5 answers
Phoenix
Student
Urbana, Illinois
1
Question
Asked
515 views
What is medschool like? What is undergrad like when you are going to go to medschool after?
How are the classes taught? What is expected from me in medschool? Give me a day to day life in detail. These have all been my biggest questions for the past 2 years and I don't ever know who to ask because I have never known or had an opportunity to ask someone who was or is going to be in college for surgery. I'm 17 and im going into my senior year in 3 months, so this is all right around the corner. I am almost certain that I have clinical executive dysfunction. How on earth do I succeed with that?! I'm neurodivergent and have severe ADHD and the unknown is so terrifying when becoming a cardiovascular surgeon is my literal dream since I could read. I am not a great student at all. I was homeschooled until 9th grade, and it was a very laid back type of homeschooling so I didn't have to stick to deadlines or really have any assignments. I just really read books on topics I was interested in. I'm bad a math...like real bad, and I go to a prestigious private school. But it's small and liberal. My school doesn't teach traditional stuff. They teach the type of school work that takes hours to complete one homework assignment and it graded on arbitrary concepts. I'm really good at science but I have never gotten an A in my science class because my science teacher teaches her classes phenomenon based. It's not all memorization. It's a very understanding and lenient environment. I also have a horrible, debilitating dopamine screen addiction that I have been teying to break for 3 years now. But im still struggling. How do I do college and how do I get to where I want to be with all of my issues, and what the hell is college?
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
5 answers
Audrey Eakman
MS-2, Biochemistry BS
37
Answers
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Updated
Audrey’s Answer
Hi Phoenix,
A lot of people have already given good advice, so I just want to say that a lot of people in medical school are neurodivergent. I have autism, and I would say easily 10-20% of my class has some kind of diagnosed or undiagnosed neurodiversity. It can really help in medicine if you're passionate about it. I know that executive dysfunction can be debilitating, but there are also so many resources. Medical school has more resources for disability and mental health than I've ever experienced in high school or college (at least, mine does).
It is difficult, but if it's your lifelong dream, I think you'll do fine. Your journey might not look like you expect it to, but if you keep going, it will get easier. It might take time or experience for you to have a better handle on living with your ADHD. A lot of medical schools are getting older, which is to say, it's not just people immediately out of college. A lot of my peers are in their late 20s, 30s, even 40s. They needed the time to get life experience and strategies to succeed in medical school and get admitted. If you don't feel prepared now, you have plenty of time to become prepared. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
Good luck!
A lot of people have already given good advice, so I just want to say that a lot of people in medical school are neurodivergent. I have autism, and I would say easily 10-20% of my class has some kind of diagnosed or undiagnosed neurodiversity. It can really help in medicine if you're passionate about it. I know that executive dysfunction can be debilitating, but there are also so many resources. Medical school has more resources for disability and mental health than I've ever experienced in high school or college (at least, mine does).
It is difficult, but if it's your lifelong dream, I think you'll do fine. Your journey might not look like you expect it to, but if you keep going, it will get easier. It might take time or experience for you to have a better handle on living with your ADHD. A lot of medical schools are getting older, which is to say, it's not just people immediately out of college. A lot of my peers are in their late 20s, 30s, even 40s. They needed the time to get life experience and strategies to succeed in medical school and get admitted. If you don't feel prepared now, you have plenty of time to become prepared. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
Good luck!
Cecilia Eason
1
Answer
Huntsville, Alabama
Updated
Cecilia’s Answer
Hello Phoenix,
While I am currently applying to medical school, I have friends and relatives in medical school so I have some insight into what it's like. However, before I started thinking about medical school I barely scraped into college. I had been homeschooled my entire life, so I really relate to your story. My education was all over the place and I never really had a clear direction or dream, not until my sophomore year of college. I did however, have good grades, but that was all. It was during my sophomore year that I switched to premed, and started a very different undergraduate journey than the one I had previously been on. In college, you are responsible for getting to class, studying, and making friends. No one will tell you what to do or when to do it so college requires you to exude some level of intrinsic motivation. You often have a schedule that looks something like this as a freshman, a MWF class that is 9:05-10:55, a TR class that is 3-4:45, and on top of that you will likely have 2-4 other classes/a 4 hour lab period all crammed into your week. It's busy and stressful.
