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News & Photos
So You Want to be a Doctor?
Contributed By Yann-Sheu
White explained that applying to medical school is a lot like applying to college. The basic prerequisites are a year of biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, calculus, as well as at least 24 humanities credits, the MCAT, and strong recommendations. As a dean of admissions, he looks for candidates who demonstrate “a clear interest and commitment to medicine.” Students show this interest through volunteering, interning, participating in research, and serving as tutors. He also assesses prospective students' personal qualities and how they would relate to patients.
Laura Ellis, who attended Yale University and Washington University Medical School, said that students don’t have to make up their minds by age 18. When she graduated from McDonogh for example, she wanted to be a high school biology teacher. She didn't decide on a career in medicine until her sophomore year in college. Before starting her medical studies, she took a valuable year off for self-discovery and rejuvenation. She held two residencies after med. school, one in family practice the other in emergency medicine, her eventual specialty. Today she enjoys being an ER physician at Elkton's Union Hospital, where she works four days a week. Ellis emphasized that med. school is not the final destination—-students should “attend med school only if [they] want to become a doctor.”
Ricketts, a French and chemistry major at Franklin and Marshall, which he describes as “a pre-med machine," confirms Ellis' statement. He added that "being a pre-med is the most intense undergrad experience I can think of [and] there are going to be nights when you don’t want it anymore.” He urged students to "always be open to the fact that you might decide to do something else."
During the question-and-answer session, the speakers listed related science careers that students might also consider, including teaching, consulting, engineering, government service, and nursing. Ellis concluded the assembly by explaining, “It’s not where you go to college or med school; it’s what kind of person you are and what you make of it.”
White explained that applying to medical school is a lot like applying to college. The basic prerequisites are a year of biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, calculus, as well as at least 24 humanities credits, the MCAT, and strong recommendations. As a dean of admissions, he looks for candidates who demonstrate “a clear interest and commitment to medicine.” Students show this interest through volunteering, interning, participating in research, and serving as tutors. He also assesses prospective students' personal qualities and how they would relate to patients.
Laura Ellis, who attended Yale University and Washington University Medical School, said that students don’t have to make up their minds by age 18. When she graduated from McDonogh for example, she wanted to be a high school biology teacher. She didn't decide on a career in medicine until her sophomore year in college. Before starting her medical studies, she took a valuable year off for self-discovery and rejuvenation. She held two residencies after med. school, one in family practice the other in emergency medicine, her eventual specialty. Today she enjoys being an ER physician at Elkton's Union Hospital, where she works four days a week. Ellis emphasized that med. school is not the final destination—-students should “attend med school only if [they] want to become a doctor.”
Ricketts, a French and chemistry major at Franklin and Marshall, which he describes as “a pre-med machine," confirms Ellis' statement. He added that "being a pre-med is the most intense undergrad experience I can think of [and] there are going to be nights when you don’t want it anymore.” He urged students to "always be open to the fact that you might decide to do something else."
During the question-and-answer session, the speakers listed related science careers that students might also consider, including teaching, consulting, engineering, government service, and nursing. Ellis concluded the assembly by explaining, “It’s not where you go to college or med school; it’s what kind of person you are and what you make of it.”