Pre-med is a Waste of Our Time (Literally!)

[GallbLad]

Four years of our time gone, four years of potential salary gone, and four years of debt accumulated, this is the Pre-Med Life.

Allow me to elaborate:
- It takes around 1000 hours - a very conservative estimate - of our time volunteering, shadowing, and researching. This equates to roughly $15,000 that we could've made working at the movies, or more as a waiter/waitress.
- It takes around $10,000 for the fee of roughly 25 applications, secondaries, plane tickets, taxi fees, hotel fees, and renting/buying an appropriate outfit.
- The average college experience is at least $20,000 year accounting for dorms, tuition, books, meals, and miscellaneous fees.
- The amount of work done preparing for college assignments, exams, and the MCAT is equivalent to a medium-paying job.

In sum, a conservative estimate of the expense would be $105,000, and for most students this would be in debt with interest accruing. Then consider the four years you'll never get back of the 'true' college experience that less rigorous students undertook and the $150,000+ in salary that your high school graduates obtained by simply working at an office.

Now think about medical school, a more intensive version of the Pre-Med Life that has even higher costs.
- The average tuition is around $50,000/year .(I will not include living expense as most your old high school peers have moved out at this point.)
- The prep materials and books average out to well over $5,000
- The work done is equivalent to a high-paying job (manager positions).

This totals out to another $200,000 in the whole with interest accruing. Now consider that most your high school peers at this point are living a very comfortable life now, easing into their permanent jobs, starting a family, and buying a house. Finally, consider these four years that you also missed out on salary.

Both processes sum up to a nice $305,000 in debt, eight years of your life - in the prime of your life in terms of looks and physical prowess, and eight years of salary in a market where the dollar has a reputation of notoriously losing its value by the time the pre-med starts work.

All this, just to gain a residency position to go through hell with midnight call ins, 100 hour work weeks, and a compensation of circa $75,000 to barely make your egregious loan payments. If you're lucky, you won't fall into the pit of doom as a Family Practitioner or Pediatrist, and you will end up making ~$300,000 in a specialty, only to lose most of it to the progressive income tax policies.

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[PleaseCallMeDoc]

Then don't do it

 

[gyngyn]

And your point is?

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

Four years of our time gone, four years of potential salary gone, and four years of debt accumulated, this is the Pre-Med Life.

Allow me to elaborate:
- It takes around 1000 hours - a very conservative estimate - of our time volunteering, shadowing, and researching. This equates to roughly $15,000 that we could've made working at the movies, or more as a waiter/waitress.
- It takes around $10,000 for the fee of roughly 25 applications, secondaries, plane tickets, taxi fees, hotel fees, and renting/buying an appropriate outfit.
- The average college experience is at least $20,000 year accounting for dorms, tuition, books, meals, and miscellaneous fees.
- The amount of work done preparing for college assignments, exams, and the MCAT is equivalent to a medium-paying job.

In sum, a conservative estimate of the expense would be $105,000, and for most students this would be in debt with interest accruing. Then consider the four years you'll never get back of the 'true' college experience that less rigorous students undertook and the $150,000+ in salary that your high school graduates obtained by simply working at an office.

Now think about medical school, a more intensive version of the Pre-Med Life that has even higher costs.
- The average tuition is around $50,000/year .(I will not include living expense as most your old high school peers have moved out at this point.)
- The prep materials and books average out to well over $5,000
- The work done is equivalent to a high-paying job (manager positions).

This totals out to another $200,000 in the whole with interest accruing. Now consider that most your high school peers at this point are living a very comfortable life now, easing into their permanent jobs, starting a family, and buying a house. Finally, consider these four years that you also missed out on salary.

Both processes sum up to a nice $305,000 in debt, eight years of your life - in the prime of your life in terms of looks and physical prowess, and eight years of salary in a market where the dollar has a reputation of notoriously losing its value by the time the pre-med starts work.

All this, just to gain a residency position to go through hell with midnight call ins, 100 hour work weeks, and a compensation of circa $75,000 to barely make your egregious loan payments. If you're lucky, you won't fall into the pit of doom as a Family Practitioner or Pediatrist, and you will end up making ~$300,000 in a specialty, only to lose most of it to the progressive income tax policies.

Omg I read halfway and had to stop. Complain complain complain. Things are in place for a reason.

