Is “pre-med" easy compared to what you do in medical school?

[grindtime1]

Some of my med student friends are telling me that undergrad pre-med is nothing compared to medical school. Is this true?

I don't think pre-med is overwhelmingly difficult or anything, but I heard someone say that organic chemistry (regarded as the hardest pre-med class) is a joke compared to medical school subjects. What do you say?

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[PremedIowa]

Not even close.

 

[txprodigal]

Some of my med student friends are telling me that undergrad pre-med is nothing compared to medical school. Is this true?

I don't think pre-med is overwhelmingly difficult or anything, but I heard someone say that organic chemistry (regarded as the hardest pre-med class) is a joke compared to medical school subjects. What do you say?

i say just try and deal with that mess when the time comes ... someone else's thoughts can't give you firsthand experience.

do your very best now and worry about the next challenge when you really have to

 

[Ignition]

I personally think ceramics is harder than organic chemistry because I suck at ceramics.

I've heard the volume of material is significantly greater in med school, but the difficulty of the actual material (in terms of abstract concepts) is the same as, or more easy than, some undergrad classes (like quantum).

 

[grindtime1]

Not even close.

Meaning medical school isn't that much harder than what you did as a pre-med?

Or the other way around?

 

[PremedIowa]

The med school material (at least so far), is quite a bit more complex and there is more of it than undergrad. On the upside, everyone does well here and no one really fails.

 

[Compass]

In the future, please do not use special fonts except to highlight important information. For some reason, FireFox enjoys making my fonts blurry and impossible to read.

I'd also like to point out that education is subjective. Teaching a 6th grader college-level physics wouldn't work out very well. Education gets harder as we move up. Of course it's going to be harder, but it's from the perspective of the viewer.

 

[Stratego]

Going to med school is the equivalent of taking 21 semester hours at one time in undergrad. The volume of material to learn is much greater, but the difficulty of the material is not different from what you're used to.

 

[iMD]

difficulty is about the same but good god the amount of material is nothing youve done before (unless youve taken 24 hour semesters). it's like studying for an exam in undergrad but, instead, it's EVERYDAY. not just few days or a week before a test, it's everyday.

 

[Stratego]

it's like studying for an exam in undergrad but, instead, it's EVERYDAY. not just few days or a week before a test, it's everyday.

. . . for two years.

 

[Van Chowder]

Think about it like this.
Lets look at two different kinds of nachos.
The cheap ones with the fake cheese
or, the real ones with the real cheese melted ( microwave anyone)

That my friend.. is medical school.

 

[GoSpursGo]

The volume of material is so huge, it feels much worse. It's not that there's anything hard, it's just you have to commit so much more time to studying to stay on top of things.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Going to med school is the equivalent of taking 21 semester hours at one time in undergrad. The volume of material to learn is much greater, but the difficulty of the material is not different from what you're used to.

I disagree with this statement, actually. Ours was more like 34 hours - at least that's what we were credited with - and the difficulty of the material is considerably higher. In college, you're usually only responsible for central concepts with a few minor details thrown in. In med school, you have to know all of the nitty-gritty minutiae. It's loads of fun, really.

edit: The difficulty change isn't anywhere near the volume difference, though. It's like a 25% increase vs. a 200% increase.

 

[iMD]

well i just looked up how many hours my class is getting credited for this semester. 38.5 hours. that's pretty killer.

 

[physicsnerd42]

Credit hours mean nothing. I actually have no idea how many credit hours each term in med school was and it wouldn't affect the difficulty if I did. You also can't really compare credit hours across schools very easily (or between departments within the same school).

That being said, yes, med school is more challenging than pre-med. None of the concepts in med school are difficult to grasp, but there is a heck of a lot more material to learn than in undergrad. So, med school (at least the first two years) isn't necessarily more intellectually challenging than undergrad but it certainly is MUCH more time consuming.

Think about this way, though: when you were in middle school, you thought high school would be more challenging. It was and you adapted. When you were in high school, you thought college would be more challenging. It was and you adapted. Med school's the next step up. It's more challenging than undergrad but you will adapt.

 

[schrizto]

Thinking about learning all that information makes me excited.

