Could use recommendation

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davidwhittemore

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I know there's a lot of smart people here....so I thought I'd ask some questions :)

First, let me give you a background. I really want to go pre-med in college(currently a junior), however, I'm not sure I'm cut out for it. The money is definately not a reason why I'm interested in this profession. I have shadowed them, and it's honestly exactly what I want to do. More specifically...I want to be an Emergency Room doctor...as I've shadowed an ER doctor, and it make quite an impression on me.

So, I currently have a HS GPA of 3.5, and will probably get around 1000-1100 on the SAT's. I've taken a good college prep course of study, with classes such as Spanish, Adv Reading, Honors Chemistry, etc. I am hoping once I get into college and I can really focus and spend all my time studying. I'm basically pulling off a 3.5GPA now without studying a single word.(bad habit yes...but it sort of makes me think of what I could do with extensive studying). Must I be a 4.0 student with 1500SAT's, etc, to make it in the cut-throat pre-med world?

I'm just curious what other's would suggest under these conditions. I hear such negative things about becoming a doctor(the impossibility of it) that is making me very nervous. After all, I don't want to do bad...as even getting B's in those courses will prevent me from getting into Med School.

Suggestions? I know this message is brief, but I think people will get what I'm trying to say.

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Originally posted by davidwhittemore

Must I be a 4.0 student with 1500SAT's, etc, to make it in the cut-throat pre-med world?

Only if you want to go somewhere like Harvard. MCAT is a different game than the SAT; not uncommon to score 1100 on the SAT and kill the MCAT. Also not uncommon to score 1500 on SAT and bomb the MCAT.

My recommendation is to relax, but it's good you are thinking about med school. I didn't start thinking about things like collecting recommendations, volunteering,the MCAT etc. until very late. So relax, but start thinking about what classes you can take (i.e. where you can get some good letters of rec), maybe volunteer a few hours, curb that nasty cramming habit of yours, and figure out when you might want to take the MCAT (i.e. when do you want to apply).

In other words, just keep a bit of an eye out on the mechanics of applying to med school.
 
wait you just want to know if you can handle the med school course requirements during college?

umm with a 3.5 and an 1100 on the sats...you would prolly get into a decent college. and from there you would just take a year of bio, gchem, ochem, physics, math, and english...

just do well in the courses and get lots of experience while you are attending college. dont get discouraged if you get a few Cs here and there. yeah its not good, but it happens to the best of us and a good number of us still get accepted to medical schools. numbers arent everything, but they are important.

remember you dont need to major in a science to go into medicine...major in anything you want to major in. med schools like well rounded students.

try not to let the negativity let you down. you will meet gunners on your path to medicine and they will try to get you down. your life is not over if you get Cs. there are many of us with like 4+ Cs and still get accepted. it is tough tho. you will have to try your best. you will have to dedicate yourself to your studies, volunteering and other activities (ie research etc...)
 
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jlee....are you in med school? From reading your post, it sounds as if you are, but I just wanted to be sure.

But to answer the questions, I do realize that you don't have to major in science. However, I do want to major in the sciences anyways, specifically Biology. It will give me an excellent preparation for med school, as well as the MCAT's. Although, another question to ask is whether I should go for a BS or a BA degree in Biology.

I have heard from many people that most drop out of pre-med in college after the first exam! Why does it feel like I'm going to be one of those people?!

Even worst case if I couldn't pull off getting into med school...what would my options be? Could I then simply apply to be an RN or something? Although...I'll admit, RN is definately no MD...but I still find it respectable. It is funny to make fun of male RN's...but honestly they are really quite skilled. I'm hoping there would be some options.

As for volunteering, I hear you on that. I have even thought about jobs during college that would be interesting, such as an EMT. However, I doubt I'd have the time to become an EMT, since it requires training.

umm with a 3.5 and an 1100 on the sats...you would prolly get into a decent college.

Well, hopefully I'll get that on the SAT's, never really took it yet. But that was the PSAT indicator. I brought that up since I know a friend right now that had a 1580 on his SAt's, as well as later on having a 38 on the mcats. It's those kinds of scores that scare me to death...since I definately couldn't pull that stuff off. But then again, he got full scholarships to some medical schools, as well as being accepted to many. That's really quite unnecessary...I just want to get into some school :)

But yes, I should be able to get into a decent private college. Any recommendations? I had thought of Bluffton, Milligan, Barry University, Jacksonville University, etc. Are those good ones or would I be better elsewhere? Bluffton just so happens to be a decent college..but they offer a $10k scholarship just for having a 3.0+ GPA and 1050+ SAT. Or do you think I could get into some other colleges that are better? I register for the SAT tomorrow...so let me know ASAP! Those are the 4 I've listed so far to receive my score, but I won't register until tomorrow. I can always change those.
 
