• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 11:32
CEST 17:32
KST 00:32
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
RSL Season 1 - Final Week6[ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall15HomeStory Cup 27 - Info & Preview18Classic wins Code S Season 2 (2025)16Code S RO4 & Finals Preview: herO, Rogue, Classic, GuMiho0
Community News
Esports World Cup 2025 - Brackets Revealed14Weekly Cups (July 7-13): Classic continues to roll6Team TLMC #5 - Submission extension3Firefly given lifetime ban by ESIC following match-fixing investigation17$25,000 Streamerzone StarCraft Pro Series announced7
StarCraft 2
General
RSL Revival patreon money discussion thread Who will win EWC 2025? The GOAT ranking of GOAT rankings Weekly Cups (July 7-13): Classic continues to roll Esports World Cup 2025 - Final Player Roster
Tourneys
FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $8000 live event Sea Duckling Open (Global, Bronze-Diamond) RSL: Revival, a new crowdfunded tournament series $5,100+ SEL Season 2 Championship (SC: Evo) WardiTV Mondays
Strategy
How did i lose this ZvP, whats the proper response
Custom Maps
External Content
Mutation # 482 Wheel of Misfortune Mutation # 481 Fear and Lava Mutation # 480 Moths to the Flame Mutation # 479 Worn Out Welcome
Brood War
General
How to choose the right travel agency for trips? Flash Announces (and Retracts) Hiatus From ASL [ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ BW General Discussion
Tourneys
Cosmonarchy Pro Showmatches CSL Xiamen International Invitational [Megathread] Daily Proleagues [BSL20] Non-Korean Championship 4x BSL + 4x China
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers I am doing this better than progamers do.
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Path of Exile Nintendo Switch Thread CCLP - Command & Conquer League Project The PlayStation 5
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Stop Killing Games - European Citizens Initiative Summer Games Done Quick 2025!
Fan Clubs
SKT1 Classic Fan Club! Maru Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece Movie Discussion! Anime Discussion Thread [\m/] Heavy Metal Thread
Sports
2024 - 2025 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NBA General Discussion NHL Playoffs 2024
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Men Take Risks, Women Win Ga…
TrAiDoS
momentary artworks from des…
tankgirl
from making sc maps to makin…
Husyelt
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Trip to the Zoo
micronesia
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 813 users

Big Decision

Blogs > Elegance
Post a Reply
Elegance
Profile Blog Joined February 2009
Canada917 Posts
October 25 2010 20:18 GMT
#1
Some of you may understand how I feel about this, many of you won't.

Like many kids growing up, I've always wanted to become a doctor, but during high school, I've learned that pre-med (aka Life sciences in Canada) was easy to get into but, it became really hard/it doesn't have many specialty courses until later years. And of course, the chances of ACTUALLY getting into a med school after taking life sci.

It was then I decided that I would become a nurse. I liked biology and chemistry, and I am generally a caring person. So now I am in a very good nursing program (First year nursing science student at Queen's University. One of the 3 best nursing programs in Ontario). There are A LOT of specialty (many are medical related courses), and I am really enjoying this program a lot.

First year so far, my courses are the following: Professional Nurse-Client relationship, Nutrition/Healthy Eating, Physiology, Anatomy, Microbiology and Psychology.

Medically, Microbiology, anatomy and physiology have taught me so much stuff. Now here is where it gets interesting. Those 3 courses, among others are what med school students will focus on during med school. And those 3 courses happen to be my favourite courses, to the point where I actually enjoy learning/memorizing them and I enjoy going to those lectures.

Then it hit me today. Should I prepare, and write the MCAT to get into med school? It just made sense because it is all of that I am so interested in, why don't I go further into it and become something greater?

Most of you would just say: Yes, but you have to realize the amount of work prep that goes into doing this. Applications, preparing for the test (this is the big one), getting certain prerequisites. And of course, the uncertainty of actually passing MCAT and getting into a med school.

Like every TLer out there, I do have a good intellect (Especially good at memorizing and understanding concepts) however, always underachieve. I do not have the work ethic currently to go through this process, but I figured, I know what it takes, and I know that I have the brains to do it, why not just grow a pair at some point and work at it? That's the big question mark at this point.

What I want from YOU, are the opinions. I know many of you are in university, and have friends that may be in med school or you are in med school yourselves.

Power of Ze
Cambium
Profile Blog Joined June 2004
United States16368 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-10-25 20:25:10
October 25 2010 20:24 GMT
#2
It just made sense because it is all of that I am so interested in, why don't I go further into it and become something greater?


From what I can infer, the only thing stopping you from trying is laziness/fear of failure?

