Is it this hard to get into med. school??

justme1972 · Mar 31, 2007

I haven't run into anyone that it took years for them to get into medical school. Medical schools are ranked very much like Law Schools...they are in different tiers.

The MCAT can make up ALOT for a lower-GPA...and can carry your entire application into medical school. Nursing schools don't have such a standardized test that is used across the board.

MikeyJ, RN · Mar 31, 2007

Medical schools and nursing schools shouldn't even be compared -- two completely different processes and level of competitiveness. However, IMO Medical schools are far more competitive than nursing schools. The pre-req's for medical school are far more rigorous than pre-nursing classes. Also, medical schools look at the entire applicant (Overall GPA, Science GPA, MCAT, extra-curriculars, volunteering, physician shadowing, clinical experience, personal statements, and of course the ever-dreaded interview process). There are many medical school applicants that end up pursuing their masters in a science in order to strengthen their application. According to the AAMC, in 2006 there were approximately 40,000 applicants for approximately 18,000 spots. And I know that most schools have an acceptance rate around 8% meaning that they only accept 8% of their overall applicants for that particular entering class.

I can't really comment on Nursing School acceptance rates because I couldn't find any statistics. I did find acceptance rates for Penn State and Cornell and they are 21% and 28% respectively. But I couldn't find a national average.

jonb1213 · Mar 31, 2007

Thanks SisterMike and Hopefull... I am pursuing nursing and my girlfriend is pursuing dentistry. She already has some shadowing under her belt and is currently working on her last few years of prereqs. I have a feeling she might be waiting around for a few years after applying. But HOPEFULLY I can get into and out of nursing school before then. We have only a few people to talk to about dentistry school and they say that they got in the 1st time they applied... I strongly feel that this is not the case for everyone.

MikeyJ, RN · Mar 31, 2007

Thanks SisterMike and Hopefull... I am pursuing nursing and my girlfriend is pursuing dentistry. She already has some shadowing under her belt and is currently working on her last few years of prereqs. I have a feeling she might be waiting around for a few years after applying. But HOPEFULLY I can get into and out of nursing school before then. We have only a few people to talk to about dentistry school and they say that they got in the 1st time they applied... I strongly feel that this is not the case for everyone.

Good luck to you and your girlfriend. And just some quick input on Dental School -- Dental Schools are definitely less competitive than Medical School, but are still overall pretty competitive. I am too lazy to look up acceptance statistics at this time of the morning.. lol.

karmic_architect · Mar 31, 2007

You can't compare the two. The classes required for medical school are much harder and more competitive than the courses for nursing school.

organic chemistry...

At my school, pre-meds weren't even allowed to take A&P because it was considered an "easy A" to boost the ol' science gpa.

luckylucyrn · Mar 31, 2007

Getting into Med school is a whole other ballgame. The process is rigorous (and I know, I had just started dating my now-husband when he was applying). It involves an in-depth standard application, then secondary applications, interviews, etc. You have to have excellent MCAT scores, which requires classes much harder than nursing pre-reqs. When I applied to Nursing school, it was basically fill out an application with name, and transcripts. No interview, nothing. I wished that they had done interviews or looked at the student as a whole like they do Medical students. I think it would get the best students into nursing schools and people that truly should be in nursing school would have more spots.

p.s my husband did get into med school and is going to graduate in a year (but the whole application process was a HUGE roller-coaster)!

Pumpkin1621 · Mar 31, 2007

Medical school is very hard to get into. Most get thousands of applications from all over the nation. Medical students don't mind relocating to get to that top school. In order to get into medical school you should have a high GPA, good score on your MCAT, volunteer hours, research hours, shadowing hours, and you have to do good on your interview. The prereqs are very different too.

