College Freshman Need GUIDANCE!

[wrabah10]

My ultimate goal is to ultimately become a practicing doctor in the u.s.
i plan to go to med school in the u.s but if i cant get in i will apply to schools in the Caribbean
im entering freshman year in a state school and im OVERWHELMED!
i dont know what to major in. i was initally thinking of biology but i soon changed to biomolecular science. NOW i have heard that biomedical engineering is the way to go.
i would have to transfer if i chose biomedical engineering i will have to transfer schools.
i have also heard that BME is alot harder than bio and BMS.
I want to do good on the Mcat and have a good gpa.
im not the smartest but this is all i want to do.
Any advice on what i should major in???

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[TriagePreMed]

You're in the wrong forum.

Just major in whatever you like. If you're going to be a doctor it doesn't matter if you majored in bio engineering or art history.

 

[NightGod]

Major in whatever you can get a good GPA in. ANY degree plus the four pre-reqs = acceptable for med school. Literally any. If you can find a school that will grant a degree in underwater basket weaving, learn to hold your breath and go for it.

 

[ShoTyme]

You're in the wrong forum but what the hell.

My ultimate goal is to ultimately become a practicing doctor in the u.s.

Good goal.

i plan to go to med school in the u.s but if i cant get in i will apply to schools in the Caribbean
im entering freshman year in a state school and im OVERWHELMED!

Slow your roll there big guy. If you are OVERWHELMED, you need to figure out why and correct it before your GPA tanks. If you want to practice medicine in the US, then you should go to a US medical school. To get into a US medical school you need to get good grades. The Caribbean shouldn't even be a thought in your mind. You need to figure out how to get A's.

i dont know what to major in. i was initally thinking of biology but i soon changed to biomolecular science. NOW i have heard that biomedical engineering is the way to go.

The way to go is to major in whatever you're interested in and just make sure to do the prerequisites for medical school.

I want to do good on the Mcat and have a good gpa.

Then take your classes and get A's. Make sure you understand all the relevant concepts. Worry about the MCAT later.

im not the smartest but this is all i want to do.

If you're not the smartest, then you need to be the hardest working. Plain and simple.

Any advice on what i should major in???

Answered above.

Also, you are in College now. It would behoove you to start using proper grammar. Start your sentences with a capital letter. Use "I" instead of "i." Just a thought. Good luck.

 

[Citylilac]

If you're not the smartest, then you need to be the hardest working. Plain and simple.

This advice deserves three thumbs up IMO.

 

[weezynation]

.

 

[ShoTyme]

This is excellent advice except for the last point. SDN is an informal forum; we are not writing formal essays for a writing intensive course. It is absolutely ridiculous that you would make that comment. You gave such great advice and then tainted it with what appears to be an attempt to belittle OP (even if that was not your intention). That would be as ridiculous as me saying to you: the "US medical school" you referred to above should actually be "U.S." (with periods after each letter), phrases like "just a thought" and "plain and simple" are fragments considering there is no subject so they should not stand alone as sentences, and "College," when not referring to a specific college, is not a proper noun therefore should not be capitalized. If you feel the need to call someone out on grammar, please make sure yours is 100% correct before you do so.

LOL. Awesome. The advice at the end was solid. I stand behind it. I was quite aware that I was writing imperfectly at the time and also realize this is an informal format. However, old people like myself typically find capitalization errors to be difficult to read quickly. This is the reason for my advice. Advice given in this forum can be either well received, or completely discarded. I could really care less. I will discard your advice to me, as is my right.

But thanks for the comment about the rest of the post.

 

[wrabah10]

Sorry, this is my first post, i didnt know where to post it I will also try to be more conscious of my grammar.....
Its not that the Caribbean schools are my first choice, but im worried that i cant get into medical school, then what.. will i have to become a bio teacher at some high school.
Im attending a state school and I am extremely confident in my abilities but there's always that thought that lingers in my head "what if"

Do medical schools look at which college you attended or do they strictly look at your gpa?
When should i start studying for the MCAT?
What extra curricular are available to a college freshman?
And what section would this be appropriate for?
Thanks for your help!

 

[MedPR]

Nontrad forum = the only forum where someone who posts in the wrong forum will get good advice.

 

[MedPR]

Do medical schools look at which college you attended or do they strictly look at your gpa?

GPA is the most important.

When should i start studying for the MCAT?

Second semester of Junior year so you can apply in June after you finish Junior year.

What extra curricular are available to a college freshman?

Any kind of volunteering you find interesting. Shadowing.

And what section would this be appropriate for?