Just do it.
When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
LonelyIslands
Profile Blog Joined September 2006
Canada590 Posts
October 25 2010 20:25 GMT
#3
You won't know how you'll do until you give it a try! I take it you are going for a RN career at the moment?
My heart and my mind will carry my body when my limbs are too weak
Elegance
Profile Blog Joined February 2009
Canada917 Posts
October 25 2010 20:27 GMT
#4
On October 26 2010 05:25 LonelyIslands wrote:
You won't know how you'll do until you give it a try! I take it you are going for a RN career at the moment?

Yes that is correct. The 4-year Bachelor of Nursing Science degree which allows me to write the RN exam.
Power of Ze
Chill
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
Calgary25980 Posts
October 25 2010 20:29 GMT
#5
On October 26 2010 05:24 Cambium wrote:
Show nested quote +
It just made sense because it is all of that I am so interested in, why don't I go further into it and become something greater?


From what I can infer, the only thing stopping you from trying is laziness/fear of failure?

Just do it.

Same. I read the story as "I really wanted to be A+, but then I found out it's really hard. So now I'm C, but that's pretty good, right?"
Moderator
DarkOptik
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
452 Posts
October 25 2010 20:39 GMT
#6
The pre-reqs for med school in terms of courses aren't really that bad, but you have to realize that some of them have little to nothing to do anything med related. For example, there's organic chemistry - you're going to have to take two semesters of this, and while I don't know how good you are at chem, this is usually an incredibly hard course. There's also courses like physics, inorganic chemistry, calculus, etc. you're going to have to take care of that have nothing to do with physiology and whatnot. So prepare yourself to take courses you might have absolutely no interest in.

On the bright side, organic chemistry is probably the toughest of the pre-reqs, usually physics and calculus are stuff that has been taught in AP courses in high school (but obviously in college things are generally harder), and as such, the pre-reqs aren't that hard to get out of the way.

As for the MCAT, I'm not sure you should worry about that all too much at the moment. Obviously, you should know that it is there, but the MCAT is a standardized test like any other. With enough effort and willingness, it is possible to get a good score. Of course, that depends on where you want to go, but that's not too important at the moment, unless you're interested in getting into really top-tier med schools.

You should know that medical school is very, very hard to get into, and all the myths about it are not unfounded. Many schools have a below 5% acceptance rate, and top tier medical schools have around 3%. For example, in 2007 of the around 80 people from my school, Duke University, could were all rejected from Stanford Med. Duke's certainly not the best school in the nation, but it is still top 10 material for undergraduate studies. Therefore, getting into top medical school is a risky business a lot of the time, if you choose to aim that high. However, you should know that the majority of the students that apply to med school actually get in to a med school. It may not be the one they're hoping for, but they do get in.

Also, there are a lot of things that you should start doing in terms of extracurriculars if you want to apply. It would be good to do a lot of volunteer work during school and out of school. Lab work/internships are also really good to have of course. Summers are extremely important, and a lot of the time you're going to have to put down what you did over it, and playing SC2 is not a very viable option.

So basically, getting into medical school is a lot of work. A lot. Half the pre-meds that go to Duke switch out of pre-med after their first year. It's tough, but if you have the willingness to put yourself through that, then you should be fine.
Elegance
Profile Blog Joined February 2009
Canada917 Posts
October 25 2010 20:47 GMT
#7
On October 26 2010 05:39 DarkOptik wrote:
The pre-reqs for med school in terms of courses aren't really that bad, but you have to realize that some of them have little to nothing to do anything med related. For example, there's organic chemistry - you're going to have to take two semesters of this, and while I don't know how good you are at chem, this is usually an incredibly hard course. There's also courses like physics, inorganic chemistry, calculus, etc. you're going to have to take care of that have nothing to do with physiology and whatnot. So prepare yourself to take courses you might have absolutely no interest in.

On the bright side, organic chemistry is probably the toughest of the pre-reqs, usually physics and calculus are stuff that has been taught in AP courses in high school (but obviously in college things are generally harder), and as such, the pre-reqs aren't that hard to get out of the way.

As for the MCAT, I'm not sure you should worry about that all too much at the moment. Obviously, you should know that it is there, but the MCAT is a standardized test like any other. With enough effort and willingness, it is possible to get a good score. Of course, that depends on where you want to go, but that's not too important at the moment, unless you're interested in getting into really top-tier med schools.

You should know that medical school is very, very hard to get into, and all the myths about it are not unfounded. Many schools have a below 5% acceptance rate, and top tier medical schools have around 3%. For example, in 2007 of the around 80 people from my school, Duke University, could were all rejected from Stanford Med. Duke's certainly not the best school in the nation, but it is still top 10 material for undergraduate studies. Therefore, getting into top medical school is a risky business a lot of the time, if you choose to aim that high. However, you should know that the majority of the students that apply to med school actually get in to a med school. It may not be the one they're hoping for, but they do get in.

