Am I Still Able to Go to Medical School?

[Tigrane]

I am currently in my sophomore year of High School and I haven't been doing well. I took a Java Programming Class and my stupidity when it comes to computers has caught up with me. So I have a D which will be moved up to a C in no time. I have a C in math that will be moved to a B+ and the other grades and Bs and As. I am afraid because my plan is to apply to colleges in the US and France and I had my sights on UC Davis or San Diego. I was probably going to transfer from a community college anyways like my two sisters have already done, but I'm not sure yet (I mean if I get into UC Davis or UCSD off the bat I wouldn't have to). I was wondering to what point there is no return? Like what is the point that you do so badly that you can say goodbye to medical school?

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[Holmwood]

I am currently in my sophomore year of High School and I haven't been doing well. I took a Java Programming Class and my stupidity when it comes to computers has caught up with me. So I have a D which will be moved up to a C in no time. I have a C in math that will be moved to a B+ and the other grades and Bs and As. I am afraid because my plan is to apply to colleges in the US and France and I had my sights on UC Davis or San Diego. I was probably going to transfer from a community college anyways like my two sisters have already done, but I'm not sure yet (I mean if I get into UC Davis or UCSD off the bat I wouldn't have to). I was wondering to what point there is no return? Like what is the point that you do so badly that you can say goodbye to medical school?

You can just go to a state university as well. Your school choice is quite irrelevant when it comes to medical school admissions...

Going from a CC to 4 year uni is a pretty normal path for premeds.


And lastly, just get to a college and do well in college. High school mishaps don't matter once you get to college.

 

[DesertPT]

^^^ +1

Your high school grades have no relevance to graduate or professional school admissions whatsoever. Your grades this semester will not prevent you from getting into college. If you do well on the ACT or SAT you will still mostly likely get in to a reputable university. And it doesn't matter if you do anyway, because nobody really cares where you go for undergrad as long as you have good grades, and you can always start at CC and transfer.

 

[neur0goddess]

cali has some pretty decent junior colleges that offer a guaranteed admission to the top tier UCs..I know of one in LA tied to UCLA, so that could be cool. Also you'd probably do very well in your pre-med reqs and you'll have a high GPA at a jc vs regular 4-year, so you could potentially have a better chance at med schools
what about CSUs? since you're in state you'd have a good chance of getting in to a decent one
and keep in mind you're only a 1st semester sophomore. you still have a lot of high school to get through..as long as your grades trend upwards, you do a bunch of unique ECs, hold leadership positions, and kill the SAT/ACT/SAT subject tests you should be fine!! don't give up completely!

 

[Doctor Dream]

Agree with the above posters. Undergrad choice doesn't matter. Only advice I can give is don't stay at a CC longer than you have to. Anyway, college is a different ball game from highschool. If you're hardworking and put in the extra time and effort into your studies, your grades will reflect that. Your grades are like A's and B's anyways!

You're young, don't even worry if med school is off the table at this point (because it's not and if it is, it won't be for a long time). Just keep plugging away and have fun in highschool while you can!

 

[DrYoda]

High school isn't going to matter for med school admissions (although it will for college). I wasn't a good student in high school either (primarily effort and attendance based) and ended up doing really well in both college and med school. The key is to identify why your grades are where they are and fix that for college, because college does matter for medical school.

 

[dkr34]

Don't stress out too much about medical school right now. Your primary concerns should be excelling in school right now then working towards academic success in college. Med schools don't consider high school grades.

 

[ProudMD]

Relax OP! Your high school performance has zero relevance to your competitiveness for medical schools. One of my physician mentors scored a total of three digits on his SAT I (it was the old SAT out of 1600, but still!), and he is now a very successful private practice physician. Even poor performance in COLLEGE won't necessarily keep you out of medical school if you are able to successfully perform in a post-bacc program.

My advice to you right now is to enjoy high school. Also, while SDN is an incredibly helpful place, do take what is said on here with a grain of salt. There are a lot of neurotic premeds on here (I know because I used to be one of them!), so consider the source of the information that you are getting.

However, you should ask yourself WHY you are getting the grades you are getting. Is there something legitimate that's preventing you from reaching academic success, or are you just lazy/goofing around? If it is the former, then you need to figure out a strategy to perform well in challenging academic courses. But if it's the latter, then you don't have much to worry about!

Good luck and most importantly, relax and have fun! You are in HIGH SCHOOL!

 

[Tigrane]

Thank you everyone who replied for your opinions. I am just the type to look too much into the future and think of how the present will effect it. My father was sort of in the same place as me, he wanted to become a physician as well, but the amount of school required pushed him away and he became a computer engineer.

