While many students arrive at the University knowing they want to go to medical school, the decision between research and medicine is not always easy. It takes a lot of thinking and talking to people with experience in each field, as well as participating in research or volunteer work.
Medical schools require pre-meds to take courses in biology, general and organic chemistry and physics to provide a firm science background. Many science majors require the same core classes with the addition of more advanced ones.
The first few weeks at the University are a great time to learn about research and volunteer opportunities in either a University science department or the University Health Sciences Center.
Premedical
The premedical curriculum, while clearly structured, is not an academic major at the University, and in fact, "being premed is all in your heart and mind," said current pre-professional advisor and Assistant Dean Thomas L. Pearce, who will retire in August.
About 500 students out of each class of about 2,500 begin their first year with medical school in their plans, but by fourth year only about 150 have survived to apply to a medical school.
The University Career Services Preprofessional Advising Office offers advice for premedical students and in the past has offered pre-med orientations during the year.
"Basically, there are three steps to getting into med school: take the courses [biology, general and organic chemistry and physics, all with the corresponding labs], take the MCATs [Medical College Admissions Test], then apply," Pearce said.
This is not all, however; students must consider how they will appear to medical school admissions offices as people. Many students get involved in the community by volunteering or through internships.
"Med schools usually want at least two years of clinical health related experience," Pearce said.
This is fulfilled easily by getting involved in Madison House, located at 170 Rugby Road. Madison House offers a variety of volunteer programs at the University Health Sciences Center, the Kluge Rehabilitation Center, Martha Jefferson Hospital and the Charlottesville Free Clinic for anyone interested in the health care field.
Students can sign up to volunteer at 24 different Medical Services sites within those four organizations, where they will spend about three hours volunteering each week from September through May.
"People want to get a hands-on experience in a medical setting to complement their academic accomplishments on medical school applications, while at the same time doing a service to the community," said Dave Norris, Madison House assoc. director and Medical Services Program advisor. "The Hospital and other sites have really come to rely on student volunteers."
Info sessions are held in the fall of each year and information is available in the Madison House lobby. Medical Services programs are filled on a first-come first-serve basis, with sign-up day scheduled for Sept. 23. But be prepared to arrive a little early - possibly the night before: Although the Medical Services program offers between 450-500 positions, the more popular ones tend to fill up fast.
"There is a tradition of waiting in line a long time for Madison House and if you want to get into the ER or pediatrics programs in the hospital you need to come out early," Norris said.
Research
Unlike medical school, there is no "usual" track to graduate school, and while a science major is a must, nearly everyone follows a different plan of coursework.
A past University biology major commented on how he decided to attend graduate school:
"In my second year I worked as a scrubby in Mike Webber's [current director of the University Cancer Center in Jordan Hall] lab. I washed dishes, cleaned the floors, and made stock solutions," said 1992 University graduate Mark G. Alexandrow, now a postdoctoral fellow in the University Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics department. "During my third and fourth years I worked full time as a paid researcher in the lab, taking several graduate level courses. Then I went on to graduate school at Vanderbilt."
Participating in research can benefit any type of student interested enough to try it. For example, it is one way to get to know a professor on a first-name basis.
"Research is quite often a one-on-one activity and a student may develop a very good relationship with a faculty member," Assoc. Vice President for Research David J. Hudson said.
The Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science and Physics Departments, the Engineering School as well as the Basic Science departments in Jordan Hall, and the research wing of the Health Sciences Center, all have research positions for undergraduates.
The process of finding a research position is similar between most departments: just ask a professor. While most students begin research after their second year, when most of the core courses for their major are completed, some highly motivated and talented students approach professors early.
"It is not uncommon for first-year students to jump right into research in biology and work for four years in a lab," Hudson said. "These students will most likely have been co-authors on more than one publication by graduation and/or have attended and spoken at major scientific meetings."
An abundance of research opportunities are available during the summer any time after the first year. Many of the undergraduate research departments offer paid positions during the summer, where they would be for credit during the year. Second- and third-year students can apply to the highly competitive National Science Foundation sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates programs in biology, chemistry, physics, math and a variety of other disciplines.
In spite of the possible similarity in undergraduate course preparation, medicine and research quickly branch off in opposite directions, into two very disparate fields.
"Med school is objective and grad school is subjective. The first is a very clearly defined professional degree program in which you memorize massive amounts of data, learn to treat patients, and act in a professional manner. The second is less structured and in a way you wing it through grad school. You are almost teaching yourself how to think," Alexandrow said.
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