At my University in Australia we currently have three ways to get into Medicine. Two undergraduate pathways (standard-have not started another degree before and non-standard-have started another degree but not completed it) and graduate (completed at least one other degree eg. science etc). Now I know the majority of you live in the US and that only the graduate option is available. Well this is soon to be the case at my Uni as well. From 2012 onwards no undergraduates will be accepted and everyone will have to have completed a degree before being applying to medicine. My question is, if you had the choice would you have rather have the option of doing Medicine as an undergraduate degree? Would this have made the issue of having children easier at all? Or is it better to have the experience associated with having complete another degree? Any other thoughts/opinions on the undergrad vs grad entry?

There are a couple of places in the US that offer combined programs (basically a BS + MD in 6 years or so). I didn't know I wanted to go into medicine at the time, so it wouldn't have mattered for me.

I LOVED undergrad. I had a great time, and even though I worked hard and studied, I really wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I also took 2 years off between med school and undergrad, which was a sanity saver. Even as good a student as I was, as hard as I worked, med school was far beyond undergrad as far as commitment and difficulty.


Children are sort of a moot point for me, but if I had wanted them, I could have done it. I thought about it pretty seriously, but decided against it after joining here. I think that if you want something bad enough, you'll find a way to do it. The others will have to comment on that.