Questions about undergrad choice..future...ect ect

[RichardE]

So after asking my school counselor, who was no help. And getting an email from the Universities I plan on applying to which said they won't help until I have been offered admission, as well as going to Google and finding no real help, I come to you ATOT


My entire goal is to get into medical research or become a doctor. I have many personal reasons as to why I want to do this with my life which I won't go into, but that is what I am aiming for. I finished my last high school course and now have a year to kill before I go off to university. I plan to begin working on my non-existent list of extra-curricular in that time so I have something to write down in my future medical school application where it asks for such things.

I currently have the marks to get into any program I want I believe, or at least stand a chance of acceptance. (93.8% average).

Jan 2008 I am going to McGill for a French language course, I already speak French this is to refresh myself since I haven't spoken it in 3 years. Jan 2008 is also when I will apply to University for Sept 2008. 8

So my major question is this.

What would be the best undergrad choice to get myself into/prepare myself for medical school? Also, what volunteer positions should I start doing now that will have the most relevance (nursing home or hospital? ect). Everything I have looked up for this has mostly told me there is no one path to get in, ect ect. I understand that, I do think there are probably preferred paths though and would love some advice on those ones.

My current preferred choices are

U of T (University of Toronto) Neuroscience
Guelph--Molecular Biology

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[RichardE]

bump for advice

 

[dbk]

Biochemistry, Biology? Pre-Med?

 

[Tuktuk]

Take this with a grain of salt because I'm a pre-law major and am not familiar with medical school admissions, but...

Check out websites that give advice on Med School and what good majors are. More than likely they are just biological science majors of some sort. Make a list of those majors and just pick the one that interests you. From what I know of med school, your major doesn't matter as long as you have course prerequisites complete (1 year of bio, chem, etc.). Now if it makes you feel better to have a good looking major, then like I said just pick from a list of biological sciences or something similar.

 

[ebaycj]

Canadian FTL.

 

[mrkun]

Like Tuktuk said, most U.S. pre-meds seem to major in some sort of Biology; although as long as you satisfy the pre-med requisites, it doesn't matter what your major is. Actually, I've even been told by a few pre-meds that med. schools do give some preference to qualified non-Bio. majors. Also, your E.C. stuff doesn't have to be applicable to medicine, but they like stuff in which you've taken a leadership role and helped other people.

Edit: Here are some successful applicants to UCSF.

 

[RichardE]

Thanks for the help. That actually narrowed it down immensely as there were a few majors I had been looking at that revolved around Biology.

 

[simms]

Interesting, I'm at UToronto. Good luck with your applications. Only about 14.3% of Canadian entries get into med school. Realize that I have friends studying health science, pathobiology, and they graduate in about 3 months. If they don't get into med school, they have no other health related job options and they will have to consider masters programs, "volunteering", or if they're lucky, research.

Link to stat: http://www.ouac.on.ca/news/medappstats.html

Marks in high school mean nothing. I had a 91% average and went to eng, my friends had 95% and went to health sci. Some make it, some don't - just make sure you have a backup in 4 years in case.

edit: also, volunteering young at hospitals are a plus, but hard to obtain. In Ontario there are plenty of hurdles just to volunteer, blood tests, other tests, huge waitlists.

And it's true you can take any undergrad and get into med. You could take Music, Electrical engineering, or history and go into medical school provided you met the few required bio courses and other courses. But the MCAT will be harder if you don't have a solid bio base. Also McMaster doesn't require MCATs.

Ultimately the interview will sniff you out. If you are doing it for the money or the status, they will know. If you're doing it for other reasons, then it's possible as well. Your reasons are your own, but realize that over decades of applicants have applied, some with good intentions, and some without, and still less than 1 in 6 get in.

Good luck.

 

[mrkun]

Originally posted by: RichardE
Thanks for the help. That actually narrowed it down immensely as there were a few majors I had been looking at that revolved around Biology.

What have you narrowed it down to?

 

[nissan720]

I know that with a Chem Engr. Degree and good grades you can get into any med school

 

[DigDug]

what is "ect"?

Figure that out first.

 

[mrkun]

Originally posted by: nissan720
I know that with a Chem Engr. Degree and good grades you can get into any med school

Not when all the other applicants have perfect grades from elite universities.

 

[panipoori]

www.studentdoctor.net is a good resource

 

[simms]

Originally posted by: nissan720
I know that with a Chem Engr. Degree and good grades you can get into any med school

Not here in Canada... I have a Chem Eng. degree and about to graduate, most of my friends have honors and are still fighting to get in tooth and nail.

 

[mrkun]

Originally posted by: simms

Originally posted by: nissan720
I know that with a Chem Engr. Degree and good grades you can get into any med school

Not here in Canada... I have a Chem Eng. degree and about to graduate, most of my friends have honors and are still fighting to get in tooth and nail.

It's the same here in the States.

 

[mrkun]

Update: Get into some research groups as an undergrad and bust your ass. If you're lucky, you can coauthor some research, which apparently med schools really like to see.

 

[RedCOMET]

Some schools offer 7/8 year programs that are undergrad/med school. Once you get accepted, you stay there for the x amount of years and graduate as a doctor. I have one friend that is currently doing this at GWU. He is in the 7 yr integrated BA/MD program there.