High School senior thinking about medical school

[derek320]

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Alright, so I guess I'll start by giving a little background info...I am currently a high school senior due to graduate in June 2010, my high school GPA is currently a 3.7. I recently became interested in becoming a doctor after having a major knee surgery in August and my appendix removed in November, all the surgeries fascinated me, so I decided that I would like to become a doctor.

Next year I am planning on attending Western New England College and will be majoring in biomedical engineering and will be taking all the medical school prerequisites. So getting the required courses out of the way should be no problem for me since my major pretty much covers them all plus some extras such as biochemisty and a few anatomy classes.

The thing I am still unsure about is all the clinical experience and volunteering that medical schools like to see on your applications. When I turn 18 in March, my physical therapist is going to try to land me a job at the hospital he is affiliated with as a patient transport technician (basically push patients from their rooms to testing locations, OR, etc..). Would this count as clinical experience since I would be dealing with patients?

As for volunteer experience, what sort of thing should I be looking for? I am currently a Boy Scout and will become a volunteer Boy Scout Leader when I turn 18, but I figure that the medical schools will want some sort of hospital volunteering? Should I just volunteer a few hours a week while I am in college? Also, does physician shadowing count as volunteering or is that a separate category in itself? I am hoping that in a couple years (maybe sophomore year in college) that my orthopedic surgeon will allow me to shadow him and write me a LOR which would be good since he is an assistant professor at Umass Medical School.


Thanks in advance, I don't know if I'm worrying about all this stuff way too early but the whole medical school process seems very demanding and has a lot of requirements, so I figured I would try to get a game plan down early on before I enter my college years

 

[Janieve]

I'd say you're worrying about all this way too early, but it's good to have focus, I guess. Just don't think too much about it yet.

My advice (and I give this advice to everyone) is to remember that you don't have to do everything right away. You don't need to push it. Even just volunteering five hours a week adds up to over 200 hours in a single year.

And let's face it - you're still very young. And it's generally the youngest premeds that burn themselves out. So rather than go crazy right away, I recommend you enjoy your new adult life as much as you can before you get caught up in the premed craze. Take a trip. Make new friends. Go to a good school and take classes you never considered taking - anthropology, linguistics, sexuality, sociology, hell, basket weaving. Just explore a bit.

You're still a kid, and you don't completely understand how amazing that is right now. Do crazy, potentially stupid things, and enjoy them. Start volunteering now if you want, but only if you're volunteering out of an interest in the work, not to boost your (years off) application.

Most of all, though, realize that there's no pressure on you yet. Figure out how you work in college, what kind of person you want to grow up to be, and I think the rest will fall into place. I hardly recognize the me from high school anymore, and it's only been three years since then. You will evolve.

Anyway, good luck. I hope someone else gives you advice, too, since mine is usually convoluted and more geared towards advancing yourself rather than your career, lol. Hope to see you on SDN again in a few years! 👍

 

[roseglass6370]

Hey there!

I agree that you are sort-of getting ahead of yourself but I also remember my senior year in high school. I was already totally psyched about medicine and wanted to do as much as I could with it ASAP. So, if you're thinking about this all now just because you're excited, far be it from me to persuade you away from it. But if you're eager to get started because you're anxious about getting behind etc, calm down and realize that you have more than enough time.

First off, if you end up getting the job at the hospital, that counts as your clinical experience. Because of that, you can do your volunteering wherever you feel like volunteering. For example, I work in a hospital currently and have more than enough clinical experience. If I wanted to I could volunteer at a soup kitchen and be more than fine. Most pre-meds just volunteer at a hospital to kill two birds with one stone (clinical and volunteer experience). Long story short, it doesn't have to be a hospital if you already have your clinical covered.

Secondly, shadowing does not count as volunteer experience. When you shadow a doctor you don't do much except watch and ask questions. Volunteering is work that shows you have a drive to help other people. The purpose of shadowing is to show that you know what you're getting yourself into ahead of time. A lot of people have a view of doctors they've gathered from hospital shows and stories, etc. that is totally different from what a doctor actually does. The experience of shadowing tells medical schools that after seeing what doctors really do, you still want to be one.

I hope this helps. Sorry if it was long winded. Best of luck! =)

 

[doopdidoop]

I'd say you're worrying about all this way too early, but it's good to have focus, I guess. Just don't think too much about it yet.

