well rounded student...

[aye]

here's a question for you... i've heard that med schools would like students that are well rounded academically. they don't want someone focusing purely on science courses. i'm a biochem major, but here in my school, we are required to take General Foundation Requirements where i have to take 3 semesters of Arts and Humanities courses and also 3 semesters of Social Science courses. By fulfilling my school's requirements, would i be considered well rounded academically because i'm not purely taking science courses?? or do med schools want me to minor in a non science subject to be considered well rounded??

thanks!

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[Cerberus]

Originally posted by aye
here's a question for you... i've heard that med schools would like students that are well rounded academically. they don't want someone focusing purely on science courses. i'm a biochem major, but here in my school, we are required to take General Foundation Requirements where i have to take 3 semesters of Arts and Humanities courses and also 3 semesters of Social Science courses. By fulfilling my school's requirements, would i be considered well rounded academically because i'm not purely taking science courses?? or do med schools want me to minor in a non science subject to be considered well rounded??

thanks!

almost every school makes you take those courses

 

[aye]

so what do med schools mean well rounded academically??

 

[klp14]

My undergrad did that too. Undergrads that are known for the sciences want to be able to say that their students get a "complete" education, so it seems to me like the whole point was to prove that you are a well-rounded student. It worked when I was applying to MPH programs (a prof I spoke to while applying mentioned it), so I think you're okay.

 

[tBw]

yes and no, depending on the perspective. It won't make you stand out as 'extraordinarily' well-rounded but then, in order to do that, I think it takes more than academic classes.

 

[SunnyS81]

Hell, I'm an engineer (which means at most schools you take the BARE minimum of non-science/engineering classes), but people have mentioned that I am well rounded..........not academically, but through activities..........my interviewer at Pitt though mentioned that he dislikes applicants who take biochem, anatomy and other classes you take in medical school as an undergrad because it means you are wasting opportunities to study other subjects..........

 

[DarkChild]

dont sweat it, I dont think any school has turned down for an interview a guy with a 45 and a 4.0 major in physics for being too one-sided.
at the end of the day, a lot of it boils down to MCATs, Grades with the slack being picked up by LORs and your motivation for medicine. I dont think schools will be terribly put off by the fact that you have shown an aptitude for advanced studies in biology and chemistry.
YMMV

 

[lola]

Originally posted by the boy wonder
yes and no, depending on the perspective. It won't make you stand out as 'extraordinarily' well-rounded but then, in order to do that, I think it takes more than academic classes.

definitely. when people talk about being well-rounded, i don't think they necessarily mean academically. as long as you don't take purely science and math courses you'll look well-rounded academically. i think it's more important to be well-rounded in other ways -- i.e. exposed to different experiences that you can learn from.

 

[AegisZero]

Well rounded is a loosely used term that very few interviewers have the same criteria for. Ultimately, most schools that require some sort of curriculum matrix to be completed will generally send out well-rounded students. But really, the term is subjective and varies by school, it is best to do whatever ya like because chances are a couple of schools will consider that activity something that constitutes being "well rounded"

 

[AegisZero]

Well rounded is a loosely used term that very few interviewers have the same criteria for. Ultimately, most schools that require some sort of curriculum matrix to be completed will generally send out well-rounded students. But really, the term is subjective and varies by school, it is best to do whatever ya like because chances are a couple of schools will consider that activity something that constitutes being "well rounded"

 

[AegisZero]

Well rounded is a loosely used term that very few interviewers have the same criteria for. Ultimately, most schools that require some sort of curriculum matrix to be completed will generally send out well-rounded students. But really, the term is subjective and varies by school, it is best to do whatever ya like because chances are a couple of schools will consider that activity something that constitutes being "well rounded"

 

[AegisZero]

Well rounded is a loosely used term that very few interviewers have the same criteria for. Ultimately, most schools that require some sort of curriculum matrix to be completed will generally send out well-rounded students. But really, the term is subjective and varies by school, it is best to do whatever ya like because chances are a couple of schools will consider that activity something that constitutes being "well rounded"

 

[AegisZero]

Well rounded is a loosely used term that very few interviewers have the same criteria for. Ultimately, most schools that require some sort of curriculum matrix to be completed will generally send out well-rounded students. But really, the term is subjective and varies by school, it is best to do whatever ya like because chances are a couple of schools will consider that activity something that constitutes being "well rounded"

 

[AegisZero]

Well rounded is a loosely used term that very few interviewers have the same criteria for. Ultimately, most schools that require some sort of curriculum matrix to be completed will generally send out well-rounded students. But really, the term is subjective and varies by school, it is best to do whatever ya like because chances are a couple of schools will consider that activity something that constitutes being "well rounded"

 

[AegisZero]

Well rounded is a loosely used term that very few interviewers have the same criteria for. Ultimately, most schools that require some sort of curriculum matrix to be completed will generally send out well-rounded students. But really, the term is subjective and varies by school, it is best to do whatever ya like because chances are a couple of schools will consider that activity something that constitutes being "well rounded"

 

[tBw]

ok aegis we get the point!!

