By learning the truth about medical school, premed students can better prepare as undergrads. More so than colleges, medical schools are increasingly focused on how students work together as a team. Many undergraduate students have a perception of medical school that is often quite different from reality. This may discourage some potentially excellent physicians from pursuing medicine. But by learning the truth, prospective medical students can better prepare for their graduate education. Here are three common misconceptions about medical school, the facts and how you can harness this information as an undergrad to set yourself up for success. Myth 1: Most medical schools weed out students. Most colleges seek to weed out premedical students who are unlikely to make it into medical school. This means grading on a curve, giving rigorous tests and encouraging struggling students to find alternative career paths. While premed students may think the same is true of medical school, the reality is that medical school faculty want to retain students. Many offer systems and safeguards – such as tutoring sessions and self-assessment tools – where faculty members work hard to help students who are struggling academically. For example, Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School offers workshops and presentations on study skills. Other medical schools – such as Georgetown University Medical School – offer peer-to-peer tutoring for struggling students. As a result, the majority of students who initially struggle in medical school go on to do well and become physicians. You don't need to wait until medical school, though, to put this philosophy into practice. As a premedical student, be proactive and seek out academic assistance when you need it. The instructors of your individual courses – more so than the premed program's academic administrators – should be able to provide specific action steps you can take to improve your performance. Attend office hours, request additional tutoring sessions and constantly evaluate your performance. This will ensure you are in the best position to succeed as an undergraduate, and these habits will put you on a strong footing for medical school. Myth 2: Medical school focuses on individual efforts. Undergraduate science courses primarily focus on evaluating students as individuals. Except for a handful of laboratory-based courses, little teamwork is required to excel in these classes. In contrast, medical schools are placing increasing emphasis on testing students' abilities to work well in teams and effectively communicate with their peers. This is, after all, how medicine is practiced on the wards, and teamwork consists of much more than just being nice to your peers. During medical school and later as a physician, you will need to provide peers with constructive feedback, efficiently delegate tasks based on your teammates' strengths and adjust processes, as necessary, that may be slowing the team down. All of this requires a greater level of sophistication than what you need to get an A in the typical undergraduate course. To prepare for this, enroll in undergraduate courses that focus heavily on teamwork and group projects. Additionally, while premedical students don't commonly take communications classes, these can be particularly helpful to your medical school success, especially those that focus on studying team communication. Finally, taking on leadership roles in student organizations can greatly help you develop communication skills that you can use in medical school. For example, as the president of a student organization, you will learn how to present issues with competing priorities, facilitate a discussion and work with other organization officers to generate a consensus on the best step moving forward. This is similar to the role that team leaders play in problem-based learning cases in medical school and exemplifies the communication skills physicians use to lead medical teams on the wards. Myth 3: Medical schools allow you to explore many interests. Medical students are typically intellectually curious individuals with interests beyond medicine. Undergraduates in liberal arts colleges have the opportunity to combine diverse intellectual pursuits into their studies, such as enrolling in physics and biochemistry with courses in French, Islamic civilization and poverty in America. While you may anticipate similar opportunities in med school, the opposite is true. A given medical school semester will likely entail one or two courses focused on a particular organ system. While this is an excellent approach for mastering medical concepts, you may find that you struggle significantly to pursue your intellectual interests outside medicine. To maintain your sanity as a future medical student, identify one or two top interests beyond medicine and find ways to cultivate them now as an undergraduate. This may involve taking art or cooking classes on the weekend or joining a book club. The key is setting aside the time for a scheduled activity. Beginning these activities before medical school will make maintaining your intellectual pursuits that much easier as a medical student. Recognizing these key differences between college and medical school can help you to excel as an undergraduate and prepare for life as a medical student Source