My advice (and I give this advice to everyone) is to remember that you don't have to do everything right away. You don't need to push it. Even just volunteering five hours a week adds up to over 200 hours in a single year.

And let's face it - you're still very young. And it's generally the youngest premeds that burn themselves out. So rather than go crazy right away, I recommend you enjoy your new adult life as much as you can before you get caught up in the premed craze. Take a trip. Make new friends. Go to a good school and take classes you never considered taking - anthropology, linguistics, sexuality, sociology, hell, basket weaving. Just explore a bit.

You're still a kid, and you don't completely understand how amazing that is right now. Do crazy, potentially stupid things, and enjoy them. Start volunteering now if you want, but only if you're volunteering out of an interest in the work, not to boost your (years off) application.

Most of all, though, realize that there's no pressure on you yet. Figure out how you work in college, what kind of person you want to grow up to be, and I think the rest will fall into place. I hardly recognize the me from high school anymore, and it's only been three years since then. You will evolve.

Anyway, good luck. I hope someone else gives you advice, too, since mine is usually convoluted and more geared towards advancing yourself rather than your career, lol. Hope to see you on SDN again in a few years! 👍

agreed!!

the most important thing is to go out there and ENJOY yourself. you're never going to have the liberating experience of college again, so go and make lots of friends and do crazy things that will hold you over when you're working/in med school. i had SUCH a good time in college and really look back on those years fondly.

but if you do want to get an early start, i'd say the best thing you can do for yourself is create a "four year plan" with the classes you want to take, organizing your pre-med requirements and figuring out when you want to take your MCAT. that way you'll be one step ahead when picking classes. and as Janieve said, make sure you take weird/interesting sounding classes. even though i was a science major, some cool classes i took were self-defense, ceramics, a class on harems and intro to acting and they were all such amazing experiences.

and if you can afford it/fit it in, study abroad! you can even incorporate research or volunteering into these trips...i know our branch of FIMRC had some mission trips to guatemala and el salvador where you would volunteer in a health clinic, and i had some friends that did research in paris for a summer!

it's great to be focused already, but remember to have fun too.....who knows, you might discover something you love EVEN more than medicine in college. don't close any doors yet 🙂

 

[JJMrK]

The patient transport job counts and clinical experience, the boy scout volunteering will look good/count as volunteering on your application, and shadowing goes in a difference category.

 

[greatnt249]

The patient transport job counts and clinical experience, the boy scout volunteering will look good/count as volunteering on your application, and shadowing goes in a difference category.

Yeah, they'd count as long as he continues them into his college years; otherwise, they (AMCAS) could care less what you did before then.

 

[Janieve]

If you can afford it/fit it in, study abroad! you can even incorporate research or volunteering into these trips.

THIS, yes! Yes, yes, yes. 😍 I don't want to imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't studied abroad (in my case, in Japan). It really opens your eyes to the world around you. It's made me both judge and appreciate my own country, consider problems on a worldwide scale, and see things from different points of view than I ever would've in the states - and if that wasn't enough, it's taught me what homesickness, unconditional friendship/love, and helplessness feel like, and I feel like so much more a person for all that.

So yes, I advocate study abroad. I could never regret it.🙂

 

[derek320]

Alright, I had kind of figured I was jumping into all this premed stuff too soon, I am currently in the whole applying to college process and during this process I made sure that I was applying to schools that have premed advisors and it all lead into me researching the entire med school process, I should probably focus more on my schooling that starts next year rather than the med school application process which is still years away.

As for the patient transport job, I am planning on doing that throughout college since it will pull in more money than my current job at Friendly's scooping ice cream. I will probably work weekends throughout college since the biomedical engineering curriculum looks difficult. And I will probably stay on as a scout leader throughout college since that is just an hour or two per week.

Thanks for the great advice

 

[dynamicmind01]

Keep up the great work and try to keep a perspective. Make sure you get great grades. Also, do not be one of those annoying pre-meds that is obnoxious to be around!

 

[derek320]

Also, do not be one of those annoying pre-meds that is obnoxious to be around!

