Medical Education US

Fathi wrote:hi im a junior in highschool im not quite sure what colleges to apply for to become a psychiatrist my GPA is below 75
i also want to know how many years it takes to become a psychiatrist.
thnkz

Most US high schools have grade point averages that are on either a 4.0 scale or a 5.0 scale. I'm guessing that you mean a 75 is C average (equal to a 2.0 on the US scales). Unless you have a good explanation for why your grades are not better in high school, you likely will find the path to being a psychiatrist a particularly difficult one. Your best chance for getting into medical school would be to get into the best college possible.

In order to be a psychiatrist your path after high school would typically be:

4 years undergraduate college
4 years medical school
4 years of psychiatry residency

so a total of 12 years after high school.

okay, I am going to be a senior in August 2009. I haven't taken any classes to prepare for a degree in any sort of medical field. I just recently became interested in the thought of going to medical school eventually. My GPA is about 85/100. So my question is, where would be the best place to look for a school to go to? What is generally the price of Med. School?

Guest wrote:okay, I am going to be a senior in August 2009. I haven't taken any classes to prepare for a degree in any sort of medical field. I just recently became interested in the thought of going to medical school eventually. My GPA is about 85/100. So my question is, where would be the best place to look for a school to go to? What is generally the price of Med. School?

Are you coming from a US high school? If so, you can look at any 4 year college that offers basic premedical level science classes. I would try to go to the best college (for you) that you can get into. You don't need to have taken any classes to prepare for a specific degree until college, and even then it isn't necessary to select a major until your sophomore or junior year. The only issue with college is you'll want to make sure you take the required pre-med courses. Anything else you choose to do is fine. You'll also want to get the best grades possible. High school grades really don't mean much when applying to medical schools. Your high school grades are only important for getting into a good college.

You also asked about the prices of medical school. Medical schools can vary significantly in price between public and private schools. For a state school, tuition and fees for 2008-09 had an average cost of $23,581 if you are in state and $43,587 if you are out of state. For a private school, tuition and fees for 2008-09 had an average of around $42,000. You still need to add housing and living expenses. The cost for medical school and how to finance medical school may merit its own thread.

Hello!

I am a senior at a high school in Minnesota (graduating class of 2010). I have been working on my college applications throughout this summer, and am having difficulty trying to decide which colleges I should apply to... I assume that you would get this question quite often, and I understand that there are no such schools that are 'perfect for pre-med majors'... but please read!
I am very, very interested in becoming a psychiatrist. Helping people has always been one of my most 'feeling accomplished' activity, and I also find psychology fascinating. I had discovered the world of psychiatry recently, and realized that the occupation is very fitting for my personality and is a perfect chance for me to pursue my hope to serve for the betterment of others.

As a senior at my high school, I will be part of the Post Second Education Option program at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. This is a program dedicated for high school juniors and seniors who are interested (and are qualified) to take the college level courses at the university to challenge themselves with more opportunities. I have decided to take couple pre-med requirement courses to start off with my dream of becoming a psychiatrist.

When it came down to choosing colleges to apply to, I found myself facing a dilemma...
there are two choices for me to choose from when thinking of where to go.

1. Since I will have two years worth of the required credits for pre-med at the U of M (university credits as a PSEO student combined with the credits from AP tests), I will be allowed to graduate from the University of Minnesota a year or possibly two years early... then, I will apply to a medical school (I am thinking of Johns Hopkins, Washington University in St. Louis, etc.)
The bright side of this option is that:
a. I will graduate a year or two early to save money
b. If I do NOT decide to graduate early, I can take an advantage of my opportunity to do study abroad/take more advanced courses/possibly triple major (since I will be done with most of the basic requirements by the end of my sophomore year at the university)
The down side of this option is that:
a. I will not be attending a so-called 'higher level elite university' such as Duke, University of Chicago, Northwestern, etc.

2. I will apply to every other colleges, enroll in a higher ranked university than U of M, graduate in four years, and apply for medical schools.
The bright side of this option is that:
a. Since it is a more 'recognized,' 'highly ranked' university, it may possibly increase my chance of getting in to a medical school
The down side of this option is that:
a. I will be paying very high tuitions for four years.

