Premed? [Archive] - ValueMD Medical Schools Forum

jd.84

11-15-2007, 10:32 AM

I'm looking for an opinion on premed. Currently, i have 48 credits, and by the end of april, i should have 63 credits. Would you guys recommend that i go for the premed program, or stay and do my 90 credits and then apply for med??? any opinions will be appreciated.

Hi Jamal,
I did the pre-med program here and there are pros/cons to doing it.
As far as the pros are concerned, I think the biggest one is you are adjusted to island life by med 1. The life over here is very different from that in the US or Canada, and it can be difficult to adjust to it while trying to figure how to study for med school and get used to the workload. Another pro is you get to know some of the med profs on a personal basis. Also, you are given a very basic foundation to build upon once you get into the med program. Plus, if you make your 3.0 you're guaranteed to get in for the next semester. Some of the cons: you spend an extra 2 semesters on the island, extra money, med 1 is a completely different ball game than pre-med 1/2. I don't feel like I was prepared in terms of study habits for med 1. It can be difficult to get out of your pre-med mentality once you get into the med program, but that is solely dependent on the student and whether he/she makes the necessary changes to transition from pre-med 2 to med 1. All in all, if I had to do it again, I think I would've strengthened my application and applied for med 1. For me, other than making some really great friends, the pre-med program wasn't really worth it since I ended up having to re-take and anatomy and histology again in med 1. But I take full responsibilty for having to repeat Also, I think it's a really good idea to have an undergrad degree to fall back on just in case medicine doesn't work out. Ok, sorry for the long reply. Hope this helps!