Guest Pre_Derm101 Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Hey guys, new to this forum but ive followed for a while...N-E-ways, I have a question you all can hopefully help me with. Im in grade 12 and am going to start my BHSC program @ UoC. I know this program is supposed to be pretty top notch, and somewhat tuff, but I did take IB in high school so I think it should be ok. So Im not worried about grades, but you never kno right? I have a 94% average in high school, and and good scores on my diplomas so far. What are my chances for getting a 3.91-4.0 cGPA so I can get in after 2 years??? I have wnated to be a doctor since junior high, and last year i knew that dermatology is what i want to do. I love all things derm...so I guess since I'm "gunning" for derm (lol ), I know i need to do really well to get in. I guess one thing Im wondering is, is it possible to comitt to a specialty too early?? Also, what are some good volunteering I can do to get into med and then look good for derm later? What do med sschools like to see???? I have lots more Qs but I think Ive written alot so far so hopefully you can help me out. Thanks! -prederm101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonX Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Welcome to the forum ! University is truely different from high school so it's hard to gauge for sure how you will do. I've seen marks both increase and decrease in university compared to high school. My advice would be to just try your hardest and see how you do. There's no point worrying about university marks when you haven't even started yet ! With regards to volunteering, I would suggest that you pursue what you enjoy. Medical school wants to see that you are a well-rounded and mature person. Don't do things just for medical school. Try things that you haven't before .. partake in things that you like to do and will make you grow as a person. With regards to committing to a specialty ... you don't really have to do that until you are in medical school, even then, not at the beginning. It's good you have an interest in mind but you will encounter a whole bunch of things before you get to that stage and your perspectives may change. My persepctive of it is to keep an open mind . Enjoy your final year of high school ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kosher_dillz1990 Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Dude I'm a second year biosci student at U of C. Your way too stressed bro..your stats are already impressive. Just chill! I am thinking about Derm as well:mad: jk actually i'm not just thinking about derm, also I am interested in plastics, radiology, opthamology and ENT. Don't worry stuff always works out. Stay passionate bro:p . It is NEVER too early to decide on your specialty! Seriously, Derm is crazy competitive so you need to start doing derm volunteering and derm research ASAP!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmedcraze Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Hey guys, new to this forum but ive followed for a while...N-E-ways, I have a question you all can hopefully help me with. Im in grade 12 and am going to start my BHSC program @ UoC. I know this program is supposed to be pretty top notch, and somewhat tuff, but I did take IB in high school so I think it should be ok. So Im not worried about grades, but you never kno right? I have a 94% average in high school, and and good scores on my diplomas so far. What are my chances for getting a 3.91-4.0 cGPA so I can get in after 2 years??? I have wnated to be a doctor since junior high, and last year i knew that dermatology is what i want to do. I love all things derm...so I guess since I'm "gunning" for derm (lol ), I know i need to do really well to get in. I guess one thing Im wondering is, is it possible to comitt to a specialty too early?? Also, what are some good volunteering I can do to get into med and then look good for derm later? What do med sschools like to see???? I have lots more Qs but I think Ive written alot so far so hopefully you can help me out. Thanks! -prederm101 Well I'm not in a position to advise you. But I'm also going to health sciences @ U of C next year. So I just wanted to say "Hello" . I kinda have the same gpa questions as you do. A lot of people said to me it's hard to find a correlation between high school and university grades. But I guess you never know unless you go through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 do some immunology research or something, that way you can say you're interested in the dermatopathology instead of the money, women, and drugs it's also good to kiss a lot of ass once you get in med school, remember, it's who you know, not what you know Hey guys, new to this forum but ive followed for a while...N-E-ways, I have a question you all can hopefully help me with. Im in grade 12 and am going to start my BHSC program @ UoC. I know this program is supposed to be pretty top notch, and somewhat tuff, but I did take IB in high school so I think it should be ok. So Im not worried about grades, but you never kno right? I have a 94% average in high school, and and good scores on my diplomas so far. What are my chances for getting a 3.91-4.0 cGPA so I can get in after 2 years??? I have wnated to be a doctor since junior high, and last year i knew that dermatology is what i want to do. I love all things derm...so I guess since I'm "gunning" for derm (lol ), I know i need to do really well to get in. I guess one thing Im wondering is, is it possible to comitt to a specialty too early?? Also, what are some good volunteering I can do to get into med and then look good for derm later? What do med sschools like to see???? I have lots more Qs but I think Ive written alot so far so hopefully you can help me out. Thanks! -prederm101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC_Ma Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 A fun fact for people that want to work in Ontario. In 2014 the government will renegotiate the