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What would I need to do to get into medschool?
- Thread starter atomi
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atomi said:
Have you heard of ITER? What do you think?
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You'll probably need some clinical experience to help you figure out if medicine is something you want to pursue (and there's nothing wrong with exploring your options). You could get started volunteering or shadowing this summer.
If you start to get the idea that you'd like to be pre-med, it seems that the easiest way to get orgo and intro bio out of the way would be to take them at your undergrad institution. I can't think of a good reason to take these classes somewhere else after graduating.
As for a timeline...if you do have an epiphany sometime very soon (I'm not sure if they work that way) and decide you want to apply, then you could take the April MCAT and apply next summer (2006). You could theoretically get in somewhere and start in fall of 2007, be done 2011, then start residency, and possibly be a practicing doc in 2014.
Hooray for hypothetical timelines/scenarios.
If you start to get the idea that you'd like to be pre-med, it seems that the easiest way to get orgo and intro bio out of the way would be to take them at your undergrad institution. I can't think of a good reason to take these classes somewhere else after graduating.
As for a timeline...if you do have an epiphany sometime very soon (I'm not sure if they work that way) and decide you want to apply, then you could take the April MCAT and apply next summer (2006). You could theoretically get in somewhere and start in fall of 2007, be done 2011, then start residency, and possibly be a practicing doc in 2014.
Hooray for hypothetical timelines/scenarios.
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I would get some clinical experience before I started taking any classes. If you really enjoy what you see, then start taking the rest of your classes. I am guessing since you are an EE, that you have very little credits left to fulfill the rest of the pre-reqs. I would not rush it if I were you. If you decide to pursue medicine, do a SMP or post-bacc, finish up the pre-reqs, take the MCAT, and apply.
REALLY make sure you want to do it before you try. There probably is no career that involves half as much commitment as medicine. 4 more years of INTENSE school, with 3 ridiculously hard licensing steps, and a lifelong commitment to learning, not to mention losing your 20's in the process. Timelines will vary, only you can figure out what you want to do and when.
REALLY make sure you want to do it before you try. There probably is no career that involves half as much commitment as medicine. 4 more years of INTENSE school, with 3 ridiculously hard licensing steps, and a lifelong commitment to learning, not to mention losing your 20's in the process. Timelines will vary, only you can figure out what you want to do and when.
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atomi said:
If you need to ask other people to convince you why you should study medicine then you obviously have no interest in it. The problem is not how long you wanted to become a doctor but why you do. I sincerely believe that a career choice should come from you and not somebody else.
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If you really want to do medicine, then why not look into your college premed track? If you could do well in EE, then BME shouldn't be that bad (that would cover all your medschool req) then take the MCAT.
Medicine is great but it is only great, if you really want to do it. Try out some clinical stuff, volunteering.... just to get a better understanding of what you are getting into. Good luck.
Medicine is great but it is only great, if you really want to do it. Try out some clinical stuff, volunteering.... just to get a better understanding of what you are getting into. Good luck.
atomi said:
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hardy said:
Hardy- You are terrible at giving advice. Please be quiet. You sound like my freshman roommate Jon who is studying to be an actuary. That's all he ever wanted to do and he started right in on the accounting and has expressed no desire to take literature or philosophy or physical sciences- he's refusing to develop and expand himself. Are you like Jon, Hardy? Boorrinng.
Some people are attracted to many different things and not having a one-track mind is good. I have vacillated between probably 15 different careers throughout my years in college and, although it's frustrating much of the time, I am glad to be capable of going so many different ways with my talents.
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hardy said:
Who said that he won't? Not all of us want to be a doctor since we were 1 year old. I was into computer science before, but at the end I decided against it (Did some programming job and decided that it wasn't for me). Now I couldn't think of anything else I would rather do than medicine and spending more than 2 years in the ER, I know that I didn't make the wrong decision.
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hopefulneuro said:
What Hardy is referring to, I think is the fact that this individual does not show any 'attraction' to medicine. He is asking us for reasons that he should be. If I were to guess what Hardy is concerned about, it is this: that the OP thinks that he should consider med school for a possible career just because he's got the stats and ECs to qualify him for it, *not* because he is attracted to medicine as a field. Of course, I am not Hardy so I don't know for sure what he's thinking...
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DrHopeless said:
Good, that's exactly my point. YOU wanted to do it, not your mother wanted you to consider it, which resulted in you asking other people why you should go into medicine. All I am criticizing is that the OP cannot find good enough reasons to go into medicine himself which to me means that he does not really want to.
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What you need to do is do lots of clinical volunteering and/or get a clinical job...seeing how unsure you are, I would say at least one year. Be around doctors in their environment. Be around patients. See the good, the bad, the...(I just can't...). Get a good year under you and you will be sure. That is the ONLY way you can know for sure if it is right for you, being that you seem to have almost zero interest now. Plus, saying "my mom made me do it" will not get you through the interviews.
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maybe a better question to have asked is, what are the atractive features of a medical career, rather t han why YOU should be attracted to medicine. maybe that wouldn't have generated as much hostility.
from what you are saying, maybe industry research in biomed may also be good. From my limited knowledge of industry, there are lot more results than in university research. but, it' s probably more of applying science. my PhD advisor used to be industry, so our lab is still a bit like industry. I'm not saying you shouldn't go in m edicine, but maybe you want to think abuout that too
from what you are saying, maybe industry research in biomed may also be good. From my limited knowledge of industry, there are lot more results than in university research. but, it' s probably more of applying science. my PhD advisor used to be industry, so our lab is still a bit like industry. I'm not saying you shouldn't go in m edicine, but maybe you want to think abuout that too
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Sonya said:
Thats what I was thinking. If you go into medicine make sure it is what YOU want. Don't do it just because your mom wants you to. If you think you might be interested in medicine (not just because your mom wants you to be) then do some volunteer work that allows you to be around doctors and see what they do or try shadowing a doctor. If you just love science look into other fields as well, there are other things besides being a doctor or engineer that involve science. I am not saying that you shouldn't go into medicine. Just make sure that is what you want to do and make sure that it is your choice and not someone elses.