Originally posted by davidwhittemore
But yes, I should be able to get into a decent private college. Any recommendations? I had thought of Bluffton, Milligan, Barry University, Jacksonville University, etc. Are those good ones or would I be better elsewhere?

You're location says Lancaster. I assumed California. Are you or are you not a Californian? If not then just ignore my posts... I'll delete them later.
 
You thought I was Californian? How dare you insult me like that :laugh:

But seriously, I live in Lancaster County, PA. Yes...I'm sure you're picturing an amish buggy right as I say that...
 
Originally posted by davidwhittemore
I had thought of Bluffton, Milligan, Barry University, Jacksonville University, etc. Are those good ones or would I be better elsewhere?
I think you'd be better off going to your state schools (Penn State, e.g.). The name recognition will be better and there will be more resources/opportunities for you to take advantage of than at a tiny, nationally-unknown college. I think that would be a much better option than going to a school that gives you $10K just for being in the upper half of the applicant pool (numbers wise). Best of luck to you.
 
davidwhittemore,

Don't worry too much about pre-med right now. If you really want it, you will do fine in college as a pre-med. In high school, I didn't study a bit, but I did fine in college and have been accepted to medschools. As for your major, choose the one that is of most interest to you; don't choose a major just b/c you think it'll help you to get into medschool. I didn't major in hard science, but I did great on the MCAT.

Good luck.
 
I do want to major in the sciences anyways, specifically Biology. It will give me an excellent preparation for med school, as well as the MCAT's. Although, another question to ask is whether I should go for a BS or a BA degree in Biology.


Majoring in Biology might give you some good preparation for the Biological Sciences section of the MCAT, but there are other sections that you have to do well in. People who majored in Math & and Statistics or the Physical Sciences did better overall on the MCAT than their Biological Science peers.
Look at the MCAT scores by undergraduate major for the 2003 MCATs.

Even Humanities majors beat out Biological sciences. My point is, when you get to school, do what you like (and do it well! those grades will count), but study hard for the MCAT and don't expect your major to prepare you.

Oh, and IMHO, go for the BS (not the BA!).
 
Penn State

Yeah, well this is the problem. My mom will be moving out of state as soon as high school is over. I'm just going to a private high school right now, so I wanted to graduate up here. So, that's just one reason why I won't be going to a state school. Second, I prefer small class sizes taught by real professors, not graduate students.

But more importantly, Penn State would be too expensive for out of state residents. I've lived in PA for at least 16 years(1 out), but I'll still automatically lose that when my parents move. It would be like 40/k+/yr for tuition. It's only like $20k for residents.

And besides, Penn State doesn't interest me. It has a good name, but nothing else. I think the GPA/SAT is about 2.8/970. Not quite a competitive school!

As for the major, everyone I knew has majored in Biology and did well on the MCATs. I think someone is going to have it much easier with a Bio major then others. They won't know anything in terms of science! At least with a Bio major, I would have already had to know the body, bones, cells, basically everything. As for the MCAT...I don't think having the min science classes will emphasize that stuff enough to get good grades. People that major in Math and stuff are usually the scientific in mind, so of course they'll do well.
 
Originally posted by davidwhittemore
As for the major, everyone I knew has majored in Biology and did well on the MCATs. I think someone is going to have it much easier with a Bio major then others. They won't know anything in terms of science! At least with a Bio major, I would have already had to know the body, bones, cells, basically everything. As for the MCAT...I don't think having the min science classes will emphasize that stuff enough to get good grades. People that major in Math and stuff are usually the scientific in mind, so of course they'll do well.

I am picturing an amish horse buggy right now...

But nevertheless, I am a med student and I disagree that a Biology major is going to prepare you very much for the MCAT or medical school. At most schools Biology is very cellular/molecular, and this is helpful to know, but only really the basics are going to help you for med school and you'll get those with the pre-med reqs. At least this is the way I found it. If you really like science you could also consider another science like chemistry or physics.

