, who goes by "Doctor Mike" on social media, is a board-certified family medicine physician at the Atlantic Health System's Overlook Medical Center in Summit, New Jersey. He's joined by Devin Stone, aka the LegalEagle, to a debate over which was harder: med school or law school.
Varshavski: Doctor versus lawyer. Who is smarter? Who is more handsome? Who works harder in school? I brought LegalEagle in to carry his side of the debate.
LegalEagle (Devin Stone): Doctor versus lawyer. Winner takes all.
Varshavski: I'll see you in the courtroom.
LegalEagle: I'll see you on the operating table.
Varshavski: Peewoop!
LegalEagle: Woopeep!
Moderator: Which education is harder, med school or law school?
LegalEagle: Law school.
Varshavski: What? No!
LegalEagle: Because you went to the easier school.
Varshavski: No, because it's shorter.
LegalEagle: The problem with law school is that it doesn't actually teach you how to be a lawyer. You learn theories of justice. Imagine if, in medical school, on Day 1 the professor is like, "Today, we're going to tell you about science." It's how a lot of people learn medicine. Then on Day 2, the professors say, "We already talked about science, but how about intelligent design?" They'd say that the science people are all wrong. Then on the third day, they say, "Well, some people disagree with both of those," and they just go with mysticism. That's kind of what law school is like. You don't learn the actual subject. You learn theories around the subject.
Varshavski: Med school, four years, three to seven years of post-medical school training. It's harder to get into, clinical time, and call shifts. I know a lot of legal students that have time off. Med students don't have that luxury.
LegalEagle: Funny you say that med students have no time off. You had an Instagram account.
Varshavski: I did.
LegalEagle: It was devoted to almost nothing except showing that med students had lots of extra time on their hands.
Varshavski: No! It was you could use your spare, your limited, highly limited... Frankly, I think you're badgering the witness.
Moderator: What is the best part of school?
LegalEagle: It's hard for me to think of something because it's so much harder. Because you went to law school, it's so much easier.
Varshavski: When people's lives are on the line, you got to really be able to...
LegalEagle: Dunking on med students.
Varshavski: You did not! In law school?
LegalEagle: Now, having practiced for years dunking on med students.
Varshavski: But he said, "What's the best part of school?" I was going to say cadaver lab.
LegalEagle: So, I think that's right. We only get to read about the cadavers and you guys get to actually work with the cadavers.
Varshavski: I am glad you used that verb because people usually say play with cadavers and we don't play with cadavers.
LegalEagle: In my head, I was thinking play.
Moderator: What is the worst part of school?
Varshavski: Can I put two things?
LegalEagle: I will allow you to put two things. I only needed to put one thing 'cause I follow directions.
Varshavski: 'Cause it's so easy, you don't have any problem.
LegalEagle: Finals.
Varshavski: Oh, true. I was going to say call shifts or money. I mean, law school is probably just as expensive, right?
LegalEagle: Well, less expensive because it's only three years.
Varshavski: True. When you're a resident, you're making like $10 an hour for five years, so you're still paying back that debt.
LegalEagle: The issue with finals in law school is that almost all of your grade is based on one test at the end of the semester.
Varshavski: Oh, that's messed up.
LegalEagle: I mean, some schools are different and some schools do grade participation, some have midterms. But often the participation might be 10% of your grade, midterm might be 20%, so it's still an overwhelming majority is the final exam.
Varshavski: Sure.
Moderator: Where did you go to school?
Varshavski: I probably should erase this 'cause this looks messy.
LegalEagle: I'm already done. We do learn to write better. UCLA, Baby!
Varshavski: NYIT, like MIT, but in New York. No relation. I want to hear about UCLA 'cause that's actually a world-renowned institution.
LegalEagle: It is the greatest public college in the world. I actually went for undergrad and law school, so I made double bruin.
Moderator: What happens with a double bruin?
Varshavski: This, you get a nice suit and you have your own YouTube channel. Be a double bruin.
LegalEagle: New York Institute of Technology.
Varshavski: Yeah. I did a bachelor's and my doctorate degree in a seven-year combined program in the school. This is where my dad went to med school as well.
Moderator: How would you describe your professors in school?
LegalEagle: I said aggressive.
Varshavski: I said devoted. They were really about their craft. They would be physically upset if someone wasn't learning.
LegalEagle: I think my law professors were pretty devoted, definitely cared about students learning, but I think they were very challenging, too. They were willing to get in your face.
Varshavski: Really?
LegalEagle: They were willing to debate and their passion came out in the classroom.
Varshavski: Really?
LegalEagle: Yeah. I do remember getting into a sparring match with my crime law professor. I said something smarmy like, "Well, isn't that just a semantic difference?"
Varshavski: Oh!
LegalEagle: His response was, "Well isn't everything a semantic difference? Isn't that why we're here?"
Moderator: How would you describe your peers in school?
LegalEagle: That one's easy for me.
Varshavski: I want to say something, but I don't want it to come off bad. Smart.
LegalEagle: Smart.
Varshavski: People brought their own lamps to the library.
LegalEagle: Ah!
Varshavski: People were down, chair pads and water bottles that monitor their fluid intake. They were devoted to spending hours in the library.
LegalEagle: Certainly, most of my fellow law students were incredibly studious. But apart from the fact that they were just devoted to learning the law, it was still the highest concentration of really smart people that I have ever interacted with.
