Bluedevilmike's Ten Step Guide to Picking a PreMed School - Page 5

bluedevilmike · 05-05-2011, 10:06 PM

from the original thread:

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On prestige, notice we are discussing medical students competing for residencies, but the logic probably holds:

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Bluedevilmike: The general consensus is this: they have a list of "good schools" and list of "other schools"...

If you are from a "good" school, and your application has no glaring flaws, then you get an interview. If you are from an "other" school, and your application does not have any glaring HIGH points, you do not get an interview. Once you get an interview, that becomes the most important component of their decision, although other things still matter.

Special features - either good or bad - might be board scores, class rank, a second degree, etc.

Bigredmed: That's a great way of putting it. What I have tried to say all along, whether it's undergrad, or medical school, or even residency, if you do well, then where you went is not likely to impact your chances. Doing well is a panacea for almost everything.

Good Pre-Med Schools

* * * *

As for difficulty, there's a very wide spread of talent at Duke. As is typical of highly selective colleges, about half of the student body was admitted for academic reasons and about half was admitted for other reasons such as legacy, athletics, or diversity. I had some classmates who could barely write (could they even read? I have no idea), and I had some classmates who were absolute geniuses, including the eventual Rhodes Scholar who lived next door to me.

If you went to a very strong high school (Exeter, Collegiate, Harvard-Westlake, etc.) then I seriously doubt you'll have to buy textbooks, much less read them or study out of them. At the other end of the spectrum, I knew some very sweet and devoted kids who got very poor grades no matter how hard they studied.

MiamiDAP · 05-16-2011, 10:54 AM

Looking back at D's UG experience after she has graduated with load of various awards and starting Med. School in few weeks, I should say that her way of choosing UG was right for her. I imagine that everybody has a different way based on their priority list. D.s last comments walking at her UG's campus: "I surely would have not had the same opportunities at other college, I will miss it a lot". As a proof of how she feels, she is visiting her UG before she starts Med. School. From parent's prospective: awesome personal growth in many areas and great results achieiving ultimate goal. The most important criteria for my D. has been evaluating her own perception of how she would feel living/studying there. She has applied it to both choosing UG and Med. School. It has worked for her at UG. Still have to see how it will turn out for Med. School.

ViggyRam · 05-17-2011, 06:24 PM

What semester did you CC'ers take your Calculus class and is there any point in taking a pre-calculus class?

MiamiDAP · 05-18-2011, 07:17 AM

D. did NOT take Calc at college at all. AP Calc credit was OK at all her Med. School, she has asked several adcoms. Anyway, she did not need it in any of her classes. She took semester of college Stats instead. She never was interested enough to take more math than she needed. Stats is very useful in understanding of Med. Research Lab. procedures, according to D.

AznPride2012 · 07-08-2011, 01:52 PM

@BlueDevilMike,

This is extremely off-topic, but I don't know how to send you a message. I was just wondering how the economics major was as a pre-med? I'm interested in it as a potential major, but I don't want to ruin my chances at getting a high MCAT score as well as acceptance into medical schools. Would I be better off majoring in a science and minoring in economics? Could you tell me about your experience as an econ pre-med?

bluedevilmike · 07-08-2011, 02:31 PM

What should a premed major in?

AznPride2012 · 07-09-2011, 01:23 AM

Thanks. Just out of curiosity, why did you choose to major in economics?

bluedevilmike · 07-09-2011, 06:51 PM

This was written long after I chose my major, but:

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...medicine demands maximum output despite limited resources. Physicians ... are called to prioritize procedures, weigh complex situations, and determine a single best course of action – and to stay with it, combining steady commitment with flexibility and constant re-evaluation. As I learned during my clinical rotations, medicine is not practiced in the vacuum of a classroom but in a time-pressured, resource-scarce environment that demands rapid but accurate decision-making. In that environment, I found that my training in economics served me well. Economic limitations are most obvious in areas such as triage and organ transplants, but they also affect even basic questions such as which diagnostic test to order, or which patient to see first. Personnel and financial constraints have become an increasingly critical part of a profession where resources must be used efficiently...

AznPride2012 · 07-09-2011, 07:47 PM

Cool. Thanks.

shyparentalunit · 02-09-2012, 07:50 PM

My DD is currently a college senior and she is finishing up the interview process for MD/PhD programs. I would add to the list that it is helpful if your college has easy access to an airport. She has spent quite a bit of time traveling during her senior year, and having an airport 15 minutes away from her campus has saved her a lot of time and stress! Would we have even thought of this when she was a junior or senior in high school? No way. She didn't even decide to go this route until the end of her junior year in college. She does feel fortunate that her travel situation has been eased by easy airport access.

i_wanna_be_Brown · 02-09-2012, 09:05 PM

shyparentalunit,

I guess if you're really struggling to decide between two schools this can be something used to tip the scales, but I would definitely not recommend using "distance from an airport" as a major criterion. I'm sure that in the throes of interview season it seems like the worst thing imaginable would be to have to travel longer to an airport, but seeing as interview season is a few months at best (and not every day of those months) it seems to me at least very worth adding a few hours each trip in driving time to spend FOUR FULL ACADEMIC YEARS at an institution that one enjoys.

shyparentalunit · 02-09-2012, 09:16 PM

I really don't mean that it is one of the very top factors, but, yes, if you're down to choosing between a few places, at least put that factor into consideration.

MiamiDAP · 02-10-2012, 08:31 AM

shyparentalunit,
In reality, very few apply to MD/PhD and there are many who limit themselves applying only to Med. Schools in driving range. So, while your advice is very good for those who are planning to apply nationally, all my D's friends pre-meds drove to their interviews and none applied to schools that they had to fly for interviews. They are MS1's at various public and private Med. Schools rignt now and my D. is 2 hours away from home.
I agree, if one is planning to apply nationally, proximity of airport is important, within one hour driving should be fine.

ImOnOne · 02-10-2012, 12:59 PM

Just wanted to say that BDM did a great job in creating this guide in picking a pre-med school. With so many things going through the minds of high school seniors in picking a school, this guide really dumbed it down to an extent and made the decision fall upon more important factors than minute details. I used this guide to help pick a school and I'm thoroughly pleased with my decision. Way to go BDM!

Dixie39 · 11-27-2012, 05:56 PM

These were all really helpful and well written tips. Thanks so much, friend.