Don't worry I already hate the annoying premeds, my cousin is one of them. She is a freshman in college and always talks about how she wants to be a surgeon. She has no clue how the med school process works, what courses she should be taking, or what a residency is. During college I do not plan on openly stating I am taking premed courses because I do not want to meet more premed students such as my cousin.

 

[Janieve]

Alright, I had kind of figured I was jumping into all this premed stuff too soon, I am currently in the whole applying to college process and during this process I made sure that I was applying to schools that have premed advisors and it all lead into me researching the entire med school process, I should probably focus more on my schooling that starts next year rather than the med school application process which is still years away.

As for the patient transport job, I am planning on doing that throughout college since it will pull in more money than my current job at Friendly's scooping ice cream. I will probably work weekends throughout college since the biomedical engineering curriculum looks difficult. And I will probably stay on as a scout leader throughout college since that is just an hour or two per week.

Thanks for the great advice

Well, it sounds like you've got a good head on your shoulders, and you seem like a pretty okay kid. Here's hoping everything works out great for you! 👍

 

[JoshUNCW]

Don't worry I already hate the annoying premeds, my cousin is one of them. She is a freshman in college and always talks about how she wants to be a surgeon. She has no clue how the med school process works, what courses she should be taking, or what a residency is. During college I do not plan on openly stating I am taking premed courses because I do not want to meet more premed students such as my cousin.

Being premedical isn't some dirty secret you need to be ashamed of. You can say it openly. You just don't want to be a tool.

 

[littlealex]

Experience in high school is a great idea to help you get to know the field of medicine and it will help you with college admissions. However, it will NOT help you with getting into medical school. The general rule of thumb is that you should have done enough in college to show who you are that you wouldn't have to reach that far back into the past.

And perhaps the most important tip I can give someone who aspires to be a doctor is that your GPA is VERY important. Far more important than the major you are in. If you find yourself struggling with a difficult curriculum and overloaded credits, SWITCH MAJORS. Switch into something that you will find easier, and instead of taking 20 credits a semester take 15. Do whatever that is necessary to maintain a high GPA and use your excess time to volunteer. When it comes time for applications you will find that your GPA opens a lot of doors.

 

[schrizto]

Don't worry I already hate the annoying premeds, my cousin is one of them. She is a freshman in college and always talks about how she wants to be a surgeon. She has no clue how the med school process works, what courses she should be taking, or what a residency is. During college I do not plan on openly stating I am taking premed courses because I do not want to meet more premed students such as my cousin.

um, isn't it kind of condescending to talk about your cousin like that when you yourself are asking basic questions about applying to medical school?

You're going to meet other pre-meds no matter what you tell other people about yourself.

 

[derek320]

um, isn't it kind of condescending to talk about your cousin like that when you yourself are asking basic questions about applying to medical school?

You're going to meet other pre-meds no matter what you tell other people about yourself.

I am not asking basic questions, I am trying to gain an understanding of the necessary extra-curricular activities that I should be doing, I understand how the whole application process works and what courses I should be taking, my cousin on the other hand walks around telling people she is going to be a surgeon and doesn't even understand the basics such as what the MCAT is. I would never walk around stating that I want to be a doctor, especially if I didn't even know how to become one.

 

[Janieve]

I am not asking basic questions, I am trying to gain an understanding of the necessary extra-curricular activities that I should be doing, I understand how the whole application process works and what courses I should be taking, my cousin on the other hand walks around telling people she is going to be a surgeon and doesn't even understand the basics such as what the MCAT is. I would never walk around stating that I want to be a doctor, especially if I didn't even know how to become one.

Eh, I think all Schrizto is saying is "don't be hatin', dude!", just in a much more indirect and well-intended way. And I agree. It's great you're prepared and all, and it sucks that your cousin is letting herself be so uninformed. But not all premeds are like either of you, and it won't hurt you as bad as you think to get to know some of them. If your school has a pre-health organization, I think it'd be worth your while to check it out. They generally let you know about things like scholarships, volunteer and research opportunities, social gatherings, and other such useful things. And most of the students who stay in those organizations are serious.

"Surround yourself with what you want to be" and all that, right?

TL;DR: Being prepared and learning your options: Good. Badmouthing others and prejudging peers: Bad. You don't have to be 100% either way if you don't want to, but try to find a happy compromise.

