Some general questions from a newb

[Thisjatti]

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So I want to be a doctor, like everyone else here, but I have A LOT of questions that my school guidance just can't help me with.

- Will the recession affect doctors drastically? (Like will I still be able to pay off my loans?)

- For Pre-med, should I take AP Credit or re-do classes to cushion my GPA?

- How much does college prestige play into Med school admissions?

- I'm an over-achiever, and it's dumb of me to ask, but when should I start MCAT prep?

- I have no idea what to major in. I like biology, but it's sort of boring. Chemistry's nice but I hear Orgo is impossible. Can I major in like something totally unrelated to Med while I fill pre-med req's?

- Should I stay the 4 years in college, or graduate early?

- If I want to go to a specific med school, should I go there for undergrad or is it okay if I go anywhere.

- Do Med Schools look at the SAT or ACT?






I know it's like really early, but I just don't want any surprises🙂

Thanks in advance!!!!!

 

[VneZonyDostupa]

- Will the recession affect doctors drastically? (Like will I still be able to pay off my loans?)

Yes. Ignore the irrational, doom and gloom threads saying doctors "won't make any money". They're wrong. Doctors are making, and will continue to make, enough money to pay their loans and live more than comfortably.

- For Pre-med, should I take AP Credit or re-do classes to cushion my GPA?

It entirely depends on which classes they are and how well taught they are at your high school. I was really glad to get introductory biology and calculus I/II out of the way in high school, but I also had a great teacher. If your school doesn't teach it too well, you might hurt a bit in some of your initial biology classes in college.

- How much does college prestige play into Med school admissions?

Very, very little unless you are applying to a medical school connected to your undergrad (Vanderbilt undergrad to Vanderbilt med, for example).

- I'm an over-achiever, and it's dumb of me to ask, but when should I start MCAT prep?

I took the old-school paper exam, so I'm not sure if the suggested time frame for studying has changed with the new paper exams, but I had always been told 9-12 months prior to the exam was a good time to start looking at review books. Of course, the best way to prepare for the MCAT is to do well in your classes in the first place.

- I have no idea what to major in. I like biology, but it's sort of boring. Chemistry's nice but I hear Orgo is impossible. Can I major in like something totally unrelated to Med while I fill pre-med req's?

Yep, you can major in anything you want, as long as you fill the pre-requisites. I did English and bio, and I have classmates who were music majors, bio majors, business majors, etc..

- Should I stay the 4 years in college, or graduate early?

No sense in rushing, unless you are short on cash. Trust me, enjoy your time in college. Finishing in three years won't increase your admission chances.

- If I want to go to a specific med school, should I go there for undergrad or is it okay if I go anywhere.

While nepotism certainly exists, I can't really say to what extent. It can't hurt, but I wouldn't base my entire undergrad decision on wanting to go to a medical school that you aren't even sure you'll be able to get into, not knowing how you'll do in college or the MCAT yet.

- Do Med Schools look at the SAT or ACT?

Nope. The only alphabet soup test they are interested in is the MCAT.

 

[Thisjatti]

Wow, thank you, that's a lot of helpful information!

I'm still not sure if I should take the AP Credit, I hear that intro courses are difficult, is this true?

 

[GoodmanBrown]

Wow, thank you, that's a lot of helpful information!

I'm still not sure if I should take the AP Credit, I hear that intro courses are difficult, is this true?

VneZonyDostupa gave great advice. As for your question, I took Bio, O. Chem, Physics, etc. at a larger state school. While difficult, they weren't abjectly impossible with professors setting out to "weed out" people.

I think when people talk about how hard these introductory classes are, it's not that they're screwing everyone over to weed out people, it's just that they're harder classes than anything people took in high school. So, it catches people by surprise, and people do poorer than they did in high school, and they get this reputation.

I can't really say whether taking AP or a college intro class is better for you, but either way be prepared to work harder in college than you did in high school.

 

[VneZonyDostupa]

Wow, thank you, that's a lot of helpful information!

You're very welcome 🙂

They were genuinely good questions, and hopefully the answers will help other people on the board, too.

I'm still not sure if I should take the AP Credit, I hear that intro courses are difficult, is this true?

They're definitely more difficult than typical high school courses, but they aren't terrible. Though I took them many years ago (almost a decade at this point, yikes...I'm getting old!), it basically boiled down to taking a class for memorization (regular classes) or understanding (AP classes). My friends in bio I and II memorized definitions and cell structures, but we did labs and actually learned the material in AP bio. Of course, every school and course varies, so who knows what the classes are like at your particular school. Like I said before, just be sure that the teacher has a record of doing a good job, otherwise you might be underprepared for college bio.