<p>So I finished my Sophomore year in chemical engineering and I want to know a little more about my options after graduation. My current GPA is a 3.98 with a 4.00 in the science classes I have taken thus far (Gen Chem, OChem, and Physics). My initial plan was not to go to med school because I wasn’t all that interested but since taking OChem I have developed an interest in drug discovery and synthesis, granted I don’t have any research experience in that area.</p>
<p>My main concern with Med school is the price, if I can’t go for free or nearly free I doubt I will pursue it, so it possible to get grants or scholarships to Med School other than join the military? Also how necessary is hospital volunteering and all that jazz if my grades remain good and I do well on the MCAT (Im pretty good at standardized test, 790Q 570V on the GRE), as I don’t think I will have much time if any to volunteer?</p>
<p>Also if it helps I have work experience related to chemical engineering as a refining co-op. Thanks in advance</p>
<p>There are very, very, very, very few scholarships to pay for medical school. (Might need a few more very’s in there.) A medical school education is largely financed thru loans. </p>
<p>State schools might offer top, highly desired candidates a few thousand $$ out of a $45,000/yr COA. Private medical schools have more scholarship dollars, but also considerably higher COAs. (Think $75,000/yr and up)</p>
<p>Graduating with major debt is pretty much a given.</p>
<p>The federal government and some states offer loan forgiveness programs (with a cap of around $100,000 or so I believe) if you will agree to becomes a primary care physician in federally designated medically underserved areas for at least 4 years. </p>
<p>As for “hospital volunteering and all that jazz”—it’s crucial. As in if you don’t have it, your application will not be seriously considered.</p>
<p>If you’re largely interested in drug synthesis, a PhD in pharmacology or organic chemistry would probably be a better career path than medicine.</p>
<p>Would you consider MD/PhD (tuition waived, stipend provided)? If you like research and drug synthesis, a combined degree program could be right for you (provided you have a lot of research under your belt by time you apply).</p>
<p>As far as PhD in pharmacology and organic chemistry go I dont feel as those degrees are lucrative enough for me to pursue so I feel those would be mostly out of the question. A MD\PhD does sound somewhat appealing, I’ll probably analyze it more, but my concern is that I probably wont have much time for research and due to my co-op scheduling I am unavailable for large portions of the year, but I guess I can always give it a shot.</p>
<p>From what you’re saying, I really don’t think medical school is right for you.</p>
<p>Medical school has nothing to do with drug synthesis. The previous poster was correct that you’re more interested in a graduate program.</p>
<p>Secondly, I don’t care if you have a 4.0 and end up with a 39 on the MCAT, you need to show that you’ve tested your “interest” in medicine. Being smart is only a tiny fraction of the equation. Right now, it doesn’t seem like you know what medicine is about. That’s precisely why you need to do volunteering, shadowing, “and all that jazz.”</p>
<p>Know that the salaries for MD/PhDs are roughly equivalent to those of PhDs in biological sciences (like pharmacology, microbiology, organic chem etc) you find too low. MD/PhDs work mostly as researchers in academic or corporate settings. (NIH, medical schools, pharm industry). </p>
<p>MD/PhDs do not earn the same kinds of salaries as clinical physicians in high paying private practices.</p>
<p>MD/PhD programs take a minimum of 7 years to complete, longer if the new graduate decides to pursue a residency.</p>
<p>A science PhD can be finished in typically 4 years.</p>
<p>Medical schools definitely want to see something that sets you apart from other engineering majors, since they all have to take most of the prerequisite classes anyway. Shadowing a doctor (or more than one) shows that you have taken an interest in medicine and you’re looking into the life/work environment of doctors. Volunteering at a hospital isn’t necessary, but med schools do look for some sort of clinical experience (hospice volunteer, hospital, clinic, EMT, etc.) so a lot of people do hospital volunteer work because it’s not full-time (like being an EMT). Research is another big thing they like to see (although not having any isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, as long as you have other good extra-curriculars). They want to see non-medical volunteer work as well, which can be through a club or something, but the main thing with this is quality over quantity. These ECs are necessary on top of getting good grades and a good MCAT score.