 

[iMD]

Credit hours mean nothing. I actually have no idea how many credit hours each term in med school was and it wouldn't affect the difficulty if I did. You also can't really compare credit hours across schools very easily (or between departments within the same school).

yeah i have no idea what credit hours mean either in medical school. they just tell me what i need to know and i try to get it done.

Thinking about learning all that information makes me excited.

if you are genuinely excited, i dont like you. if that's sarcasm, let's grab a beer. 😀

 

[physicsnerd42]

if you are genuinely excited, i dont like you. if that's sarcasm, let's grab a beer. 😀

Word. It's one thing to find medicine interesting. It's another thing to look forward to trying to grab a proverbial drink from the equally proverbial fire hydrant that is medical education.

 

[muhali3]

You adapt to the situation as you go on. It's harder in terms of the quantity of information, but the approach to studying is the same. It's like asking if 12th grade is harder than 7th grade.

edit: weird that someone almost said the same thing even though I just read the first post.

 

[schrizto]

if you are genuinely excited, i dont like you. if that's sarcasm, let's grab a beer. 😀

lol it's a lot of information to absorb. kind of scary, really. but once you have it, you'd feel powerful.

 

[schrizto]

I remember in high school when I volunteered in the pain management department at a teaching hospital they gave me huge, thick packets of textbook material to read that were usually given to the anesthesiology residents to study. I was like 😱! They were probably a good half an inch thick each, double sided, and printed to the edge with information and diagrams. So I'd imagine the studying doesn't end with rotations...

 

[Web MD]

My fellow pre-meds are the reason I drink...

 

[alexfoleyc]

Some of my med student friends are telling me that undergrad pre-med is nothing compared to medical school. Is this true?

I don't think pre-med is overwhelmingly difficult or anything, but I heard someone say that organic chemistry (regarded as the hardest pre-med class) is a joke compared to medical school subjects. What do you say?

Completely true. I was looking over some of my med student friends' books and they made premed classes look like a joke.

 

[whoknows2012]

As some people have said...conceptually med school is not difficult (that is as long as you have a good science background) but the volume of material is like nothing you have ever seen before. Just be prepared to study 3 hrs give or take everyday (will vary among students) and you should be fine (that is until a couple days before a test and those study hrs should be doubled)

 

[VoiceofReason]

the preclinical years are not much harder than 21 semester hours in a rigorous science program, i would agree with that statement.



any med student who inflates the task much more than that is just trying to impress people.

 

[BennieBlanco]

It's like taking 41.5 semester units in undergrad except every course is a physics course. Which could be doable except every week is finals week, which doesn't sound too daunting until you realize that the tests aren't like finals they are more like MCATs which wouldn't be that bad except that theses MCATs are in Thai.

And you don't speak Thai.

 

[reddyjs]

The material isn't really that difficult as long as you have a good understanding of cell bio and some basic anatomy beforehand. But it's a boatload and you'll be studying at least 2-3 hours everyday. Anatomy is considered one of the more intensive courses and thankfully, you get that over with first.

 

[VoiceofReason]

and this idea that med school is less "conceptual" is bizarre. human physiology is perhaps the most challenging concept of all whether it is broken into systems or integrated. There are plenty of challenging concepts, for example I have a very hard time visualizing countercurrent multiplication as a dynamic process and can only really understand it when it is explained step-wise.

 

[MossPoh]

I didn't think the premed classes were really that bad. What made premed suck was all the other crap you felt like you had to do on top of it to stand a shot at getting in. Organic chemistry? Tricky but not impossible, but throw in volunteering, work, clubs, shadowing, etc. at the same time made it difficult. I like med school because, while there is a lot of material, I'm in. I do a few interest groups and other activities but they are out of legit interest instead of resume building. Whenever I am totally exhausted from studying I just have to look out a window and see the guys roofing, pouring concrete, or any other miserable job in the Florida heat.

 

[whoknows2012]

physio is the only course that is conceptually difficult (for most)...however...for most it can be more interesting/fun because you get to understand processes as opposed to just memorizing and naming structures

 

[CoolWhipp]

From what I have heard...

The material isn't more difficult most of the time. It's the sheer amount of information as well as the pressure to do well on the step 1.