(Also: keep in mind you're still a high schooler. A bright one with a great future, maybe, but a high schooler nonetheless. Wait until you've had experience with more than one premed before deciding the whole lot is off their communal rocker. Maybe they're keeping a special place on that rocker warm for you, with a basketful of opportunities they're just waiting to drop into your lap. )

 

[Cybii]

Alright, so I guess I'll start by giving a little background info...I am currently a high school senior due to graduate in June 2010, my high school GPA is currently a 3.7. I recently became interested in becoming a doctor after having a major knee surgery in August and my appendix removed in November, all the surgeries fascinated me, so I decided that I would like to become a doctor.

Next year I am planning on attending Western New England College and will be majoring in biomedical engineering and will be taking all the medical school prerequisites. So getting the required courses out of the way should be no problem for me since my major pretty much covers them all plus some extras such as biochemisty and a few anatomy classes.

The thing I am still unsure about is all the clinical experience and volunteering that medical schools like to see on your applications. When I turn 18 in March, my physical therapist is going to try to land me a job at the hospital he is affiliated with as a patient transport technician (basically push patients from their rooms to testing locations, OR, etc..). Would this count as clinical experience since I would be dealing with patients?

As for volunteer experience, what sort of thing should I be looking for? I am currently a Boy Scout and will become a volunteer Boy Scout Leader when I turn 18, but I figure that the medical schools will want some sort of hospital volunteering? Should I just volunteer a few hours a week while I am in college? Also, does physician shadowing count as volunteering or is that a separate category in itself? I am hoping that in a couple years (maybe sophomore year in college) that my orthopedic surgeon will allow me to shadow him and write me a LOR which would be good since he is an assistant professor at Umass Medical School.


Thanks in advance, I don't know if I'm worrying about all this stuff way too early but the whole medical school process seems very demanding and has a lot of requirements, so I figured I would try to get a game plan down early on before I enter my college years

I think this EC is great to have, too. Being a Boy Scout Leader will be great as an EC to demonstrate leadership skills. 🙂 And honestly, I don't think that you're "too early" to be thinking about everything- I wish I had this mindset when I graduated high school.

Another piece of advice: find one professor whose subject interests you and either 1.) see if he is doing research and see if you could do some directed study/research in his lab or 2.) ask good questions, go to office hours and let him get to know you well so he can write a good LOR in your behalf.

I wouldn't go into research until your sophomore/junior year in college, though. You'll have a greater scientific foundation to work off of.

Good luck! 🙂

 

[bigal40]

Are you an Eagle Scout? If not do you have time to do it before you turn 18? If you do, having Eagle Scout on an application looks very good.

Patient transport is good clinical experience - you get alot of interaction with patients and you see all different parts of the hospital. I volunteered as one, but it would have been nice to have been paid for it.

 

[derek320]

Are you an Eagle Scout? If not do you have time to do it before you turn 18? If you do, having Eagle Scout on an application looks very good.

Patient transport is good clinical experience - you get alot of interaction with patients and you see all different parts of the hospital. I volunteered as one, but it would have been nice to have been paid for it.

Yes I am an Eagle Scout, earned it when I was 14. I agree that its helpful, my current manager hired me because he was impressed by it, theres also a few scholarships that require you to be an Eagle, so hopefully being an Eagle can help me pay for college.

 

[Ativanigans]

"Patient transport technician" hahaha.

It counts, but barely. Hopefully you'll up the ante and have some other kind of clinical experience. Wheeling patients here and there is fine but it's really not that interesting and you're kind of a peripheral cog in the healthcare process. You should find something that lets you work closely with doctors and nurses, preferably as a medical assistant or something of that nature. That'll let you get a better idea of what doctors really do, since it definitely doesnt involve wheeling patients around (unless you're a MS3 scut monkey)

 

[ksmi117]

As this is a pre-college topic, I'm moving it to the hSDN forum.

 

[vin5cent0]

Unless you're incredibly bright, or have an amazing work ethic, I wouldn't recommend biomed engineering as your major. You won't get any brownie points from med schools, and your GPA will likely suffer as you'll have to take immensely difficult (for most people) classes.

 

[derek320]

Unless you're incredibly bright, or have an amazing work ethic, I wouldn't recommend biomed engineering as your major. You won't get any brownie points from med schools, and your GPA will likely suffer as you'll have to take immensely difficult (for most people) classes.