As far as paying for med school, most students pay entirely through loans. You don’t have to start paying them off until after you graduate, but you can have $250,000+ that you have to pay off in 10-15 years. I’m sure you can get SOME scholarships/grants, but that totally depends on the school, your financial need, and the financial need of the other people in your class. If you are in-state, some schools will give you a good package, or if you get accepted to a top-notch school, or a newer school, etc. The problem is, I think it’s the kind of thing where you won’t know until you get there. Medicine isn’t something you should pursue unless you’re absolutely sure, because it’s a long, bumpy, expensive ride.</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“Do medical schools give merit-based financial aid at all? | Student Doctor Network”>Do medical schools give merit-based financial aid at all? | Student Doctor Network]Do</a> medical schools give merit-based financial aid at all? | Pre-Medical Allopathic [ MD ] | Student Doctor Network<a href=“maybe%20this%20is%20helpful,%20maybe%20not”>/url</a></p>
<p>@WOWmom:</p>
<p>Not all MD/PhDs do the same amount of research. And typically, because MD/PhDs do have clinical responsibilities as part of their academic position, they make more than PhD-only. How much more, depends on how much time in clinic vs. lab, specialty, academic institution, position within the department, etc. etc.</p>
<p>Neuronix boils it down here:</p>
<p>[Student</a> Doctor Network Forums - View Single Post - MD/PhD salary](<a href=“MD/PhD salary | Student Doctor Network”>MD/PhD salary | Student Doctor Network)</p>
<p>cathdriel–Thanks for the link. </p>
<p>I know both MD/PhDs and MDs [faculty, mostly doing residence training, not classroom instruction] at our med school. The research/clinical split for MD/PhDs is about 80/20 or 75/25.</p>
<p>The MD/PhDs at the med school make about what what my DH makes as a basic research PhD (in the physical sciences). The MDs make considerably more. (Like double the salary.)</p>
<p>I never once shadowed a doctor, never volunteered for anything, never did any research related to medicine and basically spent all my time in the library studying Physics and Astronomy, which was my major, and evenings in the university observatory and I was accepted by a U.S. medical school so it is possible to become a doctor without all kinds of premed ECs.</p>
<p>That being said, there is one thing that you mentioned that makes me think you are very unlikely to get accepted into any medical schools. The MCAT has three sub-tests (verbal, physical sciences and biological sciences) and a writing component. You get a score of 1 to 15 for each sub-section and a total score for all three. You need about a 30 or better total score to be a strong candidate. However, on the MCAT, each sub-score is very important and a 9/15 is about the lowest you can get on any sub-score and still be considered for admission. Medical schools generally consider the Verbal score to be the most important of the three. You mentioned that you got GRE scores of Q790 and V570. The MCAT verbal section is probably even harder than the GRE verbal section. When I took the GRE I had a verbal score of 730 but when I took the MCAT I received a 10/15 on the Verbal section. Unfortunately, with a GRE score of V570 I would project you will not be able to do any better than an 8/15 on the MCAT Verbal section and that is an automatic rejection from all U.S. medical schools no matter what your total score is. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, unlike Math or Physics where you can significantly improve your prospects by studying those subjects, it is nearly impossible to significantly change someone’s verbal skill level. The ability to read and understand difficult written passages and correctly answer subtle questions on them is probably to a large extent something you are born with and is genetic in nature. The part not inherited is the result of a lifetime of reading and can not be compensated for in a year or two.</p>
<p>You may want to take the MCAT and see how you do but if you indeed get an 8/15 or lower on the Verbal section there is no point in applying to medical schools and you would be better off pursuing a PhD in some field of science.</p>
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<p>That’s the ideal, but that’s not what it actually is in practice. [Are</a> MD-PhD Programs Meeting Their Goals? An Analysis of Care… : Academic Medicine](<a href=“Are MD-PhD Programs Meeting Their Goals? An Analysis of Care... : Academic Medicine”>Are MD-PhD Programs Meeting Their Goals? An Analysis of Care... : Academic Medicine)</p>
<p>I always tell people to only go to med school if they know from the bottom of their heart that they only want to be doctors.</p>
<p>PhD in organic chemistry, focusing on synthesis, sounds more like what you’re describing. With that degree you could go into industry (big pharma, etc, which can be quite lucrative) or keep researching (and perhaps teaching, depending on where you are). </p>
<p>Why do you want to go to medical school?</p>
<p>If the price deters you (to the point you can’t go unless it’s basically free), you’re primarily interested in drug discovery/design, and you’re too busy to do all the other “stuff” being a competitive premed requires, then maybe it’s not the path for you.</p>