I walked into the American Medical Student Association meeting last Thursday expecting to find a group of stiff, socially inept students. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Attendees were given the opportunity to question a panel of students currently attending medical school. They told us what to expect in medical school and gave us some advice on the admission process. Although I have been considering medical school for over 10 years, I learned some very new things.
Since a young age, I have been told that medical school will be the hardest thing I do in my professional career. To my surprise, attending medical school will involve less compromise and work than I would have expected.
Two of the three medical students had a GPA under 3.6, which is surprising to hear, considering how competitive medical school is nowadays. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, over 48,000 individuals applied to medical school in 2013, a record number, and just over 20,000 students were accepted. This does not mean that opportunities are dwindling, however. Medical schools continue to open spots for potential students in order to adjust to these astronomical numbers.
Summary of first year in medical school: it's a joke. I wonder what about the upcoming years.
— Набиль Нур Айман (@aiman0802) September 13, 2015
The minimum GPA requirement, which falls between 3.2 and 3.6, seems reasonable enough for students with such high ambitions. This is due to the fact that medical school does not focus on grades alone. Community service, medical experience and the dreaded MCAT scores are considered as well.
This goes to show that medical schools are not looking for the academically elite; they are looking for hard-working, experienced individuals, a rare breed for students coming straight out of undergrad. This is why many students partake in a gap year: to gain experience and build a resume.
The requirements to attend medical school all seem reasonable. Yes, studying for the MCAT is time-consuming, and yes, balancing academics with research jobs or community service is a challenge, but the bottom line is that nearly anyone can do it; it’s not about raw talent or intelligence. This does not mean there are deterrents, however.
For one, medical school is expensive. According to US News, the average cost of tuition for private medical schools across the country is about $51,000. When you lump this with the cost of living and undergraduate expenses, things add up. One of the third-year medical school students noted that he could “buy a Ferrari” with the amount of student debt he had accumulated. Additionally, time is a factor. After all, time is money.
Medical school can span anywhere between three and 10 years. Some individuals won’t have the opportunity to start their career until they are 30 years old. To some, having such a prestigious role in society is worth the wait. Many people are unaware of the aforementioned requirements though.
As a dedicated student, I have always expected medical school to be a difficult feat; however, I never expected such concrete requirements to be in place. This is a relief for me, but to many, this may be too much.
If all applicants were qualified, there would be fewer of them, and there would be a 100 percent acceptance rate. This is not the case. To my surprise, when my BIO 281 Wright asked the 400 students sitting in on his biology lecture to raise their hands if they wished to attend medical school, about 90 percent of the students raised their hands.
This seems unreasonable, and I assume most of these students will change their minds and majors as time goes on. To find someone pursuing a career for the passion and not for the prestige is rare, and in the end, those seeking medical school to help others and make scientific advancements in this world will remain, hopefully.
Misconceptions about medical school foster an ignorance that either deters or encourages students to pursue it. Lucky for those willing to put in the time, medical school is an achievable goal.
Related Links:
Mayo partnership brings medical students to journalism school
ASU professor looks at cultural factors in obesity
Reach the columnist at ghirneis@asu.edu.
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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