Also, there are a lot of things that you should start doing in terms of extracurriculars if you want to apply. It would be good to do a lot of volunteer work during school and out of school. Lab work/internships are also really good to have of course. Summers are extremely important, and a lot of the time you're going to have to put down what you did over it, and playing SC2 is not a very viable option.

So basically, getting into medical school is a lot of work. A lot. Half the pre-meds that go to Duke switch out of pre-med after their first year. It's tough, but if you have the willingness to put yourself through that, then you should be fine.

Thank you for such an informative post.

And I also thank you for understanding how much work there is before going to med school/MCAT, which is why I am inquiring about it now, even though I am only a first year.

I am not actually looking to get into a top tier med school. I don't think Queen's university is a top-tier med school, let alone good. However, I do have a question. Even if the school may just have an average med school, is it still extremely hard to get into (like 5% acceptance)?

And as for extra curriculars, I am very glad that I volunteer at the town's largest most advanced hospital currently.
Power of Ze
DarkOptik
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
452 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-10-25 20:58:06
October 25 2010 20:57 GMT
#8
To be perfectly honest, I'm afraid I don't know much about Canadian medical schools. I do know, however, that in the States that medical schools ranked in the top 50 have extremely low acceptance rates regardless of their rankings. It is always going to be below 10% and generally is going to be around 5-8% for any of the mid-tier med schools. The reason is because most med schools take only take 500-700 students, and you can probably imagine how many people apply.
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
OSC
13:00
King of the Hill Weekly #218
CranKy Ducklings191
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
mouzHeroMarine 313
RotterdaM 266
SpeCial 156
mcanning 97
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 37508
Sea 3104
Larva 2764
EffOrt 1953
firebathero 1301
Stork 716
Mini 584
Light 344
zelot 326
Snow 322
[ Show more ]
PianO 302
Zeus 187
actioN 139
Sharp 92
ToSsGirL 87
sSak 62
Hyun 59
GoRush 53
sas.Sziky 52
ajuk12(nOOB) 52
TY 43
Backho 41
Rush 30
scan(afreeca) 22
Terrorterran 21
Shine 17
IntoTheRainbow 12
SilentControl 10
Noble 9
Hm[arnc] 7
Stormgate
NightEnD10
Dota 2
Gorgc10695
singsing3099
qojqva1683
syndereN286
Counter-Strike
sgares579
byalli379
markeloff309
edward36
Super Smash Bros
Mew2King74
Other Games
B2W.Neo1462
hiko1186
FrodaN853
Lowko350
Fuzer 218
Beastyqt108
KnowMe104
QueenE61
Pyrionflax48
Trikslyr43
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick2842
StarCraft: Brood War
Kim Chul Min (afreeca) 12
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 15 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Berry_CruncH81
• poizon28 19
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Dota 2
• lizZardDota256
League of Legends
• Nemesis4364
• Jankos1342
Upcoming Events
WardiTV European League
28m
Fjant vs Babymarine
Mixu vs HiGhDrA
Gerald vs ArT
goblin vs MaNa
Jumy vs YoungYakov
Replay Cast
8h 28m
OSC
8h 28m
Epic.LAN
20h 28m
CranKy Ducklings
1d 18h
Epic.LAN
1d 20h
CSO Contender
2 days
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
2 days
Bonyth vs Sziky
Dewalt vs Hawk
Hawk vs QiaoGege
Sziky vs Dewalt
Mihu vs Bonyth
Zhanhun vs QiaoGege
QiaoGege vs Fengzi
Sparkling Tuna Cup
2 days
Online Event
3 days
[ Show More ]
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
3 days
Bonyth vs Zhanhun
Dewalt vs Mihu
Hawk vs Sziky
Sziky vs QiaoGege
Mihu vs Hawk
Zhanhun vs Dewalt
Fengzi vs Bonyth
Esports World Cup
4 days
ByuN vs Astrea
Lambo vs HeRoMaRinE
Clem vs TBD
Solar vs Zoun
SHIN vs Reynor
Maru vs TriGGeR
herO vs Lancer
Cure vs ShoWTimE
Esports World Cup
5 days
Esports World Cup
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

JPL Season 2
RSL Revival: Season 1
Murky Cup #2

Ongoing

BSL 2v2 Season 3
Copa Latinoamericana 4
Jiahua Invitational
BSL20 Non-Korean Championship
Championship of Russia 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25
BLAST Rivals Spring 2025
MESA Nomadic Masters

Upcoming

CSL Xiamen Invitational
CSL Xiamen Invitational: ShowMatche
2025 ACS Season 2
CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
BSL Season 21
K-Championship
RSL Revival: Season 2
SEL Season 2 Championship
uThermal 2v2 Main Event
FEL Cracov 2025
Esports World Cup 2025
Underdog Cup #2
ESL Pro League S22
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.