Premed Pressure: Examining Whether Premed Students Experience More Academic Stress Compared to Non-Premeds
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| Title: | Premed Pressure: Examining Whether Premed Students Experience More Academic Stress Compared to Non-Premeds |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | C. Jynx Pigart (ORCID |
| Source: | Advances in Physiology Education. 2025 49(2):280-290. |
| Availability: | American Physiological Society. 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3991. Tel: 301-634-7164; Fax: 301-634-7241; e-mail: webmaster@the-aps.org; Web site: https://www.physiology.org/journal/advances |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 11 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) National Science Foundation (NSF), Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) |
| Contract Number: | 2143671 2233001 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Premedical Students, Undergraduate Students, Stress Variables, Self Concept, Grade Point Average, Career Choice, Mental Health, Stress Management, Majors (Students), Student Characteristics |
| DOI: | 10.1152/advan.00168.2024 |
| ISSN: | 1043-4046 1522-1229 |
| Abstract: | Academic stress is one of the primary factors threatening university students' well-being and performance. Undergraduate students who are working toward applying to medical school, defined as being on the premedicine or "premed" pathway, are suspected to have higher academic stress compared to their peers who are not premed. However, what factors contribute to academic stress for premed students is not well understood. We sought to answer the following: Do undergraduates perceive that premeds have higher, the same, or lower stress than nonpremeds? How do academic stress levels between these groups actually differ? What aspects of being premed cause academic stress? Who has left the premed track and why? We surveyed 551 undergraduates from one large institution in the United States and answered our research questions using descriptive statistics, chi-squares, and linear regressions. Overwhelmingly, participants perceived that premed students experience greater academic stress than their counterparts, yet we found no significant differences in academic stress reported among students in our sample (P > 0.05). Premed students reported that their academic stress was exacerbated by not feeling competitive enough to get into medical school and by needing to maintain a high grade point average (GPA). Furthermore, students with lower GPAs were more likely to leave the premed track compared to those with higher GPAs (P = 0.005). Students reported leaving the premed track because another career appeared more interesting and because of the toll the premed track took on their mental health. In conclusion, our findings can inform instructors and universities on how to best support premed students. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1467894 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwEG5xXMtMx4qEasGO9FYGDdAAAA4jCB3wYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHRMIHOAgEAMIHIBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDCCYetX6utyg7YXF2AIBEICBmjy9Chv6DVmCCMuGECfJBM9Nbkw0-0E8r4YLyai5cz17e8N41l4L7yON7XE4M_opwHVWnir9DUBIBnPFIlDD-cB4sc9Npl6BR7k6Bv9YrlQg1ljuymsTzo0uKupNOMWjvprPKNqoWw_tWiKyArYAtwozl0Z1GuiLdumQ3l4wLz-XeC5CaUZlqqItOePXcPOaB9nfntDlYGyZJkI= Text: Availability: 1 Value: <anid>AN0186108598;apu01jun.25;2025Jun25.03:34;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0186108598-1">Premed pressure: examining whether premed students experience more academic stress compared to non-premeds </title> <p>Academic stress is one of the primary factors threatening university students' well-being and performance. Undergraduate students who are working toward applying to medical school, defined as being on the premedicine or "premed" pathway, are suspected to have higher academic stress compared to their peers who are not premed. However, what factors contribute to academic stress for premed students is not well understood. We sought to answer the following: Do undergraduates perceive that premeds have higher, the same, or lower stress than nonpremeds? How do academic stress levels between these groups actually differ? What aspects of being premed cause academic stress? Who has left the premed track and why? We surveyed 551 undergraduates from one large institution in the United States and answered our research questions using descriptive statistics, chi-squares, and linear regressions. Overwhelmingly, participants perceived that premed students experience greater academic stress than their counterparts, yet we found no significant differences in academic stress reported among students in our sample (P &gt; 0.05). Premed students reported that their academic stress was exacerbated by not feeling competitive enough to get into medical school and by needing to maintain a high grade point average (GPA). Furthermore, students with lower GPAs were more likely to leave the premed track compared to those with higher GPAs (P = 0.005). Students reported leaving the premed track because another career appeared more interesting and because of the toll the premed track took on their mental health. In conclusion, our findings can inform instructors and universities on how to best support premed students. NEW &amp; NOTEWORTHY: Participants perceived that premed students experience greater academic stress than their counterparts; however, we found no significant differences in academic stress reported among students in our sample (P &gt; 0.05). Students with lower GPAs were more likely to leave the premed track compared to those with higher GPAs (P = 0.005).</p> <p>Keywords: academic; attrition; premed; stress; undergraduate students</p> <hd id="AN0186108598-2">INTRODUCTION</hd> <p>Stress, defined as a state of worry caused by a difficult situation ([<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref1">1</reflink>]), is one of the primary factors threatening college student well-being and performance. Generally, stress has been linked to concerns outside the undergraduate classroom including stress-induced physical illnesses, depression, and severe insomnia ([<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref2">2</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref3">6</reflink>]). Additionally, there is a well-established relationship between increased levels of stress among undergraduates and decreased academic performance ([<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref4">7</reflink>]). According to the American Psychological Association, 87% of college students reported that their education is a significant source of stress ([<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref5">8</reflink>]). Academic stress is defined as a nonspecific bodily reaction to the perception of academic expectations that a student is uncertain they will meet ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref6">9</reflink>]) and is associated with lower attention and performance ([<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref7">2</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref8">5</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref9">6</reflink>]). Academic overload, lack of time, and oral presentations have been identified as some of the primary contributors to undergraduate academic stress ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref10">10</reflink>]).