This is a great video, I was NOT going to apply to Yale just thinking it was very competitive and like you, I like to learn for the joy of learning. Now, I am adding them to my list.
This isn't what I was expecting to hear, but it sounds great! It's awesome how the Yale community totally got your back (and tendon :) Do you feel a sense of camaraderie with your classmates?
Yes Yale has a great system and hopefully I'll have a chance to attend this school one day. I live in New Haven so I don't mind it's small size. Let's get a pizza one day Prerak this city has great pizza
What you describe sounds amazing! I'm still in high school, but I'm trying to determine what kind of medical school I want to go to (like a "normal medical school" or a school with a name). To learn for the sake of learning? That is literally what my dream sounds like. For all my AP classes, the only reason I keep going is that I think about all the great stuff I'm learning. I see tests and homework as a..........required burden, but one worth pushing through if it means I get to expand my knowledge. BUT to think. A place where that is little to none. All that is there is the fun part!
Prerek- SPOT on in all respects....Yale In fact , is so unique its in some respects NOT “medical school.” But its not just that New Haven is empty, you are coming from Cali weather, and its not a great city for singles . That said, unless you are in Boston, Phil,NYC,Chi, LA, SF, its not a desert-there is LOTS going on outside the med school on campus-like world class stuffHowever, Yale IS unique , and has been for almost a century (I am YMS ‘77).. BUT it is NOT for everyone. If admissions doesn’t get it right, there will be students who really struggle with lack of requirements, tests etc, esp after being so programmed in HS and college and if they have had no gaps in their education. Part 1 really threw some kids in my class and set them back an entire year. As you probably know, we didnt even have ANY mandatory tests the first two years .(however the school DID, as you adroitly point out, have a covert ranking system , and AOA). Also, revisit this subject after you’ve finished your clinical clerkship- “stuff gets real” - it puts noticeable pressure on the relaxed uncompetitive time youve had so far so be prepared. Its not going to be anywhere near as intense as other med schools, but its inevitable. Everybody in the class cant match at ROAD residencies or in Boston,SF,LA, etc. and one has to find a way to distinguish themselves. I also feel the curriculum, almost a s much as at Duke , poses tremendous challenges on students who did not major in science in college. 1.5 years is simply not enough time; Preclinical material moves WAY too fast for anyone who did not already have a college course in biochemistry, stats, neuroscience, and possibly immunology and I also wish you would comment on the apparent growing trend for students who are not MD/PhD entrants to stay an extra year for an MPH. Do Yale students now have to distinguish themselves this way to get a selective residency spot since AOA no longer exists ? If so, not sure this is a uniformly good trade off. I would also remphasize of the ideal Yale student is first of all mature and self actualized -I think admissions does a great job in this regard, but students , esp those who are academically distinguished, need to also self examine . YMS is like college-if you can have a productive gap year it sets you up for success more than any criteria I feel. I’m not sure how i feel about ALL the changes at Yale in the past 45 years, but I remain inordinately proud of my association with a school that never rests on its laurels, treats students like adults, and approaches each of your classmates as individuals. You have been given a gift- you will graduate without the cynicism, bitterness and emotional and mental exhaustion so prevalent among med students these days, and the belief that you can make a difference. Cherish that and do everything you can to sustain that during residency and beyond.
Shameless plug for my country (Australia): I wonder if you'd also feel right at home in an Australian med school, as the pros you mentioned are common here too :D Freedom: Hardly any lectures are compulsory here because lecture recordings are ubiquitous, so right from undergrad, we have to deal with the double-edged sword of being able to watch your lectures whenever you want. (Labs and tutorials are generally compulsory though, and while my med school doesn't have that many assessments for pre-clinical students, all of them have to be done on-campus in an exam hall.) Lack of competition: Med schools here unfortunately still have grades, but I don't think they're that important for internship or speciality training. The important thing is to pass everything and since it's not one of those curves where X% of students have to fail, there's no real competition here too. Oh and actually we don't have to pass absolutely everything- in 1st year, we just need to finish up with an average grade above 50% (the pass mark here) for each semester, so if you fail an assessment you can make up for it in other assessments. (I think there are some exams in later years that you absolutely have to pass to pass the semester, but that's definitely not the case for first-years.) Culture: Everyone in my cohort has been super nice and super supportive. I can't speak for other med schools, but at my uni each year cohort has a Sub-Dean of Student Affairs that we can talk to, and if we don't get along with him/her, we can talk to the Dean of Student Affairs, who is a psychiatrist. I think there's also a dedicated counsellor for students in the clinical years (years 2-4 at my school). So yeah, that's my unsolicited advertisement for studying medicine in Australia :P I do enjoy listening to videos about what it's like studying medicine in other places, though- it's interesting to compare!
He's non-white. I wouldn't recommend Australia to non-white people, as it's quite racist. Although I suppose the USA is overtly white supremacist now so it'd be a step up anyway.
I just wanted to what the best way to study is when all the material that we will be tested on is in the lecture obviously, the stuff that the teacher says is so hard to take notes of because it's too fast For now, I was listening to the recording and basically writing down things the professor was saying and then I'm planning on using Anki to really memorize all the things that the professor said
Thank you so much for this video. I'm wondering how the pass fail system affects being matched for residency, especially the ones typically assumed to need the highest grades. Thanks! :)
Thanks for the info. I did not know about AOA tracking in P/F systems. Yale sounds greats. Do students from M1-4 mingle with each other or are classes pretty separated?
We have a pretty tight community here, so I'd say so. I'm on the basketball team with upper years, worked in the free clinic with other students, and also have met them through other social activities haha
Thanks for making this video! It was very informationl. Yale is my (impossible) goal med school! How do you gauge your understanding of the material and all its tiny details when you’re only held accountable every 4-5 months?
There's a lot of tests/questions online that help. Also we have in-class discussions/workshops which are great since you'll get asked lots of questions there. :)
9:00 when you talk about valuing your health. I am studying 1.faculty of Charles university in Prague. Gosh how much I envy you. I don’t even have a time for regular gynecology check.. I just can’t. My school is Monday to Friday and there is no way I can take at least one day off to travel home (Slovakia, I am not Czech so I don’t have insurance here). It shouldn’t be like that.
Is the flipped classroom good for medical students? Also, when you formally interviewed at HMS, did you get to see how the system is? (One day I'll apply and get an R, I aspire to be like you and hopefully get accepted) 🙌
Wow! This video have motivated me! Well, I’m just 11, but I think I have a chance of going to Yale! (Literally what every little kid says before they give up). Any tips for me in the future? (Around 7 years 😅) Edit: Oh god, only 10% get honors! I’m going to study my butt off 😳
Hi Prerak! Old what I would do without your videos. I have been pushing off my medical school app because I didn’t have the courage to take on this huge process. Luckily your videos have provided me with great insight and motivation. Can you please send me your email so I can take a look at your AMCAS application? I have some questions about the extracurricular activities. Thank you!!
hi ! i love your videos and have really strong interests in attending Yale Medical School. Currently I go to Georgetown undergrad. Would i be able to email you with some questions please ?
