becoming a doctor?

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thebadguy1999

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okay im just in high school but I really want to be a doctor, can someone basically tell me everything that i need to do to become a derm, i know i might change my mind about what field i want to specialize in but lets just keep it as a derm for now.

so from high school on what do i need to do and know? types of grades classes etc. basically tell me everything please

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i'd explain it to you, but your brain would explode.
 
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thebadguy1999 said:
okay im just in high school but I really want to be a doctor, can someone basically tell me everything that i need to do to become a derm, i know i might change my mind about what field i want to specialize in but lets just keep it as a derm for now.

so from high school on what do i need to do and know? types of grades classes etc. basically tell me everything please

Google is your friend. Try these links, for starters.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/becoming-a-doctor.htm
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2320.html

Currently, dermatology is a competitive specialty because of its perceived "lifestyle" and income potential relative to hours worked. As with all things, that may change in years to come. Entry into a competitive field will require superior grades, recommendations, and distinguishing activities (research, publications, etc.) It's a little early to decide on a specialty anyway, so keep an open mind.
 
College
1) Get all A's
2) Get 33+ on your MCATs
3) Better come up with a better reason than $$$ why you want to become a doctor (judging by your past posts, this will be your biggest issue...faking this step is a good way to get sniffed out at interviews)

Med school
1) Get all honors
2) Get 240+ on your Step 1
3) Keep an open mind

Like I've said a million times, if you are not in med school yet and have settled on a specialty, you are most likely drawn to it by other issues (lifestyle, prestige, money in your case)

Bad for getting into med school
Bad for getting into the residency of your choice

And if you're looking into medicine to get rich, bad for your bank account
 
Im not getting into it for money im getting into it for alot of reasons but i would still like to be paid enough to provide for family and mom( I say mom because one of the reasons I want money is to basically stop her from working).But the greatest reason that i want to get into medicine is to help people, i know that it wont make a big change in the world but i can still feel good knowing that because of me someone is sleeping comfortably or not being embarrassed of walking around because of some type skin deformation etc.

But do i really need all A's in college? and if that doesnt happen am i doomed?

and in med school what happens if i dont get all honors?

also I kind of got a late start in school and only actually started paying attention in 9th grade so im lacking alot of knowledge i rarely read etc. and I think its a little bit to late to do good on the s.a.t's since im about to be a junior. i think im going to do horrible on my sat's. i do get good grades but it's not because im smart its because i just study for tests and o my homework( as you can tell im horrible at grammar)

will this affect alot?
 
While it's a nice argument, people can poke at it by saying, "If you really want to help as many people as possible, why not internal medicine? Why not family medicine? Are you really helping as many people as you claim to be by limiting yourself to skin?"

As for the A's and honors, no, your life isn't over if you get B's or passes. But if you are interested in getting into med school and then getting into derm, you'll want as many A's and honors as possible.

And I hate to keep being discouraging, but you'll probably want to change your study habits as soon as possible. Success is rarely a light switch (I know of a few college buddies who could turn it on and off) but most of the time, the level of success you enjoyed in high school will be similar to the same level of academic success you enjoy in college.

Fortunately, you've already found your weakness. So I would advise you to read as much as possible, work even harder, and improve your communication skills.
 
well i was told on this forum that med school doesnt look at your high school grades but i found this on a website

"What does it take to enter and succeed in medical school?

well-rounded high school and college education, including classes related to the study of human beings "

so do they look at them or not?
 
Hmm.. medical school is really competitive and to stand a chance you will need very good grades to get an interview. The selectors want bright, academic students with good study habits, to name a few qualities.

As far as I know premed is the most important period for a budding medical student but you need to raise those SATs
 
thebadguy1999 said:
well i was told on this forum that med school doesnt look at your high school grades but i found this on a website

"What does it take to enter and succeed in medical school?

well-rounded high school and college education, including classes related to the study of human beings "

so do they look at them or not?

