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dedicated kid has known since she was younger she would like to be a medical examiner.....she has danced since the age of 5 4 days a week consistently - 18 now.........COMMITTMENT.........she has been a volunteer EMS for the past 2 years........COmmittment..........And attends continuing education classes with her ems squad.......COMMITTMENT......Not worried about the committment aspect..........Am worried about not taking the right route in order for her to attain her goal...........Have considered and she is quite aware of the fact that maybe it might be an overwhelming committment to take on..........She is considering as a back up plan maybe nursing or some form of career in the medical field...........
Katiana posted what the requirements are to get into medical school. Med school acceptance at a good university is very difficult. She needs to do extremely well in these courses.
Many schools with many so called "pre-med" (usually Biology or Chemistry) majors make sure that the classes are very difficult so that they can weed out those that are not going to cut it. It is better to find out as an undergraduate that you are not cut out for medical school. My husband went to medical school, so he should know.
When a student is ready to apply to medical school, she must take the MCATs (the required exam for medical school)
I know someone who just did that). She attended a well-known university and majored in accounting, and then decided she wanted to go to medical school. After graduated from her university with terrific grades, she applied to the Columbia University Post-BA Pre Med program, and then aced her MCATS.
University of Rochester is well known as having a top medical school, so many of UR undergraduates are "pre-meds" (their undergraduate school is top-notch, too). Many of those "pre-med" students hope to get into UR's medical school, of course.
There is no formal “premed major” or “program” at Rochester; it’s simply a matter of taking courses in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics in conjunction with the major(s) of your choice. Medical schools have no preference for certain majors over others. The choice of major should be guided by:
your academic interests and strengths; and
the alternative career field(s) you would pursue if you don’t go to medical school.
Katiana posted what the requirements are to get into medical school. Med school acceptance at a good university is very difficult. She needs to do extremely well in these courses.
Many schools with many so called "pre-med" (usually Biology or Chemistry) majors make sure that the classes are very difficult so that they can weed out those that are not going to cut it. It is better to find out as an undergraduate that you are not cut out for medical school. My husband went to medical school, so he should know.
When a student is ready to apply to medical school, she must take the MCATs (the required exam for medical school)
I know someone who just did that). She attended a well-known university and majored in accounting, and then decided she wanted to go to medical school. After graduated from her university with terrific grades, she applied to the Columbia University Post-BA Pre Med program, and then aced her MCATS.
As I recall, the weed course in med school was Gross Anatomy and I want to say Biochemistry (but I can't recall). The "weed courses" per se don't come into play until one is actually enrolled in a professional program, usually in junior year after the related General Ed courses are completed.
^^From what my daughter, who at one time wanted to go to med school, told me, some of the undergrad chem courses are also "weed-outs".
To the OP, I would also be wary of undergrad schools that claim a hugely high percentage of medical school admits. Some of these schools "counsel out" lots of students they don't think will make it, so they never get to the application process.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mm_mary73
Nursing isn't a "back up" plan - it really is a profession! If she is 18, what research has she done on her own? Has she looked at West Chester? Elizabethtown College? Both small competitive colleges with excellent reputations; Etown actually has separate pre-professional advising (my niece attends). If she was interested in forensics, Forensic Nurses: Education - Forensic Nursing Degree Programs . With her first responder experience, she might enjoy this more.... There are also colleges that will grant an undergraduate degree in Western Carolina University - Emergency Medical Care (EMC) Program - Western is an alma mater and my daughter was an admissions counselor and rec'd her MBA/MPM from the University.
I agree nursing is a profession in its own right. That said, I know a few nurses of my daughters' generation (20 somethings) who went to college with the original intent of being a physician, only to go into nursing instead.