</p> <p>In the United States, students on the premedicine or "premed" pathway, meaning they intend to apply to medical school after completing their bachelor's degree ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref11">11</reflink>]), are suspected to have higher academic stress compared to their peers who are not premed ([<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref12">12</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref13">15</reflink>]). The premed pathway requires certain courses or competencies that are often woven into biology, biochemistry, and chemistry degrees, such that these are considered to be traditional premed majors ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref14">11</reflink>]). Premed students in the United States are also expected to participate in extracurriculars, which include shadowing experiences with health professionals, clinical experiences working or volunteering in a health care setting, undergraduate research experiences, and internships. Furthermore, United States premed students take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and engage in a costly application process ([<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref15">16</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref16">18</reflink>]). The rigorous premed course load and extracurricular expectations combined with the low percentage of applicants accepted to medical school ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref17">19</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref18">20</reflink>]) has led to widespread assumptions that premeds harbor more academic stress compared to their collegiate peers ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref19">10</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref20">15</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref21">21</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref22">24</reflink>]).</p> <p>Despite these perceptions, whether premed students report higher academic stress compared to their counterparts is not well studied. Research shows that academic performance is a major source of stress for premed students ([<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref23">14</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref24">15</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref25">25</reflink>]), but it is unclear how this compares to the experiences of nonpremeds. There have been hypothesized differences in characteristics between premeds and nonpremeds. One study coined the term "premedical syndrome" to describe the uniquely competitive, high-achieving, and self-motivated sample of premed students ([<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref26">26</reflink>]). However, these claims have been debated ([<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref27">27</reflink>]). Other research has found that premed students experience emotional exhaustion and depression to a greater extent than nonpremed students but they also express higher self-efficacy or a sense of accomplishment and competence ([<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref28">22</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref29">28</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref30">29</reflink>]). However, a 2010 study of 180 undergraduate premeds and nonpremeds found no differences in depression, anxiety, and perfectionism between the two groups ([<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref31">30</reflink>]).</p> <p>Understanding the extent and sources of premed academic stress is important because premeds with the highest levels of academic stress may ultimately choose to exit the premed pathway. Research suggests that this is likely particularly true for populations that the medical field is trying to recruit and retain, including women, persons excluded because of their ethnicity or race (PEERs), and those coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds ([<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref32">25</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref33">31</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref34">35</reflink>]). For example, one study found that women reported more stress resulting from premed coursework than men, which mediated the gender gap in attrition from the premed pathway ([<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref35">25</reflink>]). Furthermore, a large longitudinal study of &gt;8,000 students attending public universities found that women who performed highly in premedical courses, but perceived themselves as low in premed course competency, were least likely to take the MCAT and most at risk for leaving the premed pathway and science altogether ([<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref36">36</reflink>]). A case study of seven first-year students who identified as Latina women and ultimately chose to leave the premed pathway, reported a lack of connection to the medical field, no access to premed professional organizations, and being required to take irrelevant coursework as aspects that discouraged them from continuing to pursue medicine ([<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref37">33</reflink>]). Additionally, a mixed-method study showed that underrepresented racial minority students and women had a decline in interest of staying on the premed pathway after negative experiences in chemistry courses ([<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref38">32</reflink>]). Other research has found that students coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds and PEERs have less access to preparatory resources as they prepare to apply to medical school ([<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref39">31</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref40">34</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref41">37</reflink>]). In addition, grade point average (GPA) is known to be highly important to the medical school admissions process ([<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref42">38</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref43">39</reflink>]) and undergraduate degree completion ([<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref44">40</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref45">41</reflink>]), although GPA has no predictive validity on the success of students once in medical school ([<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref46">42</reflink>]). However, low GPAs are known to disproportionately prevent Latin* and African American students from completing their degrees, making them ineligible to pursue medical school ([<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref47">34</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref48">43</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref49">45</reflink>]). Furthermore, conditional access to scholarships, internships, research funding, and other prestigious opportunities sometimes prevents those coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds from continuing to pursue a career in medicine ([<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref50">35</reflink>]). These undergraduate experiences may exacerbate academic stress and encourage underrepresented students in particular to exit the premed pathway prematurely ([<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref51">34</reflink>]).