I'm already set on biomedical engineering, I find the major very interesting and if for some reason I decide not to become a doctor, biomedical engineering is still a very worthwhile field. As for the difficulty of the classes, I do very well in math and science classes at school, I currently have an A+ in Physics and a A+ in a college level Calculus class. I don't mind putting in the extra work during college to ensure I graduate with at least 3.6 GPA.

 

[coffeebythelake]

Unless you're incredibly bright, or have an amazing work ethic, I wouldn't recommend biomed engineering as your major. You won't get any brownie points from med schools, and your GPA will likely suffer as you'll have to take immensely difficult (for most people) classes.

👍 truth

 

[derek320]

For everyone stating that the biomedical engineering curriculum is going to be hard, I decided to post the recommended curriculum for Biomedical Engineering at Western New England College which is where I will most likely be attending.

http://assets.wnec.edu/88/2006_BME_course_listing__-_Premed.pdf

It does look challenging, but I think I will be able to handle it. Its a lot of math and science courses which is good, throughout high school I have enjoyed math and science whereas I am not a big fan of English classes and history classes. Math and science are the two subjects I have managed straight A's in throughout high school. Yeah I may not graduate with a 4.0 GPA from this program but I think I could pull a 3.6 or above, and you have to admit that with those courses I should be well prepared for the MCAT

 

[nohika]

For everyone stating that the biomedical engineering curriculum is going to be hard, I decided to post the recommended curriculum for Biomedical Engineering at Western New England College which is where I will most likely be attending.

http://assets.wnec.edu/88/2006_BME_course_listing__-_Premed.pdf

It does look challenging, but I think I will be able to handle it. Its a lot of math and science courses which is good, throughout high school I have enjoyed math and science whereas I am not a big fan of English classes and history classes. Math and science are the two subjects I have managed straight A's in throughout high school. Yeah I may not graduate with a 4.0 GPA from this program but I think I could pull a 3.6 or above, and you have to admit that with those courses I should be well prepared for the MCAT

Just figured I'd warn you, that for any major whatsoever you still have a list of "general education requirements" that you have to fill out that (sadly) tend to want two semesters of English and some history, typically, if not some humanities. So not only will you be juggling math, sciences, and pain-in-the-ass engineering classes, you /will/ get to play with English/History/Humanities.

Regardless, best of luck! 😍

 

[derek320]

I emailed the head of the biomedical engineering department at WNEC and she told me that their pre-med advisor would be able to set me up with shadowing and volunteer work. The pre-med advisor is also the faculty advisor for the pre-med club which I guess takes group trips to watch surgeries and get involved with volunteer events.

She also mentioned that during my undergraduate studies I should be involved with research of some sort and said that all of the professors in the biomedical department love having students get involved in research and that I should have no problem finding research that interests me.

I guess my school will be pretty helpful with making sure I have a good application for medical school.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Advisers are great and all, but I strongly suggest you keep the ball in your court as much as possible. Double check everything they tell you, and do plenty of your own research. When they set up those shadowing and volunteer experiences for you (which is unbelievably helpful), call to confirm everything is taken care of. If you don't like the opportunities you're handed, make some of your own. There are many, many applicants who have been burned by trusting their advisers. Don't fall into that trap. It sounds like your school will help you out a hell of a lot, but make sure you don't get complacent.

Having access to numerous diverse research opportunities is awesome, but don't count on doing too much interesting work for a little while. You'll probably be stuck washing glassware or doing other various forms of grunt work when you first start out. Persevere, and you'll be rewarded with some cool responsibilities. (Well, they'll be cool if you like what you're doing, at least 😛)

 

[FutureCTDoc]

I would recommend against WNEC unless you have a compelling reason to go. At 30,000 plus room and board it seems to be a poor buy. It's engineering department isn't what I would consider terribly high powered. If you have decent SATs contemplate top tier engineering schools including, Purdue, Penn State and other large state and private universities that are well known in those fields.

 

[derek320]

I chose WNEC because its about 5 minutes from my house meaning I don't need room & board and they are offering me a $13,000 scholarship per year. Their engineering department seems fine to me, they have a lot of internship opportunities and their curriculum for the biomedical engineering seems to be very strong.