An important thing to keep in mind, OP, is that medicine and nursing are parallel tracks. It's not like if you don't make it in med school, or into med school, you can work as a nurse instead. While collegiate nursing BSN programs are all set up a little differently, the nursing students and the "pre-meds" don't take a lot of the same courses. By junior year, the nursing students are taking mostly nursing courses. These courses will NOT transfer to medical school, nor fulfill pre-reqs for med school. Likewise, taking some of these advanced science courses required for med school will not fulfill the requirements for nursing school. In recent years, more colleges are offering "accelerated" nursing programs, whereby someone with a college degree can get a nursing degree in about a year. These courses too require specific prereqs.
"Many are called but few are chosen" for med school. Students change their minds, also, decide medicine isn't for them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewJerseyMemories
University of Rochester is well known as having a top medical school, so many of UR undergraduates are "pre-meds" (their undergraduate school is top-notch, too). Many of those "pre-med" students hope to get into UR's medical school, of course.
There is no formal “premed major†or “program†at Rochester; it’s simply a matter of taking courses in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics in conjunction with the major(s) of your choice. Medical schools have no preference for certain majors over others. The choice of major should be guided by:
your academic interests and strengths; and
the alternative career field(s) you would pursue if you don’t go to medical school.
I think what you are saying is that she shouldn't major in the humanities, aka, a liberal arts based degree, which is what everyone has been saying. It's not uncommon for LAC's to woo pre-med candidates with strong Science programs. One small college near me that the OP asked about on a city forum makes the path pretty clear Moravian College Office of Health Professions I suggested to her some of the same things you mentioned - finding out the percentage of students that pass the MCAT's and are actually accepted to med school.
I went to a small LAC (just over 3K students) for undergrad. The college was formally a two-year all-womens institution that focused mainly on degrees that appealed to women back in the day: nursing, dental assistance, and a few others. When the school went four-year, it held onto that and even though the school of science is only a small part of the overall university these days, its science program is still top-notch and generally well respected within the State. It seemed as if I were the only biology major who was not pre-med, pre-dental, or pre-vet. And practically all chem majors were pre-pharm, it seemed. Not bad for a school with roughly 20 math majors and more "art" students than science.
My gf is in her 4th year of medical school and was a history major. She didn't have to do any post bac courses and got in right after undergrad. I would disagree entirely with whoever was saying that it's more likely to get in with a hard science undergrad major. In fact it's my understanding that a major in the humanities is quite well received. The problem is it's A LOT more work than to do an undergrad major in a hard science where 1/3 of your premed curriculum might count towards your major. A humanities major + premed is basically like doing 2 full majors. You will have 0 electives by sophomore year and might have to do summer school to get the necessary course work done.
I'm sure Pitt and others mentioned are good schools...
BUT, if people look at the OPs first post.. there is a caveat that the school has to be 3 hours from NYC.
I know fo r a fact that Pittsburgh is NOT a 3 hour drive from NJ.
3 hours from North Jersey.. north would be Albany, west would be Williamsport, NE will be to Hartford, south would include Philly. Baltimore (Johns Hopkins) and Boston (Harvard, Tufts, UMass) are barely out of the 3 hour driving range from NNJ (I used Paramus, NJ as baseline on mapquest
The OP said a 3 hr radius of North Jersey, which is a bit different from a 3 hr radius of NYC. Just sayin'. Yes, that rules out Pitt, but I went to Pitt and there were a LOT of students there from Jersey. The OP may have to adjust some of his/her criteria to find a school for this student.
Didn't read the entire thing. However you can hire someone to help guide your daughter through this. I am not sure the name of the position, but they will help steps needed to take for your daughter
As I recall, the weed course in med school was Gross Anatomy and I want to say Biochemistry (but I can't recall). The "weed courses" per se don't come into play until one is actually enrolled in a professional program, usually in junior year after the related General Ed courses are completed.
Most undergrad schools have weed-out courses as well...usually freshman chem or O-Chem. If a student waits until junior year to start taking the required med-school courses they will NOT be ready for the MCAT's at the end of their junior year...
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