Thousands of happy, innocent freshmen walk onto their college campus each year with their bright, smiling faces and claim to be prestigious premeds at the start of their yellow-brick road to med school. But after a few science classes and a good old slap-in-the-face from reality, a couple thousand less actually sign up for the MCAT 3-4 years later, and here’s why:
1. Grades ARE everything.
First, med schools LITERALLY only look at your name and your numbers. If your GPA doesn’t meet the standard, sorry, buddy, you’re out.
2. The pre-recs are basically useless as a doctor.
Ask any practicing doctor if they remember the mechanism for bimolecular substitution reactions…probably not. (And even if they do, they probably don’t use that information on a daily basis.)
3. A “B” isn’t good enough.
When super-star, Joe has a 4.0 and is captain of the track team and has shadowed six doctors for the past four years and is fluent in three languages and has researched the sickle-cell mutation of Hemoglobin E in Asia, but you get a B+ in Spanish 101, med school starts to look like a long shot. So, no, friends, a B is not good enough, because a 3.0 doesn’t get you into med school.
4. You’re working crazy hard to go to MORE SCHOOL.
YAY! MORE SCHOOL! Four years of it!
5. Med School isn’t any easier.
Immunology, neuroscience, physiology, anatomy, and genetics…ALL IN ONE SEMESTER!
6. Yes…the MCAT is 7.5 hours.
I repeat: seven point five hours.
7. You might not get in.
Ah, ‘tis the saddest of truths. Prepare your best, but be prepared for the worst.
8. Applications are $$$
$2000 to take an MCAT class (not required but highly recommended).
$240 to take the actual MCAT.
$160 to apply to the first school.
$38 for every school after that (on average, people apply to 14 med schools).
$100+ per secondary applications (if you’re lucky enough to get them).
X amount of dollars for plane flights out to interview (because most med schools don’t allow Skype interviews)
9. Organic Chemistry is not a friend.
It’s known as one of the hardest undergrad classes for a reason.
10. And then comes Biochemistry…
No one talks about biochemistry…but let me tell you, it’s not a party.
11. Labs on labs on labs on labs
OH BOY! Hours of extra class for a whopping ZERO credits!
12. Debt is real.
The average public medical school costs about $33,000 per year for in state students, and about $57,000 per year for out of state students.
So why do we do this?
1. Because it’s cool to be a doctor.
2. Because the average income for doctors is $208,000 per year. (If you’re an orthopedist, that number can jump to $440,000.)
3. BECAUSE WE HAVE A PASSION FOR PEOPLE! (And a slightly-disturbing love of blood and all things disgusting.)