 

[CitrusJ]

Other countries do it differently. In the UK you go directly to medical school.

But even for those countries it takes longer than 4 years. In the UK it's 6 years (dealing with those courses we deem pre-reqs here).

So in terms of "pre-med" in the States, I'd argue there's only 2 years of the "Pre-Med Life", assuming you get into medical school.

 

[Greasy Pete]

we know. Medicine is a tough gig. Unfortunately unless your parents have good hookups (Read: are rich) every other gig is worse and is only going to get worse. Thats just a fact of the new robber baron economy. Medicine is one of the few paths where formal training gets you extremely specific and irreplaceable skillset. Would you rather be one of the million people getting an "MBA"? time will tell.

 

[frosted_flake]

Why does everyone refer to college being the time of our lives? I must be missing out on something, because all I see is a bunch of drama and immature kids thinking they know everything.


I think that the reason they have all of these requirements is to weed out people who don't give a damn.

 

[Kochanie]

So I shouldn't have spent 20k a year on an education, studied, and worked at the movies for the rest of my life instead? I don't know... I think today grad school has become the new undergrad and it's kind of necessary to do okay in life, whether it's med school or not.

 

[GallbLad]

Other countries do it differently. In the UK you go directly to medical school.

But even for those countries it takes longer than 4 years. In the UK it's 6 years (dealing with those courses we deem pre-reqs here).

So in terms of "pre-med" in the States, I'd argue there's only 2 years of the "Pre-Med Life", assuming you get into medical school.

Most medical schools, specifically in Europe, have undergrad. and grad. school combined for a total of six years, which is superior to our prolonged system.

 

[gyngyn]

Most medical schools, specifically in Europe, have undergrad. and grad. school combined for a total of six years, which is superior to our prolonged system.

Says who?

 

[GallbLad]

Says who?

You went to undergrad. Are you telling me every single class, counting the Arts 101 and that random basket weaving course, will be vital to your future success as a practitioner? Yes, every course in some way was beneficial; but, are you denying that a system focused on aspects directly related to health care would be more beneficial to students who are devoted?
Not only does it save time, resources, and helps alleviate the shortage of doctors, but it also simplifies the whole process by eliminating the middle-man that undergrad currently acts to our pre-med society, as I stated in the OP.
For reassurance, I advise you to look into the studies of how our social peers affect us intellectually in a classroom environment (especially business majors with hangovers), while pulling out your calculator and adding up the amount of debt and frivolous time wasted in your undergrad. studies.

 

[gyngyn]

You went to undergrad. Are you telling me every single class, counting the Arts 101 and that random basket weaving course, will be vital to your future success as a practitioner? Yes, every course in some way was beneficial; but, are you denying that a system focused on aspects directly related to health care would be more beneficial to students who are devoted?
Not only does it save time, resources, and helps alleviate the shortage of doctors, but it also simplifies the whole process by eliminating the middle-man that undergrad currently acts to our pre-med society, as I stated in the OP.
For reassurance, I advise you to look into the studies of how our social peers affect us intellectually in a classroom environment (especially business majors with hangovers), while pulling out your calculator and adding up the amount of debt and frivolous time wasted in your undergrad. studies.

In the US we value a liberal arts education. We expect our physicians to be mature scientists and citizen-leaders in their community. Even if all we wanted were technicians, the number of years that EU medical school graduates circle aimlessly in pharma and non-medically-related jobs waiting for a chance to actually train in any residency cooled my jets on their model of training physicians.

You do realize that there is a maldistribution in geography and specialty, not particularly in number of physicians? And that none of this has anything to do with your thesis.

There are opportunities in bac MD programs for those favoring foreshortened/guaranteed admission in those cases where this is of paramount importance to the individual (or their parents).

 

[GallbLad]

In the US we value a liberal arts education. We expect our physicians to be mature scientists and citizen-leaders in their community. Even if all we wanted were technicians, the number of years that EU medical school graduates circle aimlessly in pharma and non-medically-related jobs waiting for a chance to actually train in any residency cooled my jets on their model of training physicians.

You do realize that there is a maldistribution in geography and specialty, not particularly in number of physicains? And that none of this has anything to do with your thesis.

