Hi MI!

I just had a question regarding what medical schools are looking for in terms of course loads during our undergrad degree.

I know they expect us to have a full course load of 30 credits in a year so normally that's 15 per semester.

But for next year, I really can't decide between 2 courses so I've currently got 6 courses that I want to take in term 1 and I've got 5 in term 2 but I don't really want to take the 5th one that I have in term 2, in fact only 4 courses in term 2 would probably be beneficial for me.

If i was to do 6 in term 1 and 4 in term 2, would that still be classified as a full course load then? Or do they break it down per semester?

A little off-topic but why do medical schools in Canada require you to have an undergraduate degree? (It's not like that here in India.)

Probably because if you can handle a full course load then you can handle medical school?

So, med school is more demanding than a normal undergraduate degree?

A medical student would be able to answer that since they've been through both! But I've heard medical school can be extremely fast paced.

Originally Posted by IqzFendi

Hi MI!

I just had a question regarding what medical schools are looking for in terms of course loads during our undergrad degree.

I know they expect us to have a full course load of 30 credits in a year so normally that's 15 per semester.

But for next year, I really can't decide between 2 courses so I've currently got 6 courses that I want to take in term 1 and I've got 5 in term 2 but I don't really want to take the 5th one that I have in term 2, in fact only 4 courses in term 2 would probably be beneficial for me.

If i was to do 6 in term 1 and 4 in term 2, would that still be classified as a full course load then? Or do they break it down per semester?

Email the med schools themselves because only they know, but I think it should be alright as they care about full course load across an academic session (fall/winter), and I've never seen a requirement to carry a full semester in particular.

Originally Posted by Alexmahone

A little off-topic but why do medical schools in Canada require you to have an undergraduate degree? (It's not like that here in India.)

They don't require you to have an undergraduate degree. They require some post-secondary education. Some schools want a degree, but most do not.

Originally Posted by nerual

They don't require you to have an undergraduate degree. They require some post-secondary education. Some schools want a degree, but most do not.

Why do they require some post-secondary education then?

Originally Posted by Alexmahone

Why do they require some post-secondary education then?

Because that's the way their programs have been set up. It depends on the school what their requirements are.
The way med schools are set up, you should at least have adapted to and be familiar with university. It probably also reduces the number of applicants and the fail-out rate, and allows better standards to be used when selecting applicants. Think of how little high school marks mean, and how different they are between schools. You're also far more mature after a few years of university than you were just coming out of high school, and you have a better idea of what you want in life.

I know other places like England allow you do go into med school right out of high school, but their med schools would have to be set up differently. I think it makes more sense to require some post-secondary.

Originally Posted by Alexmahone

Why do they require some post-secondary education then?

That's how it works for medical school in North America. Even med schools in states pose this requirement. Additionally, they also require a greater number of pre-reqs for admission than do most Canadian schools. They have not exactly defined or stated their reason for following this system but they normally require some post-secondary education because medicine is a very sensitive and high on skills, responsibility, and maturity profession. After undergoing the rigors of undergraduate, they want to make sure that the students who apply are sure of their intentions and interest to pursue medicine. In other words, after the rigors of undergrad, if your passion for medicine has only strengthened, you are apparently more ready for professional education compared to high school students, who are normally not as mature. Some people realize after first year or through the course of their undergrad career that medicine is not what they want to do for the rest of their lives and discover their true calling elsewhere. That's my take on this.

Originally Posted by nerual

Because that's the way their programs have been set up. It depends on the school what their requirements are.
The way med schools are set up, you should at least have adapted to and be familiar with university. It probably also reduces the number of applicants and the fail-out rate, and allows better standards to be used when selecting applicants. Think of how little high school marks mean, and how different they are between schools. You're also far more mature after a few years of university than you were just coming out of high school, and you have a better idea of what you want in life.

I know other places like England allow you do go into med school right out of high school, but their med schools would have to be set up differently. I think it makes more sense to require some post-secondary.

Adding to this, it's also that there would be too big of a jump from grade 12 to first year medical school, the way medical schools work right now. So not only is it a good way to select better candidates, most high school students would not be able to handle the workload of medical school without any 'in-between' undergraduate time.