for nonacademic reasons (marriage or pregnancy)
was almost three times higher in
women. The dropout rate did not differ
significantly for married students or for those
reporting similar time allocations to study,
part-time employment, or extracurricular
activities. Successful students tend to be
influenced by a desire for independence and for
prestige, whereas unsuccessful students are most
likely to be influenced in their career
choice by such additional factors as reading and
by religious and service motivation.
The following are some specific suggestions that
can reduce your changes of drop-
ping out of medical school. Prior to entering
medical school you should obtain a strong
background of fundamental knowledge in the
sciences and develop good study habits;
seek opportunities to test your motivation for
a career in medicine by exposure to health
science-related work (lab assistant, hospital
aide, volunteer work with handicapped, vis-
iting hospitals and medical schools); and seek
admission to medical schools where you
can most likely gain admission and that are
most suited to your abilities and interests.
If you fail at the end of a year and are
offered a chance to repeat, accept the oppor-
tunity to do so if you still want to study
medicine. The chances are high that you, like
many previous repeaters, will successfully
complete your studies. Should you decide to
withdraw voluntarily, do so only after
consultation with appropriate faculty and admin-
istrative members of your school.
PREPARING FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL
The Transition
There are significant differences between
attending college, especially a small one, and
being enrolled in a medical school. It is thus
desirable to first enumerate some of the
characteristics of the learning environment in
medical school so as to provide a better
perspective as to what is involved in making
the transition.
Medical school is characterized
by:
1. a fast-paced, fact-oriented, and highly
impersonal environment, especially dur-
ing the first two years;
2. the keen competition that usually exists
because the students have similar back-
grounds as high achievers and are all taking
the same required courses. The
competition usually involves staying above the
median class level, although
striving for superior grades obviously
exists;
3. the staggering amount of material that is
usually presented and must be assimi-
lated in a short amount of time;
4. multi-instructor course teaching, which
inherently does not favor the establish-
ment of meaningful student-faculty
relationships; and
5. early exposure to human cadaver dissection,
and subsequently to dying and
death, without adequate
preparation.
Retaining Idealism
The special challenge of medical school is
retaining the sense of idealism premedical
students usually bring with them at the outset
of their studies. Medical school is an espe-
cially stressful interlude in a young person's
life. It is not uncommon to find third- or
fourth-year students speaking of the negative
impact of the pressures of the first years.
Cynicism and apathy appear to be replacing much
of the idealism that was present at the
beginning of a student's
education.
Medical students frequently begin their
education with many idealistic interests,
strong views on the need for political and
economic change, constructive thoughts on
increasing the number of general practitioners,
and positive attitudes toward medical
ethics and eliminating bias. When their studies
begin, stress also builds up. During the
initial years, students are expected to learn
vast amounts of information, besides taking
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