</p> <p>Given the toll that academic stress takes on undergraduates' personal and professional lives ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref52">9</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref53">46</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref54">48</reflink>]), it is important to understand how academic stress levels vary among different groups of college students, including premeds and nonpremeds. Although some studies have highlighted the ties between academic expectations and stress among premeds ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref55">10</reflink>]), we know of no study that has conducted a comprehensive examination of the different contributors to premed student stress. Furthermore, it is important to provide a current snapshot of who is leaving the premed track and why, in addition to identifying student-generated recommendations for how instructors and institutions can lessen academic stress among premeds.</p> <p>To address these gaps in the literature, we set out to answer the following research questions:</p> <p></p> <p> <ephtml> &lt;table border="0" width="95%"&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top"&gt;1) &lt;/td&gt;&lt;td colspan="5" valign="top"&gt;&lt;p&gt; Do undergraduates perceive that premeds harbor more, less, or the same amount of academic stress compared to nonpremeds?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top"&gt;2) &lt;/td&gt;&lt;td colspan="5" valign="top"&gt;&lt;p&gt; To what extent do academic stress levels differ between premed and nonpremed students?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top"&gt;3) &lt;/td&gt;&lt;td colspan="5" valign="top"&gt;&lt;p&gt; What aspects of being premed cause students' academic stress?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top"&gt;4) &lt;/td&gt;&lt;td colspan="5" valign="top"&gt;&lt;p&gt; Who has left the premed track and why?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top"&gt;5) &lt;/td&gt;&lt;td colspan="5" valign="top"&gt;&lt;p&gt; What recommendations do students have for how instructors and institutions can decrease academic stress associated with being premed?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt; </ephtml> </p> <hd id="AN0186108598-3">METHODS</hd> <p>This study was done with an approved Institutional Review Board protocol (no. 00017617) from Arizona State University.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-4">Positionality of the Researchers</hd1> <p>This research was conducted as a part of a biology education course-based undergraduate research experience or CURE, where students engage in a broadly relevant and novel research project ([<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref56">49</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref57">50</reflink>]). The CURE was backward designed to equip students with biology core competencies ([<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref58">51</reflink>]), including process of science, quantitative reasoning, and communication and collaboration skills ([<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref59">52</reflink>]), to provide them with experience intellectually contributing to research ([<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref60">16</reflink>]) and to expose them to the publication process ([<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref61">53</reflink>]). Eight undergraduates enrolled in an online undergraduate biology bachelor's degree program participated in the online course taught by K.M.C. and C.A.B., with C.J.P. and T.F.M. as graduate research assistants. Students and instructors were responsible for developing the research questions, designing the survey tool, collecting and analyzing data, and writing the manuscript. Below, the participants in the CURE are referred to as "CURE researchers."</p> <p>Author lived experiences and positionality affect all aspects of a research study, from the guiding questions to literature review to interpretation of the analyses for the discussion ([<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref62">54</reflink>]). The research team identify as women, men, and nonbinary with races or ethnicities that include Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Middle Eastern, and White. Some researchers are the first in their family to attend college, some identify as LGBTQ+, and some are active-duty military. The majority of the CURE researchers were science majors on the premed pathway, some of whom identified as having high academic stress related to being premed. Some of the research team had never been premed, and others had left the premed path. The lived experiences of the premed researchers motivated the research team to ask our research questions and informed the survey development, as premed CURE researchers drew from their lived experiences when hypothesizing aspects of being premed that affected student stress. Furthermore, we leverage our team's diverse identities and experiences in an effort to counteract inherent biases ([<reflink idref="bib55" id="ref63">55</reflink>]).</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-5">Study Context and Distribution</hd1> <p>Our study was conducted at a single large research-intensive (R1) Hispanic Serving Institution in the southwest United States. A recruitment email, asking instructors to consider sending our survey to the students in their course(s), was sent to 265 instructors who were teaching in-person college science and medicine-related courses across the institution's four campuses. Thirty-one instructors (11.7%) responded to the recruitment email and agreed to send the survey to the students in their courses. Students were incentivized to participate with a small amount of extra credit. In cases where the instructor could not offer extra credit, students were entered into a drawing to win a gift card in exchange for their participation. Participants provided written informed consent. We received 746 student responses. After incomplete responses and surveys that were completed in &lt;3 min were removed, 551 responses remained in the final dataset.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-6">Survey Development</hd1> <p>We developed a survey to answer our research questions. The survey structure, clarity, and format were assessed with 10 think-aloud interviews conducted with premed and non-premed science majors ([<reflink idref="bib56" id="ref64">56</reflink>]). The survey was revised in two rounds. In the first round, CURE researchers conducted eight think-aloud interviews and convened to revise the survey based on the interview participants' feedback. Then, another two interviews were conducted to test the revised version of the survey, and no new changes were required.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-7">Survey Measures</hd1> <p>On the survey, students were asked whether they consider themselves premed students, meaning they intend to pursue medical school. They chose from the following responses: yes (<emph>premed</emph>); undecided at this time if I will apply to medical school (<emph>undecided</emph>); no, not currently, but I have in the past (<emph>previously premed</emph>); and no, I have never considered myself to be premed (<emph>never premed</emph>). All analyzed survey items are available in the Supplemental Material. Each research question is presented with the respective survey item(s) used to answer it:</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-8">RQ1. Do undergraduates perceive that premeds harbor more, less, or the same amount of academic stress compared to nonpremeds?