 

[armybound]

I disagree with this statement, actually. Ours was more like 34 hours - at least that's what we were credited with - and the difficulty of the material is considerably higher. In college, you're usually only responsible for central concepts with a few minor details thrown in. In med school, you have to know all of the nitty-gritty minutiae. It's loads of fun, really.

edit: The difficulty change isn't anywhere near the volume difference, though. It's like a 25% increase vs. a 200% increase.

our school says the material is equivalent to a semester's worth per block - and there are 4 blocks per semester.

there's definitely a lot of material, and it comes fast. undergrad is a joke.

 

[Disinence2]

Med school >>>>> Pre-med

I had no idea how easy I had it back then. The first 2 years of med school weren't so bad. Lots of material so you get better at studying.

3rd year so far has been an entirely different game. Working 60-80 hours every week, while still studying for your shelf exams, doing a little research, and trying to fit in a little community service. Time management skills take on a new meaning.

Time to do some laundry between my lunch break and my next required lecture....

 

[45408]

lol it's a lot of information to absorb. kind of scary, really. but once you have it, you'd feel powerful.

No, you won't. It would be nice though.

 

[ronaldo23]

Med school >>>>> Pre-med

I had no idea how easy I had it back then. The first 2 years of med school weren't so bad. Lots of material so you get better at studying.

3rd year so far has been an entirely different game. Working 60-80 hours every week, while still studying for your shelf exams, doing a little research, and trying to fit in a little community service. Time management skills take on a new meaning.

Time to do some laundry between my lunch break and my next required lecture....

From what I here, every step along the way from pre-med to being attending feels like this. It will be harder at every step, but each step you look back at the previous years and think "man, I really didn't have it so bad then. I don't know why I was complaining." But this should not be that overwhelming, because once you get into medical school, it is a system that works and graduates 95% of its students...

 

[Disinence2]

From what I here, every step along the way from pre-med to being attending feels like this. It will be harder at every step, but each step you look back at the previous years and think "man, I really didn't have it so bad then. I don't know why I was complaining." But this should not be that overwhelming, because once you get into medical school, it is a system that works and graduates 95% of its students...

I totally agree.

 

[DoctorDeMan]

It is hard but it isn't that stressful when you go to a collaborative school that is straight-up pass/fail. I wouldn't want to do the whole curved thing (top 10% honors, next 15% high pass, and so on)...

Oh and one class at a time for six weeks (@ Mayo) is intense but bearable. You eat, sleep and drink anatomy for six weeks and then you're done.

Nothing is conceptually difficult unless you aren't paying attention and miss a major point, like I do constantly...

 

[supergumbo]

As previously stated, it's only the volume of work that makes med school so tough to deal with so far. As a course, I actually think Orgo was harder than anything I've done in med school. Then again, I spent nowhere near the time and intensity of studying in undergrad as I am in med school. In undergrad, studying was put in the backseat for relaxing, partying, and enjoying freedom. In med school, studying is life.

 

[armybound]

It is hard but it isn't that stressful when you go to a collaborative school that is straight-up pass/fail. I wouldn't want to do the whole curved thing (top 10% honors, next 15% high pass, and so on)...

Oh and one class at a time for six weeks (@ Mayo) is intense but bearable. You eat, sleep and drink anatomy for six weeks and then you're done.

Nothing is conceptually difficult unless you aren't paying attention and miss a major point, like I do constantly...

I have no idea how you could actually retain anatomy for any period of time if you cram it into a 6-week period.

 

[MilkmanAl]

No joke. I retained pretty much none of it despite having it spread over a whole year and integrated with everything else.

 

[Jolt21]

I personally think ceramics is harder than organic chemistry because I suck at ceramics.

i don't know why i find this so funny.

 

[tdittyx2x3]

I've had exactly 8 days of medical school. We've covered the spine, the entire back, shoulder, arm, elbow, forearm, hand, hip, thigh, and knee.. plus we've dissected down to the ankle. Bones, ligaments, muscles, arteries, veins, and innervations for each part.. and in many cases the names of parts of those parts.

Realistically, I would say its about three times my undergraduate schedule. 15 hours of studying per week changed to about 45 hours. College was a dream life far, far away from reality.. this is just more like a job.

 

[TopSecret]

Some of my med student friends are telling me that undergrad pre-med is nothing compared to medical school. Is this true?

I don't think pre-med is overwhelmingly difficult or anything, but I heard someone say that organic chemistry (regarded as the hardest pre-med class) is a joke compared to medical school subjects. What do you say?

