can I handle medical school

[hannah45]

hey everyone,
I am a sophomore in undergrad right now and I really want to pursue medicine. however I can only manage two science courses and get A's. ( I've never tried 3 but I'm sure it would be much more difficult) I know that I will have to take a full load of science courses in med-school. How can I learn to handle 3-4+ science courses and still manage to get A's.

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[schistoguy]

First, are you working any jobs while being in school? If so, that could be your reason.

Otherwise, it’s fairly simple. You go to class and study when you’re not in class. You’ve got to spend more time in the books. And most importantly, you need to learn how to study effectively.

Good luck!


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[•Syzygy•]

i dont understand

you get A’s while taking two science courses at the same time and have never taken more than two at once? then how do you know you cant manage that......?

the fact that you are even getting A‘s in science courses at allmeans you will probably be fine.. that isnt exactly easy..

 

[Goro]

hey everyone,
I am a sophomore in undergrad right now and I really want to pursue medicine. however I can only manage two science courses and get A's. ( I've never tried 3 but I'm sure it would be much more difficult) I know that I will have to take a full load of science courses in med-school. How can I learn to handle 3-4+ science courses and still manage to get A's.

Go visit your school's learning or education center for help with time mgt, study tips, etc.

 

[longhaul3]

You will only take one or two classes at a time at most medical schools anyway. It's a much more in-depth class, but you won't have to juggle a bunch of parallel due dates, midterms, labs and lab reports, i.e. the things that make it challenging to handle a bunch of undergrad science classes at the same time.

 

[Lannister]

however I can only manage two science courses and get A's. ( I've never tried 3 but I'm sure it would be much more difficult)

This reminds me of a little kid saying, "I hate olives! I've never tried them, but I know I would hate them!".
You're psyching yourself out. If you're doing well in undergrad and you do well on the MCAT, you can handle medical school.
And you only take one class at a time in medical school, as an above poster mentioned.

 

[hannah45]

This reminds me of a little kid saying, "I hate olives! I've never tried them, but I know I would hate them!".
You're psyching yourself out. If you're doing well in undergrad and you do well on the MCAT, you can handle medical school.
And you only take one class at a time in medical school, as an above poster mentioned.

hahaha! I'm just really nervous. I only started taking pre-reqs this semester but I study ALOT compared to the average individual to get the scores that I get. I'm having a hard time imagining 3 more tough science courses and still getting A's. but thanks for the feed back! wait only one class?? really? thats sounds amazing.

 

[Gibbward]

hahaha! I'm just really nervous. I only started taking pre-reqs this semester but I study ALOT compared to the average individual to get the scores that I get. I'm having a hard time imagining 3 more tough science courses and still getting A's. but thanks for the feed back! wait only one class?? really? thats sounds amazing.

Don't sweat it. I also only took 2 science classes per semester in college. So far, that hasn't impacted my performance in medical school (though I am only a MS1 haha). In a way, med school has been easier just because I've had to focus less on super random nitty gritty details and more on big picture concepts. Also for my school, I take 4 or 5 "classes" per block, but they are all somewhat connected and there is only 1 test that covers all the topics in each block.

 

[Futuredoc23 23]

Go visit your school's learning or education center for help with time mgt, study tips, etc.

To the OP, do me a favor and don't take this advice. Time management skills aren't going to be taught by some overpaid mostly useless employee and the same can be said of study tips. These types of things are best learned through experience and self-reflection. The OP is getting As so study tips aren't necessary and likely time management is fine. Before I switched my major from electrical engineering to programming, I used to study so much for my engineering classes that I could anticipate about every possible question that could come from each problem on our tests. I left each test knowing I didn't miss any questions because I knew the material in my sleep from front to back and back to front. To keep it short, I could have studied about half of what I did and still easily got an A on every test and class. I'm sure you can relate to some degree.

You're getting As, have some self-confidence, you should be able to take three science classes without a problem. think of it as a challenge that you will succeed at. You can do it. I expect you to enroll in at least three this spring.

Been out of school for a few years. I'm enrolling in General Chemistry I, Organic Chemistry I w/lab, Physics I w/lab, Biology, and an Intro to biochemistry course. 21 hours total, I will get an A in each. Gen Chem I is a retake, got an A in it 11 years ago.