On the contrary, it has everything to do with my thesis. The maldistribution is due to the "pit of doom" I characterized in the OP.
Further, you argue that our society values a liberal arts education. That is very subjective because (1) many pre-meds do not major in the liberal arts, (2) forcing a liberal arts education does not equate to valuing it, and (3) the intro classes required by undergrads may, in most cases, be completed through AP, IB, or equivalent - which is, in essence a high school education. Indeed if this enrichment of the liberal arts is truly done for our good, not withstanding their tuition rates, then why is it done post-high school? At a time when our country lacks in education, with fifth graders in many other countries doing what eighth graders do in the U.S., many may argue that our public education must be accelerated, not prolonged for our 'benefit'!

 

[Aerus]

It's funny that many premeds advocate for a "straight to med school from high school" system, but the reality is many of you wouldn't get in if something like that were in place.

Unless your high school application was competitive enough to get you into a top 20 undergrad, the chances of you getting into medical school if we all applied straight out of high school are slim to none. College weeds out so many people from applying and yet it's still a super competitive process (less than half who apply get a seat). Undergrad also gives many people a chance to mature and turn their life around.

 

[allantois]

Whatever you decide to become OP, don't become a financial adviser.

Just a few points:
High school graduates do not make $150,000.

Familiarize yourself with foreign medical education system. In UK a medical school graduate has to spend years (10-20) in post medical training before they can specialize in anything.

Solutions for you:
Do not go this path or move to a country with a different educational system.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

Pre-meds who make it seem like it's some sort of super difficult, life consuming undertaking are the worst type of pre-med.

 

[gyngyn]

On the contrary, it has everything to do with my thesis. The maldistribution is due to the "pit of doom" I characterized in the OP.
Further, you argue that our society values a liberal arts education. That is very subjective because (1) many pre-meds do not major in the liberal arts, (2) forcing a liberal arts education does not equate to valuing it, and (3) the intro classes required by undergrads may, in most cases, be completed through AP, IB, or equivalent - which is, in essence a high school education. Indeed if this enrichment of the liberal arts is truly done for our good, not withstanding their tuition rates, then why is it done post-high school? At a time when our country lacks in education, with fifth graders in many other countries doing what eighth graders do in the U.S., many may argue that our public education must be accelerated, not prolonged for our 'benefit'!

We value a broad education that includes the humanities and social sciences because we do in fact, relish perspectives of students from all majors, including but not limited to the sciences. It is this richness of experience that helps explain the creativity of our physician workforce. Our medical schools are filled with people who have distinguished themselves in every possible way, not just biology (nothing wrong with that btw!). We set high standards and reap the reward of being among the most respected of physicians in the world. I don't see any indication that anyone is desirous of fast tracking young technicians instead of our current system.

While I completely agree that the way we charge tuition for medical school and pay for residency training could reasonably be overhauled, this has nothing to do with abandoning the ideals of physician/scientist/citizens.

 

[GallbLad]

Whatever you decide to become OP, don't become a financial adviser.

Just a few points:
High school graduates do not make $150,000.

Familiarize yourself with foreign medical education system. In UK a medical school graduate has to spend years (10-20) in post medical training before they can specialize in anything.

Solutions for you:
Do not go this path or move to a country with a different educational system.

Thank you my kind sir. I am grateful for your two cents.
But, please, allow me! I suggest you re-read my OP, through context, one would see that $150,000 is the sum that an average high school grad would make over four years while you were in undergrad. This is $37,500 annually.
Also, I second that you should familiarize yourself with the foreign educational system. In many countries, it only takes five or six years of specialty training - tantamount to the system in the US - to specialize.

 

[allantois]

Thank you my kind sir. I am grateful for your two cents.
But, please, allow me! I suggest you re-read my OP, through context, one would see that $150,000 is the sum that an average high school grad would make over four years while you were in undergrad. This is $37,500 annually.
Also, I second that you should familiarize yourself with the foreign educational system. In many countries, it only takes five or six years of specialty training - tantamount to the system in the US - to specialize.

You are free to move to Russia where any specialty training only takes 1 year. Oh and I forgot to mention that you will be making $15,000 a year at most, so might as well work in a local grocery store. I am convinced that US physicians are significantly better off financially than doctors in any other country.

 

[GallbLad]

We value a broad education that includes the humanities and social sciences because we do in fact, preferentially accept perspectives of students from all majors, not just the sciences. It is this richness of experience that helps explain the creativity of our physician workforce. Our medical schools are filled with people who have distinguished themselves in every possible way, not just biology (nothing wrong with that btw!). We set high standards and reap the reward of being among the most respected of physicians in the world. I don't see any indication that anyone is desirous of fast tracking young technicians instead of our current system.

