Medium blog post that answers your very question. Just in case you're interested, here's the link: https://medium.com/@sampark/for-pre-meds-choose-your-medical-specialty-asap-2d12ad6d881e#.jhvth6xlv.

The truth of the matter is, those specialties that are considered "life-style" specialties are extremely competitive to get into (we're talking derm, plastic surgery, etc.). This competitive arena is filled with individuals who have gone above and beyond in both grades and experiences (the kind of experience that takes some insight and initiative in order to get involved). The truth is, Medical school is very busy, man. Everyone tells you that you have plenty of time to choose a specialty but you kinda don't (I'll write a separate Medium blog post about this later). Medical school will breeze by (just like your fading youth!).

Btw, it is pretty typical for many pre-med and med classmates to hate on those students who have chosen a competitive lifestyle career path in Medicine from an earlier age. But don't let that stop you from your goals. You are pretty insightful for determining earlier on that your quality of life is high priority so you are willing to work your butt off to match into this positions.

It's good that you're thinking such a question early on. Here's the next step. Develop connections through networking with individuals that are in the academic specialty of your choice. See if there's opportunities to help out in research, especially menial work. Let them know you pay extreme attention to detail and you are a quick learner. Take notes, work hard, ask questions, learn, and get great letters of recommendation. But most importantly, get along with everybody and never complain. Oh, while you're doing all this, you will be studying A LOT to rank as highly as you can in your classes. Yes, it will take all that effort and there may always be a student who is smarter than you are, but in the end if you gave it your all and that meant you matched into your number 1 specialty, more power to you, MarioKart!

Cheers
Click to expand...

Incoming med student, so I don't know jack. But how are you supposed to choose a specialty if you have no idea what you want and everything seems cool? I've just kind of maintained that I'll let my Step score and M3 determine what I want to do...
 
musicalfeet said:
Incoming med student, so I don't know jack. But how are you supposed to choose a specialty if you have no idea what you want and everything seems cool? I've just kind of maintained that I'll let my Step score and M3 determine what I want to do...
Click to expand...

Great question! All you can do is ask ppl in those fields many questions, shadow every opportunity you get, and trust your gut instincts. It will be tough because you'll be asking yourself tough questions about what you want in your career but it's better to start thinking sooner rather than be potentially stressed to choose immediately after you are halfway thru third year with only a few clinical experiences...
 
MarioKart said:
Hey guys,

i realize that there's not much you can do towards derm in undergrad, or any specialty for that matter, but I would like to know if there are any helpful tips that premeds or medical students that may have helped towards the specialty they're aiming for......so far, I have not gotten lower than an A in any class and have found that I am very good at my premedical science classes (so far atleast.) Ive shadowed various specialities and kind of know that I'll be applying for derm when the time comes (years from now!!!) Now...my questions, I believe I have the aptitude and discipline to get into a good M.D. School in a few years but would like to know if anyone had any advice for me, whether it's involving motivation, ideas on how to network, or any life tips in general for getting my foot in the door as EARLY as possible, not just for med school, but also my chosen speciality!!! I know that my number one priority is first getting into medical school, but I basically just want to know if there's any thing I should do from day one, I figure the earlier you know what you wanna do, the better it is because you have an upper hand and know what you'll be up against

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Buddy, you should take a break from SDN and enjoy your undergrad while you can. Don't let the neuroticism rub off on you.

Edit: @MarioKart down for an SDN break pledge? I'll stay off for whatever amount of time you're willing to commit to.
 
Last edited:
Chill out.

You are going to lose your mind worrying about this.

Why are you so sure you want to look at skin for your entire life before even setting foot in a medical school anyway? Just because its the most exclusive thing? Are you also only applying to whatever you perceive as the top 10 medical schools?
 
Yes! Get into medical school!



MarioKart said:
i realize that there's not much you can do towards derm in undergrad, or any specialty for that matter, but I would like to know if there are any helpful tips that premeds or medical students that may have helped towards the specialty they're aiming for......
Click to expand...
 
enjoy your free time before medical school..then you'll truly have to buckle down for a while. For dermatology, I really recommend Dermatology for the USMLE. it's a new review book that covers dermatology with amazing pictures from Mayo clinic while teaching you internal medicine (the bulk of what you will be learning in medical school).

hope that helps. best of luck.

Amazon product ASIN 0692525297
 
WhiteHatDoc said:
Yeesh, tough crowd. But everyone is entitled to their opinions. Here's mine.

MarioKart (cool name btw! The N64 version will always be the best).

You will be interested to know that I actually wrote a Medium blog post that answers your very question. Just in case you're interested, here's the link: https://medium.com/@sampark/for-pre-meds-choose-your-medical-specialty-asap-2d12ad6d881e#.jhvth6xlv.

The truth of the matter is, those specialties that are considered "life-style" specialties are extremely competitive to get into (we're talking derm, plastic surgery, etc.). This competitive arena is filled with individuals who have gone above and beyond in both grades and experiences (the kind of experience that takes some insight and initiative in order to get involved). The truth is, Medical school is very busy, man. Everyone tells you that you have plenty of time to choose a specialty but you kinda don't (I'll write a separate Medium blog post about this later). Medical school will breeze by (just like your fading youth!).

Btw, it is pretty typical for many pre-med and med classmates to hate on those students who have chosen a competitive lifestyle career path in Medicine from an earlier age. But don't let that stop you from your goals. You are pretty insightful for determining earlier on that your quality of life is high priority so you are willing to work your butt off to match into this positions.