I was also accepted at University of Hartford, but I didn't really like that school and I am awaiting an admission decision from Drexel University. Which school I go really depends on the scholarship money, I know that I'm not going to get financial need scholarships so I am trying to get merit aid. University off Hartford comes out to $25,000 per year after scholarships including room and board, WNEC comes out to $17,000 after scholarships and I would be able to live at home meaning I would be able to keep my current job. I'm hoping I will be accepted to Drexel and that they will give me some sort of scholarship.

As for grades, I have a 3.7 and got an 1800 on the SAT (670M, 550CR, 580W)

 

[bryantvo]

if I were you I'd go out and shadow a few people in the field ur interested in. volunteer at multiple hospitals on ur free time and go find a job related to ur field right now! i regret playing too much in high school and now im stuck with making sure I get all A's in college and doing all my extracurriular activities at the same time. Get rid of some Extracurricular activities during ur high school year to releive ur college time management. but hey good luck man

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

I'm already set on biomedical engineering, I find the major very interesting and if for some reason I decide not to become a doctor, biomedical engineering is still a very worthwhile field. As for the difficulty of the classes, I do very well in math and science classes at school, I currently have an A+ in Physics and a A+ in a college level Calculus class. I don't mind putting in the extra work during college to ensure I graduate with at least 3.6 GPA.

be warned BME is hard, on top of your pre-reqs keeping a decent GPA can be tough...not impossible....but very difficult.....I actually was in your shoes I loved BME but once college started I switched majors because it took way to much time.....either way good luck!

 

[derek320]

if I were you I'd go out and shadow a few people in the field ur interested in. volunteer at multiple hospitals on ur free time and go find a job related to ur field right now! i regret playing too much in high school and now im stuck with making sure I get all A's in college and doing all my extracurriular activities at the same time. Get rid of some Extracurricular activities during ur high school year to releive ur college time management. but hey good luck man

Don't medical schools only care about what you are doing during college? And I am currently trying to get a job at a hospital, I actually have to call someone there later today to set up an interview.

be warned BME is hard, on top of your pre-reqs keeping a decent GPA can be tough...not impossible....but very difficult.....I actually was in your shoes I loved BME but once college started I switched majors because it took way to much time.....either way good luck!

I know it will be hard, but BME looks very interesting and fun, so I'm actually looking forward to it. And if something happens that results in me not wanting to go to medical school I will have a very useful degree in a field with plenty of job openings. Most of the pre-reqs are already in the curriculum, so I would have to take them anyways. I think the hardest part of it will be trying to get in some ECs while taking a big courseload.

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

I know it will be hard, but BME looks very interesting and fun, so I'm actually looking forward to it. And if something happens that results in me not wanting to go to medical school I will have a very useful degree in a field with plenty of job openings. Most of the pre-reqs are already in the curriculum, so I would have to take them anyways. I think the hardest part of it will be trying to get in some ECs while taking a big courseload.

if you're determined that's great, just keep your options open. College will teach you time management so don't worry there will be time for EC's...nobody does work every waking second of the day, it's impossible.

 

[derek320]

Now I am in the dilemma of picking which undergraduate school to go to. I was accepted to Drexel University, University of Hartford, and Western New England College (only schools I applied to). I don't want to go to University of Hartford because I didn't really care for the professors at the open house (all they talked about was some green-engineering grant they received, not 1 mention of biomedical engineering).

So now its down to either WNEC or Drexel. Obviously Drexel is the better of the two schools considering its a large university with a well established engineering department and its own medical school whereas WNEC is a small liberal arts college that is more focused on their law school. However, I can go to WNEC for 17K per year whereas Drexel is going to cost 36K per year (unless I receive some sort of financial need aid, I just filed my FAFSA). So obviously WNEC is a better plan financially since I could live at home and work while at school.

The other thing I like about Drexel is that they have the 6-month Co-Op in your junior year which looks good on both a medical school application or a job application if I choose not to go to medical school. The co op is in the fall-winter terms or the spring-summer terms of your junior year. So as long as I would be able to study for and take the MCAT while doing to Co op there should not be a problem with applying to medical school during at the end of my junior year.