Those two are my options so far as far as my future plan goes... but my questions to you are the followings:
1. Would the medical school admissions consider the name of your undergraduate school as an important part of you application? In another term, would the so-called 'higher ranked university' help me out in anyways when applying for a medical school? (other than my GPA and MCAT... .I understand that those are the two most important part of the application) Ex: going to University of Minnesota vs. going to Washington University in St. Louis, Wisconsin Madison, etc.
2. Would graduating from your undergrad institute earlier than every other student your age help you with your chance in getting into a medical school? Meaning, would the admission officers be impressed by this at all?
3. If you could possibly come up with a list of schools that would be fitting for a student like me (GPA:3.93, within top 10% class rank, ACT:27, SATII's: not taken yet, many activities, volunteering hours and leadership credits, good essay [or so I will make it to be!] no preference for the size of the school, place of the school, etc.) who is extremely interested in pursuing a goal to become a psychiatrist, it will be wonderful.... I am having a hard time trying to decide on which colleges to apply (I simply want to go to a place that will increase my chance to get into a medical school)

Thank you for your advice in advance.... and have a nice day!

ayanepi,

First I'll give brief answers to your specific questions as best as I can.

1. The undergrad university you go to does matter for medical school applications, but mostly if you are looking at really top tier medical schools (Harvard, Hopkins, etc). It sounds like you would be considering those options, so you may want to take that into account. I can't really say how important it is, but I have heard of some outstanding applicants from decent (but not elite) colleges not getting into these top tier schools. The only factor I've heard people suggest was their undergrad school. This is obviously just based on stories I've heard and people I've come across, but it makes sense. I have known plenty of people who went to state schools and gotten into very good medical schools. Occasionally people from state schools do get into elite schools, but I couldn't tell you what it was about them that got them accepted. As long as you have a good explanation as to why you chose the school you did, you can have a lot

2. A medical school application committee probably won't care either way that you graduate a year or two early. While it does show some initiative, it also means you are coming into medical school 1 year less mature compared to most college grads. Having said that, I did graduate from college in 3 years because of AP credits from high school and I managed to get accepted to many very competitive programs and medical schools. Not all of them, but many. As to which ones accepted me and which ones wait-listed me, I have no clue. It likely has as much to do with the fact that I had to apply a little later than most 4 year grads as I had to take the MCAT in the fall of my third (and final) year rather than the spring of my junior year. Most medical schools won't make a decision on your application until it is complete. Overall, it worked out as I got accepted to the programs I was most interested in.

3. I don't think I can come up with a list of schools for you. There are no schools that are better or worse for someone interested in psychiatry. I think that you should consider colleges that have a strong pre-med program and a college that has strong departments in areas you also have an interest (psychology for example). You may also want to factor in colleges where you can get scholarship dollars, which was a factor in my decision.

ayanepi,

It sounds like you'll have a decent selection of colleges from which to pick. As I said above, I wouldn't put too much weight in trying to find a college that is good for someone interested in psychiatry. It's hard to pick a medical school that would be good for someone going into psychiatry, let alone a college. Select a college that has at least a decent pre-med program and also is strong in subjects you may be interested. I went to Emory and I wasn't even sure I wanted to be pre-med. I selected Emory because it is a good college (has gotten a better reputation since I went there), had a good pre-med program (I knew I was considering medicine), and also had good departments in chemistry, psychology, and philosophy. I also had gotten a scholarship at Emory so it was not going to be pricier than other colleges I considered, and was going to cost less than some other comparable colleges. Other factors in my mind were going somewhere with warmer weather (I hate the cold Chicago winters) and that wasn't too large.

I decided part way through my second year that I was probably going to go to medical school. I had enough credits from AP classes in college to graduate a year early. I had similar concerns about how medical schools would look at that. It turns out it really was a non-issue. I don't think it made my application any stronger, nor any weaker. The only potential drawback is that you miss out on an extra years worth of classes that you'll probably never take again in your life. I was at a point that there weren't a lot of other classes that I wanted to take, and I was ready to move on to medical school. Taking a year to study abroad is definitely a great option. I wasn't interested in that option at that time in my life.

Good luck and let me know if you have more questions.

Thank you for the fast reply!

just out of curiosity, if you don't mind... may I ask which medical school you attended?

University of Chicago - Pritzker School of Medicine.

I am actually very interested in going to the University of Chicago as an undergrad student next year... I might have the chance of getting in, depending on my application essay since they are well known for that (which will be a great one... I hope!). I know that you did not attend U of Chicago as an undergrad, but do you think that they have a good pre-med program? Also, could you possibly list off some universities with great pre-med programs? I have been trying to do some research on this, but still haven't gotten to the point where I can make a list of my own...

