undergrad tougher than med school?

[paean]

Hey Neuronix-

Despite medical school being time consuming, many of my fellow classmates find time to take electives, and a few of them are doing research now (during first year). The trade off is that you have to be very good about making a realistic schedule and stick with it. And it sucks that WashU has honors, because it's unlikely that anyone could honor if they were spending significant time in a lab. But you could definately pass.

As for me, I'm considering becoming a GSI (UC-talk for a TA) next semester at UC Berkeley (a 60-70 minute public transit commute from UCSF) because we could use the extra cash, and because the UCs are technically all one university, I may be able to get a 1K tuition credit per semester I teach part time. I expect that (excluding commute times, cause I can read on the BART) it will take me 10-15 hours a week. And even though I feel swamped with work, I know I can find that much time and still pass, I'll just have to stop taking so many clinically oriented electives, and have even less of a social life. So if you really want to do research, you will be able to, it will just take some sacrifices.

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[swoop]

I don't really know how anyone who hasn't been through medical school or atleast is in it currently can say whether or not medical school is tougher. One thing we must remember is that people are different as well as schools. One school may be tougher for one person while it is easier for another. Perhaps Stanford or an IVY really is just so much better than every other school out there. Maybe there is something to say about going through undergrad and becoming overly competitive and narrowly focused so that you miss meals and growing up for the sake of studying. Maybe some people no matter how much none of likes to admit it or even believe it because of competitive nature or the fact that you may have gone to an "elite" school some people are smarter than others and it is easier to them.

 

[doepug]

Back to what the original poster said...

I found Wash U undergrad harder than Hopkins med. There's no question that I worked harded in college than in med school. There's a myth perpetuated by med students that med school is impossibly difficult, and this is simply not true. After all, everyone graduates in four years. There's a subset of med students who like to complain and bemoan their workload, but the fact of the matter is that the unspoken majority of medical students are NOT overwhelmed by medical school. I found my college courses far more challenging.

It's well-known by adcoms that WU doesn't have grade inflation in the sciences; therefore people with suboptimal GPAs (me) get into decent med schools.

Cheers,
doepug

Washington University (AB, 2000)
Johns Hopkins (MD, 2004)

 

[Gumshoe]

Nothing is EASY, no one ever said it was. But you have to believe, much like Undergrad, that GETTING IN is by far the toughest part, in general. I think that is why people who go to state schools might think med is a bit tougher than regular because of the smaller class sizes and overall % of smarter people.

It's doable, very doable. I'll be able to comment on if it's EASIER or not in about 1 year .. haha

Gumshoe

 

[scootad.]

I agree with the above. The two best analogies I have for med school is its like having your head submerged under water and not being able to come up for air and drinking from a fire hydrant of details. Literally, it is relentless and stamina is a must.

I went to a very rigorous undergrad and it was cakewalk in comparison. Now, again, its not content its pure volume overload. If anything med school stifles creativity and intellectual thinking.