 

[Cerberus]

i've seen double posts but damn!

 

[Doctor Octopus]

If you want to be academically well rounded take a few elective courses in some subject other than your major.

 

[aye]

that's y i mentioned academically well rounded. some med school admission person said that they didn't want someone who is a science major only taking science courses.... but this didn't make sense to me because we are required to take non science classes. thanks for all the replies.

btw, i know volunteering at a hospital is a norm in terms of ec's but what else is? i would like to focus on pediatrics so i was a reading tutor during the summer for elementary school children at AmeriCorps and i am currently a tutor for the Choice Tutoring program for at risk kids. I did research at the Academy of Natural Science in Philadelphia that has nothing to do w/ medince (i did research on mussels! but i thought that gaining ANY research experience was a good thing). I'm just wondering if i'm still a cookie cutter pre med student because others on this board talk about goin to different countries to volunteer and i'm very intimidated with that.

thanks again.

 

[AegisZero]

Woah sorry guys!!! I have NO idea why it posted that many times LOL.

I just really, um, sorta, um, wanted to make my point heard. Yeah... that's EXACTLY what I meant to do LOL (nervous laughter)

 

[tBw]

Originally posted by aye
I'm just wondering if i'm still a cookie cutter pre med student

Probably, but then most people could appear to be "non-cookie cutter" or unique if they wanted to. It's all in how you sell it. If all you talk about is always wanting to be a doc, the ER you volunteer in, and are a bio major, then you sound like a cookie-cutter (this is a hypothetical instance, not meant to be you) but that same person might also have grown up in an underserved area, have been active in church ministry, and like to crotchet. The med school probably doesn't care but if this person focussed on the latter rather than the former (while still listing the former) they might not be better qualified, but they would at least sound different.

If there really is nothing unique about you (which I find hard to believe) then at least take comfort in the fact that lots of 'cookie-cutter' pre-meds get in every year. There's a reason the cookie-cutter exists - its what med schools demand. Having raisons or almonds on their cookies is just a bonus.

 

[DW]

Originally posted by AegisZero
Woah sorry guys!!! I have NO idea why it posted that many times LOL.

I just really, um, sorta, um, wanted to make my point heard. Yeah... that's EXACTLY what I meant to do LOL (nervous laughter)

there are other places to pad, my friend

 

[Slinkie]

I took a lot of history and other humanities classes and wrote my personal statement about art. In my experience, I keep getting asked at my interviews why is it that I am going into medicine despite such a strong interest in humanities. Once, I felt like the interviewer was accusing me of liking humanities too much to be in medicine. I usually explain to them that like any other normal person, I have many interests, but none of them hold my interest as much as medicine. Still, kinda annoying.

 

[UCLA2000]

Originally posted by aye
so what do med schools mean well rounded academically??

Who said anything aboud "academically"??????

 

[poloace]

shiz... if i keep drinking like this and eating the type of food the ladies have been preparing... the only 'well-rounded' you'll get out of me is a fatty gut. oh yeah... rub that gut... you like that...
gross.
p

 

[SM-UCLA tech]

I definitely agree that "well-rounded" is a vague term. But if I were to define well-rounded.... I would have to say it's a combination of academics and personal life experience.

If you are a science major, then you should strive to take courses outside of the science realm; why? not because it will "look good" on your application, but because you will have had a more dynamic educational experience as an undergraduate. If you go on to medical school, you can be assured that you will be a science geek in the end.

That being said....the same goes for your non-academic experience. I believe that you should pursue your interests when the opportunity presents itself. I decided to get a degree in History because I was interested in the subject and knew I was already going to be taking plenty of science classes. I also decided to pursue non-medically related as well as medically related extra curriculars. Of course I have done my share of research, volunteering, and I have even worked in healthcare for several years. But I also seized the opportunity to volunteer at a local elementary school and work with kindergarteners and 1st graders...I also interned for the mayor of los angeles among many other things....

But.....what does this all mean? Do I see myself as well-rounded? Yes, but I also am a little older than the average applicant and I have had my share of free time screwing around to do a lot of those things. ( Especially while I was playing baseball in college). Basically I think that whatever little spare time you have, you should try to be productive and do the things that you truly enjoy. In the end, you can't be anything else but well-rounded.

P.S. forgive me for the long letter, but I didn't have time to write anything more brief. ( a quote from some anonymous historian )