While I completely agree that the way we charge tuition for medical school and residency training could reasonably be overhauled, this has nothing to do with abandoning the ideals of physician/scientist/citizens.

You must not be aware of the trend currently developing. Schools are in fact implementing the fast track, with dozens already in place. They realize the lag in our current system and moves are underway to correct it. Now onto your first point of valuing a 'broad education'. Are you able to explain the large percentage of biology majors who matriculate? To save you time, the number is well over 50%. Second, you boast about high standards and reaping the rewards - this reeks of correlation for 50% of matriculants, but sadly no causation. The U.S. also has the #1 most expensive military. Is that because the U.S. has the best doctors? They are both correlated!

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

I get the argument that med school takes away four years of earning power, but I've never heard someone apply it to UG. You can't really skip UG and have decent earning power, like you could with med school.

 

[Aerus]

You must not be aware of the trend currently developing. Schools are in fact implementing the fast track, with dozens already in place. They realize the lag in our current system and moves are underway to correct it. Now onto your first point of valuing a 'broad education'. Are you able to explain the large percentage of biology majors who matriculate? To save you time, the number is well over 50%. Second, you boast about high standards and reaping the rewards - this reeks of correlation for 50% of matriculants, but sadly no causation. The U.S. also has the #1 most expensive military. Is that because the U.S. has the best doctors? They are both correlated!

I'm sure that way more than 50% of applicants are biology majors. The fact that so many matriculants majored in the sciences is reflective of the vast majority of applicants who majored in the sciences.

 

[akram_laiq]

I don't understand this... Just like everyone else going down the same path to becoming a doctor, id rather spend 8+ years of my life studying and sacrificing my time to becoming a doctor. It's your choice. I mean, in the end it all pays off, because you would have eventually paid off all your debts. It's a heavy burden on our shoulders, but that comes with the package...

 

[infinitessimal]

I don't understand why people keep harping on the idea that doctors are better off in other countries. I was born in Eastern Europe and have become intimately familiar with healthcare in a country in Western Europe, and in one South Asia. All three countries have a shorter path to med school than the US. Still, those doctors make a fraction of US physicians' salaries, don't think their position has nearly as much prestige as other careers in their country (for example, a politician), and in many cases, corruption is prevalent (eg. taking bribes, choosing a treatment based on how much the doctor will make, drinking and even drugs before surgery, etc). Yes, our system is not perfect, but I don't think you'd want to become a doctor anywhere else.

Also, no one from my high school class has a stable job right now in a career that is projected to increase in salary. The most successful ones are in the process of getting another degree. So I really have no idea what you mean by all these comfortable lives that are awaiting my peers.

 

[The Buff OP]

 

[Doudline]

 

[cs24]

You must not be aware of the trend currently developing. Schools are in fact implementing the fast track, with dozens already in place. They realize the lag in our current system and moves are underway to correct it. Now onto your first point of valuing a 'broad education'. Are you able to explain the large percentage of biology majors who matriculate? To save you time, the number is well over 50%. Second, you boast about high standards and reaping the rewards - this reeks of correlation for 50% of matriculants, but sadly no causation. The U.S. also has the #1 most expensive military. Is that because the U.S. has the best doctors? They are both correlated!

If by "fast track" you mean combined BS/MD degrees than I believe they are declining rather than increasing.

Also, overall, I recommend thinking of life as more than simply potentially productive hours and lost money. My college experience was meaningful and transformative, and those four years were anything but wasted.

Wait, one more hint, you are arguing with a well-respected member of the SDN community who is both a physician and involved in academic administration, about how medical education should work, while being a pre-med with no experience in the process. Might be time to open your mind and take notes, rather than self-righteously displaying your own ignorance.

 

[gibson777]

The only real way to consider the impact of opportunity cost would be under the circumstances that you never attend college, or if you go into the workforce immediately after graduating. Sure, you could start working at a Big 4 accounting firm starting at 55k and work your way up to at least 125k by the time you'd be done with med school, or go into investment banking, but that isn't the point. Anything where you are truly getting ahead, is going to take the same resources, hard work, networking, internships to break in.