 

[Roark10]

You're fine. I did terrible my sophomore year and had to transfer high schools. As a matter of fact, I don't remember retaining one thing from any science or math class in all of high school. At this stage, I think it's much more important to get involved in the medical world [volunteer at a hospital, read books (anything by Atul Gawande), watch as many episodes as House as you can] and make sure that it is something that you love. If it is, the grades, work, tests, etc. will follow because they become fun. Just enjoy yourself, and get involved

 

[silvermecca]

I am currently in my sophomore year of High School and I haven't been doing well. I took a Java Programming Class and my stupidity when it comes to computers has caught up with me. So I have a D which will be moved up to a C in no time. I have a C in math that will be moved to a B+ and the other grades and Bs and As. I am afraid because my plan is to apply to colleges in the US and France and I had my sights on UC Davis or San Diego. I was probably going to transfer from a community college anyways like my two sisters have already done, but I'm not sure yet (I mean if I get into UC Davis or UCSD off the bat I wouldn't have to). I was wondering to what point there is no return? Like what is the point that you do so badly that you can say goodbye to medical school?

I think you are being a tad too hard on yourself. You are just a sophomore in high school. Try to get mostly A's and B's in your high school year. Go to a reputable college where you can take all of the classes needed aiming for Medical school. Check with your adviser (hopefully you will have a good one) and he will direct you. Go on line to the med schools that interest you and you will get a scenario of what courses they want you to have. Your gpa in college and your score on the MCAT are the determining factors of applying to Med School. It is most advantageous to join clubs, activities, research in college that will look good on your resume. Shadow Doctors, volunteer at a hospital, Red Cross etc. Keep in the back of your mind, the profs who will give you a good recommendation. If they would leave the college in your interim, be sure to reconnect with them and know where they went. Being a sophomore in high school, you have many years left to get your ducks in a row aiming towards Medical School. I knew in high school I wanted to be a doctor but I also knew kids who changed career paths along the way. Good luck to you and just try to enjoy, focus and do the best you can do in high school. Aim for A's and B's. I had a few C's in school and I am going to attend Medical school next May. In fact, my Calculus course in college was not the best and I still lived to tell the tale. I will hopefully be a Doctor in four years in spite of that drama! P.S. There are many majors in college that will get you into medical school. Your advisor in high school and college will explain. You do not have to major in pre med. In fact some colleges do not have a "pre med" program in itself. Look for a science or behavioral science majors. One of the best surgeons I know majored in music and took all of his needed pre med science courses before he applied to Med School. Did well on the MCAT etc. A lot of choices.

 

[NervousWreck6]

When you apply to medical school they will not ask you for your high school GPA or SAT (very very few schools do). You are basically going to college with a clean slate. That's what medical school will look at: your college overall GPA/ science GPA, MCAT, and extracurricular.
As to where a point of no return is...I would say by the end of sophomore year in college if your GPA is less than 2.5. But it is still very hard to tell. Your MCAT may be high enough to offset the low GPA.

 

[silvermecca]

When you apply to medical school they will not ask you for your high school GPA or SAT (very very few schools do). You are basically going to college with a clean slate. That's what medical school will look at: your college overall GPA/ science GPA, MCAT, and extracurricular.
As to where a point of no return is...I would say by the end of sophomore year in college if your GPA is less than 2.5. But it is still very hard to tell. Your MCAT may be high enough to offset the low GPA.

Absolutely agree however it is extremely hard to raise a 2.5 after sophomore year. Try to maintain in the 3's. I am sure many have done it but It would be hard for me to raise it. Try not to let it happen. I retook my MCATS and after taking the second time, something told me to void it out. I just did not feel well that day and knew that I probably did not do well. Glad I did. Applied with the MCAT that I had originally. I knew I could have done better but taking that test is extremely hard for me. Can't sleep the night before and I let my nerves get the best of me. So glad I never have to take it again.

 

[rodmichael82]

OP my GPA in high school was < 3.0 mainly because I was immature and just didn't care.
The good news is that no medical school will care at all about your high school GPA and it won't matter unless it's a high school/college credit (one of those AP classes that count towards college).
Just work hard in undergrad and try to get a GPA > 3.6 in college and you should be perfectly fine.
I finished 2 years in community college and then 2 years at a 4 year university so community college will NOT hurt you unless you get a lower GPA at a 4 year university. Maintain a high GPA at a university and get a high MCAT score and you'll do perfectly fine.

DO NOT go to college in France that is not U.S accredited. It will be harder for you to get an acceptance at a U.S medical school if you go to a foreign country for undergrad. You'll have a higher chance of getting into a medical school if you go to community college than going to a college in France.