<p>Personally, I’d choose a project that provides me with at least a slight chance of getting published and isn’t overly time consuming.</p>
<p>How does one measure grade inflation? Would it be the average GPA of the student population? If yes, what would be the average GPA of a school with grade inflation. 3.3, 3.4?</p>
<p>Stanford, which is the most grade inflated school on this list, had a 3.44 in 1992. (Brown had a 3.47 in 1999.)</p>
<p><a href=“http://gradeinflation.com/[/url]”>http://gradeinflation.com/</a></p>
<p>I’ve been considering RCSI’s (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) 6-year medical education program. This program lets graduating HS seniors apply directly to RCSI; apparently, college freshmen can also apply. Any thoughts on this program, along with pros and cons?</p>
<p>Tuition and living expenses work out to about $400,000 over six years using their estimates, about $30,000 cheaper than if you went to the most expensive US colleges and medical schools. It would be a lot more than, say, a public university and then medical school, so it’s not a moneysaving deal, although it does save you two years, which is substantial.</p>
<p>I’ll say it again: many schools have explicit policies than ban FMG’s unless they’re actually from the country in question. If you feel like that’s okay - and it would not be, for me - then by all means.</p>
<p>BDM: What are you referring to when you say “many schools”… for residency opportunities?</p>
<p>Yeah, residency programs - probably shouldn’t have called them schools. I know the website says that they get kids into top US residencies, and I don’t doubt that, but I don’t think there’s any denying that it’s considerably harder.</p>
<p>Still, Ireland is better than other overseas options, definitely.</p>
<p>Ireland and England are VERY safe bets for overseas. Their schools are nearly identical to ours. It would probably be easier to place in a good residency from there with high scores then from a mid-to top school here with good scores.</p>
<p>Regardless of whether residency programs ought to view candidates from there equally, I remain steadfast in my position that many residency programs will prima facie not admit US students who travelled overseas for medical school. I’m sure the schools are great - but “easier” than a strong US medical school, if you assume board scores are equal?</p>
<p>I’m skeptical at best, but I understand that data on this subject would be very hard to acquire, so I’ll simply be content to maintain my position without trying to swing yours.</p>
<p>You’ve got to look at the fact that many med schools in europe have been teaching medicine since before the U.S. was even founded. Its easier for U.S. students to get in there, with the right grades of course, but for the countries own students those schools are very very hard to get into. I get info from the people I know who have gone overseas and are now practicing here. If you are willing to tell me that someone who goes to India from the U.S. to med school won’t get any spot they want, you are beyond wrong. I know of TONS of doctors, who went form the U.S. trained in India and are now for example in a Cardiology Fellowship in Cleavland, or doing high selective residency elsewhere. Most American students can’t hold a match to the Indian students because their training over there in downright insane. In Europe, schools that have been around since the 1300-1400s I can assure you are way better then what some rankings may say, and are very difficult, and at the level if not beyond 90% of U.S. med schools.</p>
<p>Note that I’m not - at least not here - arguing that these med schools ought to be considered inferior, only that US students who go overseas have residency options that are partially constrained.</p>
<p>I’m sure many great options remain open. I’m also sure that at least some options are closed. This would bother me, but of course it need not bother everybody.</p>
<p>European med schools are surely an improvement over medical schools in other countries. However, as I have shown in other threads, being an IMG is a disadvantage. It may preclude you from certain residency programs, board scores are on average lower, and you may have to through a fifth pathway program. This is not to say that you can’t get into some competitive residency programs/fields, just that you have a lot more to prove. Simply put, you are going to have spend a lot of effort convincing residency directors that your training is the equal to a US experience, instead of focusing on you and your personality. </p>
<p>And just like any other 6-year program there are plenty of concerns I have, let alone the inherent issues that come from sending an 18 or 19 year old abroad.</p>
<p>I just have a few questions on the required courses and when to take them.
I will be a freshman this september and my orientation is in a few weeks so I need some advice. I know that where are four science courses that are required and several that are recommended. Thus this means that I will need to double up on science during a few semesters; I want to finish the science before the end of junior year to take the MCATS. So my question is what classes should I double up? I took AP Bio this year so taking Bio first semester is something I think would be good since it’s all fresh in my mind. I also took AP pysch and AP Calc so I want to take those first semester as well because I know them well enough. </p>
<p>Any ideas then what to do with the other classes? I’ll try to push off general ed and focus on the Pre-med requirements first. I enjoyed HS physics and I know Bio is still fresh. Chemistry is that I lack in because my HS teacher thought us rudementary information, nothing in depth. Taking General Chem and Orgo is suicide, isn’t it? Or should I do Bio and physics first year? I don’t know the deal with the labs as in if they are separte entity to take.</p>
<p>You must take the chem in sequence, so gen chem followed by organic.</p>
<p>Do a search, as this question has been answered many times.</p>
<p>i am a bio minor, so does it hurt to take genetic/cell biology at my home institute in the summer of my freshman yr?</p>
<p>There’s an ongoing debate about the wisdom of summer classes in other threads.</p>
<p>Be warned that minors do not matter.</p>
<p>BDM: I’m still debating about what to major in college. My passion lies in English but I also like Biology. From your advice, I can see that I need to have clinical experience and research. I’m afraid that if I major in English, I’ll have less opportunities to do biomedical research. On the other hand, Biology’s going to be tougher, time-demanding and may result in a lower GPA. What would you do in this situation?</p>
<p>Go English - a major you’re passionate about is worthwhile.</p>
<p>With that warning, however, I do think it will be somewhat harder for you to find a research job. I would stress my premedical credentials, load up on science coursework early, and take biomedical reseach courses if at all possible to help fill this experience gap. For obvious reasons, labs aren’t interested in your major per se, they’re using it as a “proxy” (a “signal”, if you will) for your background - so you’ll just need to convince them that your background really does have the knowledge and experience you’d need.</p>
<p>do med school ask you what classes we are taking in senior yr?</p>
<p>so is that better to take many liberat arts requirements or major requirement before senior yr?</p>
<p>and senior yr grades don’t count into admission right?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>1.) Yes.</p>
<p>2.) Nobody cares.</p>
<p>3.) No, this is incorrect. Some admissions will occur early, in which case your grades aren’t in yet and (therefore) don’t matter, but medical schools use all the information at their disposal, your grades included.</p>