I am new to pre-health, so I would like find out where I stand.

[tskbdmnd]

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[hopefulERdoc251]

So far so good, your GPA is fantastic. Medical schools won't care about your high school GPA. Getting a B here and there isn't a big deal. Going from 4.0 to <3.5 can be more troubling and problematic if you do not have an extenuating circumstance to explain this.

Also, your motivation for medicine is good, but get some shadowing experience to see what the day in a life of a physician is. What you cite is good and all, but there's a lot more to being a physician than just wanting to help people out!

Working towards getting accepted?

The most important:
1. MCAT MCAT MCAT (your doors will be opened/closed based off this). You're gonna have to take this either your junior or senior year depending on when you want to apply. Do not take this lightly. Plan to want to only take it once. Bust ass, work efficiently and smart. There are plenty of resources on SDN that can guide you down the path to success.
2. Healthcare exposure- shadow/scribe. Get healthcare experience! There is no other way of knowing what the day in a life of a physician is other than seeing it first hand.

The still important but not as important especially as #1
1. Volunteering- show that you want to volunteer with people, underserved populations ect. No matter what it's with , habitat for humanity, ect, get involved with the community! Ideally you would have a mix of both medical and non-medical volunteering.
2. Research-top schools will want research. Schools want to see an appreciation of the scientific process, the critical thinking/reasoning skills, analysis of literature ect.
2. Bio classes- Take courses like physio/micro/biochem ect. They'll help with the MCAT (not required though), and some maybe required for medical school such as micro.

Less important (but still important)
1. ENJOY! You're in college. Be social (and responsible), enjoy, have fun. Work hard play hard as the adage goes.

 

[tskbdmnd]

Thanks so much, I'll keep everything in mind. I have the summer to use so I'll get to work on trying to volunteer and shadow. On the bio courses, I can take a total of 3 more bio classes before I'll have to take the mcat so i'm thinking zoology, genetics, biochem
EDIT: It turns out my school forces the zoology on me for the degree, so I changed the question.

And definitely! All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

 

[confidentandgood]

I thought about it for a long time and while ultimately I would want to go into pharmaceutical research, the knowledge and experience I could get from being a doctor, helping those who need help, working with patients, and understanding the treatment process really attracts me.

I agree with what was said above; you should definitely do some shadowing to gain familiarity with the field. While the idea of becoming a doctor may sound exciting, you want to make sure you know what a day in the life is like! Definitely branch out with shadowing, too. Lots of fields out there.

Volunteering: I volunteer at Catholic churches and Buddhist temples semi-frequently (Whenever they ask me), but that's about it.

It's good that you're involved already, but definitely get into some clinical volunteering. Look for opportunities that allow you to work with patients rather than just looking over a doctor's shoulder. Find something that you enjoy and will stay committed to! And don't let anything hold you back from getting involved with interesting clubs or programs on campus; non-clinical volunteering can help make you a well-rounded applicant.

Research is not always essential, but certainly never detrimental to your application. In many cases, it will be viewed favorably.

Also remember to enjoy the undergraduate experience, and don't be afraid of taking courses that interest you when you can. With medical school in the future, you won't get the chance to take those courses again for quite a while!

 

[Hopeful_vet]

Sorry it's a long post, don't bother if you don't have time.

Hello, I'm a soon to be sophomore in an undergraduate chemical engineering program. I've recently sparked an interest in working towards a medical profession. However, I've just finished my freshman year, and I haven't done much at all on the road to becoming a medical doctor. This is basically what I can say about myself so far.

Asian
Male

Intro to Psych: AP score of 4
Comp 1: AP' score of 3
Bio: AP score of 3 (planning to borrow my friend's book and self study)
Physics 1: AP score of 4
Physics 2: A
Statics: A
Calculus 1&2: AP test with a BC score of 3 and an AB subscore of 5
Calculus 3: A
Differential Equations: B
Linear Algebra: A
Chemistry 1: AP score of 3
Chemistry for Engineers: A (Accidentally wasted 4 hours taking this class but at least I got an A?)
Chemistry 2: A
American History: A
Gen Ed 1/4: A
Introductory course (Engineering): A

Work Experience: Zilch. There's a reason behind this but what matters is that I have none.

Volunteering: I volunteer at catholic churches and Buddhist temples semi-frequently (Whenever they ask me), but that's about it.

College: I go to a public state school. It's not the best but it's accredited and they handed me a fat scholarship.

My biggest strength is the 120 waking hours a week available to me. My biggest weakness is an often aimless attitude about most things. I can focus on things when needed but focus is something I'm really working on.

Main Questions:
How do I stand so far?
What should I be doing in order to work towards being accepted into medical school?

Extra Questions:

During my first semester I got a 4.0(out of 5 classes 14 hours) and my during my second semester I got one B (out of 5 classes 18 hours in a 3 hour class). I'm enrolled in chemical engineering so I'm probably going to get another B or two as the classes get increasingly more difficult. Does this mean my "grade trend" is bound to be unfavorable? Would it be beneficial to show that my high school gpa was in the low 2s to establish a grade trend or does that just show that I might be prone to failure?

I consulted some people in my family and surprise surprise they said to be a medical doctor (my immediate family isn't very typical of Asian families, so it's a bit humorous to me). I thought about it for a long time and while ultimately I would want to go into pharmaceutical research, the knowledge and experience I could get from being a doctor, helping those who need help, working with patients, and understanding the treatment process really attracts me. I know this is a very ethical field, so I'd like to ask how trying to take up a spot in a medical school and being a doctor for a medium-long period of time out of a desire for the knowledge and experience, rather than from a vocational call to practicing medicine would be viewed by the community.

The upward trend that you see so much about is for people with a bit lower cGPA. If you keep a 3.8ish like it seems that you will be able to, no "trend" will matter, because the trend is that you have a great GPA.. And they definitely won't care about HS GPA. Keep up your community service volunteering while also getting clinical exposure. If you can do all that and perform well on the MCAT, you'll be golden.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[tskbdmnd]

Thanks for the replies. I'll be sure to keep it all in mind. I'm probably going to do a lot of research mainly, like confidentandgood said I won't get this chance much.

 

[mordac21]

I'd like to add that if you're aiming for top schools, high-quality leadership experience is also important.