What to Expect In Medical School

The first two years of your education will be spent in the classroom (1st year human anatomy and functions; 2nd year diseases and cure).

The sheer volume of what you must learn will probably overwhelm you for the first few months, but US medical schools grade on a pass/fail basis and surprisingly, over 97% of entering students graduate in 4 years with an MD degree. Basic medical science curricula in the first and second year vary from school to school, but will include the following courses or similar subjects:

Gross Anatomy
Biochemistry
Microscopic Anatomy
Human Embryology
Behavioral Medicine
Molecular Biology
Human Genetics
Medical Neuroscience
Medical Ethics and Humanities
Physiology
Physical Diagnosis

Second year courses include the following:
Microbiology and Immunology
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Introduction to Clinical Medicine and Physical Diagnosis
Clinical Correlation
Pharmacology
Advanced Physical Diagnosis

Upon completion of the second year of medical school, you must take the first part of the three-part exam, the United States Medical Licensing Examination, or USMLE, Step 1. You must pass the three parts of this exam with a minimum score to become licensed to practice medicine in the United States. Most schools include classes to prepare you to sit for this exam which you must pass before continuing on to your third year. Step 2 is administered after your fourth year and must be passed before residency, and Step 3 is taken prior to completion of residency to gain licensure.

The 3rd (the most difficut) & 4th year (longer rotations esp for residency specialty)

1. Clinical clerkships - Med students essentially get to play doctor, albeit a heavily supervised version. Third year students complete eight week rotations through various departments in the hospital which include:
   
• Internal Medicine
• Surgery
• Pediatrics
• Psychiatry
• Obstetrics/Gynecology
• Family Medicine

1. Get the added bonus and stress of required lectures, conferences, and studying for specific departmental exams.
2. Expected to perform at their very best every single day for an entire year. Everything a third year student does and says is noted and stored away for that end of rotation evaluation.
3. Most clerkships are graded by combining the board exam score and the clerkship evaluation score, and the final clerkship grades that a student receives have a huge impact when a med student starts applying for residency positions. Most residency programs heavily consider whether a student received honors, pass or fail in the clerkship representing the specific specialty of that chosen residency. They also strongly consider whether a student received mostly, some or (god forbid) no honors through out the third year.

Stats (1999)

US Medical Schools (Allopathic)

• 125 schools
• 37,304 applicants
• 17,004 entrants
• 42.4%* acceptance
• 48.5% women
• 11.3%* US under-represented minorities
• 11.7 applications/applicant*
• 59% Public/41% Private*

Average Matriculant Scores

MCAT

• VR 9.7
• PS 10.1
• BS 10.1
• WS P

GPA

• Sciences 3.56
• Total 3.63

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2005/2005summary.htm