Transitioning from philosophy/cognitive science to medicine

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numbersloth

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I love philosophy and the mind, but after doing research in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive science I've realized that I just love patient interaction and the isolation of research makes me unhappy. However, I have been warned by multiple people that medical school, especially the first two years, will be a huge culture shock for me given its focus on rote memorization. They all warn me that I will have to wait until third year at the very least to implement critical thinking.
How much truth is there to this? Does anyone have experience transitioning from a philosophy/cognitive science/similar major to medical school?

Basically, I love people (really looking into pursuing pediatrics) and the amazing human body way too much not to pursue medicine, but I also really enjoy abstract concepts and critical thinking, and have been warned by many people that I may hate medical school

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I thought the philosophy classes I took in undergrad were more challenging than my pre-med classes. But I haven't started med school yet, so I don't know how the transition will be for you.

I think if you have the ability to get a decent MCAT score, you should be fine for med school as long as you're willing to continue to put in the effort.
 
I love philosophy and the mind, but after doing research in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive science I've realized that I just love patient interaction and the isolation of research makes me unhappy. However, I have been warned by multiple people that medical school, especially the first two years, will be a huge culture shock for me given its focus on rote memorization. They all warn me that I will have to wait until third year at the very least to implement critical thinking.
How much truth is there to this? Does anyone have experience transitioning from a philosophy/cognitive science/similar major to medical school?

Basically, I love people (really looking into pursuing pediatrics) and the amazing human body way too much not to pursue medicine, but I also really enjoy abstract concepts and critical thinking, and have been warned by many people that I may hate medical school

I have an identical background and am a 2nd year. The rote memorization for anatomy, pharmacology, and biochemistry can be rough, especially drug toxicities. But there are plenty of resources out there, like SketchyMedical that help make the rote memorization bearable (Google it). Rote memorization is unavoidable but can be reduced by learning the mechanisms underlying seemingly unrelated constellations of symptoms or toxicities, which can simultaneously promote critical thinking while reducing reliance on rote memorizing.
 
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