How do you honestly know if you are smart enough for med school?

[Excelsius]

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While we're arguing about who has the higher IQ... I just want to throw in that my big brother could beat up anybody else in this thread's big brother.

Since you're talking about IQ: Does this thread have a big brother?

 

[Depakote]

Since you're talking about IQ: Does this thread have a big brother?

 

[majahops]

Good luck on step 1 dep!

 

[Depakote]

Good luck on step 1 dep!

thanks. 😀

 

[futureboy]

come to college and you'll realize that smartness doesn't really get anyone anywhere. it's the people who work hard that get what they want. it seems to me that you truly want this, and if you do, then put your best into it. intelligence won't matter... and for what it's worth, i'm only three years out of high school and i can't remember my SAT score for the life in me. no one in the world cares about my hsGPA either!

OP, once you get to college, no one cares how you did in high school. You will barely remember high school 20 years from now. Just be prepared to go from being toward the top of your high school class (grades, intelligence) to being only average in college. Don't let it discourage you. Keep working hard, and get involved in campus activities (but don't overdo the activities--I learned this the hard way).

Good luck.

 

[witness23]

you will be fine. you are putting medicine on too high of a pedestal here.



how do you know that this is what you want to do? just curious

 

[batman1983]

I just want it to be clear that it would be very false and condescending to say that most people who don't get in just didn't try hard enough. I had a friend in undergrad who really busted his ass in all of his courses and in studying for the MCAT. It was amazing to me how much devotion this guy had to going to med school. He was also obviously not very intelligent (but I am NOT saying that as a negative, he is who he is). He ended up with around a 2.8 GPA and a 13 MCAT his first try and a 14 his second try. He even took a Kaplan course before taking his first MCAT and studied for months. I would just hate to think that someone would incorrectly assume he didn't put his all into trying to reach his dream of med school.

I agree with DrSno that it is very condensing to categorizes premeds that dont get into med school like that. While the majority that dont get in are probably due to poor grades, there are also many premeds with strong grades that dont get in due to the very subjective admissions process for medical school. Sometimes, it seems like an applicant's state of residency, race, and etc, can matter more than their qualifications to be a physician. ****, it took me 3 times just to get in and I have pretty strong grades(3.6/34 MCAT the first two times and 3.6/38MCAT the third time).

At the same time though, while there are many unsuccessful premed applicants that put in the effort, many applications just lack the "intelligence" to get into medical school. Usually, its the MCAT that weeds these applicants out since it is more of a logic based exam as compared to the route memorization that characterizes most premed programs. I think that’s whats unfortunate about the premed route. You spend at least 2yrs just to take those premed classes, and can do well by putting the effort into memorizing useless facts, but then have it go down the drain if you don’t have the logic based skills to do well on the MCAT.

 

[yokopon]

Trust me, you dont have to be that smart to get into medical school. You just have to be a hard worker, good at memorizing useless info, and be able to hype yourself up so much that people will think you are the next Mother Theresa.

PS. It doesnt hurt to go volunteer in Africa for a couple days, doing some BS task like moving boxes, and then telling schools that you are a humanitarian and want to do global health.

-moving boxes part got me

 

[silas2642]

You know you are smart enough for med school when they accept you. They will not accept you if you can't do the work.

Look, people think that physicians are these geniuses. But the fact of the matter is that physicians have an average IQ of like 116 (or 119, I can't remember because I'm not that smart)-- so it's not out of the ballpark high.

 

[Narmerguy]

Can we quit equating IQ score to intelligence? I'm not saying I disagree with what you're trying to assert but I just don't like the manner you've gone about doing it. The IQ is a silly test that does not calculate intelligence.

 

[IndianVercetti]

I feel that people are missing the essence of the issue here. It really isn't a matter of whether one is empirically "intelligent" enough to be a doctor or not. The fact of the matter is that right now, all of us, as pre-medical students are not aware if we are innately 'intelligent' or 'not intelligent' enough to become doctors. But I don't think it's a stretch to assume that all of us are gaining a sense of satisfaction in our pursuit for that goal.

That being said, I was only suggesting that we try to dispel this notion that 'intelligence' is somehow how a prerequisite in this pursuit. Whether or not that is the case, is it really doing anyone justice by trying to figure this out? Let everyone in this world, if they want to pursue the journey in becoming a doctor, have the opportunity to do so, without critics claiming they have no shot, due to their IQ..

I would even liken this issue to the question of, 'If it was possible, would you want to prove the presence of a God?' I feel it's pointless to try to determine an answer to such a question, since whether or not a higher being truly exists, religion provides hope and peace to so many people.

 

[andrewnwi]

If you get/got in.

