It is not an unpopular view that preparing for medical school at Brandeis is a no-holds-barred, Sisyphean tour through impersonal and mind-numbing courses, unsympathetic professors and cutthroat students. At its end, a run-in with the Premedical Board gives would-like-to-be M.D.s a chance to present themselves to a notoriously unsympathetic body. For students who have everything riding on getting into med school, it's much like that penultimate moment with St. Peter at
the Pearly Gates-only it might actually be easier to get into Heaven.

Of course, this portrait is not universal; opinions about the program really depend on who you talk to. Many students in the track regard it as not particularly cruel, just difficult. And pre-med dropouts and the administrators who counsel them say many students leave the track because they find other academic interests.

"People know that they want to be a doctor...until they really start to look at the other options and professions available to them, or other things they can do with the sciences," said Dean of Admissions Deena Whitfield.

In 2003, the registrar showed that approximately one-eighth of the first-year class was enrolled in an introductory pre-med class. Although not all intend to follow the pre-med track, by the time they are seniors, only a fraction of these students will end up applying to medical school.

Brandeis also boasts a 75 percent admittance rate to medical schools; the notorious difficulty of gaining acceptance to a college of medicine makes the number particularly impressive, with the 2003 national average acceptance rate to medical school being 52 percent.

The likely answer is that the rigorous coursework and exams, the competitive atmosphere and the daunting application process are obstacles that only the most determined and ambitious students can overcome.

Introductory chemistry, biology, organic chemistry and physics are universally required courses for medical school applicants. Students characterize these courses at Brandeis as "gatekeepers," structured with the intent of "weeding out" weaker students, which helps maintain the University's high rate of acceptance to medical schools.

This year, for example, the general chemistry course enrollment fell from 210 to 157 between the fall and spring semesters, meaning that the course lost a quarter of its students. The registrar shows similar statistics in past years as well.

Many students struggle through the courses and earn average grades. These students are often counseled to leave the pre-med track because their grades fall below the standards of most medical schools.

The professors interviewed suggested that such disappointments accompany the pre-med track.

Prof. James Hendrickson (CHEM) said that medical schools require organic chemistry largely because they want to see how students perform in rigorous courses.

The exams are especially notorious for creating problems among students. One student said it seemed that biology and chemistry exams were made deliberately vague and difficult to fluster students.

Sarah Landerman '06, who eventually left the program, said that in addition to the difficulty of the material, the impersonal teaching style and large enrollment created a "competitive" and "intimidating" atmosphere.

Landerman said she felt that student motivation was purely derived from ambitions for "med-school worthy" grades; rarely did their drive issue from genuine interest in chemistry.

Prof. Thomas Pochapsky (CHEM) agreed that course material is difficult, but said that it is a student's choice to leave the pre-med program.

"We don't water the course, that's certainly true," Pochapsky said. "But we're not trying to nuke anybody's chances of getting into medical school. People weed themselves out-they decide whether they want to do well or not."

While the majority of students may be well-meaning, most science courses inadvertently encourage students to compete with one another by curving exam grades.

Nick Barasch '06 said he has heard of a few situations where students advise their peers with "incorrect or purposely ambiguous information" to confuse them or misrepresent the material, presumably to affect the curve.

Hendrickson said that students always approach him after exams to question their grades.

"Certainly I always indicate what the average is on any hour exam...But whether that makes them more competitive, I don't know," he said.

As well as grade competitiveness, students said they fear others' tampering with their lab experiments, although Prof Judith Tsipis (BIO) said this is infrequent.

"In my 29 years of teaching the [biology] lab course, there have been a few instances in which one student intentionally harmed another student's experiment," she said.

For pre-med students, it seems the high level of competition is more prevalent in their program than others on campus because of the looming goal of being admitted to medical school.

"I think as long as final grades are considered by medical schools in the application process, there will always be a certain level of competitiveness," said Prof. Milos Dolnik (CHEM), who teaches the laboratory course.

"[The program is] competitive and we are always being compared to our classmates; the tests are all graded on a bell curve with a low average," Rachel Goldstein '07 said. "But we're not that competitive-everyone is in it together and we all help each other out."

She added that science professors are encouraging and want students to succeed, regardless of whether their intention is to weed out their weaker students.

If students are still interested in medical school by their junior year, they are assigned a pre-medical adviser. Eventually, they then meet with the pre-medical board of advisers. Every spring, four to five members of the board conduct the 20-minute interviews required for medical school applicants.

Following the interview, the board prepares a letter of recommendation called a composite letter that most medical schools require. The letter integrates components like the applicant's interview, transcript, personal statement, and letters of recommendation.

Health Professions Adviser Jennifer Lewis said that the interviews are meant to weigh the student's strengths and weaknesses as an applicant. But the interviews are said to bring some students to tears.

This is to be expected since the board must tell some students that their qualifications simply don't meet the stringent standards of medical schools. Still, many students describe their experience with the board as unduly harsh.

Stephen Cipot '06, who had his interview in early March, thought that it went smoothly and found the advisers helpful and encouraging.

But Alisa Helfgott '02 described her interview as "berating," shaking her nerves and weakening her confidence.

"I went in expecting [the board] to say what my strengths and weaknesses were," Helfgott said. "It was more like they were telling me 'you're not good enough, don't bother applying, you wont get in.'"

Helfgott added that at that point she had not yet taken the Medical College Admissions Test, which weighs very heavily on applications to medical school, so she thought the board made their suggestions prematurely.

Helfgott said that the board discourages candidates from applying to maintain high admission rates. She called the 75 percent admittance rate "a complete farce," and feels like a victim of the board's search for flawless candidates.

According to Helfgott, the board told her to research allied health professions like nursing because her grades were not strong enough for medical school. Having always dreamed of becoming a doctor, Helfgott was devastated. However, she applied anyway and is currently completing her third year of osteopathic medical school.

In retrospect, Helfgott said such discouragements as she experienced are only minor setbacks in the grand scheme of things.

"If you really want to be a doctor, you can do it," she said. "You just have to keep trying.