</hd1> <p>All participants were asked how they think premed student stress compares to the stress of science students who are not premed, and students were able to select either "higher," "lower," or "the same [level]" of stress compared to non-premed science students.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-9">RQ2. To what extent do premeds report higher academic stress compared to nonpremed students?</hd1> <p>To assess students' academic stress, participants were presented with the Perception of Academic Stress Scale (PASS), a scale previously validated with undergraduates ([<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref65">47</reflink>]). This scale was administered in the format of an 18-item, five-point, Likert-type questionnaire. Students in the study were prompted to indicate their average experiences with sources of stress in the context of their college science courses on a scale from "strongly disagree (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref66">1</reflink>)" to "strongly agree (<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref67">5</reflink>)." The higher the average score, the greater indication of academic stress. The present study achieved internal consistency with a Cronbach alpha of 0.83.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-10">RQ3. What aspects of being premed cause students academic stress?</hd1> <p>Students who identified as premed or undecided were presented with a list of potential concerns related to being premed. Each option was either described in the literature as being stressful to students ([<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref68">17</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref69">18</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref70">33</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib57" id="ref71">57</reflink>]) or identified by premed CURE researchers as stress inducing for premeds. Examples include "Worrying about not meeting a medical school-related goal in the future" and "Experiencing personal guilt for not doing enough to become a competitive candidate." For each aspect, participants were asked to use a sliding scale to identify the amount of stress it caused them, including "no stress (0)," "low (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref72">1</reflink>)," "moderate (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref73">2</reflink>)," "high (<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref74">3</reflink>)," and "extremely high (<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref75">4</reflink>)." Participants were also asked about aspects of being premed related to the application process that may cause stress (e.g., preparing for the MCAT, securing letters of recommendation). Students were only asked to rate their stress as it pertained to aspects of the application process that they had started or completed.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-11">RQ4. Who has left the premed track and why?</hd1> <p>Students who identified as previously premed were presented with a list of reasons why they left the premed track based on the literature ([<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref76">17</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref77">32</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib57" id="ref78">57</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib61" id="ref79">61</reflink>]) and the experiences of the premed CURE researchers. Participants were asked to select all that applied to them (see Supplemental Material for all items).</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-12">RQ5. What recommendations do students have for how instructors and institutions can decrease academic stress associated with being premed?</hd1> <p>To identify strategies to reduce stress in premed students, premed and undecided participants were presented with a list of recommendations geared toward instructors that were developed from the literature ([<reflink idref="bib61" id="ref80">61</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib64" id="ref81">64</reflink>]) and a list of recommendations geared toward institutions that were developed from the literature ([<reflink idref="bib57" id="ref82">57</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib59" id="ref83">59</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib65" id="ref84">65</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib68" id="ref85">68</reflink>]) and asked to select all recommendations they agreed with at both the instructor level and the institution level (see Supplemental Material for all items).</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-13">Demographics</hd1> <p>At the end of the survey, participants were asked to provide demographic information including their gender, race/ethnicity, financial stability, GPA, major, and year in school.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-14">Analyses</hd1> <p>We present each research question and the specific analyses conducted to answer it:</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-15">RQ1. Do undergraduates perceive that premeds harbor more, less, or the same amount of stress compared to nonpremeds?</hd1> <p>We calculated the percent of participants who perceived that premed students had more, less, or the same amount of stress compared to nonpremed science students and conducted two chi-square tests. The first chi-square test assessed whether there were significant differences in the percentage of students who reported more, the same, or less stress. The second chi-square test assessed whether students' responses differed by whether they were premed, undecided, previously premed, or never premed.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-16">RQ2. To what extent do premeds report higher academic stress compared to nonpremed students?</hd1> <p>To assess to what extent premed levels of academic stress differed from nonpremeds, we first conducted a simple linear regression by regressing academic stress (PASS scores) on whether students were premed (currently premed) or nonpremed (never premed/undecided/previously premed). We then ran a linear regression and controlled for demographic variables. For all regression analyses, we added demographic variables that are associated with students' experiences on the premed path including gender (woman or nonbinary/man), race/ethnicity (White/Asian/PEER), financial stability (yes/no), college career stage (early/late), and GPA (self-reported on a 4-point scale) ([<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref86">25</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref87">32</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref88">36</reflink>]). We ran an additional exploratory regression model, introducing an interaction term between each of the demographics and premed status. While running this model using HC3 robust standard errors ([<reflink idref="bib69" id="ref89">69</reflink>]), none of the interaction terms was significant. We ran a likelihood ratio test and found that the model without interaction terms was a better fit of the data. The results of this model are provided in the Supplemental Material.