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By Valerie M. Harrison Once you are accepted and register for a school, you should withdraw any applications you submitted to other schools. You will probably still be attending college and completing your Bachelor's degree. You may be tempted to withdraw so you can have a few months of freedom before beginning the grueling years ahead. Don't do it! Firstly, the medical school has probably admitted you with the understanding that you will be completing your degree, and secondly, just in case you don't get through med school, you'll want to have that diploma in hand. However, unless you were instructed to take or re-take some specific class, you can probably get away with taking the easiest classes you can to still obtain your degree. After all, the next seven years or so will almost certainly be the toughest of your life. First and Second Year Curriculum: The first two years of your education will be spent in the classroom. 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:
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. Click here for USMLE resources, sample test, strategies and more. Third and Fourth Year: The third and fourth year of medical school are spent learning hands-on patient care. They are the "clinical" years. Third year students complete eight week rotations through various departments in the hospital which include:
The fourth year rotations are longer and are called Clerkships. Students are required to rotate through Internal Medicine, Surgery, and often Neurology, but are encouraged to choose elective rotations in departments that they may be interested in pursuing as a specialty. Students are also given time off to apply for residency and interview to prospective programs. Paying for it: Most medical school students accumulate a great deal of debt. Tuition ranges from about $8,000 per year at public universities, to $28,000 per year at private schools. On top of tuition you can add costs of up to $3,000 per year for books, fees, and materials. Unless you live with your parents or a supporting spouse, you will have basic living expenses too. Working while in medical school is virtually impossible since you simply will not have the time. Therefore you will most likely take out a few student loans. Fortunately, your earning potential will be great, so obtaining loans isn't very difficult. The Financial Aid office at your school will have many resources and a lot of information to help you fund your education. Try this link for 2.25%
Student Loan Consolidation Articles in this series:
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