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How important is it to go to a college that suits your future job for your bachelors degree?
I want to be a surgeon in the future but I want to know if I should go to a school that has a good premed and medical school, or if I should go to a cheaper school that has good classes and receive a bachelor's degree there then transfer to a medical school. #college #medicine
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4 answers
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Sharon’s Answer
Hey Kiera, great question! Med school is a four year program that you have to apply to at the end of college or after you finish college. There isn't an option to transfer into a med school. At least not in the US. What is most important to make yourself a good candidate is to complete the required premed courses with a high GPA. So although going to Harvard or Yale may open up some connections and have name recognition, going to your local state school will allow you to save money and still get a great education and accomplish your goal. State schools have premed courses and provide solid educations at a reduced in-state tuition rate. As long as you complete the required premed courses, you can major in whatever you like, even if its not related to science or medicine. It actually gives you something to talk about in your interviews and will definitely pique the interest of the admissions officers of a medical school! I hope this helps!
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Veronica’s Answer
I agree with all the previous responses. It’s rare that a medical student attends the same college they went to undergrad.. Medical school can be very costly. Much greater than your undergraduate education. My nephew is in med school with a cost of 80k/year. He is now going on to be a surgeon with 4 more years of medical training. It’s a long road and you want to minimize your educational debt.
You want to choose a college that you will exceed academically, have time for extracurricular activities that will make you a more well round candidate when applying to medical school. Best of luck!
You want to choose a college that you will exceed academically, have time for extracurricular activities that will make you a more well round candidate when applying to medical school. Best of luck!
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Yasemin’s Answer
Hi Kiera! I agree with the previous answer. It matters on how well you do in undergrad, your MCAT and your extracurriculars like volunteering, shadowing, letters of recommendation and essays when applying to medical school. Saving money at a local college is helpful, I went to my state school and it helped a lot, the important things is to work hard and stay connected with your premed adviser in college. I would also recommend Dr.Gray on Youtube; he does great videos on applying to medical school and how to stand out as an applicant. Please let me know if you have further questions!
I wish you the best future doctor!
I wish you the best future doctor!
Updated
Shannon’s Answer
you don't HAVE to go to the same school for undergrad and med school. you might like it & feel comfortable there. go for it if you want. also you don't HAVE to have a medical or science major before med school. however i personally think taking high school AP bio, then undergrad bio, then med school bio is a good idea. you can only learn more each time, and you really will want to learn that stuff. some doctors like to make med students recite, say, the kreb cycle in front of their peers just for fun. plus surgeons need to know every little cell in the body. no joke.
you want to choose a school that teaches in a way from which you can learn. it's hard to figure that out. when you interview, make time to sit in on some classes. you might prefer the school where teachers are enthusiastic & nice instead of being grumps. i picked my school because this one instructor was so happy to hear a student's excellent presentation. she was just as nice & encouraging to everyone every day in my time there.
if you really like, say, English classes, you could take bio, chem & anatomy every semester and still be an english major in undergrad. have a good reason for why you chose this path when you have your med school interviews. it's interesting.
and Veronica's excellent answer didn't spell this out - her nephew will be paying student loans for undergrad & med school. once he reaches his intern year and beyond, they start paying him. it's pretty cool.
you want to choose a school that teaches in a way from which you can learn. it's hard to figure that out. when you interview, make time to sit in on some classes. you might prefer the school where teachers are enthusiastic & nice instead of being grumps. i picked my school because this one instructor was so happy to hear a student's excellent presentation. she was just as nice & encouraging to everyone every day in my time there.
if you really like, say, English classes, you could take bio, chem & anatomy every semester and still be an english major in undergrad. have a good reason for why you chose this path when you have your med school interviews. it's interesting.
and Veronica's excellent answer didn't spell this out - her nephew will be paying student loans for undergrad & med school. once he reaches his intern year and beyond, they start paying him. it's pretty cool.