fee schedule with OMA so the currently highly paid specialties like derm, opthal, rad, etc MIGHT not be as good after the renegotiation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 I think you need to demonstrate that you are prepared for all of medicine, not just derm. To me, if you tell me that you're only interested in derm as a premed, I would start to wonder whether you have done the research and learned what being a physician is all about. Maybe sell yourself as a person who is ready for medicine as a whole with a small interest in dermatology. Medical school is where you can really gun for it. Keep in mind that lots of people change their minds late in the game, after they've been on the wards. In general, med schools like to see that you can handle the academic rigor of medicine and that you're well-rounded. So, along with having high grades, you need to have something special going on with you in other areas, the more the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattg Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 I guess one thing Im wondering is, is it possible to comitt to a specialty too early?? Also, what are some good volunteering I can do to get into med and then look good for derm later? lol "pre-derm" in gr 12... also "med 2017 hopeful" - bold call with the 2nd year acceptance before even starting university lol grade 12 is likely too early to commit to a specialty, mainly because you haven't been exposed to the medical field, and the diverse specialties... have you even been exposed to derm? a lot of people even entering med school are sure they want to do a certain speciality and end up changing their mind... but of course there is always a chance you will end up doing derm, if you are passionate about it... if by "committing" too early, you mean you don't plan on even looking into other fields, then yea gr 12 is way too early... but if you just mean right now, it's something you are passionate about and want to pursue, then there is nothing wrong with that in terms of activities you can do to help with your med app and then a derm residency, i guess see if there are any dermatologists who will let you shadow them or assist in their research, now and throughout undergrad... if you are really passionate about it, it will show in your application, and anyways, residency committees will care much much more about what you do in med school vs. undergrad... although it can't hurt if you have experience to show that you have been interested in it for 8+ years, by that point.... but getting into med school is going to be much more than just showing you have an interest in dermatology... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennethToronto Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Hey guys, new to this forum but ive followed for a while...N-E-ways, I have a question you all can hopefully help me with. Im in grade 12 and am going to start my BHSC program @ UoC. I know this program is supposed to be pretty top notch, and somewhat tuff, but I did take IB in high school so I think it should be ok. So Im not worried about grades, but you never kno right? I have a 94% average in high school, and and good scores on my diplomas so far. What are my chances for getting a 3.91-4.0 cGPA so I can get in after 2 years??? I have wnated to be a doctor since junior high, and last year i knew that dermatology is what i want to do. I love all things derm...so I guess since I'm "gunning" for derm (lol ), I know i need to do really well to get in. I guess one thing Im wondering is, is it possible to comitt to a specialty too early?? Also, what are some good volunteering I can do to get into med and then look good for derm later? What do med sschools like to see???? I have lots more Qs but I think Ive written alot so far so hopefully you can help me out. Thanks! -prederm101 This is a joke. Otherwise, I think you're ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatonekid Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 lol "pre-derm" in gr 12... also "med 2017 hopeful" - bold call with the 2nd year acceptance before even starting university lol grade 12 is likely too early to commit to a specialty, mainly because you haven't been exposed to the medical field, and the diverse specialties... have you even been exposed to derm? a lot of people even entering med school are sure they want to do a certain speciality and end up changing their mind... but of course there is always a chance you will end up doing derm, if you are passionate about it... if by "committing" too early, you mean you don't plan on even looking into other fields, then yea gr 12 is way too early... but if you just mean right now, it's something you are passionate about and want to pursue, then there is nothing wrong with that in terms of activities you can do to help with your med app and then a derm residency, i guess see if there are any dermatologists who will let you shadow them or assist in their research, now and throughout undergrad... if you are really passionate about it, it will show in your application, and anyways, residency committees will care much much more about what you do in med school vs. undergrad... although it can't hurt if you have experience to show that you have been interested in it for 8+ years, by that point.... but getting into med school is going to be much more than just showing you have an interest in dermatology... +1 10char Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starling Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 What are my chances for getting a 3.91-4.0 cGPA so I can get in after 2 years??? I'm pretty sure U of C now requires that you've completed 2 years of undergrad at the time of application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erk Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Even if you're not a troll, what the heck is the rush? Assuming you actually get in, do you really want to wind up finishing your residency at ~28 years old, having never done anything