It depends on your undergrad experience. Some people went to really easy schools with a lot of grade inflation.

 

[dingyibvs]

It's like taking 41.5 semester units in undergrad except every course is a physics course. Which could be doable except every week is finals week, which doesn't sound too daunting until you realize that the tests aren't like finals they are more like MCATs which wouldn't be that bad except that theses MCATs are in Thai.

And you don't speak Thai.

awesome lol!

 

[dingyibvs]

This is a bit off topic, but if the volume of information is by far the hardest, then why can't they just make med school's first two years an undergraduate major? Maybe a 4.5 year major like many Engineering ones? It would save just about all aspiring doctors a LOT of money and 2 years of time.

 

[DaTruMD]

not even close.

holy mcat score and gpa!!!

 

[MossPoh]

This is a bit off topic, but if the volume of information is by far the hardest, then why can't they just make med school's first two years an undergraduate major? Maybe a 4.5 year major like many Engineering ones? It would save just about all aspiring doctors a LOT of money and 2 years of time.

Not really. You also run into a ton of other issues. Even the euro style is 6 years long. They just do all the standard prereqs and some extra stuff in the first two years.

PS, I'm actually spending less on med school than I am on undergrad. My undergrad was about 30k a year when I graduated. My medical education is around 19k a year.

 

[littlealex]

Med school is a lot more work than what I've done in premed. It's also a lot less stress.

Think of it as doubling the amount of credits you take but only have to get B's and C's in all your classes. Simple.

 

[Count Chocula]

Going to med school is the equivalent of taking 21 semester hours at one time in undergrad. The volume of material to learn is much greater, but the difficulty of the material is not different from what you're used to.

difficulty is about the same but good god the amount of material is nothing youve done before (unless youve taken 24 hour semesters). it's like studying for an exam in undergrad but, instead, it's EVERYDAY. not just few days or a week before a test, it's everyday.

I disagree with this statement, actually. Ours was more like 34 hours - at least that's what we were credited with - and the difficulty of the material is considerably higher. In college, you're usually only responsible for central concepts with a few minor details thrown in. In med school, you have to know all of the nitty-gritty minutiae. It's loads of fun, really.

well i just looked up how many hours my class is getting credited for this semester. 38.5 hours. that's pretty killer.

It's like taking 41.5 semester units in undergrad except every course is a physics course. Which could be doable except every week is finals week, which doesn't sound too daunting until you realize that the tests aren't like finals they are more like MCATs which wouldn't be that bad except that theses MCATs are in Thai.

Everyone is apparently just trying to outdo everyone else. I'm going to say it's like taking 53.46 hours.

 

[Rogue Synapse]

I'm in my fourth year now. Med school is not that bad! The volume of information you have to study is obviously much more than pre-med. Wouldn't you want your doctor to know a lot about how your body works? It's tough at first, but you adapt pretty quickly, and in some ways it's actually easier than pre-med because everything is really interesting. Medicine is cool! It's easier to study for something when you're fascinated by it - it feels a lot less like work. And you're going to find it really interesting. Pre-med prerequisites are different because they're so varied that inevitably you're going to feel bored/overwhelmed by one of them. And another thing - you'll make some great friends in med school because you spend so much time together. Despite the study schedule, there is plenty of time every week for hanging out and chilling with friends. Anyone who doesn't make time for at least a little slacking off is just not being healthy.

The clinical years are the big payoff. You spend far less time studying, but your overall time commitment doubles because you put in long hours in the hospital. And yet it's way more awesome. The hospital is your classroom. It's never boring. There's never a struggle to stay awake like in lectures, even when you're post-call and utterly sleep-deprived. I've never talked to a single person who preferred the first two years to the last two.

BTW, just as a little incentive, fourth year of med school is considered the vacation year. You apply for residencies, and travel and interview a lot, so you get a LOT of time off. You don't take exams, you take less call; it's basically the easiest year of school by far. You have your pick of the most awesome clinical rotations. You have that to look forward to. If you're interested in medicine, and you can cut the (admittedly easier) pre-med classes, I guarantee you'll be able to do the work in med school. A final point would be that once you're accepted into a med school, they will do anything and everything to keep you there. Very few people ever fail out of med school because they will give you tons of extra help if you need it.