Parent of a M3 here. The whole journey is a filtering out of students. Those who struggle with their premed classes will likely not have a strong foundation for the MCAT. The chemistry sequence of classes leads to struggles for many. Many struggle with Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry. These days med school admissions likes to see students going above the minimum reqts and take upperlevel sciences and do well in them as evidence of being able to handle the rigor of med school. Lately after the pandemic I am hearing of more attrition going on in med schools. Too many just focus on getting in but one needs the skills to thrive the next 4 years to match. As far as admissions academic stats is the first threshold but after that having the competencies that med schools are looking for as reflected in the ec’s one participates in comes into play. A strong student will not get in without clinical exposure. As far as students getting weeded out in undergrad understand the path only gets harder. The fast pace of med school is very different than undergrad and often referred to as drinking from a firehose. One could continue if they start out with a low gpa but going forward they would need to show a consistent upward trend. The focus should not be doing the minimum required to get in but building a strong foundation to thrive that first year and beyond. In med school you don’t get to spread out your classes, take a lighter load, drop a class and/or take it over the summer. In preclinical years students are expected to manage 6 to 7 science classes at a fast pace. They need to pass all exams. Failing a class could lead to a student going in front of the probation board possibly facing academic dismissal. Many join freshmen year as premeds but to be successful you need capability, motivation, discipline, and resilience. I used this group during my child’s early undergrad years and just happened to see this post and respond. There are so many opportunities these days in healthcare and premeds should take time to explore them. Med school is not for everyone but one could still find their career in healthcare.
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