advice from recent h.s. grad.

[clarencestudent]

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I have just graduated from high school and am interested in becoming a doctor. I do not know where to begin. I had average grades and will be applying to community college for the Spring 2011 semester. What couses do I take and what concentration should I use. Is math/science the correct choice? Help please.

 

[da8s0859q]

I have just graduated from high school and am interested in becoming a doctor. I do not know where to begin. I had average grades and will be applying to community college for the Spring 2011 semester. What couses do I take and what concentration should I use. Is math/science the correct choice? Help please.

A few things:

- Your high school grades do not matter for med school.

- Med schools do not require a given concentration/major -- they only require certain classes. Usually includes a year of general chem, a year of organic chem, a year of biology, a semester of calculus or statistics, and a few other things. Go look at some med schools' websites (or the MSAR, a book put out by the AAMC) for more information.

- Seek out a premed advisor on your campus. They can help you get a sense of what you'll have to do through the next four years.

- Far more importantly than any of the **** above: make sure that this is what you want to do. Try to shadow physicians and get them to speak candidly about their jobs. Read up on both the good and bad sides of medicine. Feel out other professional interests you might have. But do not, absolutely do not, strap on the horse blinders without considering other things that might make you happier.

 

[Richardh]

as mentioned above, find a volunteer or internship position in the health care field 👍 talking to current doctors or residents for advice helps too! at the same time find a pre-med club or organization at your school. you can find classmates who want to pursue the same career as you 🙂

most students decide on bio major because many of the pre-reqs required to enter medical school is easily fulfilled with this major. but you don't have to necessary major in bio. as long as you can finish and fulfill the pre-reqs, any major is welcomed (and you should major in what you like 😀!)

college or undergraduate grades are important for med school admission so please be sure to keep up your gpa high. later on you will have to take the medical college admission test (MCAT) and doing well on this exam is also highly recommended (this test covers bio, chemistry, physics, and verbal reasoning (passage reading and answering questions), and writing (2 short essays). for more information you can visit aamc website.

 

[GoodmanBrown]

Agree with the above advice completely. Two reinforcements. 1) High school doesn't matter. So, do well in college, and you'll be set. 2) Find someone in real-life that can guide you through this. SDN is helpful, but the finer points are probably best learned in speaking with someone. Find a doctor or resident to shadow.

 

[Meerkatology]

from sdn horror stories i've heard, it appears that alot of premed advisors don't know jack 🙁

probably sdn is a better bet lolz... at least from more respected sdn'ers.

 

[surub]

First off make sure that this is what you want to do....

Alright then,

Medical schools do not care what major you are. The only thing they look at is how your GPA is and whether you took your proper pre-reqs (and many other things). I have read/heard people applying to med school with a english major, or music major. The number one thing to remember is whatever you major in, make sure you do well in it.

Number two, as mentioned before, most medical schools require you to take these following pre-req courses.

1 Year of General Chemistry
1 Year of General Biology
1 Year of Organic Chemistry
1 Year of General Physics
1 Year of Calculus

Note: Your Chemistry, Biology, Organic Chem, and Physics are subjects that will appear on your MCAT, so your gonna have to take then anyway if you want to have a shot at a decent scores on MCATs.

Calc is required by most medical school just to see whether you are able to do work and keep at it. Generally (at least in my university) Calculus is referred as a "weed out" class.

number 3 : Generally you will have a pre-med advisor, and most of the time they are good in depicting what your next four years will be.

number 4: make sure you start your ECs, you want to have volunteer, leadership type roles, research, etc.

and finally...

Make sure this is what you want to do.

 

[Igor4sugry]

Here is my advice. I did an engineering major in undergrad and then went to med school. I would strongly advise to do a major in any one of these fields: engineering, computer science, accounting, finance.
Why? Because you are not guaranteed to get into med school. Most students do biology/chemistry/psychology before med school because these majors make it easier to finish the pre-med required classes. But believe me, these majors are a terrible backup if you do not get in. If you do not get into med school, you will be at a very low paying job if you do biology/chemistry.

So have a good backup major in case you don't get in, and in case you change your mind along the way.

 

[Venko]

Speaking as someone who was involved in medical school selections, residency selections and as a current attending, I would disagree somewhat.

Truth: make sure that you truly wish to be a doctor
- This is to say, you are not trying to be a doctor to make money, have a title, or some other reason. You have to want to be a doctor to care for people who are hurting or ill.

False: high school does not matter
- Every step of education is a foundation for the next. What I learned in grade school allowed me to have success in high school which provided the foundation for my success in college and then in medical school and in residency and finally today as an attending.
- High school is a place to begin creating a life of learning. To practice studying and achieving.
- High school success gives you access to secondary education with more opportunities and lee-way when applying for medical school.

Okay, so now that high school is over and the cards are as they are here is my advice. Use your time in post-secondary education to find two majors. Make one a science based one during which you complete all the premed requisites. Use the second to pursue a passion of yours that is not at all associated with medicine. This will provide a springboard to your interview and your future experiences.

If the opportunity presents itself to step up from the community college to a more mainstream education take it, but this is not crucial.

Make sure you study exceptionally hard and fill in the gaps in your knowledge that you have from completing high school. Learn how you learn best and practice this everyday of your college education.

You need to ace your MCAT. bottom line.

In addition to tremendous academic success, you will want to get involved in extracurricular activities that will bolster your portfolio for medical school application. Also, keep your eyes and ears peeled for research opportunities, particularly those involved in medicine.

Finally, apply to tons of medical schools, tons and tons.


Good luck in your career,
TL
Emergency Medicine Attending Physician