What advice would you give me to follow my steps in becoming a surgeon?
What are some advice that you guys could give me in order to become a surgeon? To be more specific, what classes should I take in college? #surgery #surgeon #medicine #healthcare #doctor
2 answers
Richard’s Answer
Pick a major that interests you so you don't mind devoting a majority of your hours to studying. You will need to get good grades in college in order to apply for medical school. At the medical school I attended, the average GPA is reported to be 3.85, so even one or two B's can hurt your chances of acceptance.
Aside from this, any major is acceptable as long as you complete the prerequisite courses. I chose biochemistry because there was overlap with the premed requirements and I wanted to complete my degree in 3 years.
Typical medical school prerequisites include:
Biology: Lecture – 4 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
General Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Organic Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Biochemistry: Lecture – 1 semester
General Physics: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Math: Statistics – 1 semester
English: Rhetoric (Composition) and Literature – 2 semesters
Ransi’s Answer
Your first goal is to get into medical school so you should ask your college advisor what classes their pre med track has and enroll in those. Med school is competitive so you’ll need to strive for a high GPA. You should also try to volunteer or do some patient care type work during one of your summers to give you a feel for working with patients. If your college offers research opportunities (eg in neuroscience, medicine or a related field), take a look. Having research experience is good prep for med school.