High school student, potential predental?

[dentalislife237]

Hi, I am currently a sophmore in high school. I am graduating a year early, so I am curious, what are the differences between the academic rigor of high school and college? I go to a semi-competitve high school (ranked 9/10 on great schools website) and I have a 3.75 gpa. Would this be enough to ensure that I am prepared for undergrad? Btw, I plan on attending a state school (siuc) to ensure that it will not be impossible to do well in predental. Am I going the right route? Also, how did your gpa change during your transition from hs to college? And what do you owe to this decrease/increase?

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[allantois]

You'll be fine.

 

[hellofuturedentists]

Hi, I am currently a sophmore in high school. I am graduating a year early, so I am curious, what are the differences between the academic rigor of high school and college? I go to a semi-competitve high school (ranked 9/10 on great schools website) and I have a 3.75 gpa. Would this be enough to ensure that I am prepared for undergrad? Btw, I plan on attending a state school (siuc) to ensure that it will not be impossible to do well in predental. Am I going the right route? Also, how did your gpa change during your transition from hs to college? And what do you owe to this decrease/increase?

My college GPA is lower than my high school GPA, but my high school GPA was like above a 4.0 so that's not really a good comparison. HS vs college is hard to compare. It's just a different experience. Make sure you take an appropriate course load, study enough, and don't party too hard/too often. You will be fine. Main important thing is time management skills with going to class, studying, and other activities (including sleep). Work on that now if you're worried. You'll be ok

 

[MolarBear11]

I really depends on what school you go to, but most importantly, it depends on you. I went to college with friends from high school who did just as well as me/better but didn't do so hot in college.
I think if you're used to the structure of high school (homework to help you keep up with the class, frequent exams so you don't forget the material, mandatory attendance, same start and end time) and can't figure out how to keep that structure in college, you're going to have a tough time. You just have to be responsible as said above and manage your time wisely.

 

[ajj70]

This really isn't a question any of us can answer. It all depends on what is required at your high school. I felt very well prepared for college, especially after seeing what my friends and roommates from other areas of the country had for high school and how lacking some of their skills were. I found the transition very easy, my freshman roommate, however, after graduating 5th in her class, would have flunked out if I wasn't there to help...and still needs help. If you have good study skills, that will make a difference as well.

Why the rush to graduate early?

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

[.

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

Hi, I am currently a sophmore in high school. I am graduating a year early, so I am curious, what are the differences between the academic rigor of high school and college? I go to a semi-competitve high school (ranked 9/10 on great schools website) and I have a 3.75 gpa. Would this be enough to ensure that I am prepared for undergrad? Btw, I plan on attending a state school (siuc) to ensure that it will not be impossible to do well in predental. Am I going the right route? Also, how did your gpa change during your transition from hs to college? And what do you owe to this decrease/increase?

Go to whatever college you want that offers the programs you want and will allow you to succeed. I went to a high school that isn't considered top notch. I wasn't in the top 25 percentile. I attended a no name college which honestly was the best thing for me. Small class sizes led to a more personalized education with access to one on one help when needed. Bigger universities, you are a number and get help from the Teacher assistants instead of the professor directly. So, a small college is fine. Now, how you perform is up to you. You do you prioritize your time, how much you party, etc will have an effect. I had a blast in college, worked almost full time and still was able to do well with a heavy course load. For me, college was easier than high school. My grades were significantly better in college. Was that the school? Was that a new found passion in learning? Was it luck? Who knows. But it is very achievable to do and do it well.

 

[dentalgirl7893]

^ I agree about not necessarily going to a state school. State schools are great if that's where you feel you will thrive the best. Go to a school you feel will make you successful. Find info on their admissions rates into dental programs. I went to a super small no name private school that had a 100% admissions rate for acceptance to medical-related schools and I was SO well prepared there and it didn't kill me work wise either. Don't go to a state school because you think it'll be easier because often you won't be able to get as much one on one help with a professor and the material can be just as rigorous. To answer your question though... College was just different than high school. They were hard in their own ways college was just like a step up. You have to learn to manage time really well and study more effectively which just takes time. For now, relax. I didn't even worry about dental school till my sophomore year of COLLEGE. do some fun volunteering and occasional shadowing and enjoy this time in your life

 

[ajj70]

^ I agree about not necessarily going to a state school. State schools are great if that's where you feel you will thrive the best. Go to a school you feel will make you successful. Find info on their admissions rates into dental programs. I went to a super small no name private school that had a 100% admissions rate for acceptance to medical-related schools and I was SO well prepared there and it didn't kill me work wise either. Don't go to a state school because you think it'll be easier because often you won't be able to get as much one on one help with a professor and the material can be just as rigorous. To answer your question though... College was just different than high school. They were hard in their own ways college was just like a step up. You have to learn to manage time really well and study more effectively which just takes time. For now, relax. I didn't even worry about dental school till my sophomore year of COLLEGE. do some fun volunteering and occasional shadowing and enjoy this time in your life

Same here, not to mention the "no-name" private school was about $30,000/year less than our state school! We've had 100% acceptance rates in to med, law and dental schools for the past many years!

 

[bwc]

My high school GPA was a 3.95 and my college GPA is currently like a 3.6, which is good for my major, but mediocre for a pre-healths student. I go to a top engineering school and the average undergrad engineering major graduates with a 2.8 or 2.9.

At my college, everybody excelled in high school, but many STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) classes curve the class average to a B/B-. So yeah, the drop in GPA in college is attributed to the fact that you are competing against people with your high school stats.