grad school

[Guest pazas]

is it really hard to get into grad school? that's what someone was telling me today. but i always thought there are so many different grad programs, and there wouldn't be a lot of people of applying for each. i'm kind of worried that if i don't get into med school or grad school...then i'm really in a mess.

[Guest DrNicki]

Hey Pazas:

I think most people will agree that graduate programmes vary in their competitiveness from school to school and between departments. For example, admission to Clinical Psychology is as competitive as medical school, whereas some Nutrition programmes are literally begging for MSc students. If you stay the course, apply to a few schools, do some undergraduate research, and stay excited about your area of study, you'll be just fine.

During my last year of undergrad, I, too was torn between medicine and grad school, so rather than apply for both, I took the subsequent summer to do some more job shadowing and volunteering in the various professions. Afterwards, it was clear that med was for me, and I was fortunate enough to get in. I completely understand your fears about not getting-in anywhere, and as trite as it sounds, just ignore what people say. I cannot begin to tell you how many "oooh I knew this really smart guy who applied to 10 schools for 3 years in a row and never got in" stories I've heard over the past year! I read somewhere that Bill Gates once explained "what I do best is share my enthusiasm", and that's a great way to think about life. Find a way to be enthusiastic about whatever you decided to do - meds, masters, or working at the Gap - and you'll do just fine.

Good luck,

N.

[Guest pazas]

Thanks a lot, Dr Nicki...that was very helpful!!

 

Pazas