but school and now set with a very hard to alter career you've never had any chance to compare anything to? I suspect you'd be setting yourself up for a fantastic mid-life crisis at about 35. I mean, going to med school is a little like getting married: it's a huge life decision that's quite difficult to change after you go through with it. My advice would be to cool your feet and sample a bit of the smorgasbord of life before you start gunning for a specific medical specialty while still in high school. Having some varied life experience will actually make you more competitive anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kosher_dillz1990 Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Even if you're not a troll, what the heck is the rush? Assuming you actually get in, do you really want to wind up finishing your residency at ~28 years old, having never done anything but school and now set with a very hard to alter career you've never had any chance to compare anything to? I suspect you'd be setting yourself up for a fantastic mid-life crisis at about 35. I mean, going to med school is a little like getting married: it's a huge life decision that's quite difficult to change after you go through with it. My advice would be to cool your feet and sample a bit of the smorgasbord of life before you start gunning for a specific medical specialty while still in high school. Having some varied life experience will actually make you more competitive anyway. Dude..why wouldn't you want to finish residency when your 28! At leat prederm101 has a drive to achieve which I find REALLY impressive. I'm pretty confident that he/she is gonna be a dermatologist before you even get excepted to med with the attitude your sporting! Plus..it's pretty obvious that the best way to get into derm is to gun HARD right from the get go, the sooner the better. Ideally you would probablly want to be shadowing a dermatologist before starting high school and have a research job with a derm by the time you start Uni so that you can get as many derm publications as possible! Good luck prederm101! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 What are my chances for getting a 3.91-4.0 cGPA so I can get in after 2 years??? Lol I dunno, what are the chances of me getting 95-100% on my physics final??? I should start a thread like that... Seriously, no one on here can possibly answer this question for you. You haven't even taken one university course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erk Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Dude..why wouldn't you want to finish residency when your 28! At leat prederm101 has a drive to achieve which I find REALLY impressive. I'm pretty confident that he/she is gonna be a dermatologist before you even get excepted to med with the attitude your sporting! Plus..it's pretty obvious that the best way to get into derm is to gun HARD right from the get go, the sooner the better. Ideally you would probablly want to be shadowing a dermatologist before starting high school and have a research job with a derm by the time you start Uni so that you can get as many derm publications as possible! Good luck prederm101! I thought from junior high school that scientific research was what I wanted to do with my life, with the same kind of certainty. I'm grateful that pursuing a research career is not anywhere near as expensive or difficult as a medical one, or I'd be in exactly the kind of situation I just described: I'm 29 years old and just discovered about a year ago that the job I thought from age 14 was "the one for me" is not, in fact, what I want to do with my life. Finishing residency at 28 means you probably spent all of your 20's in school and then in a hospital, studying/working extremely hard, with no time of your own. Having goals is awesome. Giving up all other experiences to pursue them, perhaps less so. As a tutor, I've already seen quite a few med-goal-yout's ignoring what is to most people the most enjoyable time of life in favour of pushing everything towards a single objective; ironically most of the people I know who fit that description wind up with such a singleminded experience set that they make mediocre candidates (purely anecdotally mind you, I have no numbers on that). It makes me sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xIcewind Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 I just want to add on to what Erk is saying. I almost exemplify what OP is trying to do -- 3 years undergrad, high 3.9 GPA, etc, and I just want to say how true Erk's statements are. It's good to work hard and get your MD early, but time and time again I look jealously at friends who have had the time to go out and explore the world. It truly is different talking about this on the other side of admissions, really, but given the opportunity, I would have loved a chance to open my eyes and look around me. I think it would be good to go for that -- to get in after 3 years, get good grades, do extra-curriculars -- but that doesn't mean to deny friends and experiences in the meantime, participate in extra-curricular activities that you don't believe in, and spend your time studying instead of playing. Right now, even at my stage, you still have time to party and explore, but the time diminishes drastically as you head towards clerkship, then residency. If I had one piece of advice to offer you, it would be, like many of the other posters have said, to keep your goal at the back of your mind, and spend your time enjoying the moment. If you want Dermatology (and that's fair that you know what you want right now), you'll get it. Will getting it a year earlier or later be that different to you, when you're 70? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 I just want to add on to what Erk is saying. I almost exemplify what OP is trying to do -- 3 years undergrad, high 3.9 GPA, etc, and I just want to say how true Erk's statements are. It's good to work hard and get your MD early, but time and time again I look jealously at friends who have had the time to go out and explore the world. It truly is different talking about this on the other side of admissions, really, but given the opportunity, I would have loved a chance to open my eyes and look around me. I think it would be good to go for that -- to get in after 3 years, get good grades, do extra-curriculars -- but that doesn't mean to deny friends and experiences in the meantime, participate in extra-curricular activities that you don't believe in, and spend your time studying instead of playing. Right now, even at my stage, you still have time to party and explore, but the time diminishes drastically as you head towards clerkship, then residency. If I had one piece of advice to offer you, it would be, like many of the other posters have said, to keep your goal at the back of your mind, and spend your time enjoying the moment. If you want Dermatology (and that's fair that you know what you want right now), you'll get it. Will getting it a year earlier or later be that different to you, when you're 70? Hear Hear. You never know what the future may hold! I really burnt out during my second year, compounded by a bad relationship. Yet now that I look back at it, I wouldn't have done a lot of different things or had the courage to explore or look at life from a new lens if it didn't happen. Life may throw you a curveball, but instead of stressing out how it blew you off course, take the time to really understand others, reflect and adjust. That ability will definitely be of use and undoubtedly give you the strength to continue on to medicine (or maybe other goals?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylamonkey Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 Dude..why wouldn't you want to finish residency when your 28! At leat prederm101 has a drive to achieve which I find REALLY impressive. I'm pretty confident that he/she is gonna be a dermatologist before you even get excepted to med with the attitude your sporting! Plus..it's pretty obvious that the best way to get into derm is to gun HARD right from the get go, the sooner the better. Ideally you would probablly want to be shadowing a dermatologist before starting high school and have a research job with a derm by the time you start Uni so that you can get as many derm publications as possible! Good luck prederm101! Wow, you and prederm101 sure have similar signatures. You could totally be BFFs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 1) Agree with the consensus that the OP's focus on a specialty is too early - the first hurdle is deciding if medicine is the right choice, and then getting in. An exception could be made for exceptionally mature students - I know of some projects for the IB extended essay that have been performed with medical faculty, paving the way for future networking and research opportunities. Dermatology is consistently one of the most (if not the most) competitive of specialties, and applications to such a small field (versus something like internal medicine) are especially vulnerable to the vagaries of personal connections (though of course hope is not lost if one starts to work on these at the commencement of medical school, or at least of undergrad!). 2) It is generally accepted that one should study what interests them (and that they can do well in), and that one should participate in extracurricular activities that they are passionate about (the only difference for premeds is that they should do this with a view to demonstrable accomplishments and forming relationships with people who can vouch for them). As such, I do not think that devoting oneself to their studies and ECs necessarily entails a sacrifice (either of life experience or "fun" - some of the best friendships are derived from university clubs). Studies show that happiness is derived not from leisure, but from meaningful activity. By the same token, if someone truly enjoys the practice of medicine, the long hours are much more palatable. 3) I would encourage anyone who thinks they might apply to medicine to take their undergraduate studies seriously, as grade cutoffs are a reality in the admissions process. Undergrad was the most stressful portion of my academic career - like it or not, you do have to buckle down to become a competitive candidate for medical school. Once in medical school, most of my classmates felt less pressure (except for a bump around CaRMS time). Contrary to popular belief, your life and outside interests do not end once you enter medical school - as the number of social events, activities, and summer trips (for those in 4 year schools) will attest. Depending on what residency you pursue, things are not necessarily that bad either.. off-service residents have a relatively carefree existence, and in this province we have 28 working days of vacation per year in addition to standard holidays. 4) I'm mystified by Erk's assertion that a research career is less difficult than a medical one, or that medicine is a very hard to alter career path. I would think the opposite is true - suppose one graduates with their PhD in a decent amount of time (not guaranteed), finding a tenure track position after a postdoctoral fellowship and securing grant funding are, from what I've seen, quite difficult and fraught with uncertainty. In contrast, the most significant hurdle in medicine is the admissions process.. provided your work ethic and professionalism are intact, and that you went into medicine with a realistic idea of what to expect, the chances of finding a stable career are much better. MDs have gone into business, consulting, politics, research, writing, you name it.. far from closing doors, the MD opens them, with the fallback of traditional practice available if your venture does not work out. For a nontraditional applicant who must leave a career to go back to school and apply to medicine, yes, it is a weighty decision; less so for a straight-through undergraduate student who presumably would have gone to university