Regardless, 90% of the pre-meds who start as pre-meds won't get into med school. It's simply because they do too much goofing off and not enough studying. You work hard, you will succeed. The pre-med classes are more about studying and preparation than about intelligence... Just like med school! As for where you go to college, don't sweat it too much. Just do well.

Good luck!
 
AS for MCAT. I was an Electrical Engineer... 35. Being non Bio doesn't mean you can't take the courses, just that you aren't forced to.

Yeah, but you were a genius anyways :) Trust me...if you major in EE and have a decent GPA...the major is quite pointless. You would have got into med school with an Art major.

Honestly, it seems to me that a Biology major is not needed, but would help drastically. Think about all you learn in a Bio major. This includes DNA, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, etc, which has got to lead to knowing much more about the body. After all...Bio does stand for life :)


I am picturing an amish horse buggy right now...

That's Ok....I have to see them all day! I try not to picture them and I still do.

I might minor in something else though, maybe Business Admin.
 
And, it did take me 4 tries to get into med school.

What's that mean? And how is electrical engineering not harder then Bio?

I'm thinking, if I just can't make the GPA, I'll simply switch over to Computer Science or a similar field. At least the required courses of Bio could also be used for those majors. And...I love computers...

Although, I'm not sure. I'm currently on a Business tract in High school, whereas my electives(besides english, foreign language, etc) are all in Business. Which unfortunately means that I am not taking physics(dropped that class....too hard :) ) or any other science classes.

So, it's highly likely I would switch into a Business Admin major if I found it right away(1st semester) that I couldn't hack it.

But...I really want to go pre-med! Say I get a C in the 1st semester...should I switch majors, or just keep going on?
 
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lol Calm down. Wait until the time comes. I am a Hs senior and i am just waiting until the end of the year. If you study and put effort then you should not worry about getting a C
 
Originally posted by davidwhittemore
What's that mean? And how is electrical engineering not harder then Bio?

I'm thinking, if I just can't make the GPA, I'll simply switch over to Computer Science or a similar field. At least the required courses of Bio could also be used for those majors. And...I love computers...

Although, I'm not sure. I'm currently on a Business tract in High school, whereas my electives(besides english, foreign language, etc) are all in Business. Which unfortunately means that I am not taking physics(dropped that class....too hard :) ) or any other science classes.

So, it's highly likely I would switch into a Business Admin major if I found it right away(1st semester) that I couldn't hack it.

But...I really want to go pre-med! Say I get a C in the 1st semester...should I switch majors, or just keep going on?

Look, major in Bio if that's what you WANT. Don't major in it just because you think it might be helpful. The first two semesters of bio (which you have to take for med school anyway) is all you really need for the MCAT. Plus, all the other bio you learn as a major will be covered in med school in the first few lectures. After that, you're no better off than someone who took the basics. But if you take a few bio courses and find that you really like it and want to continue, by all means do. If you want to switch to some business major during your sophomore year, do that. Just make sure that you continue with your pre-med classes, and continue doing some things on the side that will show admissions committees later that you have had a continued interest in medicine.
 
and Ya, You got 2 yrs to pick. You might find something intresting out there and you might just pursue it. Don't think too far ahead
 
i can say without a doubt that high school perfomance does not dictate college performance. granted many who do well in high school do reasonably well in college, there is a lot of shifting around in regards to ranking when it comes to college. you just need to humble yourself and believe that you NEED to study. if you dont study, you most likely will not do well. it is up to you. get studying now. you dont just magically turn into a diligent student. if you cant make 4.0 senior year then you most likely will not be able to freshman year in college. it is very important that you do very well freshman year because most people worry about their low gpa's in their first years when they didnt study much. so get studying!
 
lol Calm down. Wait until the time comes. I am a Hs senior and i am just waiting until the end of the year. If you study and put effort then you should not worry about getting a C

I'm not freaking out too much about it! :) I'm just somebody that thinks well in advanced for things, researching everything in the process. I'm not sure what you meant about the C comment? Obviously getting C's is not what I'm concerned about. I'm concerned about getting mostly A's in the classes. You can't get into med school without at least a 3.5GPA. As you can figure out, that basically means straight A's except a few B's.

I'm thinking about this in advance since I don't want to ruin my GPA for something I won't suceed in. That'll just make it harder to get into other graduate school programs.

I'm not quite sure why everyone is saying not to think about it now. I know many people that planned to be a doctor in middle school, and did it. At least I'm almost finished by high school. Although, I really wish I would have thought about it earlier, since I could have taken harder math/science courses. I'm in a business tract...and have no science electives. I won't have calculus nor physics before college.
 