 

[Futuredoc23 23]

hahaha! I'm just really nervous. I only started taking pre-reqs this semester but I study ALOT compared to the average individual to get the scores that I get. I'm having a hard time imagining 3 more tough science courses and still getting A's. but thanks for the feed back! wait only one class?? really? thats sounds amazing.

where there's a will, there's a way. You'll find a way to increase efficiency, trust me. It will make you a better student.

 

[Goro]

To the OP, do me a favor and don't take this advice. Time management skills aren't going to be taught by some overpaid mostly useless employee and the same can be said of study tips. These types of things are best learned through experience and self-reflection. The OP is getting As so study tips aren't necessary and likely time management is fine. Before I switched my major from electrical engineering to programming, I used to study so much for my engineering classes that I could anticipate about every possible question that could come from each problem on our tests. I left each test knowing I didn't miss any questions because I knew the material in my sleep from front to back and back to front. To keep it short, I could have studied about half of what I did and still easily got an A on every test and class. I'm sure you can relate to some degree.

You're getting As, have some self-confidence, you should be able to take three science classes without a problem. think of it as a challenge that you will succeed at. You can do it. I expect you to enroll in at least three this spring.

Been out of school for a few years. I'm enrolling in General Chemistry I, Organic Chemistry I w/lab, Physics I w/lab, Biology, and an Intro to biochemistry course. 21 hours total, I will get an A in each. Gen Chem I is a retake, got an A in it 11 years ago.

And your experience in educating students is exactly what????

*sigh* Good reading skills are crucial for the MCAT. Note what the OP was asking for help in:
however I can only manage two science courses and get A's. ( I've never tried 3 but I'm sure it would be much more difficult) I know that I will have to take a full load of science courses in med-school. How can I learn to handle 3-4+ science courses and still manage to get A's.

 

[Lannister]

hahaha! I'm just really nervous. I only started taking pre-reqs this semester but I study ALOT compared to the average individual to get the scores that I get. I'm having a hard time imagining 3 more tough science courses and still getting A's. but thanks for the feed back! wait only one class?? really? thats sounds amazing.

If it makes you feel better, I was a Spanish major in undergrad. Never took more than two science classes at once, and never took any upper level science courses. And I'm doing just fine in med school.

 

[rabbott1971]

To the OP, do me a favor and don't take this advice. Time management skills aren't going to be taught by some overpaid mostly useless employee and the same can be said of study tips. These types of things are best learned through experience and self-reflection. The OP is getting As so study tips aren't necessary and likely time management is fine. Before I switched my major from electrical engineering to programming, I used to study so much for my engineering classes that I could anticipate about every possible question that could come from each problem on our tests. I left each test knowing I didn't miss any questions because I knew the material in my sleep from front to back and back to front. To keep it short, I could have studied about half of what I did and still easily got an A on every test and class. I'm sure you can relate to some degree.

You're getting As, have some self-confidence, you should be able to take three science classes without a problem. think of it as a challenge that you will succeed at. You can do it. I expect you to enroll in at least three this spring.

Been out of school for a few years. I'm enrolling in General Chemistry I, Organic Chemistry I w/lab, Physics I w/lab, Biology, and an Intro to biochemistry course. 21 hours total, I will get an A in each. Gen Chem I is a retake, got an A in it 11 years ago.

The suggestion to learn effective studying techniques is very good. Your advice to basically figure it out yourself or "just do it" is not helpful at all. You said you could study half what you did. Wouldn't it make sense for the OP to gain efficiency so he could use his time better, like you should have?

Please think twice before you contradict people with thousands of posts on this forum, particularly when you announce that you haven't even taken the basic prerequisites yet. And good luck in those, BTW. You are in for a struggle taking Org Chem without Gen Chem 2, and you need a biology lab for most medical schools. You are far more on the "needing advice" side of things than the "giving advice" side. Have a nice day.

 

[lauramae]

hey everyone,
I am a sophomore in undergrad right now and I really want to pursue medicine. however I can only manage two science courses and get A's. ( I've never tried 3 but I'm sure it would be much more difficult) I know that I will have to take a full load of science courses in med-school. How can I learn to handle 3-4+ science courses and still manage to get A's.

I only got B's when I was taking 2 science courses at a time and I think that's because my attention was spread across so many subjects. I took 5 upper level sciences every semester of junior and senior year and got all A's/A-'s those two years because I was surrounded by the science. I found it way easier to learn that way (how med school is). It would be worth trying more courses to see if you can handle it.

