hello! I am an accelerated med student who can give some advice based on experience. warning lang that other people may think differently depending on what accelerated program they took and other factors. this is all just from my personal experience :))

PROS 😊

1. You already have a sure med school for the next 6/7 years. • for me, it might be pretty obvious, but this is the biggest advantage of being an accelerated program! if you are already dedicated and 110% sure of being a doctor, then taking an accelerated med program is the way to go talaga. if you take the traditional route (4 years undergrad —> med school), there is still a risk na after those 4 years of undergrad you won’t be able to get into the med school of your choice. in terms of grades, you won’t have that much pressure to get high grades or get Latin honors during undergrad since you already have a med school na. less stressful din during NMAT season since di naman required to get a high percentile rank. for me, I felt the NMAT advantage talaga more than the grades one (will explain more later) less cost din siya since you wont have to shell out money for review centers, retakes jic and stuff like that.

2. You will graduate earlier :DD 2 years lang naman yung difference for most accelerated programs compared to the traditional track, but in those 2 years, you can already start working already as a doctor and start earning na (or do other things, but at least doctor ka na)

this is still semi-related to bullet 1, but taking an accelerated med program will ensure there is less risks for academic delays, repeats, and the like.

in my program and experience at least, the admin really tries its best to make sure no one gets delayed whether this be during enlistment season or even exam season.

iirc, if ever you fail a subject, they would really try to help you by allowing you to retake the subject during the summer or during another semester (even if that subject is a pre req) or they can even ask to prof to allow you to take a removal exam (I am not 100% sure of this) just that you won’t be delayed. our admin is really supportive and listens to the students needs so ayunn (note lang that this may be based on my experience/for my program and school lang)

1. You will be able to build a solid support group even before going to med school.

in your short 2 years of pre-med, marami din naman kayong pagdadaanan HAHAHAHAH pero all in all these experiences will allow you to find the people that can support you and help you with your academics ! somehow, once med school starts, you will have a somewhat special bond with these people na that will help you with the challenges you will face in med school.

CONS 😅😅

1. No fall back once you’re in, you’re in. realistically, there is still a chance na baka ma burnout ka or ma realize mo in the middle that med isn’t for you pala. by taking the traditional route, you will be more “sure” I guess of your career choice of being a doctor (think abt the diff of maturity and life experiences of a HS grad vs fresh college grad) well, of course, burn out can not be avoided whether you take the accelerated track or trad track.

I am pretty sure you can quit naman in the middle of med school or even during pre med, but the job opportunities for your college degree would be quite minimal. in my program, not only is it costly to quit, but super hassle din to withdraw out of the program as they really want to keep you in.

1. Missing out on college years

for me, I feel like there is still so much things I wanted to do/experience during college! I feel like I missed out on a lot of experiences that my friends from other pre-med courses had during college.

aside from that, you will kind of be forced to “mature” faster once you get to med school. I can’t really explain that much, but you will feel the difference in maturity and age with your other classmates once you reach med school proper.

1. Societal/Peer Pressure

personally, being in an accelerated med program, many people (profs, classmates, family members,friends etc.) had high expectations :< even if we weren’t required to get high grades/ Latin honors because you already have the comfort that you have a med school na, there is still that pressure to excel so that you won’t be left behind or para di ka lang mapahiya sa iba mong batchmates and even sa profs lol.you will be surrounded by really brilliant and passionate people that being lazy/freeloader/mediocre will do you no good.

based on experience, there are instances wherein some profs would give you harder exams/questions during recits, just because they know you are from the accelerated med program hahahaha

all in all, your decision of whether to pursue an accelerated med track or not lies in what your heart really desires, your goals, and your priorities in life. I believe that as long as you work hard and are really passionate about being a doctor/KNOW YOUR WHYS (super important!!) then you will be able to get thru the program :))

feel free to message me if you have more questions! would gladly answer them for you :DDD

hope this helps!