Pre-Allopathic (MD)

 

[ShoTyme]

Sorry, this is my first post, i didnt know where to post it I will also try to be more conscious of my grammar.....

No worries. I'm sure in the PreAllo forum, they are more "texty." (yes it is a word )

Its not that the Caribbean schools are my first choice, but im worried that i cant get into medical school, then what.. will i have to become a bio teacher at some high school.

Most people who start out as a "premed" don't end up becoming doctors. Therefore it is wise to have a backup plan in place. If you don't want to be a biology teacher, then don't major in biology. Figure out what you are interested in and pursue that. For me it was psychology. I like to figure out why people do the things they do. There are people in this forum who are artists, musicians, writers, etc. Yet they are all planning on becoming doctors. Caribbean schools really shouldn't be on the table. IMO if you can't get good enough grades to get into a medical school in the United States, you should do something else. The risk of going to school in the Caribbean is just too great.

Im attending a state school and I am extremely confident in my abilities but there's always that thought that lingers in my head "what if"

Good. Use that as motivation. I worry about that all the time. Let the paranoia motivate you, but not consume you. Just control what you can control. Right now that's your grades.

Do medical schools look at which college you attended or do they strictly look at your gpa?

Sure they look at what college you went to... it's right there on your application right? But please don't think that just because you went to XYZ school that you think is really hard, that getting a C+ in biology trumps another kid going to a no-name university but got an A in the same class. It doesn't work that way. Congrats for getting into a "good" school. Don't blow it by getting a piss poor gpa.

When should i start studying for the MCAT?

IMO, you should start passively studying for your MCAT as soon as you start taking prerequisite courses. What I mean is make sure you understand what's going on and why such and such is happening. Active study should be done when all prerequisite coursework is completed. Typically this occurs in one's junior year.

What extra curricular are available to a college freshman?

I'm not your average college guy. I'm an old guy. Maybe someone younger might have some good suggestions for you. Most of my "free time" is filled with playing basketball with my kids.

And what section would this be appropriate for?

Most of the young folk like to post in the PreAllo forum. I like it here because I have found common ground with like minded people who are all fighting for the same thing. The PreAllo forum is here should you care to peruse their wares. I find it to be a more caustic location myself but to each their own.

Thanks for your help!

Not at all. Good luck. I hope your confidence in your own ability grows as you gain academic success.

 

[ShoTyme]

Nontrad forum = the only forum where someone who posts in the wrong forum will get good advice.

So true!!

 

[NightGod]

Most people who start out as a "premed" don't end up becoming doctors. Therefore it is wise to have a backup plan in place. If you don't want to be a biology teacher, then don't major in biology. Figure out what you are interested in and pursue that. For me it was psychology. I like to figure out why people do the things they do. There are people in this forum who are artists, musicians, writers, etc. Yet they are all planning on becoming doctors. Caribbean schools really shouldn't be on the table. IMO if you can't get good enough grades to get into a medical school in the United States, you should do something else. The risk of going to school in the Caribbean is just too great.

Just to reiterate this point, because a critical one and a very common misconception among people who think they want to be doctors. You do NOT have to major in biology or chemistry (or any science) to go to med school. Major in something that interests you and that you'll excel at and work the 4 pre-req classes into your schedule. Whether that's theoretical physics or ancient Lithuanian literature or underwater basket weaving or international business. Get (mostly) As, especially in the 4 core classes, rock your MCAT, build a solid EC base and no one is going to care what your major was. In fact, having studied something interesting to talk about in interviews can go a long way towards getting you accepted into med school.

 

[starstarie]

If you want to go to med school in the Caribbean because you like white sand and clear water, sounds like a (semi) good idea. If you want to go because you can be lazy in undergrad, sounds like a very BAD idea. If you go to a Caribbean school because you couldnt take the stress in undergrad (regardless of which school youre at) to get good grades or an MCAT score, you are going to have a much harder battle studying for USMLE exams with potentially subpar instruction (little research on this viewpoint-I could be completely wrong!) and trying to convince biased admissions members of US residency programs that you didn't just go there bc you sucked in undergrad. That is, if you plan on trying to come back to the US afterwards.

IMO that should not be a backup plan at this point. You are wayyyy too young to start thinking of a backup plan. In fact, no one cares about anything you have done before college, so you are in the exact position to never need a backup plan.

Everything will work out. I'm sure a lot of other non trads are with me on this one. You young-ins stress too much. Just be level headed and motivated and if you REALLY want to be a dr. you will.

 

[Courtjester8]

Nontrad forum = the only forum where someone who posts in the wrong forum will get good advice.

Very true. I knew there was a reason I liked you guys.