Most students apply to many medical schools b/c it is common to not get accepted into some schools. The application process can cost hundreds of dollars. Some people hire professionals to help them boost their applications, and each school you apply to can cost around 100 bucks (more or less) not to mention plane tickets if you get an interview across country. Admission to most medical schools is also on a rolling basis, so if you don't apply early it doesn't matter what kind of scores you have. If there isnt any room, you aren't getting in.

Medical school itself is a very long and hard process, as is training and residency. Physicians must pass 3 sets of boards to be licensed, then attend a residency, then pass board certification which in many cases has an oral portion...all of this added to 4 years of medical training.

Also if a student doesn't get into medical school then they have to retry next year. If it doesn't work the next year then they need to find something else to do.

Medical school and nursing school are both hard in their own different ways. It is really like comparing apples to oranges. Both careers should be respected, b/c there is no "easy" path.

Pumpkin1621 · Mar 31, 2007

organic chemistry...

ITA! :lol2:

MikeyJ, RN · Mar 31, 2007

Medical school is very hard to get into. Most get thousands of applications from all over the nation. Medical students don't mind relocating to get to that top school. In order to get into medical school you should have a high GPA, good score on your MCAT, volunteer hours, research hours, shadowing hours, and you have to do good on your interview. The prereqs are very different too.
Most students apply to many medical schools b/c it is common to not get accepted into some schools. The application process can cost hundreds of dollars. Some people hire professionals to help them boost their applications, and each school you apply to can cost around 100 bucks (more or less) not to mention plane tickets if you get an interview across country. Admission to most medical schools is also on a rolling basis, so if you don't apply early it doesn't matter what kind of scores you have. If there isnt any room, you aren't getting in.
Medical school itself is a very long and hard process, as is training and residency. Physicians must pass 3 sets of boards to be licensed, then attend a residency, then pass board certification which in many cases has an oral portion...all of this added to 4 years of medical training.
Also if a student doesn't get into medical school then they have to retry next year. If it doesn't work the next year then they need to find something else to do.
Medical school and nursing school are both hard in their own different ways. It is really like comparing apples to oranges. Both careers should be respected, b/c there is no "easy" path.

Just wanted to comment on a few things you had said. One thing you said was "if it doesn't work the next year then they need to find something else to do." Not necessarily -- I know of a few students who have had to apply 3 or 4 times before getting accepted. Granted, many students who just don't get in within their first two times generally follow suit with a different career path; however, there are also many of them who continue to apply until they are accepted because it is their dream to become a physician.

I totally agree with what you said concerning medical school and nursing school are both hard in their own different ways. I was speaking with a resident physician who told me about a time he was stuck at a school somewhere (I forget why he was even there), but it happened to be in the nursing building. He picked up an NCLEX-RN review book from one of the tables and decided to see how well he could perform. He said he didn't know many of the questions -- he basically only knew those questions that related to anatomy, pharmacology, and pathophysiology. It is because nursing school focuses a lot more on clinical skills and caring for a patient, while physicians are trained to look at whats going on with an individual and to diagnose and treat that individual. Two totally different training models.

That is why when nurses choose to pursue medical school generally do very well -- especially in their 3rd and 4th year where it is all clinical. Many medical students find 3rd and 4th year quite difficult because they are trying to learn how to work in a "clinical setting". Thus when those med students who worked previously as a nurse have an abundance of experience working in the clinical setting and feel comfortable and familiar with their surroundings.

Pumpkin1621 · Mar 31, 2007

I was speaking with a resident physician who told me about a time he was stuck at a school somewhere (I forget why he was even there), but it happened to be in the nursing building. He picked up an NCLEX-RN review book from one of the tables and decided to see how well he could perform. He said he didn't know many of the questions -- he basically only knew those questions that related to anatomy, pharmacology, and pathophysiology. It is because nursing school focuses a lot more on clinical skills and caring for a patient, while physicians are trained to look at whats going on with an individual and to diagnose and treat that individual. Two totally different training models.

That is a great story!

GottaGetIn · Mar 31, 2007

Very interesting thread!