</p> <p>For this research question, we made the decision to aggregate specific demographics. We recognize that not all individuals identify as gender binary (man/woman), but there were too few students who identified as a gender other than man or woman in our sample to create a third category for analyses. Students who identify as nonbinary were aggregated with women to prevent exclusion and because their experiences in science are likely more similar to women compared to men ([<reflink idref="bib70" id="ref90">70</reflink>]). We also acknowledge that students grouped under the term "Asian" represent various ethnic groups and that grouping individuals in this way minimizes the differences in privilege afforded to these diverse groups and perpetuates the model minority myth ([<reflink idref="bib71" id="ref91">71</reflink>]). Although Asian people are not numerically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), they do experience racial discrimination in the United States ([<reflink idref="bib72" id="ref92">72</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib73" id="ref93">73</reflink>]). Students who identified as a Person historically Excluded because of their Ethnicity or Race or PEER ([<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref94">31</reflink>]) were aggregated to avoid excluding low sample sizes of underserved populations. Student college career status was aggregated such that first- and second-year students were recoded as "early" in their college career, and any student who indicated they were at least a third-year college student was recoded as "late" stage college career. Students in their first and second years have college experiences differing from those of students further along in their program ([<reflink idref="bib74" id="ref95">74</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib75" id="ref96">75</reflink>]).</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-17">RQ3. What aspects of being premed cause students' academic stress?</hd1> <p>For each aspect of being premed that students were asked about, we calculated the average stress level reported [no stress (0) to extreme stress (<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref97">4</reflink>)].</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-18">RQ4. Who has left the premed track and why?</hd1> <p>To assess whether demographics predicted whether students exited the premed track, we regressed premed status (currently premed/previously premed) on gender, race/ethnicity, financial stability, college career stage, and GPA. Additionally, we calculated the percentage of students who selected each reason for exiting the premed path.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-19">RQ5. What recommendations do students have for how instructors and institutions can decrease academic stress associated with being premed?</hd1> <p>We calculated the percentage of students who selected each recommendation for how instructors and institutions can decrease the stress associated with being premed (see Supplemental Material).</p> <p>All analyses were completed with the statistical software R, with the following packages: dplyr, ggplot2, viridis, psych, tidyverse, ltm, and car ([<reflink idref="bib76" id="ref98">76</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib83" id="ref99">83</reflink>]). For all regressions, we used the variance inflation factor (VIF) to confirm that there was minimal multicollinearity. Heteroscedasticity was checked via a residual density plot for linear regressions to confirm approximately normal distribution, and no influential points were found for logistic regression ([<reflink idref="bib84" id="ref100">84</reflink>]). All other assumptions for linear and logistic regression were checked and met.</p> <hd id="AN0186108598-20">RESULTS</hd> <p>Most participants identified as being women, White, and financially stable. Students represented STEM majors as well as non-STEM majors, and the majority were in their first or second year of college. A quarter (25.5%) of participants identified as premed, 15% had previously identified as premed but no longer considered themselves to be, 12% were undecided about whether they were on the premed track or not, and 47% were not and never had been premed. Participant demographics are summarized in Supplemental Table S1.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-21"> <emph>Finding 1</emph>: On Average, Undergraduates Perceive That Premeds Harbor More Academic Stress Compared to Students in Their Science Courses Who Are Not Premed</hd1> <p>Overwhelmingly, participants (82.0%) perceived that premeds have higher academic stress than nonpremeds in their science courses [χ<sups>2</sups>(<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref101">2</reflink>, _I_N_i_ = 549) = 608.99, <emph>P</emph> &lt; 0.001]. Whereas 17.7% of undergraduates reported that premeds and nonpremeds are equally stressed, only two respondents (0.4%) reported that premeds have lower stress than nonpremeds. Both respondents who perceived that premeds have lower stress than those who are not premed were themselves never on the premed track. However, the trends among student perceptions were not significantly different based on their personal premed status [χ<sups>2</sups>(<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref102">6</reflink>, _I_N_i_ = 551) = 9.50, <emph>P</emph> = 0.15] (Fig. 1).</p> <p>PHOTO (COLOR): Figure 1. Participant perceptions of whether premeds have higher, same, or lower stress levels than nonpremeds: survey data collected from 551 undergraduate students in the United States during the year 2023. Participants identified as "never" premed, currently "premed," "previously" premed, or "undecided" about whether they are premed.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-22"> <emph>Finding 2</emph>: Premeds Do Not Report More Academic Stress than Their NonPremed Counterparts</hd1> <p>Whether or not a student identified as premed (currently premed) or nonpremed (never premed/undecided/previously premed) was not a significant predictor of student-reported academic stress (Supplemental Table S3). Being premed remained an insignificant predictor of academic stress when controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, financial stability, GPA, and whether a student was early or further along in their college career (Fig. 2). However, being a woman or nonbinary (<emph>P</emph> = 0.001), identifying as PEER (<emph>P</emph> = 0.0122), being financially unstable (<emph>P</emph> &lt; 0.001), and having a lower GPA significantly predicted a higher academic stress score compared to being a man, identifying as White, being financially stable, and having a higher GPA, respectively. The mean score for academic stress in our sample is 2.89 (SD = 0.52) on a 5-point Likert scale, indicating that students experience moderate academic stress (Supplemental Table S2).</p> <p>PHOTO (COLOR): Figure 2. Academic stress regressed on demographics: survey data collected from 551 undergraduate students in the United States during the year 2023. Forest plot of log-odds depicting academic stress predicted by premed status, gender, race, financial stability, year in college, and grade point average (GPA). Estimated confidence intervals that do not cross the dashed line at x = 0 are statistically significant. Points to right of the dashed line indicate that the group has a higher likelihood of having greater academic stress compared to their reference group, and points to left indicate a lower likelihood. Reference groups are nonpremed, men, White, financially stable, and early college career. NB, nonbinary; PEER, persons excluded because of their ethnicity or race.