Hey guys, where should I go from here?

[Lunasly]

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Hello,

I am a Canadian undergrad student. I am hoping in the near future to attend a medical school. At this time this is my first year and actually my first semester so I am really new to the whole university life. Currently at this time I have structured my schedule so that my first year, being a transition year, is fairly easy. I am taking 3 classes at the moment and they are chemistry, biology, and calculus. Next semester will be a follow up from those 3 classes. In the summer I plan to take 2 or 3 more courses (probably physics, English, and something else).

I want to make sure that I am on the right track. I currently just finished up an interview at my local hospital and I will be volunteering in the emergency room starting sometime in the following 2 months. I also currently am working in order to save up some money so that I can travel in the summer and for some other basic needs.

I've got to say that right now university is tougher than I thought it would be even with my course load. Mainly just being able to manage my time, however I am sure I will get better at it.

What do you guys think? Am I on the right track? Is there anything I should be thinking ahead about or planning at this time?

Question regarding major: I am currently in my universities "pre-med" program. This is just a concentrated biology major which consists of (from what I have read) a lot of higher level biology and chemistry courses. Would this be the way to go or would it be better if I were to go for a regular Biology major and tag along a kinesiology minor? I heard from another poster here that medical schools do not take in to consideration what your minor is. Any opinions on this?

Regarding EC's & volunteering: What other EC's should I be considering participating in this summer and when do I start research? Do you guys believe in quality over quantity?

Transferring Universities: My University at this time is a small university compared to others in my province. I am curious to know if it is easier to get into medical school if I were to transfer into a larger school such as the University of British Columbia (big research school). My university received an award for being the top small university in Canada. I like it because class sizes are small so it’s an easier learning environment. What do you guys think?

Medical School in the USA: I am definitely considering attending Medical School in the USA if possible. Is there anything I should be making sure of at this time so that I do not have any problems in the future? Would attending a bigger research university benefit me in attending a medical school in the US?

Thanks everyone.

 

[starstarie]

My advice: have fun in college! Don't get too caught up in what you "should" be doing.

 

[Lunasly]

Thanks for the advice. 🙂 I'd have to agree with you that having fun is very important. Anything else others can share?

 

[Mithril]

If you're planning to apply to med school in Canada, I highly advise against taking 3 courses per term even in first year. There are many schools in Canada where you need full course loads, and there are some that just look at your last two or best two years that have full course loads. Even then, adcoms look down upon applicants that don't take full course loads during their undergrad years. Can't really comment on American schools, though.

If you're applying to UBC med, it would help if you went to UBC, but it doesn't really matter for other Canadian schools. Just be aware that most other Canadian schools cater to in-province applicants first and foremost.

 

[Lunasly]

Wow thank you for the tip I had no idea. I was planning to do that for just my first year of undergrad so that I could get a handle of things. I will be sure to take 4 courses next semester.

Thanks 🙂 Any other tips are greatly appreciated 🙂