i doubt it

if they do (which again, i highly doubt), just make sure your most current academic years (4 yrs of med school) outshines and outclasses your high school and college years
 
cdql said:
i doubt it

if they do (which again, i highly doubt), just make sure your most current academic years (4 yrs of med school) outshines and outclasses your high school and college years
do they look at SATs
 
thebadguy1999 said:
do they look at SATs

i'll say no

if they do, you can bet that you don't want to be in that kind of program
 
I've never posted anything before but I had to after seeing this thread. I know we are supposed to be nice to one another on the forum, but please, seriously heed this advice. As a high schooler you dont even know jack about jack, so my advice is go to college. Learn something, get good grades, focus on building good learning skills, and when it is time - think about applying to med school. You have so many more obstacles to consider before choosing a medical specialty. Dermatology is great, but think about how you can become a good scholar right now. Focus on making friends in college, have a good time, get good grades, etc. etc. Start thinking about your medical specialty once you've gotten into medical school. Keep an open mind, you'll be a better doctor for it.
 
Nobody wants to absolutley discourage you from going into medicine here but you have so much time ahead of you it is ridiculous. High school is a breeze and most never really START to grow up till about second semester of your freshman year of college...Everyone starts out with glamarous expectations...you'd be surprised how much your world can be turned upside down once you get exposed to a range of topics. I was dead set on becoming a physician my entire life, then all of a sudden decided computer engineering would be awesome...then I did a course and realized that I liked biology stuff so why not bioengineering. Then I started real college and realized I didn't like bioengineering and got into Information Science Technology..realized that I didn't want to do that and added on German Lit..aimed for a masters/phd program in computational linguistics or perhaps german applied linguistics...realized that once you get to a point it is mind numbing and jobs are nearly impossible with that. Did some soul searching, tried to NOT go back to medicine but just kept on doing it...realized it is what I really want to do..not because of money or my dad but because I honestly can't see myself being happy any other way. I've tried the others...not for me. This entire situation was in a 5 year span....You have a longroad ahead..start with developing study skills (I never did), get into a decent college, then start KIND OF worrying about medical school....but don't be afraid to like other things.....it is natural to change your opinion about what you like. People are snappy on here because it seems like once a week in one of these areas, whether it be pre allo, pre-osteo, etc. a middle schooler or high schooler comes in and asks what is required to become say a neonatologist, cardiologist, brain surgeon, or whatever else when they have a long road ahead and won't truly know till clinical years in medical school...most of the time. it is just like every girl (and some boys) want to be a marine biologist at some point because they think it involves swimming and playing with dolphins and all the nice fuzzy stuff....
 
actually sorry but im not going to take your advice thanks though. i live with a doctor, my godfahter is a doctor, and i've talked to alot of doctors and all they have told me is to start focusing and start reserching now or else the competition will get ahead, im not saying your wrong im just saying that it's a very hard thing to accomplish and im not willing to loose valuable time
 
It's good to have a general idea but asking these boards is somewhat questionable. You pretty much have to have a vague interest in science/medicine fleshed out and about it....Believe it or not you can get into a medical school without prior research. Trust me (my dad is a doc too) living with a doc and knowing them really doesn't help you out to much....in fact it makes you feel a bit more pressure to follow the path sometimes. There are people on these boards that decided after law school they wanted to be doctors so I think you still have plenty of time. ;)
 
thebadguy1999 said:
actually sorry but im not going to take your advice thanks though. i live with a doctor, my godfahter is a doctor, and i've talked to alot of doctors and all they have told me is to start focusing and start reserching now or else the competition will get ahead, im not saying your wrong im just saying that it's a very hard thing to accomplish and im not willing to loose valuable time

Fascinating. But that's how burn-out occurs.

I don't think I've ever heard another fellow doctor tell me to start prepping for a dermatology residency in high school. Or even college.

If those doctors are telling you that, then they're doing you a disservice. Take our advice: work hard and keep an open mind.
 
Agreed, as a 2nd year medical student, I was told by a dermatologist to keep an open mind. :thumbup:
 
Eh...probably but he would be flamed a lot more :p
 
thebadguy1999 said:
okay im just in high school but I really want to be a doctor, can someone basically tell me everything that i need to do to become a derm, i know i might change my mind about what field i want to specialize in but lets just keep it as a derm for now.

so from high school on what do i need to do and know? types of grades classes etc. basically tell me everything please

Do yourself a favor and take a screen shot of this page and save it under the file name, "Dont open until 2011". Take a look at it then and you will have yourself a good laugh. :laugh:
 
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