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-23"> <emph>Finding 3</emph>: Not Feeling Competitive Enough and Maintaining a Competitive GPA Drive Premed Academic Stress</hd1> <p>Participants rated the extent to which aspects of the medical school application process caused them stress from 0 (no stress) to 4 (extremely high stress). The aspects of the medical school application process that participants reported caused the most stress included: "thinking I'm not competitive enough to be accepted into medical school" (mean: 3.32 ± 1.08), "maintaining a competitive GPA" (mean: 3.26 ± 0.99), "worrying about not meeting a medical school-related goal in the future" (mean: 3.21 ± 1.07), "experiencing personal guilt for not doing enough to become a competitive candidate" (mean: 3.20 ± 1.16), "preparing for the MCAT" (mean: 3.19 ± 0.99), and "failing to meet a medical school-related goal in the future" (mean: 3.19 ± 1.05). All prompts are visualized with mean and standard error in Fig. 3.</p> <p>PHOTO (COLOR): Figure 3. Academic stress caused by aspects of being premed: survey data collected from 207 undergraduate students in the United States during the year 2023. Bar plot depicting the average stress rating, ranging from no stress (0) to extremely high stress (<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref103">4</reflink>), that premed participants (N = 141) assigned to aspects associated with being premed. Only currently premed students were invited to respond to this question. ^Part of the premed application process where students had to have begun or completed the aspect to provide a stress rating. GPA, grade point average; MCAT, Medical College Admissions Test.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-24"> <emph>Finding 4</emph>: Students Leave the Premed Track Because Another Career Appears More Interesting or Less Demanding and Because of the Toll Being Premed Takes on Their Mental Health</hd1> <p>Participants most commonly reported that they left the premed track because a different career track seemed either more interesting (59.5%) or less demanding (57.1%). Half (50.0%) of all previously premed students in the sample cited their mental health for being a reason they left the premed track. The percentage of students who chose each reason is summarized in Fig. 4.</p> <p>PHOTO (COLOR): Figure 4. Why students left the premed track: survey data collected from 84 undergraduate students who left the premed pathway in the United States during the year 2023. Bar plot depicting the percentage of students who chose each reason for leaving the premed track. Participants were invited to select as many reasons as applied to them. GPA, grade point average.</p> <p>The only demographic variable that predicted whether students left the premed track was GPA: students with lower GPAs were more likely to leave the premed track compared to students with higher GPAs (<emph>P</emph> = 0.0016; Fig. 5). Full logistic regression output is available in Supplemental Table S4.</p> <p>PHOTO (COLOR): Figure 5. Leaving premed track regressed on demographics: survey data collected from 225 undergraduate students in the United States during the year 2023. Forest plot of log-odds to examine whether selected demographics predict leaving premed status (previously premed = 84; reference group currently premed = 141, total N = 225 participants). Estimated confidence intervals that do not cross the dashed line at x = 0 are statistically significant. Points to right of the dashed line indicate that the group has a higher likelihood of identifying as previously premed compared to their reference group, and points to left indicate a lower likelihood. As grade point average (GPA) increases, the lower the likelihood an individual is to identify as having left the premed pathway. Reference groups are men, White, financially stable, and early college career. NB, nonbinary; PEER, persons excluded because of their ethnicity or race.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-25"> <emph>Finding 5</emph>: Premeds Identify That Extra Credit Opportunities and Connections to Clinical Experiences Would Help to Decrease Their Academic Stress</hd1> <p>Premed students most commonly recommended that instructors provide extra credit opportunities (84.3%) and give multiple attempts on assignments (79.3%) to decrease academic stress in premed students. Students most commonly recommended that institutions should provide opportunities to connect students to clinical experiences (57.1%), provide MCAT tutoring (44.3%), and advertise research laboratories to join (37.1%) to decrease stress in premed students. The top recommendations to help premed students in their courses are presented in Supplemental Table S5.</p> <hd id="AN0186108598-26">DISCUSSION</hd> <p>Undergraduates who participated in this study overwhelmingly perceived that premed students have higher academic stress compared to their nonpremed counterparts; their perceptions align with rhetoric emphasizing the substantial academic stress placed on premed students in college ([<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref104">21</reflink>]). However, when we surveyed students about their academic stress, we found no significant difference in academic stress levels among premed students, those who were undecided, previously premed students, and students who were never premed. This finding adds to the scant literature on stress in premed students and reinforces research findings which suggest that facets of mental health do not differ significantly among premeds and nonpremeds ([<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref105">30</reflink>]). As such, the widely held belief that premeds are inherently more stressed than their counterparts may not be universally true. We did not probe the academic stressors of all students in the study. However, future studies should examine whether the greatest influences of academic stress differ between premeds and nonpremeds.</p> <p>Encouragingly, the most common reason that study participants listed for leaving the premed track was that they found a different career track to be more interesting. However, it was also common that students exited the premed path to find a less demanding career track or changed paths because of their mental health. Although our study, among others, suggests that changing career paths may not result in a change in mental health ([<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref106">30</reflink>]), and that medical school admissions committees do not discriminate against students who struggle with mental health ([<reflink idref="bib85" id="ref107">85</reflink>]), some studies suggest that students may be sparing themselves from a demanding career that can manifest additional mental health struggles. A meta-analysis published in 2015 suggested that the rate of depression among medical residents was 29% compared to only 8% among nonphysicians ([<reflink idref="bib86" id="ref108">86</reflink>]). Further, physicians are disproportionately likely to die from suicide compared to their peers in the general population ([<reflink idref="bib87" id="ref109">87</reflink>]). We found it promising that the only demographic to predict who had left the premed track was GPA; that is, students with lower GPAs were more likely to leave the premed track compared to students with higher GPAs. These data align with recent findings from the Association of American Medical Colleges, which reported that medical school classes are becoming increasingly diverse ([<reflink