It's good that you're thinking such a question early on. Here's the next step. Develop connections through networking with individuals that are in the academic specialty of your choice. See if there's opportunities to help out in research, especially menial work. Let them know you pay extreme attention to detail and you are a quick learner. Take notes, work hard, ask questions, learn, and get great letters of recommendation. But most importantly, get along with everybody and never complain. Oh, while you're doing all this, you will be studying A LOT to rank as highly as you can in your classes. Yes, it will take all that effort and there may always be a student who is smarter than you are, but in the end if you gave it your all and that meant you matched into your number 1 specialty, more power to you, MarioKart!

Cheers
Click to expand...
This. I finally have a day off and was just browsing...really wasn't going to respond until I read ur reply. I 100% agree. OP you can pm me. I start skool in the fall and I'm also interested in Derm. Been doing Dermatology research for 4 years now with multiple publications in Derm journals and a textbook chapter. Many connections as well. Honestly I'm coming in as a ms1 with stronger things on my app than many of the ms4s I work with. Most are taking a year off after ms2 or 3...Zurc not bout adding time onto med skool lol There are things u can do as an undergrad, but get full exposure if u can (my situation is unique) as well as other specialties so u don't prematurely limit yourself. Again, u can pm for wat I did to achieve so much as a premed
 
Ive said:
enjoy your free time before medical school..then you'll truly have to buckle down for a while. For dermatology, I really recommend Dermatology for the USMLE. it's a new review book that covers dermatology with amazing pictures from Mayo clinic while teaching you internal medicine (the bulk of what you will be learning in medical school).

hope that helps. best of luck.

Amazon product ASIN 0692525297
Click to expand...

You guys know this thread is a year old, right?
 
-_- why do ppl do this.... I had no idea...
 
If you're already out of the womb, it's too late to be considering derm. These days you need to decide on a specialty before your 3rd pharyngeal arch starts to develop.

Relax, there is virtually nothing you can do now to help you match derm. If you're dead set on it, get involved in derm research year one and publish as much as you can. Focus on step 1, and get in the 90% percentile when you take it (which isn't as easy as getting in the 90th % on the MCAT). Then honor your rotations, set up aways and blow them out of the water, and do more derm research that you can publish.

My best advice: go see as many specialties as you can, especially one's that you don't get much exposure to in medical school. If you're into derm for the money, look into Ortho spine (more money). If you're into it for the lifestyle/money, look into IR and RadOnc. If you're into derm for reasons I couldn't possibly fathom (like you love derm pathology, the smell of wet gangrene, etc.) then I'd love to have you as my own dermatologist. If you're an intelligent individual, you'll pick the specialty you love to do regardless of $$ because nobody knows what reimbursements will look like by the time you're practicing. Would you do derm if you made the same as FM? If yes, then crush the MCAT, take some polyjuice potion and morph into George Clooney, charisma and all, rock the interview, and research, research, honors, and research.
 
I don't understand the issue.

OP is premed
Premeds do research
OP likes derm
OP could do derm research

You can expose yourself to the field if you have access to a derm department. Just know that this might raise a few eyebrows at certain schools. I.e. a primary care farm medical school is not going to be convinced you want to save humanity when you're studying Grover's disease.

So. Be cool, work on that MCAT, explore your interests.
 
Med Ed said:
Yes, take this to heart:

"If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans."

No matter your age or stage, you will periodically realize what an incomprehensible nitwit you were just five years before.
Click to expand...

Props for that quote. Will be using it on my kids.
 
BurghStudent said:
I don't understand the issue.

OP is premed
Premeds do research
OP likes derm
OP could do derm research

You can expose yourself to the field if you have access to a derm department. Just know that this might raise a few eyebrows at certain schools. I.e. a primary care farm medical school is not going to be convinced you want to save humanity when you're studying Grover's disease.

So. Be cool, work on that MCAT, explore your interests.
Click to expand...

Yes because undergraduate institutions usually have direct connections to dermatology research. Or if they don't, it's usually right around the corner and easily taken as a much qualified undergraduate pre-med student.

yawn.

opie I diagnose you with too much time spent on SDN with a treatment plan of get through senior year of undergrad.
 
JB50 said:
Yes because undergraduate institutions usually have direct connections to dermatology research. Or if they don't, it's usually right around the corner and easily taken as a much qualified undergraduate pre-med student.

yawn.

opie I diagnose you with too much time spent on SDN with a treatment plan of get through senior year of undergrad.
Click to expand...

This is dismissive. I did research at my undergrad institution's medical school, ENT department. It was fruitful.

OP, I do agree with JB50, focus on what's in front of you.
 
BurghStudent said:
This is dismissive. I did research at my undergrad institution's medical school, ENT department. It was fruitful.

OP, I do agree with JB50, focus on what's in front of you.
Click to expand...

Was that a boating school under da sea as well?

Ya did get me there... I went to a non-affiliated undergrad so I guess I overlooked that 👍👍
 
Med Ed said:
You guys know this thread is a year old, right?
Click to expand...
JB50 said:
opie I diagnose you with too much time spent on SDN with a treatment plan of get through senior year of undergrad.
Click to expand...

well seeing that OP didn't respond to SDN since June 2016, i think the treatment plan may have been effective (retroactively at least)!
 
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