anyway. It's not a common occurrence, but people do leave medical school for whatever reason, so you aren't "stuck" except for your lost time and money. It just strikes me as odd to suggest that a young, healthy 30-year-old graduating from residency has somehow missed out on "enjoying life," when they are likely to be in a good position to seek new experiences on the basis of a stable, fulfilling career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzero Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 Im in grade 12 and am going to start my BHSC program @ UoC. I know this program is supposed to be pretty top notch, and somewhat tuff, but I did take IB in high school so I think it should be ok. So Im not worried about grades, but you never kno right? I have a 94% average in high school, and and good scores on my diplomas so far. What are my chances for getting a 3.91-4.0 cGPA so I can get in after 2 years??? I have wnated to be a doctor since junior high, and last year i knew that dermatology is what i want to do. I love all things derm...so I guess since I'm "gunning" for derm (lol ), I know i need to do really well to get in. I guess one thing Im wondering is, is it possible to comitt to a specialty too early?? Ah posting after a bajillion years. To echo the sentiment of most of the others here, you probably need to relax just a touch. Yes, there are my fellow optimists who go with the attitude of follow your dream and reach for the stars, but in all honesty - the current plan of finishing you're schooling as fast as possible to get into derm is unlikely to be a great idea. I mean, I'm about to finish my undergrad here and I genuinely feel like I have wasted 4 years of potential life experiences because I've dedicated a lot of my time in pursuit of this 'dream' and let myself ignore and roll over a lot of other things. I feel if you want that perfect GPA and your school is not a joke school (which I will refrain from naming names), then you should realize that unless you are a genius, it's going to be a grueling undergrad. So to actually answer your question instead of rant, YES you can "commit" to a specialty to early...know what you want of course, but why bother limiting yourself to the huge spectrum of possibilities that medicine offer once you/if you actually get to med school? There's really very few ways you can know derm is right for you unless 1. your parents/family is a dermatologist 2. you had some life changing dermatology experience 3. you read about it and realizes it pays huge cash. None of these have any applied experience, at best you can shadow a physician and you know what, that's just a shadow of that experience as well. Take your time (and this is NOT patronizing advice for a HS student). ...also NO, you can't predict your grade. IB is pretty functionally useless, tons of individuals I know who have done amazing in high school bomb in university, and bomb hard. Many others who have been just good, have turned out great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erk Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 4) I'm mystified by Erk's assertion that a research career is less difficult than a medical one, or that medicine is a very hard to alter career path. I would think the opposite is true - suppose one graduates with their PhD in a decent amount of time... The life of a grad student, postdoc, and junior PI, ie. the first 15 or more years of a researcher's life, are really not that substantially different from each other. heck, even an honours student gets a moderately good test drive. To get a decent glimpse into the life of a doctor, one has to pretty much go through medical school. I'm not saying research is easier, but it's easier to pursue (which was the keyword in the post you're referring to ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osteon Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 This is a joke. Otherwise, I think you're ridiculous. Dude, the OP is in grade 12, obviously a good student and they are coming to us looking for advice. The OP also seems a lot more motivated than a lot of MD hopefuls that I've met. I don't see the joke here. To the OP, as others have said, it's great that you have found something you are interested in early, but try to keep an open mind. You never know what sorts of things you'll encounter that will change your ideas. Keep up the grades, take every opportunity you can in your undergrad and get a good MCAT score and you'll have all your options open to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igotacookie Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 this is an obvious attempt at being funny/trolling. you guys need to internet more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bj89 Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 This is a joke. Otherwise, I think you're ridiculous. This sums up the thread quite nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ1985 Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 When I was in my undergrad I also thought I wanted to be a dermatologist. After my clinical rotations though, that was when I could be certain it was what I wanted to do. I think if you are to keen it will turn off the people in the field and negatively impact your chances. Enjoy undergrad, work hard, do well and try to get into medical school. Do research in undergrad and that can have a derm slant to it. Otherwise you can only strengthen your application once you are in medical school and getting to know the staff and residents within the department. Also keep in mind that you are rationalizing two random, unfair processes. Getting into medical school is difficult not only because of the insane requirements, but the luck that is involved. Going through CaRMS is no better. I hope this helps. I got into Derm this year and I did not do much research or much "gunning" until well into third year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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