3 answers
Kiera
Student
Elk River, Minnesota
4
Questions
Asked
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What are the best colleges to become a surgeon? Should I go to a community college for the first 4 years and then go to a medical school?
I have dreamed of becoming a surgeon for a while and I want to know what the best medical schools are and if I should go to a less expensive school first then a medical school. #college #medicine #surgery
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3 answers
Suzanne Sorkin
Retired family physician and medical educator
106
Answers
Traverse City, Michigan
Updated
Suzanne’s Answer
Kiera, good for you for aspiring to become a surgeon and for starting to plan on how to make that happen. It is a long path but may well be one you're willing to go on if you feel strongly drawn to surgery and are willing to work hard and stay focused on your goal.
To become a surgeon you first get a bachelor's degree being sure to take and do well in all the required pre-medical courses. You can go to either a college or university for this bachelor's degree which typically takes four years. If you prefer, you can start at a community (two-year) college and then transfer as a junior to a four-year college. Just be sure wherever you go that you get established early with your school's pre-med advisor so you can be sure to take the right classes to apply to medical school.
Once you have your bachelor's degree, the next step is to go to medical school which also is typically four years. When you graduate there you will be a doctor! Then, if you are still committed to surgery, you will do a "residency"
in surgery. For general surgery this is typically five years (you are paid as a resident physician but are still in training). As I said, a long pathway but it can be very much worth it for those who feel committed to surgery.
To become a surgeon you first get a bachelor's degree being sure to take and do well in all the required pre-medical courses. You can go to either a college or university for this bachelor's degree which typically takes four years. If you prefer, you can start at a community (two-year) college and then transfer as a junior to a four-year college. Just be sure wherever you go that you get established early with your school's pre-med advisor so you can be sure to take the right classes to apply to medical school.
Once you have your bachelor's degree, the next step is to go to medical school which also is typically four years. When you graduate there you will be a doctor! Then, if you are still committed to surgery, you will do a "residency"
in surgery. For general surgery this is typically five years (you are paid as a resident physician but are still in training). As I said, a long pathway but it can be very much worth it for those who feel committed to surgery.
John Rawlings
Orthopedic Surgeon
4
Answers
Grand Junction, Colorado
Updated
John’s Answer
I agree with the other answers, and just want to add a couple of insights. You can attend any college/university and get into medical school, including a community college followed by a transfer to a university (frequently the cheapest option, depending on the college and ultimate university). One thing to consider, though, is the amount of self-motivation that will be required. Ultimately, medical schools are looking for students who are academically in the upper percentiles of university graduates, so if you attend a community college or small university, you will need to shine at the very top of your class, which requires a lot of self motivation. At a larger and more competitive university, you will still need to be near the top of the class, but there will be more people in your situation that may help give you extrinsic motivation. At the top-tier universities in the nation, that is even more the case, and those universities frequently have greater support structures (classes, counselors, clubs) that will supply additional extrinsic motivation.
In short, if you are a very self-motivated individual who is willing to be take extra steps to ensure you look up requirements and recommendations yourself without a counselor and if you will spend the extra time studying and finding service and leadership opportunities without someone frequently telling you that you need to, then you can go anywhere in the country and do very well. Ultimately, that sort of a person is what medical schools are looking for. However, if you think you might need a little extra help and/or motivation, then going to a more competitive school that has a lot of premed programs would be helpful.
In short, if you are a very self-motivated individual who is willing to be take extra steps to ensure you look up requirements and recommendations yourself without a counselor and if you will spend the extra time studying and finding service and leadership opportunities without someone frequently telling you that you need to, then you can go anywhere in the country and do very well. Ultimately, that sort of a person is what medical schools are looking for. However, if you think you might need a little extra help and/or motivation, then going to a more competitive school that has a lot of premed programs would be helpful.
Yasemin G.
Aspiring physician
635
Answers
Updated
Yasemin’s Answer
Hi Kiera ! That's amazing that you want to be a physician! So little quick fact, community college (cc) is 2 years and then you transfer to a 4 year university. That being said many students take general education classes and obtain their Associate's degree and then complete their Bachelor's. This should not affect your chances at medical school, as some students may want to save on costs by attending a community college- I had two close friends who completed their Associate' s and then went to a 4 year university in order to save on costs and avoid major loans. One little note I would keep in mind, if you go to a 4 year college without going to cc and want to take some summer classes like premed courses I would keep them at a minimum. It is nice to take a college course for cheaper at cc (which I did one semester for physics) but if many premed courses are taken during the summer or in winter breaks at cc medical schools may not see that favorably.