Enjoy Life man, Forget about taking harder classes. You only live once, enjoy your free time and do some sports
 
Yeah...I only live once...but I want that to be a good life! Not somebody working for $10/hr having an entry level job.

I basically just wanted to hear other people's stories about pre-med. No use telling me what to major in or to not think about it...that's not what I'm looking for. I'm hoping some pre-med/med students can give me suggestions on what to take and/or do.

I think an internship would be necessary, but what's a good idea? Be an EMT?
 
U need to take a yr off to become an EMT. Just Voulnteer, Ace your classes and Enjoy college. These are going to be my classes for my freshmen year: Gen Bio
Gen CHem
Clincial Expirence in Sports medicine(2hrs)
Calc
Canoe
Swimming Certifcate( I heard that could count and you get paid alot for teaching other people how to swim like $30 for 30 min)

I am hitting everything woooooooooooooooh :clap: i Love UIUC
 

What college is that? Your course selection seems decent. It just seems Biology will well prepare you for med school. Although those things are covered in medical school, it sure doesn't hurt having them all in college! After all, that's just less things you have to memorize in medical school.

I really hate to not go pre-med, as I'll always wonder if it'll have worked or not. So, most likely I will. However, I think I'll just keep my current course selections for my senior year. I basically just have one open elective, and that's been filled with Accounting. No use switching it to Adv Bio...as I'll have enough Biology in college. And if I don't make it pre-med, I'll just switch to Bus Admin anyways.
 
Take Adv Bio courses so you have less to worry about in college, i am taking 5 classes of Adv science and it is nothing. And you do or don't make pre-med, it is just a title. And UIUC is U of illinois at Urbana CHampaign
 
Originally posted by davidwhittemore
You can't get into med school without at least a 3.5GPA. As you can figure out, that basically means straight A's except a few B's.

I'm thinking about this in advance since I don't want to ruin my GPA for something I won't suceed in. That'll just make it harder to get into other graduate school programs.

I'm not quite sure why everyone is saying not to think about it now. I know many people that planned to be a doctor in middle school, and did it. At least I'm almost finished by high school. Although, I really wish I would have thought about it earlier, since I could have taken harder math/science courses. I'm in a business tract...and have no science electives. I won't have calculus nor physics before college.

umm did you just say that if you dont have a 3.5 you cant get into med school? please tell me who is feeding you this BS. I dont have a 3.5, many others on sdn do NOT have a 3.5 but still get into badass medical schools. get your facts straight cause its obvious you have NOT done research on who can get into med school. med school admissions are more than just numbers. its about the entire person and whether or not you can be a good doctor in all aspects...a 3.5 does not mean you are qualified to be a doc.

How does thinking about this in advance improve your grades? Are you going to preorder the books you need for classes in advance and just start memorizing them? There are many people who decide to go into medicine while they are attending college or even after they have graduated and went into a different field for a number of years. It doesnt make it easier to get accepted into med school just cause you knew you wanted to be a doctor long ago.

In order to graduate doesn't your high school require that you take Bio, Chem, Physics and Math? And you have to take these courses in college anyway...taking the classes in high school may give you a slight advantage but the courses in college are usually tougher anyway...so you prolly wont be that far behind the other students.
 
umm did you just say that if you dont have a 3.5 you cant get into med school? please tell me who is feeding you this BS.

Umm..instead of yelling, why don't you look at statistics. The average accepted GPA to med schools is at least a 3.6. Granted, you can get into them with lower scores. But...for every person with a lower GPA, that's just another person with highly impressive GPA's, such as 3.9.

In fact, I'm not sure how somebody without a 3.5GPA even stands a chance. I have a friend that scored 1580 on his SAT's and a 38 on the MCAT. And he had an incredible GPA, although I forget it exactly. At least a 3.8. And he had years of experience volunteering, etc. And I believe even he got turned down from many med schools, although a few good ones accepted him.

In order to graduate doesn't your high school require that you take Bio, Chem, Physics and Math?

I am required to take 3 years. However, in 9th grade I had Earth Science, and the remaining I had Bio and Chem. So, I have met my requirements for sciences. As for Math, I am taking no math this year. However, in 9th grade I was in Geometry, then Algebra 2 in 10th. Thus, next year I'll go pre-calc.
 
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