So basically I have until May 1 to decide which school I want to go to. I am going to visit Drexel over my February break for a few days and see how I like it in Philly and WNEC is supposed to be setting up a day for me to shadow a senior engineering student throughout labs, so I will end up doing that.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I'd go with the money, but I'm not sure I'd work during school unless absolutely necessary. If you do feel compelled to work, try to get a job that you can count towards your clinical experience.

 

[derek320]

I'd go with the money, but I'm not sure I'd work during school unless absolutely necessary. If you do feel compelled to work, try to get a job that you can count towards your clinical experience.

I pretty much have to work throughout college to try to lower the amount of loans I need to take out. I plan on trying to get a job that will count for something. If I go to WNEC I plan on working at my local hospital throughout school which should get me some clinical experience. If I go to Drexel, they have work-studies where you can work in any of the labs, so that would count as research experience.

 

[schrizto]

Drexel's a decent college but IMO I wouldn't pay 36k a year for it. Also, you don't need to be a work-study student to get research experience.

I don't know anything about WNEC so I can't comment on that.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I pretty much have to work throughout college to try to lower the amount of loans I need to take out.

This is an awful plan. Absolutely horrible. I can't emphasize that enough. Needlessly forcing yourself into financial stress is not smart at all. Take out the loans, and focus on your studies. Have a life. Enjoy yourself. Don't make yourself work when you can take out plenty of loans to make yourself comfortable. If you just want to work, fine, but you most certainly do not have to. If it's the debt you're allergic to, for whatever reason, you're heading towards the worst profession possible.

edit: To clarify, I'm saying that you should take out the max for your loans and then pay them off with work if you're determined to get a job instead of taking out a minimal loan and working to supplement it. I still recommend strongly against working solely to minimize your debt, however.

 

[derek320]

Milkman
I plan on taking out a loan that will cover the entire schooling and then using the job to fund my extra stuff such as movies, video games, eating out and stuff like that. I would rather not take out a loan to cover personal expenses.

Also, I enjoy working, it takes my mind off school and you can make some pretty good connections while working.

schrizto

I will not be attending Drexel if it ends up costing 36k per year, I am hoping that they will give me some more scholarships/grants after receiving my FAFSA. Plus I applied for a bunch of external scholarships, so hopefully I get one of those.
By going to Drexel I would also be saving approximately 2K per year in car expenses which is another thing I am considering. There is also the 6 month co op in the junior year in which biomedical engineers have an average salary of 16K-17K.

Also, I know you don't have to be a work-study student to get research, I was just stating that I had the option to get paid to do research.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I plan on taking out a loan that will cover the entire schooling and then using the job to fund my extra stuff such as movies, video games, eating out and stuff like that. I would rather not take out a loan to cover personal expenses.

Yep, that's exactly what I was saying is a bad idea. You may not like taking the extra loan money out, but 1) get used to it, 2) it's the smart thing to do, and 3) it will spare you tons of financial stress. Again, if you're worried about debt - especially an amount as small as what your yearly college personal expenses will be - medicine is going to throw you for a loop. The extra few grand you'll take out over 4 years means absolutely nothing compared to how much stress you'll save yourself during those years. Take out the debt, and pay it off as you go.

College requires quite a lot more time than high school if you're looking to do well. Enjoying work isn't something I'd count on. Like I said earlier, if you're going to work, make it something that'll do double duty for you.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

Yep, that's exactly what I was saying is a bad idea. You may not like taking the extra loan money out, but 1) get used to it, 2) it's the smart thing to do, and 3) it will spare you tons of financial stress. Again, if you're worried about debt - especially an amount as small as what your yearly college personal expenses will be - medicine is going to throw you for a loop. The extra few grand you'll take out over 4 years means absolutely nothing compared to how much stress you'll save yourself during those years. Take out the debt, and pay it off as you go.

College requires quite a lot more time than high school if you're looking to do well. Enjoying work isn't something I'd count on. Like I said earlier, if you're going to work, make it something that'll do double duty for you.

I have to respectfully disagree with the Milkman on this one. I worked throughout UG while maintaining good grades and a social life while avoiding excessive loans. If you end up not going to medical school or take a year off to work/apply/whatever, you're going to end up having to pay on those loans for a while, and you might regret the thousands extra you took out to cover frivolous stuff.

