5 Comments

• #1 by Ruby N on June 22nd, 2010

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  Okay you go to college first to get your undergraduate degree in whatever you want to major in (example Pre-med) that would be your bachelors and then you go to grad school to get your med degree after that you have an internship and then a residency at a hospital and then you are officially a doctor. I’m not exactly sure what the difference between a college and an university is but i don’t think its a very big difference. i think it has to do with size. I’m having the same type of questions I’m looking for a good college too.

• #2 by Kasey B on June 22nd, 2010

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  You have it exactly right! Undergraduate school is your first 4 years of college in which you receive your bachelor’s degree. Afterward, you can go to graduate school where you can get your master’s degree (after 2 years) or phd (after 4 years). Since you want to be a medical doctor, you’ll have to get a phd.

  People often use the words college and university to mean the same thing, but at my school, it’s used like this: University refers to the school as a whole (for instance, the school I attend is the University of Texas). A college, on the other hand, is a “school” within the university that specializes in a specific area (I’m in the college of liberal arts within the University of Texas. There’s also the college of natural sciences, communication, education, etc). Everyone is in a certain school depending on what their major is.

• #3 by kmatty on June 22nd, 2010

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  So, when people talk about “undergrad” they’re referring to your first four years of college/university (doesn’t matter) when you’re earning your BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BS (Bachelor of Science) degree. After you’ve received your BA/BS you can apply to graduate school to earn a Masters or PhD (this can be 2-6 years usually). Most people don’t refer to med school as “grad school” because you’re earning your MD. Good luck, doc!

• #4 by neniaf on June 22nd, 2010

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  Yes, you have the right idea (and you are not an idiot – you just haven’t been exposed to all of this before!). Undergraduate school is your first four years to get the bachelors degree, and medical school, which you do after getting your bachelors degree, is considered a graduate, or professional, school. Graduate schools include all programs to be taken after getting the bachelors degree.

  The difference between a college and a university depends on where you are located. In Canada or Australia, a college is only a 2-year school or trade school. In the U.S., however, the term is a little confusing. The term “college” is often used to refer generally to any institute of higher education, including universities, community colleges, and trade schools. An institution called XXXX College is usually a place that focuses on undergraduate education, although it may also offer some graduate programs, especially masters degrees (which are the next step up from bachelors degrees in some cases, although you won’t need one for medical school). Community colleges, specifically, are usually 2-year schools offering only associate’s degrees, which allow you to transfer to another school for a bachelor’s degree, and certificates for vocational training. A university, on the other hand, usually only offers bachelors degrees and graduate degrees.

• #5 by SA on June 22nd, 2010

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  I was confused at first, too. Once you get into a university everything will make sense. =)

  Ok, here’s how it works:

  A university typically offers an undergraduate and graduate education. You start with undergraduate education first and then you move onto graduate education (if you want to).

  Undergraduate education takes about 4-6 years depending on how many of the general education requirements you’ve fulfilled already.

  In an undergraduate education, during your first 2 years, you basically take classes from all fields like English, math, science, history, anthropology, art, etc. I think the purpose of it is to give you a “well rounded education.” In the university, some of the fields of study overlap so it’s useful.

  After 2 years in undergrad, your classes start to become more specialized in what you’re doing. So if you want to become a doctor, you’d start taking more Biology and science classes.

  Your undergraduate education ends once you’ve completed all the requirements for your major (your field of study).

  Then you go to graduate school, which is an even further specialization of your field. People who want to become lawyers will go to law school, people who want to become doctors will go to med school. People who want to generally research will go to a graduate school and research in their field.

  I’m not there yet but it depends on what you’re going to do your graduate studies in.