One of the most exhilarating and simultaneously daunting phases of the journey to becoming a doctor is the transition from the premedical years to medical school.
On the one hand, you finally get to reap the rewards of years of hard work and call yourself a medical student. On the other hand, the reality of the work sinks in quickly as you begin to realize how much there is to learn before you take on the immense responsibility of caring for patients.
The good news is that med school does not have to be daunting. Understanding how the premed college years differ from med school can help premed students mentally prepare and know what to expect as they enter this part of their training.
Breadth Versus Depth
During college, much of the focus is on gaining a well-rounded, diverse education. Even premed students who choose to major in hard sciences like biology or biochemistry are often expected to take a considerable number of courses in the humanities and arts to fulfill graduation requirements.
[READ: 3 Considerations for Humanities Majors Applying to Medical School.]
Medical school, on the other hand, is focused on teaching students biomedical and clinical sciences. As a med student, almost all of your classes will be in these disciplines.
This is not to say that a humanities education will not serve you well in med school. In fact, in recent years, there is a push to incorporate medical humanities into medical school curricula as there is mounting evidence that this knowledge can make medical students better prepared to practice medicine. But the sheer volume of medical science that you have to learn is so large that there is little room to study other subjects.
This also means that there is less time to delve in-depth when you study the basic science courses in med school. If you took a course in molecular biology in college, you may remember spending a lot of time learning about the original experiments that established the mechanisms of DNA replication, transcription or translation. In med school, there is so much ground to cover that the material is taught on a more surface level, and some details such as the experimental approaches may be omitted.
Extracurriculars
In addition to coursework, premed students spend a great deal of time participating in campus clubs, doing research, serving the community, volunteering at hospitals and taking on other extracurricular projects. All of this is designed to help premed students gain a breadth of experiences while also enhancing their resumes.
[READ: Anatomy of a Successful Medical School Application Resume.]
In med school, opportunities for involvement in extracurricular activities also exist. But given the amount of material there is to learn, med students have to be more judicious with their time. Some students choose not to get involved in extracurricular activities so they can focus on their education, and those who do get involved should choose one or two activities that mean a lot to them.
The Learning Style
A lot of the learning in med school involves going to lectures, reviewing lecture notes, reading assigned books and taking exams.
But there is also a great deal of practical learning in the third and fourth years during clinical rotations. In this part of training, med students spend time observing and participating in the care of patients alongside residents and attending physicians. This is how clinical acumen and medical judgment are developed.
As you transition from the premed years to med school and into clinical rotations, in particular, it is important to recognize that not everything you need to know can be learned from studying a textbook or spending time in the library. Be prepared to spend time on rotations, being present and trying to absorb everything you see.
The Competition
For those used to being the top student in all their classes in college and acing every exam, the start of medical school can be a humbling experience as you will be surrounded by many other smart people. Most students go from being at the top of their class in college to becoming an average student in med school.
This may at first seem a bit intimidating and bruising to the ego. But it is also an opportunity to interact with and learn from many other bright people who can enhance your educational experience.
[Read: How to Make Sure You Fulfill Medical School Requirements for Admission.]
Furthermore, there tends to be a lot of competition among premed students in college, which can at times be unhealthy. In med school, this competition is replaced with camaraderie.
Med school students are not there to outcompete each other but to work together, build off each other’s strengths and grow together. Many medical schools grade exams on a pass-fail basis, which means that even if you wanted to, you couldn’t compare yourself to peers. In this regard, med school is a lot more enjoyable and less stressful.
The Social Scene
The student body in medical school is much smaller than at most colleges. In college, you will have peers from many different majors. You may have several different classes in one day, and in each you will be with different classmates, especially if you are at a larger college or university.
In medical school, however, your classmates are the same in every lecture. You go to class together and often spend time together studying and socializing. Though your social circle becomes smaller in medical school, it also affords an opportunity to meet like-minded people with similar passions. Many doctors establish some of their strongest friendships during their med school years.
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5 Ways Medical School Is Different From College originally appeared on usnews.com
