Pediatrics Radiologist

[chasingzion]

It is my dream to become a pediatrics radiologist.

Do any of you have some insight on what to do to be the strongest applicant for med school?
I am a freshman in college now with an undeclared major. I am currently taking prereqs to get into a sonography program.

I was thinking of either getting a bachelors in radiologic imagining and doing post-bac pre med to continue on into med school

or maybe I should just get a bachelors in biomedical sciences and continue on into med school.

Does my plan sounds like a strong applicant for med school? I'm open to suggestions.
I'm trying not to waste so much time.

I could just get an associates in biomedical sciences (im at a jr college) and then transfer to a university and finish my bachelors in biomedical sciences and then continue on into med school but honestly, im a single mother with a 10 month old baby boy. I need a career that will give me a decent pay while I'm trying to progress in my education, which is why I've decided to try sonography for now.

What do you think?

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[mvenus929]

A peds radiologist trains through radiology, not pediatrics.

It doesn't really matter what you major in in college, so long as you enjoy what you're doing and get good grades. I had a Studio Art major in my class. If you think you can get a job as a sonographer and that will help you do the best you can do, then do that. It will certainly give you some (not all) of the clinical experience you need to get into medical school.

But your major does not make you a strong applicant. Your grades, your MCAT score, your extracurricular activities, your understanding of the medical profession (clinical experience), and your research/volunteer experience are what are going to make your application.

 

[chasingzion]

its so hard getting in any of that extracurricular activities. Exactly what are they looking for?

There isn't much time outside of my classes and my son.

 

[physicsnerd42]

its so hard getting in any of that extracurricular activities. Exactly what are they looking for?

There isn't much time outside of my classes and my son.

I think that admissions committees with understand that you have less time outside of class than the typical undergrad with no responsibilities.

It is very important for you to do some shadowing to make sure that medicine is what you want to do. Medicine is different than what most people think it is, and it is very important that you understand what the profession really entails (both for yourself and the admissions committees want to see that you know what you're getting yourself into).

I don't think it matters what you major in. It's important to study something that you enjoy and that will allow you pursue a career that you like if you decide not to apply to medicine or apply and aren't able to get into medical school. It's also important that you do well in whatever you choose to study (and I think that goes along with enjoying the subject). I was a physics major and, while that was helpful in my PhD (and in physiology classes), it probably neither helped nor hurt my admissions chances.

Good luck! I would encourage you to keep an open mind, both about whether you want to do medicine and what specialty you would like to pursue within medicine. I didn't know I wanted to go to medical school until the end of college and had no idea I would be starting the residency I'm about to start until I was at the beginning of my fourth year of medical school.

 

[chasingzion]

I think that admissions committees with understand that you have less time outside of class than the typical undergrad with no responsibilities.

It is very important for you to do some shadowing to make sure that medicine is what you want to do. Medicine is different than what most people think it is, and it is very important that you understand what the profession really entails (both for yourself and the admissions committees want to see that you know what you're getting yourself into).

I don't think it matters what you major in. It's important to study something that you enjoy and that will allow you pursue a career that you like if you decide not to apply to medicine or apply and aren't able to get into medical school. It's also important that you do well in whatever you choose to study (and I think that goes along with enjoying the subject). I was a physics major and, while that was helpful in my PhD (and in physiology classes), it probably neither helped nor hurt my admissions chances.

Good luck! I would encourage you to keep an open mind, both about whether you want to do medicine and what specialty you would like to pursue within medicine. I didn't know I wanted to go to medical school until the end of college and had no idea I would be starting the residency I'm about to start until I was at the beginning of my fourth year of medical school.

Thanks for your response. I'm wondering if I should just skip sonography all together since it will take me 4 years to get a degree in sonography. If sonography won't help me much as far as admissions goes, then maybe I should just get an AA and major in some liberal arts and keep it moving.
At least it won't take me forever to get an AA as opposed to taking me 4 years to get an AS in sonography.