Med School Questions

[BloodySurgeon]

Hi, new user.... 18 male/ pre-allopathic GPA- 3.9ish

I have a couple of questions regarding Med school:

1) Are schools bias to out-of-state students? (I have read many school, such as Texas, are bias to out-of-state applicants).

2) I am studying for the MCATs and I want to take a summer off to prepare. Will schools fuss about taking a break from school over the summer?

3) I have no problem with calculus-based physics, but I took algebra-based physics... will I need to take physics again? (I was a psych major-- It sux).

4) Which is more important- Research or Volunteer? (Since this is a very debatable subject, would hospital volunteer or univerisity research be better?)

-I have done a little of both, but looking at other people's profiles and I was planning to do 2 1/2 yrs of volunteer and a year of research... please give feedback on this.

5) How important is shadowing doctors?

6) Also another "What are my chances question..." What are some of the school I should be applying to:

California Resident
GPA- 3.9
MCAT- (I am at 32 but I haven't had much time to study--- should end at around 35).

7) I hear Standford has Pass/Fail grades for the first two year of med school. Are there any other schools with similar gradings?

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[xpinchx]

Hi, new user.... 18 male/ pre-allopathic GPA- 3.9ish

I have a couple of questions regarding Med school:

1) Are schools bias to out-of-state students? (I have read many school, such as Texas, are bias to out-of-state applicants).

2) I am studying for the MCATs and I want to take a summer off to prepare. Will schools fuss about taking a break from school over the summer?

3) I have no problem with calculus-based physics, but I took algebra-based physics... will I need to take physics again? (I was a psych major-- It sux).

4) Which is more important- Research or Volunteer? (Since this is a very debatable subject, would hospital volunteer or univerisity research be better?)

-I have done a little of both, but looking at other people's profiles and I was planning to do 2 1/2 yrs of volunteer and a year of research... please give feedback on this.

5) How important is shadowing doctors?

6) Also another "What are my chances question..." What are some of the school I should be applying to:

California Resident
GPA- 3.9
MCAT- (I am at 32 but I haven't had much time to study--- should end at around 35).

7) I hear Standford has Pass/Fail grades for the first two year of med school. Are there any other schools with similar gradings?

1.) Some schools prefer in-state, others don't. You kind of get the shaft because most CA schools don't have in-state preference. You'd just have to look at schools you want to attend and see which ones have in-state preference (Most of the ones I've looked at do.)

2.) Medical schools don't care when you take your classes. You could take a full year off between undergrad and medical school and they won't care. They care about your GPA, MCAT, and extra-curriculars.

3.) Generally speaking, you need a year of physics. Exactly which physics you need to take is dependant on your undergrad school. Check with your pre-med advisor to see which ones to take.

4.) Both research and volunteer are important. You don't neccesarily need both, but diversify yourself and do what you enjoy. You don't neccesarily need both to get into med school, so unless you really enjoy or want to do research/volunteer, pick whichever you like and run with it.

5.) Shadowing can be pretty important. Med schools just want you to know exactly what a doctor does day-in-day-out because a lot of undergrads romanticize what a doctor really does. It can be pretty hum-drum work at times and it's important for you to know that. But if you do a lot of shadowing it can negate your need for research or a clinical job.

6. If you graduate with a 3.9 GPA and similar BCPM GPA, and a 35 MCAT, pretty much anywhere you want. Those are competitive numbers.

7.) Stanford is the only one that I know of that has a plain pass/fail system for the first two years.

edit: Also note it doesn't matter if you volunteer in a hospital or not. Do what you enjoy, do what you care about. You won't get any special treatment if you volunteer at a university hospital. You won't get much clinical exposure, you won't get to know many important people, and you won't get any valuable medical-related experience.

 

[alwaysaangel]

1) Are schools bias to out-of-state students? (I have read many school, such as Texas, are bias to out-of-state applicants).

Some states are, some are not. Arizona won't even look at you, Texas is tough, as is much of the south and midwest. Private schools anywhere don't care, and New York state schools are pretty OOS friendly. Buy an MSAR from AMCAS and you'll be able to see what your chances are as an OOSer at each school and pick accordingly.

2) I am studying for the MCATs and I want to take a summer off to prepare. Will schools fuss about taking a break from school over the summer?

No, they probably won't care too much. Although maybe try to keep up a little bit of volunteering or clinical experience during the summer.

3) I have no problem with calculus-based physics, but I took algebra-based physics... will I need to take physics again? (I was a psych major-- It sux).

My physics was algebra based and it counted. I'd have to know what school you went to and how it works. I suggest you talk to your premed advisors to find out what they think.

4) Which is more important- Research or Volunteer? (Since this is a very debatable subject, would hospital volunteer or univerisity research be better?)

Why not do both? But if you could only do one, volunteer in a hospital. Clinical experience is a MUST. While nonclinical volunteering and research are definite pluses but are by no means a requirement. However, you probably want to do some research too since your a Cali resident and most UCs are very research heavy. But if you don't want to do research and don't mind going out of state its not at all a necessity.

Your amounts of each should be fine.

5) How important is shadowing doctors?

Not very as long as you are getting some exposure to medicine and what doctors do.

