Do average hs students become doctors and vets?

Data10
Sat, 13 Jul 2013 22:45:11 +0000

The work load in either med school or residency eliminates even the very bright but you better be at the top of your high school and college classes to get a shot at med school. Even if they can pass med school, the hours and stress in residency weeds out even smart aspires. I admire anyone who can reach MD. People skills or not, doctors are amazing human beings.

I agree with the general sentiment of a MD requiring a lot of effort, time, and in most cases quality grades, but I do not agree with the details. One does not need to be at the top of one’s high school class to get a shot a med school. Med schools look at college grades, not high school grades; and med schools do not limit admissions to persons who attended highly selective colleges for undergrad. While most persons attending med schools did achieve quality grades in undergrad, some did not, in a similar way to how some students attend selective colleges without stellar HS grades. I know persons who were admitted to med school that were far below the top of their class… I know ones who were admitted with a GPA below the middle of my college class. The overall average undergrad GPA for the freshman class at med schools ranges from ~3.3 to ~3.9, depending on the specific medical school. However, the AAMC mentions successful admissions at significantly lower rates than the average, down to the minimum listed range of 1.47 to 1.99 GPA. They report some URMs have a >50% acceptance rate with a 2.4 GPA and ~average MCAT. Med schools do not have a large portion of students failing out. The AAMC mentions a 96% long-term graduation rate with less than 2% withdrawing for academic reasons. I expect this high graduation rate relates to the selection process and choosing capable students who are expected to succeed.