Thread: Just how hard is med school?

So.. Just how hard *is* Ross Medical school? I don't mean compared to others, I mean compared to an average college course.

Ok, we all took Orgranic Chemistry. How hard are the classes to say that class, or the second physics, or any other biology?

I haven't taken any biochem, or histology. Will this cripple me when I go to take these at medical school? Shoudl I study these a bit before hand?

Dude, Med school is a breeze. I think of it more or less like a social gathering. People hang out in lobby and kick back. We go to class and all, but it's a real layed back atmosphere. A lot of parties. Definately lots of sleep. It's the best time I ever had. (Music comes to a screeching hault) NOW....IF YOU THINK THAT'S WHAT IT'S LIKE, YOU BEST WAKE UP SON

I have completed PA school. I have not attended med school yet. All I know, is that I couldn't have studied more IN PA school then I did. Not speaking from experience, but I would have to say that the only difference from PA school and Med school is the time. Heck, the DO's even respeected us as one of the hardest programs. I assume because they knew the amount of knowledge to retain was as much as theirs (semester to semester), and we went straight thru without taking a summers off, as in the US.

So, speaking from experience with not taking summers off, that's what you have here. It wears on you. The information keeps coming. I took 18 credits and 21 credit hours my last two semsters prior to PA school. They were for the large part hard core science classes and other classes like Eng lit that took time. It seems like I was studying all the time then too, but probably not AS much, but A LOT. I can say, that it's just not the same....that is undergrad Vs. Med/PA school. As I said, the info keeps coming and coming. It's more indepth. And it's more stressing on you than undergrad. I think people go in thinking of their undergrad experience and think that it may not be as difficult, because perhaps they have good study habits, or like me, they took 21 credit hours and did well. Heh, perhaps it's just me, but you'll be busting tail pal.

With that being said, I think it CAN be a positive experience.

1) It's third world UNDERSTAND THAT.
2) Every school has it's problems - just adapt.
3) Focus on the goal, you'll be off the island in less than two years.
4) You're gonna feel down, take the prozac with you Jk, actually,
you will though, find some good people to hang with.
5) Believe it or not, be good on the "diet". Eat healthy. Know your body.
6) Take time out. I thought I would be gung ho and study study study.
It was absurd at times, it really was. Embarrasingly so. It's a long
haul, pace yourself.

I wish you luck man !!!

What I've been hearing is that medschool is actually NOT hard, it's just tedious and time consuming compared to undergraduate which people have told me was more of a challenge than medschool.

Of course it's all perspective and what you did with your time as an undergraduate or whether you're a genius.

Taking the minimum premedical requirements I don't think will help prepare you that much for medical school. Ochem, physics, general biology and chemistry can almost be passed or failed on the basis of luck. I would HEARTILY recommend you take what classes as you feel as you can handle. After each quarter.. after I regain consciousness, everything else seems easier.

Oh, and by the way Emerson.. Prozac works better with Zyprexa, truth.. there are a few studies out 8)

..............

as said above, med school isn't really that hard. It is just the VOLUME of information you have to digest that makes it difficult. You have to be willing to put the time in, and that is the hard part

Prozac CAN work better with Zyprexa, but you don't want to stapede toward the anti-psychotics if you don't have to.....

After the first 2 years of misery, the last 2 years rock. You see patients. That is what your focus should be, and it is such a welcome change from the books..and the Zyprexa. G

how hard it is really depends on the individual. I know people who study day and night and still don't do as well. But there are some who do put in the time and effort and do very well. As for me, I'm trying to get into the studying mode. It's been almost 3 months and I'm not even there yet. I study on average 1-3 hours a day. I'm getting very good grades in all my classes. But I can say that it would not work in my favor for the USMLE since the classes at Ross has a very BIG curve. Look at it like this, the May semester had the lowest MPS ever, which means that if your raw scores on the minis are in the low 70s, you'll get an A for that mini. That to me is a very big curve. In a way I think it gives some a false sense of confidence as to how well they are doing in the class and how prepared they will be for the USMLE. Well for me I'm sure i'm not really learning the material if I'm scoring in the 70's. Bottom line is it's up to you how much you put in and how much you want to get out of it. I know for sure I need to get my act together for next semester since it's going to be a killer.

I know this is going to seem like a really silly question, since it is fraught with complications..... but I'll be silly and ask anyways!!

Is someone who does well at Ross (after the curve) likely to score high on the USMLE?

I know that no one can give an absolute response. Basically I'm trying to get an idea of whether the grades at Ross really give people a good indication of how well prepared they are to write the USMLE. I thought of this question when I saw atth's last post.

Cheers all,

Silenthunder

The statistics have show that if you earn a 2.9 GPA (curved) or higher you will have greater than 98% chance of passing your boards on the first try. All of the Ross students I know who just recently took the boards have attained their goal score and passed with good scores. Clealy I have not spoken with all the students, but the sampling of student I have know and who have similar grades as I have done well.

-M

Originally Posted by Silenthunder

I know this is going to seem like a really silly question, since it is fraught with complications..... but I'll be silly and ask anyways!!

Is someone who does well at Ross (after the curve) likely to score high on the USMLE?

I know that no one can give an absolute response. Basically I'm trying to get an idea of whether the grades at Ross really give people a good indication of how well prepared they are to write the USMLE. I thought of this question when I saw atth's last post.

Cheers all,

Silenthunder

Yea, we were told the stats and the correlation between GPA and USMLE scores during preorientation. But then I'll feel much better if I'm acutally getting an A for the raw score rather than after the curve. But then I'm the one to blame since I didn't put in the time and effort.

Originally Posted by atth

I study on average 1-3 hours a day. I'm getting very good grades in all my classes.

You must be a genius or a photographic memory.

I advise others not to think that they are only going to study 1-3 hours. Either that, or I AM that slow.