6) Also another "What are my chances question..." What are some of the school I should be applying to:

California Resident
GPA- 3.9
MCAT- (I am at 32 but I haven't had much time to study--- should end at around 35).

You should be fine for most UCs and a lot of OOS top schools as long as you aren't socially inept.

7) I hear Standford has Pass/Fail grades for the first two year of med school. Are there any other schools with similar gradings?

Yes many schools have this. Others do not. Get an MSAR - it will explain. HOWEVER, keep in mind that it doesn't mean a whole lot. Yes, you will pass or fail the class. But you are still getting percentages on tests and they still give you a class rank. So even without the competition caused by A, B, C, D, F. You are still in competition with your classmates and still need to do as well as possible to get a competitive residency.

 

[BloodySurgeon]

Thanks... that cleared up alot.

 

[xpinchx]

Yes many schools have this. Others do not. Get an MSAR - it will explain. HOWEVER, keep in mind that it doesn't mean a whole lot. Yes, you will pass or fail the class. But you are still getting percentages on tests and they still give you a class rank. So even without the competition caused by A, B, C, D, F. You are still in competition with your classmates and still need to do as well as possible to get a competitive residency.

Stanford is the only one with a strict pass or strict fail system as far as I know. Some others have it only the first two years, but AFAIK Stanford is the only one who doesn't rank its students.

http://web.archive.org/web/20041207203634/http://medicologic.com/stanford/convince.htm

And if you're looking for clinical exposure, you're probably not going to get it volunteering at a hospital. Look into getting a job as a phlebotomist, EKG tech, get your EMT, etc.

 

[spicedmanna]

1) Are schools bias to out-of-state students? (I have read many school, such as Texas, are bias to out-of-state applicants).

Yes and no. I think many state schools favor in-state applicants and even go as far as saving some slots for them. Many private schools tend not to favor either way, officially. If you want to study how each schools distributes it's seats, you can pick up the AAMC MSAR, which lists a break down of it's applicants/matriculants by in-state status.

2) I am studying for the MCATs and I want to take a summer off to prepare. Will schools fuss about taking a break from school over the summer?

No. As long as your education is uninterrupted, they don't generally care what you are doing during your summer vacation.

3) I have no problem with calculus-based physics, but I took algebra-based physics... will I need to take physics again? (I was a psych major-- It sux).

No. You only need to take a two semester physics class; calculus-based physics is optional.

4) Which is more important- Research or Volunteer? (Since this is a very debatable subject, would hospital volunteer or univerisity research be better?)

Volunteering, particularly in healthcare, is looked upon quite favorably. Medical schools love to see that you are involved in service, that you have a good idea what doctors, and have been exposed to patients (i.e., have clinical experience). Clinical experience is not required, but it's almost essential. However you aquire your volunteer and clinical experiences is up to your personal preference. Hopefully, you will be doing what brings you the most joy. On the other hand, if you are interested in pursuing MD/PhD programs, or are applying to a lot of research-oriented medical schools, having hands-on research experience can certainly boost your application, and it's essential for the MD/PhD programs.

-I have done a little of both, but looking at other people's profiles and I was planning to do 2 1/2 yrs of volunteer and a year of research... please give feedback on this.

As long as you have had clinical experience, it sounds good. If you like the research you are getting yourself into, then it'll be fun and a bonus to your application.

5) How important is shadowing doctors?

Not that important. Just know what doctors do and how they do it in their natural environment. If you've accomplished this through your hospital volunteer experience, I wouldn't sweat over it. However, following a doctor around that makes an effort to give you the insider's view, and maybe even permits you to get hands-on, is an amazing eye-opener and experience. And it's not that hard to do, especially if you volunteer at a hospital already.

6) Also another "What are my chances question..." What are some of the school I should be applying to:

California Resident
GPA- 3.9
MCAT- (I am at 32 but I haven't had much time to study--- should end at around 35).

What's your BCPM GPA? Schools will look at your overall and BCPM. Numberwise, you seem quite competitive, so far. Keep the MCAT study going; you can't take too many practice tests.

7) I hear Standford has Pass/Fail grades for the first two year of med school. Are there any other schools with similar gradings?

Yes, other schools use some variation of a P/F system. Again, pick up a copy of the MSAR; it provides all such info.

Good luck!

 

[Wordplay]

Stanford is the only one with a strict pass or strict fail system as far as I know. Some others have it only the first two years, but AFAIK Stanford is the only one who doesn't rank its students.

http://web.archive.org/web/20041207203634/http://medicologic.com/stanford/convince.htm

And if you're looking for clinical exposure, you're probably not going to get it volunteering at a hospital. Look into getting a job as a phlebotomist, EKG tech, get your EMT, etc.

I know there are other schools that are strict P/F with no ranking (officially). Can't recall them off the top of my head at the moment though. MSAR may not have that kind of info. Whenever I've heard about it has been at interviews. I agree with your assessment that a medically-related job is better clinical exposure, but hospital volunteering is certainly fine too, especially if you don't want to commit to a "job." Most top schools like to see research, since top schools are usually research heavy. Like it's been mentioned, research is not required, but certainly adds to your application, especially if you're published.