Varshavski: What is one of your fondest specific memories of school?
LegalEagle: Mock trial.
Varshavski: Oh, that's got to be fun 'cause you're like half-acting and half being serious.
LegalEagle: It's super fun. I did mock trial all through undergrad at UCLA, which two-time national champion while I was there.
Varshavski: What does that mean? You're a champion of mock trials?
LegalEagle: Yeah. Yeah.
Varshavski: What is that?
LegalEagle: It's a competition, like debate.
Varshavski: Grand champion. I am sitting next to a grand... Do you have a trophy?
LegalEagle: Many.
Varshavski: Wow! Can you imagine people walk into his room and they're like, "Wow, you must be really good at sports," and he's like, "Nah, debate."
LegalEagle: Do you have any trophies from medical school?
Varshavski: No, they don't give trophies 'cause it's hard.
LegalEagle: "3rd year wearing dat white coat!"
Varshavski: Second year, after you finished your last in-classroom year, there is a white coat ceremony where if you have someone that loves you and they are in the medical field, they can put the white coat over you. My dad was busy, so they... I just had some professor at school do it.
Moderator: What was your dad busy doing?
Varshavski: Being a doctor, probably, I don't know.
Moderator: As specific a figure as you can give me, how much money did you spend going to school?
Varshavski: I wrote mine in euros. Oh, wow. He said specific.
LegalEagle: Yeah.
Varshavski: Well, wait. For three years? Holy moly.
LegalEagle: Including cost of living.
Varshavski: OK, I'm not including that 'cause I lived in my dad's house.
LegalEagle: Yeah. You know, I'm probably including undergrad in this as well.
Moderator: How would you describe your romantic life while in school?
Varshavski: Is this how you got through law school? Oh, you were in a serious relationship. "Grey's Anatomy", all the shows, they show so much romance, so much love. I have never felt that in a hospital setting. I always was nervous or worried about learning. I never thought about dating.
LegalEagle: I really don't believe you. I'm not saying a relationship, but you had to have thought about it.
Varshavski: I mean, thought about it. Again, in the beginning when it was new...
LegalEagle: Who? Me? I had a serious relationship before I started law school and I maintained that relationship through the ups and downs of all three years.
Varshavski: Is it true that... like in med school, for example, a lot of relationships end and start.
LegalEagle: Oh yeah.
Varshavski: The same thing in law school?
LegalEagle: Absolutely, so many people are getting together. I mean, you're spending every waking hour with the people in your law school.
Varshavski: So people hooked up in your law school?
LegalEagle: Oh, yeah.
Varshavski: Maybe we were just like an anti-social community or maybe I just wasn't invited to the parties. They were like, "We don't want this guy."
LegalEagle: Some people are ugly ducklings. Someday you might be a swan.
Varshavski: Yeah, I'm looking to spread my wings and fly.
Moderator: What is one piece of advice you would give to someone starting school today?
Varshavski: I was going to write "Don't!"
LegalEagle: I think people should go to law school if you want to be a lawyer.
Varshavski: As opposed to what?
LegalEagle: A lot of people go to law school because they don't know what they want to do when they graduate from...
Varshavski: Really?
LegalEagle: Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's good advice.
Varshavski: What's finals strategies?
LegalEagle: We talked about how finals are decided using these issue-spotting exams. A lot of people think that the way to write a good finals answer is by memorizing as much laws as possible. That's actually really not true. You have to know a lot of the law, but you also have to know how to write these special exams, and there is a real art and science to it.
Varshavski: Really? Okay. I was going to say take one test or challenge at a time because, in med school, you have so many tests, this week, next week. There is a Boards first year, maybe second year -- depending when you take it -- third year or fourth year, again, depending on when you take it. When you graduate, there is a Boards. When you finish your Board certification, there is a Boards.
LegalEagle: Wow.
Varshavski: If you think about every test that's in front of you on Day 1, you're just going to be filled with so much anxiety that you can't function.
LegalEagle: Wow.
Moderator: Final question. Which is harder, med school or law school?
LegalEagle: Oh!
Varshavski: Do you see my eagle?
Varshavski: If you want to use this for your logo, I totally understand. This is so... that's a quality eagle.
LegalEagle: I'll get back to you on that.
Varshavski: It's not so much that law school is harder for me, it's just it's harder to practice when you're out. You're not prepared adequately.
LegalEagle: I think med school sounds like you have to learn quite a bit more in terms of the subject area covered. Maybe I'm going to change my mind. I don't know.
Varshavski: Look, it's the legal... [CAWS] You watch TV shows on your channel, right?
LegalEagle: I do.
Varshavski: You think there is like a "Grey's Anatomy" episode that has legal stuff in it?
LegalEagle: You think that there's a medical procedural that doesn't have a legal malpractice trial somewhere in there?
Varshavski: A real doctor...
LegalEagle: ... slash real lawyer.
Varshavski: ... will react to "Grey's Anatomy" because you want it. Tune in soon.
LegalEagle: I'll see you in court.
Varshavski: Ooh, medical.
Varshavski's educates over 3 million subscribers with two weekly shows covering everything from trending medical stories and health myths to reaction videos critiquing popular medical TV dramas. His goal is to expose medical misinformation and increase health literacy for a previously untapped audience of young adults.