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There are lots of ways of pursuing a career in the medical field without getting a MD.
Have you considered radiation oncology physicist? They make a great living (at least 100, lots of times 250, that's more than primary care docs!). Or you can go into software development or some type of engineering for patients who need technical assistance. There are lots of GREAT jobs in the medical field that deals with what you already know and enjoy doing. Find out more about them before you decide.
Have you considered radiation oncology physicist? They make a great living (at least 100, lots of times 250, that's more than primary care docs!). Or you can go into software development or some type of engineering for patients who need technical assistance. There are lots of GREAT jobs in the medical field that deals with what you already know and enjoy doing. Find out more about them before you decide.
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hardy said:
you have no justification in criticizing him. finding enough reason to go into medicine is different from not exploring it enough, which seems to be the case. all he's doing is asking questions in the appropriate place, so you don't have to write him off so quickly. this is a public FORUM, not some bs elitist club for premeds.
begone snob!
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Atomi, I was in a very similar situation to you. I was a computer engineering/German dual degree student, did very well in school, then realized right before my senior year of college that I really didn't want to be an engineer. It was kind of an "oh no, now what do I do!" moment. I started looking into other careers, someone suggested medicine, and it kind of stuck in my mind, so I explored it a little, crammed in as many premed classes as I could before graduating, then worked as a programmer while taking the rest of my prereqs and getting clinical (volunteer) experience.
It worked very well for me - I'll be starting at Wash U next month.
This is what I would recommend for you. Get your EE degree, and get a job. It would be cool to work for Marconi or someplace like that, where it's medically related engineering, but anything would work. You can work as an engineer for a few years; even if you don't like it, you'll at least have plenty of money to pay for the application process.
First I would volunteer to get some clinical experience - I was a candy striper, which honestly wasn't really enough. If I were doing it over I'd volunteer at a free clinic on the weekends so as to get more patient contact and a better idea of what medicine is really about. If you feel like you need more experience than that, you could try to get a more clinically oriented job, but honestly for me, the balance between pay and experience kept me in engineering.
Then if you think medicine might be for you, take the prereqs. I took O Chem while working, and it wasn't a problem - you're clearly smart, so you should be able to do it. Depending on whether you want one or two classes at a time, this would take a year or two. Take the MCAT in April at the end of your classes, and apply to med schools that summer.
My plan will take you probably 3 years (1 for exploring/volunteering, 1 for coursework, 1 for the application cycle) and that's on purpose.
Take your time deciding. There's nothing wrong with starting med school at 24 or 25, and you'll be sure you know what you're doing. Plus, while you're working you could decide that you actually do like being an engineer, or you might find something else you like instead - there are SO MANY career options out there that people don't know about because they're focused on those set "engineer accountant doctor lawyer" paths.
I hope that helps - feel free to PM me if you'd like to talk to someone who's been where you are.
It worked very well for me - I'll be starting at Wash U next month.
This is what I would recommend for you. Get your EE degree, and get a job. It would be cool to work for Marconi or someplace like that, where it's medically related engineering, but anything would work. You can work as an engineer for a few years; even if you don't like it, you'll at least have plenty of money to pay for the application process.
First I would volunteer to get some clinical experience - I was a candy striper, which honestly wasn't really enough. If I were doing it over I'd volunteer at a free clinic on the weekends so as to get more patient contact and a better idea of what medicine is really about. If you feel like you need more experience than that, you could try to get a more clinically oriented job, but honestly for me, the balance between pay and experience kept me in engineering.
Then if you think medicine might be for you, take the prereqs. I took O Chem while working, and it wasn't a problem - you're clearly smart, so you should be able to do it. Depending on whether you want one or two classes at a time, this would take a year or two. Take the MCAT in April at the end of your classes, and apply to med schools that summer.
My plan will take you probably 3 years (1 for exploring/volunteering, 1 for coursework, 1 for the application cycle) and that's on purpose.
Take your time deciding. There's nothing wrong with starting med school at 24 or 25, and you'll be sure you know what you're doing. Plus, while you're working you could decide that you actually do like being an engineer, or you might find something else you like instead - there are SO MANY career options out there that people don't know about because they're focused on those set "engineer accountant doctor lawyer" paths.
I hope that helps - feel free to PM me if you'd like to talk to someone who's been where you are.
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What lorelei said.
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passthesashimi said:
Exactly, which means I can tell people to avoid medicine if they have no real interest in it. You are free to reason against what I say. You know, it's called a "discussion board".
On the other hand, are you sure this is a forum and not a Kindergarten? I wonder sometimes...
lol! calm down, everybody. I mean, at this rate, imagine what we'll be like during residency!
obviously, no one should go into medicine if they just kinda-sorta think it might be ok. I think it's cool that atomi is at least respecting his mom's suggestion by trying to look into things. And if he doesn't have much experience with medicine, it makes sense to ask premeds/med students about it rather than basing his choices on his perception of medicine.
I was afraid at first to tell people I wanted to go into medicine 'cause I thought they'd think I was crazy. heh.
obviously, no one should go into medicine if they just kinda-sorta think it might be ok. I think it's cool that atomi is at least respecting his mom's suggestion by trying to look into things. And if he doesn't have much experience with medicine, it makes sense to ask premeds/med students about it rather than basing his choices on his perception of medicine.
I was afraid at first to tell people I wanted to go into medicine 'cause I thought they'd think I was crazy. heh.
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