I just finished freshman year of undergrad....what should I be doing now??

[nt17]

I just finished my freshman year at Texas A&M with a GPA of 3.4. I know that isn't high enough for medical school but I plan on raising it! I just came back from a family vacation in Africa and now I am starting to work & attend summer school. I am also thinking about continuing to shadow this doctor from last summer but I find her a bit unorganized and unreliable. I knew her through my mom (my mom is a pharmacist and the doctor was one of her customers and she set it up for me).

*How do I go about finding a new doctor to shadow?

I'm also beginning to plan for summers ahead and I hear internships are a good way to gain exposure along with providing a meaningful experience. In addition it looks good on a resume! But are internships the way to go?? What are other strong alternatives that are out there? And lastly what should I concentrate on doing now?

I am so new to this and I have so many questions, I just need some guidance because I feel that this road to medical school is quite difficult and stressful so I need as much advice as I can get!

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[911 Turbo]

Gig em ags!


Wow there's a lot more aggies on SDN than I thought.

What class are you taking? And is that gpa with or without freshman grade exclusion?

 

[Galatasaray]

Shadow and volunteer early. Get into a lab during the year, do research in addition next summer. Raise your grades, study for mcat, then apply.

 

[Alejandro]

It's still quite early. I would recommend since you're earlier in the grand scheme of things, to take some time to tutor individuals at your school, and gain some hospital volunteer experience. Its cool to go to other nations and provide care, but it's good to understand the health system in america first, because most likely you'll be practiciing in the states.

Make sure you have an open mind, and explore other career paths too. I think it can be compelling to say that you've given other professions a fair shot and demonstrated that via shadowing, talking to professionals, etc, rather than just saying that you want to be a doc and that's it.

Got lots of time now though, so explore your options, and enjoy your life while you can. Have a lot of fun traveling though!

 

[torshi]

I just finished my freshman year at Texas A&M with a GPA of 3.4. I know that isn't high enough for medical school but I plan on raising it! I just came back from a family vacation in Africa and now I am starting to work & attend summer school. I am also thinking about continuing to shadow this doctor from last summer but I find her a bit unorganized and unreliable. I knew her through my mom (my mom is a pharmacist and the doctor was one of her customers and she set it up for me).

*How do I go about finding a new doctor to shadow?

I'm also beginning to plan for summers ahead and I hear internships are a good way to gain exposure along with providing a meaningful experience. In addition it looks good on a resume! But are internships the way to go?? What are other strong alternatives that are out there? And lastly what should I concentrate on doing now?

I am so new to this and I have so many questions, I just need some guidance because I feel that this road to medical school is quite difficult and stressful so I need as much advice as I can get!

Dude I'm from Plano hah
what HS did you go to?

 

[Double A]

you should apply for summer programs for all of your subsequent years, imo. meet great people, get to do really cool things, get paid... best part of my college time. there are a ton out there for premeds just google it.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

What should you do now? Get drunk, dude, enjoy college. Maybe do a couple days of shadowing and start some solid clinical experience when you get back to school. But live your life too.