How will I fare in the MESS we call Med School?

SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)

First off would like to say this is amazing resource to have, and I'm sure I appreciate it just as much as everyone else does!

I have been reading through the forums here for a while and it has opened my eyes. But I never really have been able to gauge myself (and my future, that is) when I think about medical school. First off here is my criteria:

- Will be a senior in HS this year
- Have completed AP Physics B and AP Computer Science (All with 4's on the test)
- Will be taking AP phys c, AP Chem, AP Stat/AP Calacus BC. (Should get 4's on all exams as well)
- Current GPA of 3.91/4.00 == 97.6%/100.0%.
- Varsity Athletics
- Have well developed study habits
- Class Rank 60/480
- SAT 1800, ACT 30.

Overall I pride my self with sufficient school work. I have had a job for about a year and a half, so I guess that could be viewed as good work habits/good people skills. My weakness though, is that I don't have very many extracurriculars.. Especially anything with the medical field.

So my question, which pertains to mostly people who have experience going through college and getting into medical school is this... How do I fare? I could easily be ranked in the top 10 people in my class, but due to my negligence and immaturity my freshman year (pulling a 2.6 GPA) I don't have that luxury. I plan on going to Oklahoma State University or UT Austin and majoring in something Pre-Med, then with any luck getting into medical school. Do you think I have a chance of getting into a decent med school? Assuming I work my ass off in college?

Any responses are greatly appreciated, especially those with experience. Thanks a ton!

It sounds like you are doing well in high school.

But.

Med schools really only care about how well you do in college. If you are interested in going to medical school after college, some things med school admission committees look for are:
Good MCAT score (over 30, out of 45)
Good college GPA
Volunteering (clinical and non-clinical)
Leadership (e.g., becoming a leader in a campus club)
Doing things you are passionate about!

Unfortunately, none of that stuff matters once you are in college. I have friends who were outstanding high school students, but did completely awful in college. Also, who cares about medical school right now? Enjoy your last year of high school, enjoy three years of college, then stress about medical school. Major in something you love, take the required courses, volunteer at a hospital, then decide if medicine is something that interests you. If you are as studious as you say, you will do fine in college and you will get into medical school. But a 3.91 GPA in high school does not translate to a 3.91 GPA in college.

Also, do not go to OSU. Ew. Either go to OU or UTA. Or TU! =) With your GPA and ACT score, you will easily get into TU, OU, and UTA. Question: how did you get a 30 on your ACT, but only an 1800 on your SAT?

Oh, and why aren't you taking AP Biology? That course is a lot of fun.

Worry about how you do in college first. That is my advice.

Originally Posted by Nymphicus

Worry about how you do in college first. That is my advice.

This guy...I like this guy.

You should go to UT Austin. If you do, know that there isn't a major called "pre-med". If you're taking the pre-reqs that you need to get into medical school then you're a pre-med.

Originally Posted by BlakeC93

Unfortunately, none of that stuff matters once you are in college. I have friends who were outstanding high school students, but did completely awful in college. Also, who cares about medical school right now? Enjoy your last year of high school, enjoy three years of college, then stress about medical school. Major in something you love, take the required courses, volunteer at a hospital, then decide if medicine is something that interests you. If you are as studious as you say, you will do fine in college and you will get into medical school. But a 3.91 GPA in high school does not translate to a 3.91 GPA in college.

Also, do not go to OSU. Ew. Either go to OU or UTA. Or TU! =) With your GPA and ACT score, you will easily get into TU, OU, and UTA. Question: how did you get a 30 on your ACT, but only an 1800 on your SAT?

Thanks for your imput! But to answer your question, Critical Reading... Notice I'm not taking any AP english courses haha. Not exactly my strong suit..

Originally Posted by BlakeC93

Unfortunately, none of that stuff matters once you are in college. I have friends who were outstanding high school students, but did completely awful in college. Also, who cares about medical school right now? Enjoy your last year of high school, enjoy three years of college, then stress about medical school. Major in something you love, take the required courses, volunteer at a hospital, then decide if medicine is something that interests you. If you are as studious as you say, you will do fine in college and you will get into medical school. But a 3.91 GPA in high school does not translate to a 3.91 GPA in college.

Also, do not go to OSU. Ew. Either go to OU or UTA. Or TU! =) With your GPA and ACT score, you will easily get into TU, OU, and UTA. Question: how did you get a 30 on your ACT, but only an 1800 on your SAT?

OU?! No thanks, would rather throw up on my self.. (; Haha I have a long line of family that went to OSU, and plus I've read that where you go to undergrad school isnt really that important. Its how well you do there. Is this true?

It's true unless you go to a school like OSU. They just don't have the pre-med programs like OU and TU. OSU is great for engineering and agriculture, but they just lack the necessary qualities that make a great pre-med program. I have a long line of family at OSU, too, but I am going to TU now. If you are looking for the cheap, in-state school, choose OU. If you have the money or the academics (or both), choose TU. I actually considered UTA until I realized that it's an UG program with 30,000+ students. TU has 3,000 UGs. PM me, I will tell you all the the reasons why you should go to OU or TU over any other school. Trust me, I was dead set on either the University of Minnesota or WashU in St. Louis. It just made more sense for me to choose TU.

Originally Posted by CT2the3

...plus I've read that where you go to undergrad school isnt really that important. Its how well you do there. Is this true?

This is true. However, don't underestimate the importance of environment on your own success. It is much easier to do amazing things when you are surrounded by faculty and students who are used to doing (and expect you to be doing) amazing things.

Originally Posted by CT2the3

First off would like to say this is amazing resource to have, and I'm sure I appreciate it just as much as everyone else does!

I have been reading through the forums here for a while and it has opened my eyes. But I never really have been able to gauge myself (and my future, that is) when I think about medical school. First off here is my criteria:

- Will be a senior in HS this year
- Have completed AP Physics B and AP Computer Science (All with 4's on the test)
- Will be taking AP phys c, AP Chem, AP Stat/AP Calacus BC. (Should get 4's on all exams as well)
- Current GPA of 3.91/4.00 == 97.6%/100.0%.
- Varsity Athletics
- Have well developed study habits
- Class Rank 60/480
- SAT 1800, ACT 30.

Overall I pride my self with sufficient school work. I have had a job for about a year and a half, so I guess that could be viewed as good work habits/good people skills. My weakness though, is that I don't have very many extracurriculars.. Especially anything with the medical field.

So my question, which pertains to mostly people who have experience going through college and getting into medical school is this... How do I fare? I could easily be ranked in the top 10 people in my class, but due to my negligence and immaturity my freshman year (pulling a 2.6 GPA) I don't have that luxury. I plan on going to Oklahoma State University or UT Austin and majoring in something Pre-Med, then with any luck getting into medical school. Do you think I have a chance of getting into a decent med school? Assuming I work my ass off in college?

Any responses are greatly appreciated, especially those with experience. Thanks a ton!

Do you know if you are going to be able to continue to play at the college level. College athletics is an extremely special experience, and without sounding to corny, it instilled my with the discipline I needed to feel confident in my ability to take on med school. It came up in every one of my interviews, and while it may not make you the most well rounded applicant, it really makes your application stand out. It also opens up tons of doors for you to shadow surgeons and sports medicine practitioners. It's certainly not the easiest route in college, but for some people, I think its the right one