Typical Undergrad Questions - (feel free to add your own) - Need Answers!

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the Undergrad

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Hey everyone,

Okay, I thought it would be a good idea to put in all my typical undergrad questions in one thread, instead of making ten different threads. So from now on, if I have ANY questions reg. undergrad courses, med. school, summer research/internships, student life, or anything of that sort, I'll just add some questions and go on from there. Hey why not, I'm sure there are tons of ppl out there who have more questions in their minds than answers. So, if any of you know any answers to any of my questions( or others' ques.), please help out.

Oh btw, other students can ask ques. as well.. this is not only my personal thread!:D

Hmmm, I'll start with few...

-Whats a Post-Bacc. program? (Many of you mention it)

-Can Pre-med undergrads. go to graduate schools, instead of med schools, and become doctors? (dumb question i know, but i always confuse myself bet. grad schools and med. schools)

-GRE is for grad. schools. But what are the test dates for the GRE? When is it administered? Do students take the GRE the same time as the MCAT? Is it easier than the MCAT? Is there a website where I can find more info. on this test?

-Whats the max. number of units(semester or quarter) one can complete to graduate from college?

Thats all for now. More later.

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Oh I have another one..


-How many hours of sleep do you get in med school every night?
(Question I often ponder upon when I'm pulling all the all nighters...)

Once again, add your own questions for answers...

I hope all my questions get answered atleast:(
 
A post-bac program is a course of study taken after finishing your undergraduate baccalaureate or bachelor's degree. Some can be just a year in length, maybe concentrating on pre-med stuff. It usually helps people boost up a low undergrad gpa. I'm not sure if masters programs are included in the post-bacc group, but those exist too.

Pre-meds can go to grad school and become a PhD doctor, but to be an MD or DO doctor you have to go to med school.

You can find out about the GRE at http://www.gre.org/. I'm sure you can find the dates there. Depending on what you choose to take the test in, I guess it could be harder or easier than the MCAT. I have heard that it tends to be easier though, although maybe just as hard to do exceptionally well in, I don't know.

I'm not sure about the max number question. I would say it depends on the school. For example, at my school you can take as many credits as you want in the four years you're here (or more, if you're paying for it) until you finish all your requirements for graduation. That is, provided you still have one or more requirements for graduation incomplete, you can still take as many other classes as you like before they kick you out and force you to graduate (if you're on scholarship which many of us are).
 
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Originally posted by Louweezel
A post-bac program is a course of study taken after finishing your undergraduate baccalaureate or bachelor's degree. Some can be just a year in length, maybe concentrating on pre-med stuff. It usually helps people boost up a low undergrad gpa. I'm not sure if masters programs are included in the post-bacc group, but those exist too.

Pre-meds can go to grad school and become a PhD doctor, but to be an MD or DO doctor you have to go to med school.

You can find out about the GRE at http://www.gre.org/. I'm sure you can find the dates there. Depending on what you choose to take the test in, I guess it could be harder or easier than the MCAT. I have heard that it tends to be easier though, although maybe just as hard to do exceptionally well in, I don't know.

I'm not sure about the max number question. I would say it depends on the school. For example, at my school you can take as many credits as you want in the four years you're here (or more, if you're paying for it) until you finish all your requirements for graduation. That is, provided you still have one or more requirements for graduation incomplete, you can still take as many other classes as you like before they kick you out and force you to graduate (if you're on scholarship which many of us are).

So, a pre-med who goes to grad school gets a phD and is also a doctor...but whats a phD doctor? :confused:

(I dont get it...so a phD doctor doesnt practice like a MD doctor, despite gettin his or her phD in Pre-Med studies....Confusion confusion...)

Once again, thanks
 
Elaborating on Louweezel's reponse:

Post-Bacc programs come in two varieties. Some programs are for people who already have a bachelor's degree but have not taken any or some of the pre-reqs necessary to apply to med school. Other programs are for people who have a bachelor's degree and have taken all of the pre-reqs, but did not do as well as they had hoped to and must bring up their GPA. The second type of program usually involves taking upper-division science classes, graduate level science classes, or repeating the pre-reqs, while the first type just involves taking the pre-reqs and sometimes a few additional (optional) courses.

The max number of units you can take definitely depends on your school. At UCDavis the maximum you're allowed to take before graduating is 225, and anything beyond that you must get the Dean's approval for. Check your school's catalog or website to find out what your max is. Note also that there is usually a minimum number as well, which also depends on the school, I think. At UCD it's 180.

A PhD doctor does research and/or teaches college courses, among other things (ie they can work for various companies, etc). All of your teachers are most likely PhDs, and most probably do research and have published many papers on their research. You cannot get a PhD in "Pre-Med studies", unless by that you mean in Chemistry, Physics, or Biology.
 
Originally posted by the Undergrad
So, a pre-med who goes to grad school gets a phD and is also a doctor...but whats a phD doctor? :confused:

(I dont get it...so a phD doctor doesnt practice like a MD doctor, despite gettin his or her phD in Pre-Med studies....Confusion confusion...)

Once again, thanks

A PhD in pre-med... :laugh:
Are you serious with this stuff? In case you are... a PhD gets to be called "doctor." You can be a "doctor" of physics, or bioengineering, or whatever. Or you can be a medical doctor, which is what MD stands for.
 
Originally posted by sacrament
A PhD in pre-med... :laugh:
Are you serious with this stuff? In case you are... a PhD gets to be called "doctor." You can be a "doctor" of physics, or bioengineering, or whatever. Or you can be a medical doctor, which is what MD stands for.

Exactly. Thats the whole question. But I still dont understand whats so funny there, buddy.

Anyway...

thanks all who replied...

one other ques. unanswered though: How many hours of sleep does one get in med school? (yeah, im pulling another all nighter tonight :rolleyes: )
 
Ok, so i figured before this guy got laughed at any more I'd try to help him out. . .
A PhD is a doctoral degree that can be obtained in virtually any subject. . Bio, History etc. It is typically 4+ years at any university, and is the degree most psychologists, professors, etc. have. You cannot prescribe medicine or practice any kind of medicine with this degree. You most likely will teach, do research or can do counseling if your degree is in Psychology and you have the appropriate licensure.
You must take the GRE to be admitted into most PhD programs. This is an exam that tests math and english skills, much like the SAT. Some grad. school programs require a subject specific GRE as well. These tests are offered much more often than the MCAT as far as I can remember.
As far as practicing medicine, there are only two routes to do so and be called "dr" They are the MD route and the DO route. Both are doctoral degrees in MEDICINE. One is allopathic and one is in osteopathic medicine. . . see other threads for differences among these two degrees. Both require the MCAT (all schools do, right?)
and both are 4 years in length. These degrees MUST be completed at specific medical schools, and these are the only routes to becoming a practicing, prescribing medical doctor. Of course if you still wish to practice medicine and aren't hung up on being a "dr" there are many other roads to travel-ie PA, NP, RN, etc. etc.
There is a VAST difference between a PhD and an MD in most cases, and that is why you got the laughs from previous posters.
 
Thanks for clarifying for me guys. I guess I wasn't too clear on the PhD thing. I figured that pre-meds were just like anyone else, could go to grad school and get PhDs in regular subjects (I didn't know that this would be construed as going to get a PhD in medical studies).

Sorry for not being clearer, Undergrad.

As for the sleep thing, since I'm graduating from undergrad next month I don't know about how much med students get to sleep. I intend to sleep a lot :D I think again depends on the school and how hard they work you.
 
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