idref="bib88" id="ref110">88</reflink>]). It is encouraging that neither gender, race, nor financial stability predicted whether students exited the premed track in our study. Although students with underserved identities are likely to encounter more challenges as premeds than their counterparts in majority groups ([<reflink idref="bib89" id="ref111">89</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib91" id="ref112">91</reflink>]), they may display a greater level of grit, defined as passion and perseverance for long-term goals ([<reflink idref="bib92" id="ref113">92</reflink>]–[<reflink idref="bib94" id="ref114">94</reflink>]). Additionally, it is possible that efforts at the study site to improve the inclusion of underrepresented and underserved students may be working, resulting in a more diverse premed population. For example, programs that support underrepresented students in obtaining research experiences ([<reflink idref="bib95" id="ref115">95</reflink>]) and that foster systemic change to improve inclusion within the university ([<reflink idref="bib96" id="ref116">96</reflink>]) may be partially responsible for our finding that demographics do not predict who leaves the premed track.</p> <p>Premed students' recommendations for how instructors and institutions can help to decrease their academic stress levels aligned with their most frequently reported stressors: concerns over maintaining a high GPA and not being competitive enough for medical school. Students suggested that instructors providing extra credit opportunities and multiple attempts on assignments would reduce their stress, which would work to improve their course grades and GPA. Participants highlighted that institutions can help reduce students' academic stress by connecting them to clinical and research opportunities in addition to providing MCAT tutoring. One study of introductory biology students at a large public university showed that 80% of students predicted that it was likely that they would participate in a clinical experience and in an undergraduate research experience, but &lt;10% of students had actually participated in those experiences ([<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref117">16</reflink>]). This suggests that although students know those experiences are important, they likely have trouble securing them. Indeed, by helping students secure these opportunities, institutions can help level the playing field by preventing students from needing to know the unwritten rules about how to secure these integral premed experiences ([<reflink idref="bib97" id="ref118">97</reflink>]). Furthermore, institutional support for expensive requirements of applying to medical school, such as the MCAT tutoring recommended by students in this study, may reduce the financial burden on students and subsequent academic stress by lessening the number of times a student needs to retake the exam for a competitive score. Provided that it is common practice for students to take this exam more than once or twice ([<reflink idref="bib98" id="ref119">98</reflink>]), institutional support may specifically benefit students of low socioeconomic status by improving their chance to advance along the premed pathway into medical school. As such, if followed, students' recommendations about how to reduce academic stress may help to create more equitable premed programs, ultimately increasing the diversity of who gets to become a medical doctor.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-27">Limitations</hd1> <p>Our sample was constrained as cross-sectional data collected over a 2-wk time period during a single semester, at one research-intensive institution, and the findings should not be generalized beyond this population. Additionally, this survey was administered in the middle of the term (November of 2022). As such, students were likely subjected to typical academic stressors but were likely not influenced by stressors associated with the beginning of a semester or final exams. Finally, to avoid unnecessary jargon, we did not use the term "academic stress" on the survey. Instead, we asked students about stress regarding their major (RQ1) and stress specifically related to being premed (RQ3 and RQ5). However, we describe these findings in terms of academic stress, since each aligns with the definition of academic stress [stress related to the perception of academic expectations that a student is uncertain they will meet ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref120">9</reflink>])].</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-28">Conclusions</hd1> <p>Despite overwhelming perceptions that premed students experience greater academic stress compared to their counterparts, we found no significant differences in academic stress reported among premed students, students who were undecided about being premed, students who were previously premed, and those who were never premed. Premed students were most likely to select that their academic stress was exacerbated by thinking they were not competitive enough to get into medical school and by needing to maintain a high GPA. We found that students with lower GPAs were more likely to leave the premed track compared to those with higher GPAs and that students most frequently left the premed track because another career appeared more interesting or less demanding as well as because of the toll the premed track took on their mental health. Finally, premeds report that extra credit opportunities and connections to clinical experiences would help to decrease their academic stress.</p> <hd id="AN0186108598-29">DATA AVAILABILITY</hd> <p>The dataset analyzed during the present study is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.</p> <hd id="AN0186108598-30">SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL</hd> <p>Supplemental Material: https://github.com/JynxP/ASU-Cooper-BioEd-oCURE2023/blob/main/24.12.9_oCURE23_supp.pdf.</p> <hd id="AN0186108598-31">GRANTS</hd> <p>This work was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award DUE-2143671 (to K.M.C.); NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program GRFP-2233001 (to C.J.P.); NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program GRFP-026257-001 (to T.F.M.); and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program GRFP-00035931 (to C.A.B.), as well as Arizona State University's Online Undergraduate Research Scholars (OURS) program.</p> <hd id="AN0186108598-32">DISCLAIMERS</hd> <p>Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.</p> <hd id="AN0186108598-33">DISCLOSURES</hd> <p>No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the authors.</p> <hd id="AN0186108598-34">AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS</hd> <p>C.J.P., T.F.M., T.A., S.B., C.B., M.H., K.H., A.J., H.S., K.Z., C.A.B., and K.M.C. conceived and designed research; C.J.P., T.A., S.B., C.B., M.H., K.H., A.J., H.S., K.Z., and C.A.B. performed experiments; C.J.P., T.A., S.B., C.B., M.H., K.H., A.J., H.S., K.Z., C.A.B., and K.M.C. analyzed data; C.J.P., T.F.M., T.A., S.B., C.B., M.H., K.H., A.J., H.S., K.Z., C.A.B., and K.M.C. interpreted results of experiments; C.J.P. prepared figures; C.J.P., T.A., S.B., C.B., M.H., K.H., A.J., H.S., K.Z., and K.M.C. drafted manuscript; C.J.P., T.F.M., T.A., S.B., C.B., M.H., K.H., A.J., H.S., K.Z., C.A.B., and K.M.C. edited and revised manuscript; C.J.P., T.F.M., T.A., S.B., C.B., M.H., K.H., A.J., H.S., K.Z., C.A.B., and K.M.C. approved final version of manuscript.