What I would say, however, is that he's right in that college is a lot more demanding for most students than high school...especially pre meds. So I definitely wouldn't plan on working very much and definitely not from the start of school. Give yourself a chance to adjust to the workload and make sure you're getting the stellar grades you're going to need to compete for medical school in a few years. Thus you're going to need to be frugal. Get used to it.

Also, jobs that involve lots of downtime like working in the library/student affairs/etc. are very conducive to studying, so these will be the least taxing on your grades while still helping to cushion your wallet. Jackpot!

 

[derek320]

okay, I get what you are saying. I should take out a loan that covers both school and my extra expenses and then if I end up getting a job I can pay back part of the debt if I have extra money.

That makes sense, its less stress and I won't require a job. A job is just something I can do if I happen to have more free time one term and I can try to get a job that counts for clinical/research for medical school.


I am also considering doing the 5 year program at Drexel instead of the 4 year. With the 5 year, the tuition comes out lower and you get to do 3 co ops, so you only go to school 1/2 a year for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years. The other half of those years is spent doing a 6 month co op. I realize this would delay medical school by a year, but since I am not sure that I will go to medical school this program would be very beneficial to me if I get a job after college, and if I do go to med school I may be going a year later but with 3 co ops in biomedical engineering I would probably have a pretty strong application.

I figured out all the costs and to go to Drexel for 5 years would end up costing $29K less than going for 4 years and is a better experience. I think this is my major draw to this school.

 

[MilkmanAl]

If you end up not going to medical school or take a year off to work/apply/whatever, you're going to end up having to pay on those loans for a while, and you might regret the thousands extra you took out to cover frivolous stuff.

Eh, med school or not, I'd much, much, much rather have an extra $10k (or even $20k) worth of debt to pay on than be required to work for everything above tuition. That route makes zero sense to me. Being stress-free financially and able to enjoy yourself at will for 4 years is worth far more money than that. I also worked a *little* bit through college, but it was because I wanted to, not because I need money to pay rent or go out to eat or whatever.

And yes, derek, that's what I was saying. Out of curiosity, how does that 5-year program work? It sounds like a sweet deal, but how do 5 years of school come out to costing less than 4? Does it include a work study or internship or something? Either way, it sounds like a deal.

 

[derek320]

And yes, derek, that's what I was saying. Out of curiosity, how does that 5-year program work? It sounds like a sweet deal, but how do 5 years of school come out to costing less than 4? Does it include a work study or internship or something? Either way, it sounds like a deal.

The 4 year program runs at 51K per year total which comes out to 204K total. Subtract my 14K per year scholarship and the 15K I will make during the co op and you have 133K remaining.

With the 5 year program you pay 44K total for 5 years which comes out to 220K total. Subtract my 14K per year scholarship and the 3 co ops that make 15K each (45K total) and you get 105K remaining.

Thats a difference of 28K in the total pricing...plus you get a much better experience with the 5 year program.

Heres a website on how the co op program works and how the scheduling works. It looks like a pretty good program....http://www.drexel.edu/em/undergrad/coop/coop-options.aspx

 

[derek320]

I ended up deciding to go with Drexel and do the 5 year program. I visited the school yesterday and really liked it. The campus was pretty nice and Philadelphia seems like a cool city to live in.

I talked to an admissions counselor and they said they offer a summer research program for the summer after your freshman year in which they pay for your room & board and pay you $10 per hour to do research in your major along with professors and graduate students. With that research program along with the 3 six month co ops I do it seems as though I will be able to have a pretty good resume whether I go to medical school or not. Along with that, they require community service as a graduation requirement, so it seems that any volunteer work I do will be for both my college requirements and a good EC for a medical school app.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Let me tell you right now. Biomedical engineering is something you shouldn't want to major in because of its sheer work load. Its better to major in something easier which allows you more mcat prep time junior year and a nice senior year.

 

[derek320]

Let me tell you right now. Biomedical engineering is something you shouldn't want to major in because of its sheer work load. Its better to major in something easier which allows you more mcat prep time junior year and a nice senior year.

The thing is that I am not entirely sure that I want to be a doctor, I want a degree that will provide me with a job I like if I decide not to go to medical school and I find biomedical engineering interesting. I realize that biomedical engineering is hard, and am willing to put in the work. I'm majoring in this because it is what I want to do, I am not going to major in some easy major just because it will make getting a better GPA easier and a smaller course load, to me that seems lazy.