However, in conquering your schedule and pinning down study time and free time you will be setting yourself up to succeed not only in college but in medschool. Medschool is college on steroids. Instead of having 12-18 hours of classes a semester, it is equivalent to 25-38 hours. All of the work you did in undergrad, all of your biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology etc will be covered in just a few lectures in medschool. So the best advice I can give you is, figure out how to balance college life as quickly as possible and really dive into your passion for medicine before ever getting to medschool. Get involved in undergraduate research, get involved in clubs, hold leadership positions, volunteer, become a teaching assistant, etc, all of these things will make you a good medschool applicant, as well as a good MCAT score. (I can tell you all about the applicant process, but I do not think it is extremely relevant right now!)
Lastly, you are going to do great! Focus on what you can control, look for ways to address the dopamine addiction (I have been there and done that, I promise it's possible) and also, let yourself breathe. There is time to accomplish your dreams.
While I am currently applying to medical school, I have friends and relatives in medical school so I have some insight into what it's like. However, before I started thinking about medical school I barely scraped into college. I had been homeschooled my entire life, so I really relate to your story. My education was all over the place and I never really had a clear direction or dream, not until my sophomore year of college. I did however, have good grades, but that was all. It was during my sophomore year that I switched to premed, and started a very different undergraduate journey than the one I had previously been on. In college, you are responsible for getting to class, studying, and making friends. No one will tell you what to do or when to do it so college requires you to exude some level of intrinsic motivation. You often have a schedule that looks something like this as a freshman, a MWF class that is 9:05-10:55, a TR class that is 3-4:45, and on top of that you will likely have 2-4 other classes/a 4 hour lab period all crammed into your week. It's busy and stressful.
However, in conquering your schedule and pinning down study time and free time you will be setting yourself up to succeed not only in college but in medschool. Medschool is college on steroids. Instead of having 12-18 hours of classes a semester, it is equivalent to 25-38 hours. All of the work you did in undergrad, all of your biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology etc will be covered in just a few lectures in medschool. So the best advice I can give you is, figure out how to balance college life as quickly as possible and really dive into your passion for medicine before ever getting to medschool. Get involved in undergraduate research, get involved in clubs, hold leadership positions, volunteer, become a teaching assistant, etc, all of these things will make you a good medschool applicant, as well as a good MCAT score. (I can tell you all about the applicant process, but I do not think it is extremely relevant right now!)
Lastly, you are going to do great! Focus on what you can control, look for ways to address the dopamine addiction (I have been there and done that, I promise it's possible) and also, let yourself breathe. There is time to accomplish your dreams.
Briana Pelle, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech language pathology
149
Answers
Nashville, Tennessee
Updated
Briana’s Answer
Hi, Phoenix,
I can't speak to medschool since I haven't attended, but I can answer your other questions.
For an undergraduate degree, you should consider degrees that prepare you for med school such as biology, chemistry, biochemistry, or biophysics. Many colleges specifically offer a "premed" track with a pre-selected list of recommended classes, which may be helpful for you if planning is not your strong suit. Remember: you are not guaranteed to get into med school. It's a competitive application process. It's recommended that you complete your undergraduate studies with at least a 3.5 GPA, relevant extracurriculars, strong writing skills, and strong interpersonal communication skills.
I also highly recommend going to counseling and psychological services (CAPS) once you start undergraduate school. There you can speak with a psychologist or counselor who can begin helping you with coping skills ans strategies to succeed in the new environment. Learning and using these strategies will be crucial in a college environment that depends alot on executive function skills like time management, pre-planning, and sustainable attention.
