Med School Confidential: A Complete Guide to the Medical School Experience: By Students, for Students Paperback – July 25, 2006

I purchased this book in the hopes that it would give me some guidance as to whether or not to further pursue the idea of med school and possibly a career in medicine. I was not disappointed, although the the book is not necessarily primarily dedicated to people trying to make that decision.This text is definitely aimed more at the prospective med student; it suffices to say that the book considers in the early chapters whether one might be suited to a career in medicine, but in large part it discusses strategies for getting into med school and surviving the process through residency, including information for spouses/sig-others of prospective med students. The fact that the book includes a lot of information from recent med school graduates bolsters its credibility in my view, and gives a more authoritative perspective overall.What leads me to award such a high rating however, is the compelling nature of the writing, which is informative and succinct. The authors convey a great deal of information without belaboring, and proffer practical advice without waxing condescendingly philosophical.While I read this hoping to get more of a "pulse" (pardon the expression) on the med school decision making process (should I/shouldn't I), I found that the lowdown and descriptiveness of med school itself should arm me with information to make that call. I'd highly recommend this book not only for the prospective med student, but also for matriculated students who may be wondering what exactly to expect and how to plan their studies.

This book was extremely helpful! It is well written and a pleasure to read. The writing is clear and the book is very comprehensive.This book takes you through the whole process of medical school - from trying to decide whether being a doctor is something you REALLY want to do all the way through what to expect during residency and beyond. There is even a very helpful chapter written for family and friends of medical students to help them understand what to expect while their loved one is training to be a doctor.I felt like this book gave a very good "insider" view that was realistic - it really helped me understand exactly what to expect from each stage of medical training. It includes lots of tips and advice for being as successful as possible in each stage along the way. There was also an excellent chapter on how to pay for medical school.I think this book would be an excellent choice for anyone who is considering Medical School or who is still in the early stages of their training.

I bought this book with the hopes that it could be of some insight as to whether or not med school would be for me. After reading it, I can say that it was that and much more. Not only did I get what seems to be an acurate portrayal of what it takes to get into med school and the road to being a doctor, but also extremely practical ideas and tools to help be successful on every major step along the way. The writing was clear and concise and seemed to be geared towards an extreme usefulness for a serious med student or potential med student. I will be applying for med school and reading this book along the way to help me excel through it. I definitely recommend this book to anyone seriously considering med school or who is in med school and would like some useful pointers on how to choose your clinical rotations, pre-pare well for the USMLEs, apply for residencies, etc.EDIT March 2010:I am in my first year of medical school and I still fully endorse this book. I can finally say from the other side of the application, that it was very helpful in the application process. I have lent out this book to a number of friends interested in the idea of pursuing medicine and they seem to have appreciated the content as well.

It is important to anyone who reads my review to know that neither I nor any family member has any interest in attending med school; so my comments aren't necessarily valid for the intended audience. With that caveat stated, here is what I thought of the book. It was very readable and it was very thorough. It seemed to me that almost all populations of students, from traditional students who just completed their undergraduate work, to students who needed to take pre-med courses after graduation, and older students, were discussed in detail. There is a section on preparing for the MCATs (albeit the one that has recently been changed considerably), on financial issues/funding options, and on time management. The end of the book focuses on internships (PYG 1) and residency. There are other books that focus solely on those years so anyone who is in med school now would be better served by reading one or more of those.

Well this book has opened my eyes!!! The book has a lot of information that you will not get by talking to someone that knows how to get into med school.It has everything form the dates to take the Mcat, to what books to study to pass the Mcat.The book also gives you a insight as how is campus as a med student. What moves to do to make to get a good impression as a potential med student, also it gives you pointers as how to survive as a med student. The book has a lot of information as how to get in, so if you are thinking about med school the book its a good beginning.This book has everything you need to know I highly recommend it. I am going to follow this amazing book like the bible and hope to get what I want.... To get into med school yeah baby!!!