Many applicants' perception of medical school is often vastly different from reality, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Jeffrey D. Cooney, an MD-PhD candidate at UT Health San Antonio, wrote in an op-ed for the publication prospective medical school applicants may fair better if they understand the myths and realities of medical school before they apply. Doing so will make applicants more aware of how to overcome potential challenges they may encounter during medical school, Mr. Cooney noted.
Here are three myths about medical school, according to Mr. Cooney.
1. Most medical schools weed out students. Mr. Cooney notes though many undergraduate programs and colleges seek to weed out pre-med students during their undergraduate career to help students determine if medical school represents the best path for them, medical schools don't engage in the weed out process. Rather, many medical schools, like Providence, R.I.-based The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Washington, D.C.-based Georgetown University School of Medicine, offer peer tutoring and workshops to help students succeed.
2. Medical school focuses on individual efforts. Though undergraduate science courses often evaluate students as individuals, medical school professors and administrators aim to evaluate students' teamwork capabilities, Mr. Cooney said.
"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 ... All of this requires a greater level of sophistication than what you need to get an 'A' in the typical undergraduate course," said Mr. Cooney.
3. Medical schools allow you to cultivate many outside interests. Typically, undergraduate students maintain the freedom to explore and cultivate interests outside of medicine during their undergraduate years. Mr. Cooney claimed the opposite was true during applicants' time in medical school. One semester of medical school usually comprises one or two courses dedicated to a particular organ system. The intensity with which a student must study and master each organ system leaves little time to pursue individual educational pursuits, according to Mr. Cooney.