<p>I’m not directing this at anyone in particular, but it’s been on my mind ever since this article came out.</p>
<p>As I see it, there are two types of objections to the HuMed program.</p>
<p>1) “But pre-meds have always taken orgo and physics, so all pre-meds should continue to take those classes!” This is the argument that we’ve always done it a certain way, so we should continue in that same manner. I wouldn’t necessarily object to this in the absence of evidence regarding the performance of HuMeds as medical students, but it’s pretty clear that HuMeds do just as well in medical school as traditional applicants. This, then, is a moot argument.</p>
<p>2) “But I suffered through those classes, so no one else should get a free pass!” This is essentially a pro-hazing kind of argument. It’s the same attitude that people use to harass the ones underneath them in the medical hierarchy. It’s not a kind of attitude that I think should be tolerated. We should be eager to make training more efficient and effective for the people who are junior to us, not happy to make their lives just as miserable as ours were.</p>