Medical School Fact or Fiction

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.

Source