You should definitely speak with your college's disability resource office to request accommodations for your executive dysfunction. Try to do this immediately so that you begin classes with these accommodations in place. The caveat is that you must be officially diagnosed and have medical records proving it, not self-diagnosed. CAPS can help you receive a diagnosis of you don't have one already. College accommodations for ADHD can include things like:
-Extended time on tests and assignments, testing over several sessions
-Testing in a separate and quiet place
-Permission to record lectures
-Audio textbooks
-Assistance taking class notes or reading (note-taking service, reading group)
-Written instructions from professors
-Priority registration with a professional in the disability services office
-The possibility of class substitution within the curriculum or reduced course load
I can't speak to medschool since I haven't attended, but I can answer your other questions.
For an undergraduate degree, you should consider degrees that prepare you for med school such as biology, chemistry, biochemistry, or biophysics. Many colleges specifically offer a "premed" track with a pre-selected list of recommended classes, which may be helpful for you if planning is not your strong suit. Remember: you are not guaranteed to get into med school. It's a competitive application process. It's recommended that you complete your undergraduate studies with at least a 3.5 GPA, relevant extracurriculars, strong writing skills, and strong interpersonal communication skills.
I also highly recommend going to counseling and psychological services (CAPS) once you start undergraduate school. There you can speak with a psychologist or counselor who can begin helping you with coping skills ans strategies to succeed in the new environment. Learning and using these strategies will be crucial in a college environment that depends alot on executive function skills like time management, pre-planning, and sustainable attention.
You should definitely speak with your college's disability resource office to request accommodations for your executive dysfunction. Try to do this immediately so that you begin classes with these accommodations in place. The caveat is that you must be officially diagnosed and have medical records proving it, not self-diagnosed. CAPS can help you receive a diagnosis of you don't have one already. College accommodations for ADHD can include things like:
-Extended time on tests and assignments, testing over several sessions
-Testing in a separate and quiet place
-Permission to record lectures
-Audio textbooks
-Assistance taking class notes or reading (note-taking service, reading group)
-Written instructions from professors
-Priority registration with a professional in the disability services office
-The possibility of class substitution within the curriculum or reduced course load
Shelia Bereszniewicz
Seller enblement
94
Answers
Woodstock, Georgia
Updated
Shelia’s Answer
First all, it's great that you have a goal in mind. Earning a science degree is key to getting into medical school, along with a high GPA, a high MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) score, leadership activities and hours working in the health field like working as a transcriber at a hospital. During your senior year, work on building stronger study habits and learning the subjects. Take the SAT or ACT to see what your strengths are and then work on enhancing your scores in areas that need improvement.
Briana shared some excellent like visiting counseling and psychological services (CAPS) once you start undergraduate school and finding out what disability services the school offers.
My daughter is currently starting her 3rd year in medical school. The first 2 years are focused on learning everything about the human body. You'll attend group lectures and study between 8-10 hours per day. Additionally, you'll also practice diagnosing a patient. You'll have to pass the 2st two years before you take Step 1 (pass or fail) to be assign a clinical rotation at a hospital. Your clinical rotation will take you through various programs (ET, surgery, internal, mental, etc.) for 2 years. During your clinical rotation, you will be tested on all that you learned during the various programs. Finally you'll apply for your residency. It is important to make contacts during your clinical in order to secure a residency.
Briana shared some excellent like visiting counseling and psychological services (CAPS) once you start undergraduate school and finding out what disability services the school offers.
My daughter is currently starting her 3rd year in medical school. The first 2 years are focused on learning everything about the human body. You'll attend group lectures and study between 8-10 hours per day. Additionally, you'll also practice diagnosing a patient. You'll have to pass the 2st two years before you take Step 1 (pass or fail) to be assign a clinical rotation at a hospital. Your clinical rotation will take you through various programs (ET, surgery, internal, mental, etc.) for 2 years. During your clinical rotation, you will be tested on all that you learned during the various programs. Finally you'll apply for your residency. It is important to make contacts during your clinical in order to secure a residency.
Erwin Douyon, MD
Surgeon
3
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Erwin’s Answer
You're quite curious, which is great! Concentrate on building strong learning habits. As you strive to enter medical school, you'll face many challenges. It's crucial to establish effective study routines. Remember, everyone learns differently. Discover your unique learning style and strengthen those abilities.
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