In terms of college, I personally believe that your choice is not a larger factor in attending a medical school after graduation- location, cost of attendance, opportunities make a larger difference in choosing a college than solely based on one factor. I know of individuals who have gone to wonderful medical schools by attending their state universities, it is important to be a well-rounded applicant and show your interest in medicine. While applying to medical school a specific specialty is not a requirement yet, many students are undecided and it is nice to have an open mind, but you can definitely display an interest during an interview or in future essays if asked, by shadowing a physician during undergraduate who is a surgeon. If it is difficult to shadow a surgeon specifically then any physician you may know and get more easily in contact with would also be great. Once again you want to display your interest and understanding of the commitment to medicine and why medicine? During this time, you can ask the physician questions about why they chose medicine, what they like to do for fun, why their specialty, medical school, etc., it doesn't only have to be patient-related. It's nice to see a physician interact with a patient- I truly enjoyed this in my time shadowing - but it is amazing to hear the details about a physician's life, understand their struggles, choices, success and sometimes difficulties they faced to better understand what it means to be a physician.
Other than that, I would recommend when checking out colleges to see about financial aid you would receive, opportunities for premed students, especially research and premed advising, is there a premed club perhaps? You can be any major and apply to medical school but it is important to take certain classes such as biology, chemistry, physics, etc., and a premed adviser along with websites like AAMC and Kaplan do a great highlight of these requirements. I would also recommend to volunteer both clinically and non clinically, pick something you are passionate about and follow it. Maybe you like to tutor or like a sport and can teach it to others, possibly you love to cook so maybe you can volunteer at the local soup kitchen and help out? These are just examples, but things to keep in mind. AAMC highlights key competencies medical schools look for, and while all students don't have to check each box, it is important to display these traits in work, education, service, etc.
There is a lot of advice out there but I would recommend to keep it simple, take it one step at a time by doing well in classes, getting exposure, shadowing, speaking with a premed adviser and also checking out Dr.Gray on Youtube. He is an expert and has helped many students through simple videos and podcasts that give great advice! There is a lot of information as said before but it is important to find credible sources and ask individuals who know this path well. It may seem like a lot of steps and may seem confusing but take it one day at a time and make a list of your classes to take, what majors you are interested in and how to get that exposure to show commitment to medicine and becoming a physician. There really isn't one formula for getting into medical school but having a strong GPA and doing well on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) are important along with other aspects as discussed above. I hope this has helped! Please let me know if you have future questions!
I wish you the best future doctor!
In terms of college, I personally believe that your choice is not a larger factor in attending a medical school after graduation- location, cost of attendance, opportunities make a larger difference in choosing a college than solely based on one factor. I know of individuals who have gone to wonderful medical schools by attending their state universities, it is important to be a well-rounded applicant and show your interest in medicine. While applying to medical school a specific specialty is not a requirement yet, many students are undecided and it is nice to have an open mind, but you can definitely display an interest during an interview or in future essays if asked, by shadowing a physician during undergraduate who is a surgeon. If it is difficult to shadow a surgeon specifically then any physician you may know and get more easily in contact with would also be great. Once again you want to display your interest and understanding of the commitment to medicine and why medicine? During this time, you can ask the physician questions about why they chose medicine, what they like to do for fun, why their specialty, medical school, etc., it doesn't only have to be patient-related. It's nice to see a physician interact with a patient- I truly enjoyed this in my time shadowing - but it is amazing to hear the details about a physician's life, understand their struggles, choices, success and sometimes difficulties they faced to better understand what it means to be a physician.
Other than that, I would recommend when checking out colleges to see about financial aid you would receive, opportunities for premed students, especially research and premed advising, is there a premed club perhaps? You can be any major and apply to medical school but it is important to take certain classes such as biology, chemistry, physics, etc., and a premed adviser along with websites like AAMC and Kaplan do a great highlight of these requirements. I would also recommend to volunteer both clinically and non clinically, pick something you are passionate about and follow it. Maybe you like to tutor or like a sport and can teach it to others, possibly you love to cook so maybe you can volunteer at the local soup kitchen and help out? These are just examples, but things to keep in mind. AAMC highlights key competencies medical schools look for, and while all students don't have to check each box, it is important to display these traits in work, education, service, etc.
There is a lot of advice out there but I would recommend to keep it simple, take it one step at a time by doing well in classes, getting exposure, shadowing, speaking with a premed adviser and also checking out Dr.Gray on Youtube. He is an expert and has helped many students through simple videos and podcasts that give great advice! There is a lot of information as said before but it is important to find credible sources and ask individuals who know this path well. It may seem like a lot of steps and may seem confusing but take it one day at a time and make a list of your classes to take, what majors you are interested in and how to get that exposure to show commitment to medicine and becoming a physician. There really isn't one formula for getting into medical school but having a strong GPA and doing well on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) are important along with other aspects as discussed above. I hope this has helped! Please let me know if you have future questions!
I wish you the best future doctor!