How to fix the premed curriculum (and thus premeds!)

[ocddoc]

A friend of mine just shared this article with me:

http://puffin.creighton.edu/clc/Student_page/Medusa%20and%20the%20Snail.doc


Although this article was written in 1979, and I don't agree with all of the author's recommendations, I think his points are well made. I certainly resonate with his description of the typical premed student:

"They concentrate on science with a fury, and they live for grades. If there are courses in the humanities that can be taken without risk to class standing they will line up for these, but they will not get into anything tough except science. . .The atmosphere of the liberal-arts college is being poisoned by premedical students. It is not the fault of the stuidents, who do not start out as a necessarily bad lot. They behave as they do in the firm belief that if they behave any otherwise they won't get into medical school."

The level of anxiety in many recent posts on SDN, and my own anxiety, causes me to wonder how to avoid becoming part of the "poison" Thomas associates with premeds. What seems to be helping me is to imagine myself five years from now. How do I want to remember this waiting period? How did I use my time? What did I learn about?

I'm interested to know what's been helpful for others. Also, is anyone aware of any schools that are revising their admissions criteria to integrate more humanities and to decrease the science prereqs?

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[TimeResonance]

The highest grade translates to the least mistakes given a certain requirement. Medical schools screen for people who do not make a lot of mistakes. They do not care how smart you are or if you can write a good story. They have a job they want someone to do without making mistakes. Mistakes kill people and get other people sued. It is that simple. High grades and mcats will always be a requirement. Also, science courses are far less subjective and better help to provide a universal screen.

 

[yellowpwr]

The Science Prereqs are not demanding by any standards.

1 year bio with lab
1 year gen chem with lab
1 year orgo
1 year physics
1 year math

Med School set this requirements to pick out the students who can do well in the medical school curriculum.

These are all basic level stuff. Medical school do not want to admit someone who is inept at Biology and Chemistry or else they will be screwed by Physiology and Biochemistry etc. in medical school.

Medical Schools want the student to be great at studying and getting high grades because everything is accelerated and crammed into your head. If you cannot absorb and master the material quickly then your screwed.

High Grades promote attention to detail and less mistakes which is of absolute importance. Does anyone want their doctor to be careless and sloppy all the time?

If Medical Schools didn't pay attention to grades, then the admissions criteria is ECs and MCATs. Wow talk about stressing about one exam.

 

[PreMedMommy]

One thing that startles me the most about it is that he puts much strength in the argument that college faculty recommendation should be the primary concern. Could you imagine what that would do for "pre-med" students and the amount of sucking up that would be increased? Not to mention severe bias. I have run across people who wouldn't support me in what I wanted to do because it wasn't what they wanted me to do. Gunning would increase, and it would become more cutthroat. The selection process as it stands now allows only so much influence from other people over your abilities. The article (in my humble opinion) smelled of bitterness. Pre-meds are encouraged to select the major that interests them most. It just so happens that people who are interested in medicine, are also interested in science. So what is so wrong with learning a discipline that is exciting and stimulating to them?[/SOAPBOX]