Hi everybody, 🙂
I'm in grade 11 high school at the moment, but I want to maximize my chance, and prepare well a head into becoming a doctor! Below, I have some questions (short-questions), that I would be really grateful if you could answer for me!
What was your Studying Method like?
Did you take notes, use flash cards, or any other studying tools?
Were you force to change your Pre. Med studying habits to keep up with Medical school difficulty? What were the changed in your studying habit?
Were you in any volunteer work during High School, or Pre.Med? If "yes", then did this help you get into Medical school?
Last question - bare with me 🙂
What do you think qualify a person to make it as an M.D?
I was hoping to use the military HSPS for my medical route. The reason behind this is because of the "government pay-off student loan". I also want to study medicine to help other, but mostly I want to feel pride in what I do everyday not trying to slam the civilian doctor in any way though! I would just feel more accomplish, and happy if I was to be able to give medical assistance to those who are less fortunate.
Thank you for reading!
🙂
1.) Everyone's studying method is extremely different. Some people can take 20+ credits and breeze right through without even studying that much or cram before a test. Some people prefer flash cards. You will eventually realize what is best for you once you get into school. I didn't know how to study at first, I tried flash cards - I couldn't stand them. I became the type of person who realized which information to study for which minimalizes the amount of information and studying time considering I was one of those people taking 18-20+ credits a semester. Again, you will figure out your own study habit. The best advice is time management. If things get hectic do not breakdown and stress because that will bring you down in all your classes.
2.) Studying habits may change or may stay the same. Again everyone is different. But, one thing is true. There is a lot more information to cover in a short amount of time in medical school then there is during undergrad. Undergrad is a piece of cake.
3.) Clinical and nonclinical experience is a requirement to enter medical school and these are good to be done during your first years of undergrad simply because the first two years of undergrad consist of the easier classes, once you hit your third year or junior year you start to take upper-level classes. Again, volunteer work in hospitals, clinics, shelters help. Having leadership roles in organizations, volunteering abroad, work experience all help. These are all needed in order to become a well-rounded person. The question you want to ask yourself is what do I need to do to set myself apart from everyone else applying? Everyone is going to have clinical and non-clinical experience etc, but try to delve into things that are not as common, maybe volunteer or take part in some government office at the local level, that may be non-clinical, but it's an experience that sticks out. That is a simple example, and yes these all help in applying to medical school because when you sit down for an interview they will ask about you and you talk about how all these different experiences helped you choose the field of medicine.
4.) Well first you need to understand that there are two types of physicians M.D and D.O. Both are medical doctors that have all the same opportunities in terms of what specialty they want to get into. The only downside is that D.Os have a history of mainly specializing in primary care, but don't let this be a deterring factor because they also place many now and days in competitive specialties. Osteopathic schools (D.O) tend to accept people with lower on average GPA and MCAT scores which definitely helps. Again, I repeat there is no difference in the two. M.D medical schools have more of a name to their school and tend to come with more prestige, but that does not apply to all of course. At the end of the day medicine is a field where prestige shouldn't matter unless you plan on doing research or the related simply because if you save someones life hypothetically the family could care less if you came from Harvard or from Des Moines etc. So realize there are two types of physicians.
To become a physician or more importantly what qualifies someone to become a physician is simple. Strength and determination. Money should never be a factor when choosing medicine simply because there are easier and faster ways to make money. The field of medicine is a unique field in regards to treating the sick and wounded with money not being a factor. It's a field that offers a wide range of possibilities to treat communities etc. But, more importantly what you need to do is sit down and ask yourself why you want to pursue this field. It's easier said than done. So really sit down and think about it and don't talk about the cliche "I want to help people." That won't fly when your sat down for an interview with a medical school. You have a lot of time to figure that out. I suggest during the years to come for you to acknowledge differences and cultures, understand people more thoroughly. Everyone has there own reasons and there own views in regards to what qualifies someone to be a physician not an "M.D." You mean M.D or D.O.
Also, don't do the military HPSP if your just thinking about money. Search in the military medicine thread. There is a thread that fully discloses the HPSP. There are other programs as well, but it's not as easy as you think. You may have to pay back as a GMO (General medical officer) - which means you haven't even specialized yet - meaning you could be spending 3 or 4 years as a medical graduated not a doctor per se. You might not get civilian deferments, and if doing a military residency you may pay back more time. Significant salary cuts, but have to consider free health insurance, no debt, free housing/food etc and I did mention money shouldn't be an issue which in this case that factor might not even be a deterring factor which is good. There are any other factors etc. Look more into it, also a nurse with a higher rank could potentially be your boss. It might not boast well as a physician knowing more etc. The environment you'l have to live in. The cons tend to outweigh the pros, but if you realize all of it then go for it. But, again don't do it just because of money, it will change your future plans for sure.
