Mixer_Vik said:
hi there - sorry for disturbing such a busy forum !
i have a couple of questions i was hoping you guys could answer.
You will probably find these questions very basic - im asking because im moving to Florida from England , over here medical school takes 5 years and youre a doctor !
Well, you've got a lot to learn (assuming you're not a troll, which I hope you're not). Fortunately, you found SDN!
Mixer_Vik said:
- what is allopathic / osteopathic ?
Allopathic schools are those that grant an M.D. degree to their graduates. They are the more traditional schools, and they tend to place more people in specialty residencies (where you go after medical school for 3 to 7 years, depending on the specialty, to learn how to do your job and also provide labor for pennies on the dollar compared to an older doctor).
Osteopathic schools grant the D.O. degree, which is equal to an M.D. degree in every way, except that it's newer and so there's less of them. They learn everything an M.D. does, but also something called OMM, which is a more holistic approach to treating the body instead of just one ailing part. The schools are not easy to get into, but they do tend to have lower GPAs and MCATs on average than allopathic schools. It is more difficult to get some residencies with an D.O. degree, especially surgery.
Mixer_Vik said:
- how long does medical school take - so far i know i have to take a pre medical course at UCF and this takes 4 years, i think what im trying to find out is how long after college (undergrad) does it take to be a doctor ?
Medical school takes four years. The first two you spend in classrooms and labs learning the basic science. Then you go on to rotations in a variety of fileds so that you can get a feel for what you might like to specialize in and also to practice a multitude of procedures. Then you go on to a residency after graduating with your M.D. or D.O. and passing the United States Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE), both the first step (taken after your second year of medical school) and the second step (taken just before you graduate). All schools require that you pass the USMLE in order to graduate.
This is all after you've completed your undergrad work, which usually takes four years. You do NOT need to major in pre-med studies in order to go to medical school. Many people either choose a science major because so many of the courses over lap with medical school requirements, or a major they enjoy such as psychology or english, and then also take the required science courses. Statistically, philosophy majors have the best matriculation rate into medical school.
If you already have a baccalaureate degree from a university in England, many U.S. schools only require you to take just one year of coursework here, and then apply.
Mixer_Vik said:
- what year of college should i apply in.
If you are going to be in an undergrad school for four years, most people apply during the summer between their third and fourth years. There is no nationwide "match" program, as I believe there is in England (Texas schools do have one though). You can apply to as many schools as you want, it just costs more money. You apply through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) for almost every allopathic U.S. medical school (except those in Texas and a few other schools that for some reason or another haven't joined). You apply through AMCAS in June (ideally) through November (do NOT wait that long!). You can start filling out your AMCAS in May; do that so it's ready to go to submit on June 1st. You have to send your transcripts in ahead of time. After this, you will receive secondary applications from the schools you apply to (some do an initial cut and some send them out to everybody). The secondaries can range from sending them more money and signing a piece of paper to several essays. After this, schools will begin to invite people to interview from September through April. Schools make a big cut pre-interview, but you can also be placed on pre-interview hold, where they may or may not interview you later. You must be invited to an interview (and obviously go to it) in order to gain acceptance. Following the interview, you may hear back in a few days, weeks or months as to whether you are Accepted, rejected, on hold or waitlisted.
Mixer_Vik said:
- how are exams tested ? termly ? or is it different for each university ?
I guess you're referring to exams at an undergrad school? It not only depends on the university you're attending, but what class you're taking. Some professors give midterms throughout the semester and a final, while others might give quizzes every week and then a final.
For the MCAT (the medical college admission test) which you must take prior to applying to medical school, you should take that in April of your third year. You should have already completed a year of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biology and Physics, all with labs and also it is a good idea to have also taken Genetics and Biochemistry.
Mixer_Vik said:
- how bright do you have to be ?!? hah i mean over here you have to have required AAB - AAA BIO / CHEM / PHY OR MATHS. So far i have ABB in maths chem and physics , i think i could push my physics upto an A.
I'm not sure how the grading system works in England, but the average GPA (grade point average) for accepted applicants is around 3.6, which means a little over half of your grades are As and the rest Bs. However, the more As the better. Medical schools also look at your science GPA separate from your overall GPA. Science GPAs (the average from all of your science and math classes) tend to be a little lower, but you want to shoot for at least 3.5.
It really depends on the individual school how high your grades need to be.
Mixer_Vik said:
- how fierce is competion for entry? in england i applied to Optomerty school (Boptom/BSc) and have recieved 5 acceptances out of 6 applications. But i think it was due to my involvement in school community that carried me through.
It really depends on what state you're in. California is VERY competitive. North Dakota and West Virginia, not so much. Florida is probably somewhere in the middle.
Mixer_Vik said:
- i hope to apply to university of florida for medical school - do you know anything about this univeristy admissions wise and if there very selective ??
It looks like the easiest school to get into in Florida is Florida State University College of Medicine, which has an average MCAT of 27 and an averge GPA of 3.6. There were 512 applicants for the 46 places. So, that's about 1 in 10, but keep in mind that schools issue more acceptances than they have places. There are three other allopathic schools in Florida, and I believe there's at least one osteopathic school. You should definitely buy a copy of Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR). The new edition comes out every April.
That sure was long. Hope it helps you out!