Thanks!

ayanepi,

University of Chicago was great for medical school, especially as it was a pass/fail system which greatly reduced the competition amongst highly competitive students.

From the medical students who went there as undergrads, it sounded like the undergraduate program is a whole different story. I got the impression that the undergrads don't have much of a social life, and they spend a lot of time studying. It sounded like many of the professors grade very harshly and the students feel a lot of pressure. The reports I got were from only a handful of students, so others may view things much differently. Don't take my report for much more than one view. Compare it to what you hear from others. University of Chicago is a very highly regarded college, so definitely consider it if you are interested.

I'll need to put some more thought into coming up with a list of colleges with good pre-med programs, and it's probably best suited to me starting a separate thread just for that topic. I'll try to put some thought into that topic this weekend.

Thank you so much! And please let me know if you come up with the new thread regarding a list of good pre-med program schools....

Have a nice day!

Hi

I am a senior this year and have wanted to become a Child Psychiatrist for about 8-10 months now. Psychology has allways interested me and my mom suggested taking anything related to it. I took the Career Direct test and scored high on counseling and working with kids. Around the same time I watched the movie "The Sixth Sense" and decided I wanted to do that. (bad reason I know). So I need to know if their are certain ways to become a child psychiatrist. I plan on attending Liberty University in Virgina and one of it's highest majors is Psychology. It also has Pre-med and a course set for Child/Adolescent Psychology. Is one of those better than the other? And is it possible to major in Psychology and work as a Psychologist and then go to medical school after that with out and Pre-Med courses?

Any help with this will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

You need to take the pre-med courses to go to medical school. You can be a psychologist without med school but not a psychiatrist.

You can be a psychology major and still take the required pre-med courses, but you can be have any major and still go to med school and become a psychiatrist.

So do you think double majoring in Psychology with a focus in child & adolescent and Pre-med, be a good way to go? And will it be advantageous to be fluent in a second language like Spanish when applying to Med School or the Psychiatrist residency thing, or while working as a Psychiatrist?

Pre-med is not a major. Pre-med just means you are taking the courses necessary to apply to medical school - 1 year biology, 1 year general chemistry, 1 year organic chemistry and 1 year of physics. You need to take those classes in order to apply to medical school and to take the MCAT exam. You can major in any field and go to medical school, as long as you take those pre-med courses.

You can major in any field you like and wind up being a psychiatrist. I majored in chemistry with a minor in philosophy. My freshman year, I wasn't positive I wanted to go to medical school, but took the pre-med courses in case I did. I also took several psychology courses because I found them interesting. I wasn't planning on being a psychiatrist at that point in my life, but I thought I may want to be a doctor. I didn't decide to become a psychiatrist until my 3rd year of medical school when I did my clinical rotation in psychiatry.

Majoring in psychology is a fine choice. The information you'll learn may be helpful when you become a psychiatrist, but you'll cover much of the same material in a psychiatry residency, so it isn't necessary. My suggestion is to take classes that you find interesting, but also take classes that will keep your options open. What if at some point you decide you don't want to go to medical school? What is your Plan B? Perhaps you would want to be a child psychologist and get a PhD in clinical psychology. When you get to college, talk to your advisor about your interests and plan out a track that will allow you to have options.

Just so that you are aware, child and adolescent psychiatry is a sub-specialty of general psychiatry. In order to be a psychiatrist, you would do a 4 year psychiatry residency after medical school. If you want to be a child and adolescent psychiatrist, you would do a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry. The way it typically works is that instead of having a lot of electives your 4th year of general adult psychiatry residency, you would start your child fellowship in your 4th year and then finish it in a 5th year, only adding 1 year to your overall training. You would wind up being board eligible in both adult psychiatry and child / adolescent psychiatry. I hope that makes sense. If not, I can try to clarify it more.

While taking Spanish won't necessarily help when you apply to medical school or residency, I think Spanish is a good language to know while working as a doctor and probably is helpful with most any career these days. One thing to be aware of is that while taking Spanish will be helpful as a doctor, unless you really become fluent, I'm not sure how helpful it would be as a psychiatrist. There are many nuances in languages that don't translate well, and in psychiatry, it is often critical to have a good understanding of what someone means, which may be something subtle about the way they say things or the figure of speech they are using.

Having said all that, if I were going back to high school now, I probably would take Spanish as my foreign language. If you are truly fluent in any foreign language, that is a big advantage as a physician and psychiatrist.