What does it mean to be "Pre-Med" at Barnard?

Me with my first ever scientific poster at an NIH symposium.

As exciting as it is to start college, I know that many of you are already thinking about your lives four years from now.  What kind of job do you want to have?  What graduate school do you want to attend?  Where do you want to travel?  While it is important to appreciate the moment you are in now, I totally understand the necessity of thinking forward. How can Barnard help get you where you want to go?

It’s important to keep in mind that where you think you’re going may not be where you end up.  I began college as an art history major, and while I loved my classes and professors and wouldn’t change my major for the world, I’m on a slightly different path now.  I will be starting medical school this August, and I want to talk to you all about the pre-med experience at Barnard, hopefully calm some of your fears, and answer any questions you may have about getting ready for medical school.  I’ll start with some common questions, but if you have more specific ones, or are concerned about something I’m not addressing, please feel free to post questions in the comments section below!

What does it mean to be “pre-med” at Barnard?

Barnard is a liberal arts school, and encourages students to study a wide variety of academic disciplines and not only prepare for a future career.  That’s why you can’t major in “pre-med” at Barnard, but instead are considered on the “pre-med track.” What’s wonderful about this is that you can major in anything you want - history, chemistry, dance, anthropology - and the pre-med advisors will help you plan your schedule so you can be sure to get all your requirements finished before you apply.

In my dorm room with my completed Art History thesis.

Is it difficult to balance pre-med classes and a non-science major?

Many students at Barnard (and everywhere - this is very common) plan to take a year off before starting medical school.  Having four years to finish a major and your pre-med requirements is very doable, and you can apply to medical school the summer following graduation.  Students who hope to apply the summer after junior year (to begin medical school immediately following graduation) may not have as much flexibility in their schedules, and may find it more difficult to major in a subject that doesn’t have overlapping requirements with the pre-medical coursework.  However, with careful planning it is still possible.

What’s different about being pre-med at Barnard?

I feel strongly that the best doctors (and therefore the best med school applicants) are people with a wide variety of experiences: social, academic, and extracurricular.  I don't think there is a cookie-cutter "best way" to get into medical school, and I was so lucky to go to Barnard because they embraced that philosophy as well.  I wanted to work in the biology labs and be an art history major.  Sure, Barnard said, no problem!  I wanted to spend my free time planning on-campus events and wasn’t even a member of the Barnard pre-medical society.  No big deal.  “Pre-med robots” are rare at Barnard.  All the students I knew who planned on going to medical school were interested in so many other things, and were participants in a huge array of activities, both on and off campus.  I really do think that if I had gone to any other school, it would have taken me many years of being unhappy in a curatorial position at a museum to realize my passion (or, let's be real, obsession) for genetics.  Because of the flexibility of Barnard's curriculum and the general encouragement on campus to just learn what you love, I am going to be a doctor (so crazy to think about!).

Questions about preparing for medical school at Barnard?  Ask away!

Melanie

My cat Harriet "helping" me study organic chemistry.

Lectures vs. Seminars: Barnard's Classroom Experience

My seminar classroom in Milbank. 

 

 

 

Small class size was a huge factor in my decision to attend Barnard, and while I’ve had the opportunity to take a number of small classes here, I’ve found that even professors of “larger” classes at Barnard are just as available to interact with students as well. 

As a first year, you’ll have at least one small seminar style class, if not more. In a seminar class, you’re asked to do readings and then discuss them in class. The professor usually provides some suggestions or questions throughout class, but the way the class proceeds is really up to the students. These classes give you the opportunity to discuss a specific subject matter with 12-16 of your peers and really get to know your professor.  

Lecture courses at Barnard usually (but not always) consist of slightly less discussion among students, and more presentation by a professor. When I hear my friends at larger universities talk about their gigantic lectures in auditoriums where they see their professor on a screen, I realize that what I define as a “large” lecture course at Barnard... really isn't that large. Yes, there are certain lecture courses, like Intro Biology and Introduction to Art History, that are a bit larger than the average Barnard class. However, for courses like these at Barnard, there are often weekly sections where you break up into smaller groups and discuss the material in more depth. Professors also hold weekly office hours where you can ask specific questions and get to know your professors better. 

Lehman Auditorium, a lecture hall in Altschul. 

I’ve found that a lot of classes at Barnard fall somewhere in the middle of “large lecture” and “small seminar.” For example, the History of Science course I took last semester was considered a “lecture” course, but it was around 18 people. The professor often asked us for our take on the readings or to discuss a question with someone sitting near us in class. There are probably 100 or so people in the Philosophy class that I’m currently taking, but it doesn’t feel so large because, in every class, the professor is constantly asking for the students' thoughts about an idea or theory he is presenting. Barnard faculty members have a commitment to teaching undergraduates, no matter the size of the class.

While smaller seminar courses are usually the ones that you see taking place on Lehman Lawn at this time of year, just last week even my Organic Chemistry lecture class got to take a practice quiz outside! 

Margeaux

A Pre-Med Art History Major at Barnard

Name: Melanie Bryan

Year: 2012 (Alumna)

Major: Art History

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

Current Location: Washington, DC

Clubs/Organizations: McIntosh Activities Council (McAC) Member, Committee Chair, Vice President; Barnard Student Admissions Representative; Senior Interviewer; Biology Lab TA; Health Educator with HEAL and Peer Health Exchange; Columbia Community Outreach Coordinator; Barnard Babysitter; A capella groupie

Last fall, when I found myself with unexpected vacation time due to the government shutdown, I took a bus from DC to New York.  The bus dropped me off at 34^th street near Penn Station, and I made my way to the red line for the first time in a year and a half.  Twenty-five minutes later I stood outside the Barnard gates, where my former roommate found me sobbing. Yep, it’s true. I was crying, and not dainty, delicate crying.  Like full-on, out-of-control, requiring-Kleenex crying. 

I graduated from Barnard in 2012 with a degree in Art History.  I am currently a post-baccalaureate research fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, and will be starting medical school this August.  If this path seems incongruous with four years of Art History, you’re right, but that’s part of what’s great about Barnard.  If you are confused about why I was crying at the gates, spend some time exploring the blogs, talking to Barnard students and alums, or visiting campus.  Barnard is a unique place, and if it’s right for you (and if, like me, you have overactive tear-ducts), you may be right there with me in the years following your graduation.

 

I’ll be writing several blog posts about my time at Barnard, the pre-medical experience (and the “non-pre-med” pre-med experience that I had), and what I’ve been up to since graduation.  If you have any questions you’d like me to answer, please feel free to leave them in the comments!  Congratulations on your acceptance to Barnard, and happy exploring!

My first day at Barnard.