 

[Futuredoc23 23]

And your experience in educating students is exactly what????

*sigh* Good reading skills are crucial for the MCAT. Note what the OP was asking for help in:
however I can only manage two science courses and get A's. ( I've never tried 3 but I'm sure it would be much more difficult) I know that I will have to take a full load of science courses in med-school. How can I learn to handle 3-4+ science courses and still manage to get A's.

My experience in life is that you must learn by doing and reflecting. Going to some phony overpaid underworked university employee to learn how to study from someone who has never done isn't going to help anything. Most likely the clown you suggested is some kind of humanities major and doesn't have the slightest idea what taking a difficult science class is like. They may not understand that not all classes are based on what you think and some classes do have correct and incorrect answers. They just cause our tuition to be more expensive.

 

[Futuredoc23 23]

If it makes you feel better, I was a Spanish major in undergrad. Never took more than two science classes at once, and never took any upper level science courses. And I'm doing just fine in med school.

I can see how that may have helped you prepare for medical school. You learn vocab and then how to apply it, seems like it may help you develop a thought process for succeeding from the proverbial fire hose that I shall get to drink from in a few years.

 

[Lannister]

I can see how that may have helped you prepare for medical school. You learn vocab and then how to apply it, seems like it may help you develop a thought process for succeeding from the proverbial fire hose that I shall get to drink from in a few years.

Haha it didn't help me at all, I just wanted to major in a foreign language so I could study abroad.

 

[Futuredoc23 23]

The suggestion to learn effective studying techniques is very good. Your advice to basically figure it out yourself or "just do it" is not helpful at all. You said you could study half what you did. Wouldn't it make sense for the OP to gain efficiency so he could use his time better, like you should have?

Please think twice before you contradict people with thousands of posts on this forum, particularly when you announce that you haven't even taken the basic prerequisites yet. And good luck in those, BTW. You are in for a struggle taking Org Chem without Gen Chem 2, and you need a biology lab for most medical schools. You are far more on the "needing advice" side of things than the "giving advice" side. Have a nice day.

Actually, my advice is very useful. Sink or swim. The OP will gain efficiency because the OP will have no choice since the number of hours per day is fixed. Therefore, more science classes in the same time interval will result in less time spent per class, at least theoretically. This would translate to more efficiency.

I have not taken many of the basic science courses yet, but I have plenty of other hard upper level engineering, programming, and math classes including graduate level. And that isn't the gradual level humanities where paying tuition and showing up is enough to pass. It isn't like I haven't taken intense course loads. From experience, I have always found ways to be more efficient when necessary. May be my work ethic, but give me 20 extra hours and I'll use it to study no matter how many classes I have.

 

[Futuredoc23 23]

Haha it didn't help me at all, I just wanted to major in a foreign language so I could study abroad.

Hope it was worth it and you got to go somewhere fun.

 

[hannah45]

To the OP, do me a favor and don't take this advice. Time management skills aren't going to be taught by some overpaid mostly useless employee and the same can be said of study tips. These types of things are best learned through experience and self-reflection. The OP is getting As so study tips aren't necessary and likely time management is fine. Before I switched my major from electrical engineering to programming, I used to study so much for my engineering classes that I could anticipate about every possible question that could come from each problem on our tests. I left each test knowing I didn't miss any questions because I knew the material in my sleep from front to back and back to front. To keep it short, I could have studied about half of what I did and still easily got an A on every test and class. I'm sure you can relate to some degree.

You're getting As, have some self-confidence, you should be able to take three science classes without a problem. think of it as a challenge that you will succeed at. You can do it. I expect you to enroll in at least three this spring.

Been out of school for a few years. I'm enrolling in General Chemistry I, Organic Chemistry I w/lab, Physics I w/lab, Biology, and an Intro to biochemistry course. 21 hours total, I will get an A in each. Gen Chem I is a retake, got an A in it 11 years ago.

 

[hannah45]

Thanks for the advice !! I def will be enrolling in more science classes as I advance to second Sem of sophomore yr. good luck on your journey as well!!

 

[hannah45]

If it makes you feel better, I was a Spanish major in undergrad. Never took more than two science classes at once, and never took any upper level science courses. And I'm doing just fine in med school.

It's great that you're doing well in medical school! I hope I can say the same one day. My degree also requires a language!! It's amazing learning a whole new language and culture.