 

[Forbes]

I really don't know if I am smart enough for it. I just graduated high school with a 3.86 GPA, had a 2060 on the SAT, and wasn't even top 10 in my class :/

I think if you have the desire, you will make it without any problems. I graduated high school with a 2.7 and an equivalent standardized college entrance exam score score (ACT - 31). I was ranked 383rd out of 600 something students. But now I am doing far above average at my university.

College is what matters, when you get there you will see that high school does not matter anymore - unless it stopped you from getting into college. Even then, CC can bring up your GPA and then you can go to a four year institution.

Everyone has doubts, don't let them destroy you before you can even get a sense of how competitive you are.

it took me 3 times just to get in and I have pretty strong grades(3.6/34 MCAT the first two times and 3.6/38MCAT the third time).

Do you know why it took you three times to get accepted? If you don't mind answering, you had above average stats......

 

[xsteven]

Mahnster, I have the same doubts you do. I performed quite well in high school, attained a high enough GPA for magna cum laude/ranked top 5%.. an ACT to SAT conversion of about 2100, etc. I often wonder why I even want to pursue medicine at all. In the back of my mind--I'm sure yours, too--a voice is saying that medicine is what I was born to do. Listen to it. Play the game, as someone stated earlier. This forum has an overwhelming amount of information you'll need.

 

[apumic]

Well, the average MD has an IQ of about m=~121 (Q1-Q3 is ~112-128) according to http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2007-08/iq-range-occupations.jpg
...So go take one of those free IQ tests online and do it w/ as close as to standardized conditions as possible and adjust your score downward by about 10 points to make up for the terrible accuracy of those exams.
Of course, in reality, these tests don't really have much validity, but oh well... It was a nice idea.

 

[batman1983]

Do you know why it took you three times to get accepted? If you don't mind answering, you had above average stats......

Still wish I knew. My 2009 application is essentially the same as before, but with a the higher MCAT score. Yet, this time, I got interviews and acceptances at several top 25 schools. So, it must have to do something with the stats. As for the reasons this is, I dont know.
I felt that my difficulties with the admission process stemmed from not knowing "how to play the game", which sadly, can make all the difference. Unfortunately, the process has a very subjective component. As for weaknesses in my app, these are the ones that I can think of based my interview experiences at some med schools.

1)being a reapplicant and submitting my apps "relatively" later in the process
2)lack of academia based research(instead, I volunteered and worked alot)
3)Having an educational and professional background that was atypical of most premeds and apparently looked down by many medical schools(ie, dual major in business and biology, as well as working a couple years as a investment banking analyst and bond trader).
4)CA residency
5)being an overrepresented minority

 

[Sharka]

you see there is an overlap in IQ when comparing the smartest janitors to dumbest MDs. moral of the story: some janitors also have the capacity to become doctors (sort of reminds me of goodwill hunting).

 

[slick27]

There are smart and dumb people in every proffession. Have you ever worked with foremans before? They are some of the smartest people I have met, maybe not as in student smarts. But, they can work wonders with their hands.

 

[Narmerguy]

That being said, I was only suggesting that we try to dispel this notion that 'intelligence' is somehow how a prerequisite in this pursuit. Whether or not that is the case, is it really doing anyone justice by trying to figure this out? Let everyone in this world, if they want to pursue the journey in becoming a doctor, have the opportunity to do so, without critics claiming they have no shot, due to their IQ..

Firstly, IQ and intelligence are different. Second, why would you encourage someone to do something that will only result in failure? Because the journey is more valuable than the goal? The lessons they'll learn and the experience they'll glean? Is this worth the price of shattered dreams, years wasted and vast amounts of money spent? You can learn as many lessons and enjoy an even better journey along a challenging path that will ultimately lead to your goal. If intelligence is something that would keep some people from becoming doctors I believe we should identify it and offer guidance towards something equally challenging but actually attainable. Medicine isn't all there is in this world, it won't be the end of it if someone doesn't become a doctor.

 

[Forbes]

Still wish I knew. My 2009 application is essentially the same as before, but with a the higher MCAT score. Yet, this time, I got interviews and acceptances at several top 25 schools. So, it must have to do something with the stats. As for the reasons this is, I dont know.
I felt that my difficulties with the admission process stemmed from not knowing "how to play the game", which sadly, can make all the difference. Unfortunately, the process has a very subjective component. As for weaknesses in my app, these are the ones that I can think of based my interview experiences at some med schools.

1)being a reapplicant and submitting my apps "relatively" later in the process
2)lack of academia based research(instead, I volunteered and worked alot)
3)Having an educational and professional background that was atypical of most premeds and apparently looked down by many medical schools(ie, dual major in business and biology, as well as working a couple years as a investment banking analyst and bond trader).
4)CA residency
5)being an overrepresented minority

What do you mean by playing the game? Lack of Clinical experience/Research was it? However, it is impressive to see someone go through the cycle three times - that shows perseverance and passion which is lacking in many of my "future colleagues". Congratulations!