</p> <hd1 id="AN0186108598-35">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</hd1> <p>We thank the students who participated in this study for helpful insight.</p> <ref id="AN0186108598-36"> <title> AUTHOR NOTES </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref1" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> <sups>*</sups> T. 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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Premed Pressure: Examining Whether Premed Students Experience More Academic Stress Compared to Non-Premeds – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22C%2E+Jynx+Pigart%22">C. Jynx Pigart</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9522-8473">0009-0009-9522-8473</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tasneem+F%2E+Mohamm%22">Tasneem F. Mohamm</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Theresa+Acuña%22">Theresa Acuña</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Shurelia+Baltazar%22">Shurelia Baltazar</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Connor+Bean%22">Connor Bean</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Michayla+Hart%22">Michayla Hart</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Katelyn+Huizenga%22">Katelyn Huizenga</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Amaris+James%22">Amaris James</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hayleigh+Shaw%22">Hayleigh Shaw</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kimberly+Zsuffa%22">Kimberly Zsuffa</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Carly+A%2E+Busch%22">Carly A. Busch</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3744-1702">0000-0002-3744-1702</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Katelyn+M%2E+Cooper%22">Katelyn M. Cooper</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8427-7741">0000-0001-8427-7741</externalLink>) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Advances+in+Physiology+Education%22"><i>Advances in Physiology Education</i></searchLink>. 2025 49(2):280-290. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: American Physiological Society. 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3991. Tel: 301-634-7164; Fax: 301-634-7241; e-mail: webmaster@the-aps.org; Web site: https://www.physiology.org/journal/advances – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 11 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: SourceSuprt Label: Sponsoring Agency Group: SrcSuprt Data: National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE)<br />National Science Foundation (NSF), Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) – Name: NumberContract Label: Contract Number Group: NumCntrct Data: 2143671<br />2233001 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Premedical+Students%22">Premedical Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Undergraduate+Students%22">Undergraduate Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stress+Variables%22">Stress Variables</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self+Concept%22">Self Concept</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Grade+Point+Average%22">Grade Point Average</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Career+Choice%22">Career Choice</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+Health%22">Mental Health</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stress+Management%22">Stress Management</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Majors+%28Students%29%22">Majors (Students)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Characteristics%22">Student Characteristics</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.1152/advan.00168.2024 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 1043-4046<br />1522-1229 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Academic stress is one of the primary factors threatening university students' well-being and performance. Undergraduate students who are working toward applying to medical school, defined as being on the premedicine or "premed" pathway, are suspected to have higher academic stress compared to their peers who are not premed. However, what factors contribute to academic stress for premed students is not well understood. We sought to answer the following: Do undergraduates perceive that premeds have higher, the same, or lower stress than nonpremeds? How do academic stress levels between these groups actually differ? What aspects of being premed cause academic stress? Who has left the premed track and why? We surveyed 551 undergraduates from one large institution in the United States and answered our research questions using descriptive statistics, chi-squares, and linear regressions. Overwhelmingly, participants perceived that premed students experience greater academic stress than their counterparts, yet we found no significant differences in academic stress reported among students in our sample (P > 0.05). Premed students reported that their academic stress was exacerbated by not feeling competitive enough to get into medical school and by needing to maintain a high grade point average (GPA). Furthermore, students with lower GPAs were more likely to leave the premed track compared to those with higher GPAs (P = 0.005). Students reported leaving the premed track because another career appeared more interesting and because of the toll the premed track took on their mental health. In conclusion, our findings can inform instructors and universities on how to best support premed students. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1467894 |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1152/advan.00168.2024 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 11 StartPage: 280 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Premedical Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Undergraduate Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Stress Variables Type: general – SubjectFull: Self Concept Type: general – SubjectFull: Grade Point Average Type: general – SubjectFull: Career Choice Type: general – SubjectFull: Mental Health Type: general – SubjectFull: Stress Management Type: general – SubjectFull: Majors (Students) Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Characteristics Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Premed Pressure: Examining Whether Premed Students Experience More Academic Stress Compared to Non-Premeds Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: C. Jynx Pigart – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Tasneem F. Mohamm – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Theresa Acuña – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Shurelia Baltazar – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Connor Bean – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Michayla Hart – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Katelyn Huizenga – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Amaris James – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Hayleigh Shaw – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kimberly Zsuffa – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Carly A. Busch – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Katelyn M. Cooper IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1043-4046 – Type: issn-electronic Value: 1522-1229 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 49 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: Advances in Physiology Education Type: main |
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