 

[kyamh]

OP, why can't you think of college as a useful exercise in and of itself? College is NOT a stepping stone to medical school. If you are treating it as such, you are doing something very wrong. Learn about other disciplines and become an interesting, engaging, connected, and learned citizen of the world. Without opening yourself to these once-in-a-lifetime college experiences and learning from them, you are likely to not reach your career potential.

 

[Danbo1957]

Every year that you "waste" doing something that you don't have to do is a year that you'll never get back, including all those "lost" earnings. Three years for high school, three years for college gives you a two year head start on medical school. You can take a gap year: travel to Asia, take that fellowship at Max Plank, sail the South Pacific, learn another language, learn to cook (really learn how to cook), get laid a lot-- and don't get her pregnant you nitwit. Get your Ph.D. in five years instead of seven. Say no to PGY4 emergency medicine programs, say no to PGY6-7 general surgery programs. Don't take M4 elective clerkships "for the letter", get your butt in as many clinical settings as you can (again, you're paying for it), an ICU or the ER especially.

And gun man gun, make them hate you (losers are losers for a reason).

 

[Doctor Dream]

If you're lucky, you won't fall into the pit of doom as a Family Practitioner or Pediatrist, and you will end up making ~$300,000 in a specialty, only to lose most of it to the progressive income tax policies.

Seriously??? I didn't care for your post to begin with but this stood out to me. Some of us actually want to go in to primary care (myself included), it's a dream job to me, not a "pit of doom". It's not glamorous like some specialties, but it's what I can see myself doing the next 40+ years and enjoying the hell out of it. And it still pays pretty well.

Also, pediatrist? Yeaaa...

 

[Ace Khalifa]

OP, you can continue to bitch and complain all you want, but that's not going to change anything. If you can't handle it, then don't do it. Obviously, you lack the maturity and sound judgment that adcoms expect to see in candidates for medical school. As someone who initially saw college as a stepping stone for medical school, I am very grateful that my view of that changed completely. It took me 4 years of undergrad to develop a lot of personal maturity. College isn't just there for you to gain a valuable liberal arts education, it's also there for you to make mistakes, learn valuable life lessons, and seriously grow up so that you become a stronger, better, more mature person. Also, in today's world, not having a bachelor's degree means you will earn a laughably small amount of income and not have an enriching, enjoyable life. Not everyone who goes straight to work after undergrad makes big bucks, either. Investment bankers do, but they work more hours per week than even neurosurgeons staring at computer screens and doing work that isn't fun, enriching, or even remotely interesting. If your primary concern about the length of this journey is money, then you need to seriously reconsider your desire (or lack thereof) to go down this path because you will NOT be successful as a physician if you can't delay your gratification for the next 10+ years.

 

[CpnClwVie]

 

[allantois]

'
I am also from Eastern Europe and also very familiar with healthcare in Western and Northern Europe. Docs in western europe taking bribes? Lol maybe in the former eastern block or in the balkans but it is not common place in the west. Also yeah docs in europe make a fraction of what US docs make but the lifestyle they live is infinitely more comfortable (minimum of 4 weeks PAID vacation time in the Scandinavian countries). Also prestige varies from country to country and region so it's not really fair to even value that.

What a paradox

@infinitessimal was very specific in his assertions but you are trying to make broader generalizations. Also, everyone lives very comfortably in Scandinavia, and physicians are not the only ones who get a month of paid vacation time. If the US had a population of Norway (5 million), I'm sure we would all live very comfortably.

 

[CpnClwVie]

 

[PreciousHamburgers]

Where are these high school grads making $150,000??? Are they at some prep school and inherited their father's business or something??? I graduated college years ago and I make a little over $50K, and I was lucky to get my job since they preferred someone with a MASTERS.

 

[Monika12]

-

 

[knv2u]

Four years of our time gone, four years of potential salary gone, and four years of debt accumulated, this is the Pre-Med Life.

Allow me to elaborate:
- It takes around 1000 hours - a very conservative estimate - of our time volunteering, shadowing, and researching. This equates to roughly $15,000 that we could've made working at the movies, or more as a waiter/waitress.

Do you think people make $15/hr working at a movie theater? It sounds to me like you are quite sheltered and have no concept of money to me.

 

[PreciousHamburgers]

Do you think people make $15/hr working at a movie theater? It sounds to me like you are quite sheltered and have no concept of money to me.

 

[Lamel]

Going straight to medical school from high school sounds pretty bad.

People should really be using undergrad to learn, broaden their horizons, experience new fields of study and things they are actually interested in. You will have your whole life to devote to medicine and the biological sciences, but you only have these 4 years to use the vast resources around you and learn some cool stuff. That is invaluable, but most pre-meds don't see through that and stick to the typical bio major, begrudgingly rushing through all of their general ed requirements - those liberal arts/humanities courses are cool too! The point of undergrad shouldn't be job training (as it has become now); quite frankly so many of these jobs that require a Bachelors could be done straight out of high school - it is a shame.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

tl ; dr : Don't go to college or do work without financial renumeration.

Also, pediatrist?

 

[Dohnut]

Most medical schools, specifically in Europe, have undergrad. and grad. school combined for a total of six years, which is superior to our prolonged system.

Know that everything here in the US is overly commercialized. So I'm sure the system, or at least many schools, set it up so that our money goes out to their wallets.

 

[Chillbo Baggins]

It takes around 1000 hours - a very conservative estimate - of our time volunteering, shadowing, and researching.

LOL.

More like <300.

 

[Loyofosho]

tl ; dr : Don't go to college or do work without financial renumeration.

Also, pediatrist?

A new up and coming specialty dealing with children's feet.

 

[Loyofosho]

I won't bother typing what can easily be summed up by The Dude:

 

[Planes2Doc]

As a non-traditional student, I've worked typical office jobs... Now, I came from a top 12 non-Ivy League school, and I can tell you that while we had some people go into Investment Banking and consulting, a majority of people weren't going into high-paying jobs. I think that working an office job for the rest of my life and being confined to a non-meaningful life of mediocrity is far scarier than the future earnings and time now that you need to sacrifice as a pre-med and in medical school.

-It takes around 1000 hours - a very conservative estimate - of our time volunteering, shadowing, and researching. This equates to roughly $15,000 that we could've made working at the movies, or more as a waiter/waitress.

I used to believe this very same thing, and even to this day, I'm sad about the potential earnings I've lost doing hospital volunteering (compared to an ED tech making $15/hour). But look at it this way, as a pre-med checking the boxes, volunteering is the best deal as a pre-med. Unlike working a clinical job which requires a far greater commitment, volunteering is likely once per week, thus having a minimal negative impact on your grades. In fact, if you shoot for a "crappy" hospital gig, you can often spend a lot of that time studying for class, or even shadowing during your volunteer shifts which is even more beneficial. Sure, you might miss out on thousands of dollars of potential earnings as a volunteer, but this is pocket change compared to future earnings as a physician. Trying to make $15,000 during undergrad doing paid entry-level clinical work might take up so much time that it will destroy your grades and MCAT. So the pocket change you make during this time might screw you over for the rest of your life, if you end up having to be underemployed. Also, if you can salvage your application with an SMP, the cost of the program will not only wipe out your earnings, but will likely require you to fork over more money to enroll.

You simply can't beat checking the boxes with a minimal weekly commitment. It's a fine way to get into medical school, as long as you can get over the lost potential earnings. Once I got over that, I realized how great of a thing hospital volunteering really is.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

A new up and coming specialty dealing with children's feet.

Makes sense. Definitely go the podiatry with fellowship in peds podiatry rather than medical school -> peds residency -> foot fellowship.

 

[Loyofosho]

I would love to one day tell people I'm doing a "Foot Fellowship". So prestigious.

 

[idm6]

The maturation process that one goes through in undergrad is just as important as the education. Intern year is hard enough for a 26-year-old, and you want people to jump into that role at 22? And you want patients to take a 20-year-old med student seriously? Or a 25-year-old attending physician?

I cringe a bit when I imagine even the most mature 22-year-old I know standing over my hospital bed and saying "I'll be assisting with your surgery today."

 

[CrimsonKing]

Ironically, OP is the exact type of person who needs undergrad the most. Use the experiences to broaden your experiences and hopefully mature a little bit before you apply to medical school.

I also needed the time and experiences in undergrad to grow and mature, there's no shame in it. You may not be smarter because of your undergrad experiences, but you will better be able to understand your peers and your patients, and you will be a better physician because of it. I feel sorry for those who didn't learn from their undergrad experiences, because there's a lot to gain from those years.