I want to know if I am on track to go to a good school and a major/minor questio

[dirtysocks45]

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I am about to be a sophemore in highschool and I am starting to think about colleges because I heard 10th grade is when it really starts getting hard. In 9th the first semester I got a 3.833 GPA 5 As and 1 B(89) Last semester I didnt do as well because I got into depression and i wasnt thinking about school as much. I got anywhere from 4 Bs and 1 As to 3 As and 2 Bs they dropped one class because I had to get homeschooled. I havent got my Report Card yet I was ranked 41 out of 900 in first semester but it probably dropped big time.

I didnt do any extracurriculars last year but I will in the next 3. I will be in Cross and Track but I am not that good in either so i probably wont get a scholarship. I will be doing Beta Club and SGA and Im thinking about National Honors Society and National Science Honors Society. I might also do Mu Alpha Theta. Im also in level 5 sting orchestra and will probably get in level 6 string orchestra(highest) in Junior year. I play double bass. Im going to volunteer this summer and the next two summers at Eastside Emory Hospital and might shadow a doctor the next two summers. Its been my dream to become a neurosurgeon.

I took one AP(AP Human geography) in the first semester but it got dropped and i got Audit credit the second semester. The teachers wont let me take AP World History next year because they fear it will get me in depression again, so Im only going to take AP statistics. In Junior year I will be taking AP US History, AP Literature, AP Physics B and Precal. Senior year i will take AP Lang, AP Gov/Econ, AP Calc BC,. the rest of the classes are gifted leveled or Spanish or Orchestra. I will only have three years of Spanish.

Im also going to take some PSATs and SAT classes to get me ready for that next year and Junior year. Do you think I have what it takes to get into Emory or UGA. Maybe even a better one than those? Or Worse? Please help

Also I have a question about a major and a minor. I'm thinking about being a neurosurgeon and is neuroscience major with a music minor good because I heard medical schools like diversity. Or should I minor in something science related. I also like math though.

 

[I'm No Superman]

Just do well your next three years and you should be in good shape for college. If you continue to do as well as you did the first semester, you should be in great shape for the colleges you want to go to.

Major in what you like, the great thing about medical school is that you can major in anything you want to in college. As long as you do the pre med requirements, they don't care. A science major will probably keep you ahead of the game for about three months in med school, then everybody is on the same level as you are, knowledge-wise, and majored in what they liked.

 

[deleted393595]

I hope you're feeling better after your bout with depression. But word of advice: Don't shoot to be diverse just because you think med schools like diversity. Go with what you like because it's the passion you have for something is what makes you excel. So major/minor in something that you like but also something that you can use to get a job in case you don't get into med school (I think around 70% of applicants fail to enter med school but don't quote me on this figure).

Your projected schedule looks doable but if you're being burned out by that workload, then you need to figure out what you need to do to get around it since college is a much, much tougher beast. And the series of AP classes that you're going to take is going to be much harder than AP Human. Especially with the Pre-Calc to AP Calc BC jump (Not that this is impossible. I also jumped but found that I had to work slightly more than the kids who took AP Calc AB last year).

I'd say that you should work on that class rank. I'm guessing your school is highly competitive with around 900 people, but Emory and UGA aren't going to be that impressed with a rank greater than 30.

But everything else looks good.

 

[hownowmauvecow]

I agree with the posters above. Where you are right now looks good and if you can keep your grades up and develop some extracurricular you should be good.

The only thing I would caution you is pursuing a neuroscience degree because you want to be a neurosurgeon. It's great that you have goals but as a high school student 1) it sounds a little arrogant or even naive to some people since most med students don't even figure out what they want to do until 3rd year and 2) it won't necessarily help you if you decide to be a neurosurgeon. As someone said above you can get into med school with ANY major and quite frankly once your in med school the only thing that matters for residency (which is where you would actually train to be a neurosurgeon) is how you do in med school NOT what you studied or how you did in undergrad. So have fun in college (and get good grades). And if you want to study neuroscience because you love it and find it interesting go ahead but if you are only pursuing it because you think it will help you in your quest to become a neurosurgeon then you may want to consider something else. After all college is a time exploration and all that other mumbo jumbo. 🙄

EDIT: I don't mean to come off as rude, especially with the whole neurosurgeon part, just realistic.

 

[CuttingCorneas]

I agree with the above poster. Don't major in neuroscience. A) It's boring (trust me, I took a semester, and I was done) B) It's not exactly neurosurgery. C) If you're like me, you won't want to be bogged down by one specialty! I wanted to be a brain surgeon my senior year in high school. But after I spent three weeks in surgery, I realized that while I'd love to cut people open for a living, neurosurgery wasn't for me. (It's quite boring, actually.) However, I began to take interest in a completely different specialty, which is where I stand today! (And still might change, for that matter, who knows? 🙄)

The thing is, med school is the time to find your specialty. Don't get bogged down by a major you don't like or classes you don't want to take just so you can do a specialty you might change your mind about later.

Try shadowing different specialties, or even find a brain surgeon that will let you follow him for a while. But make sure you're happy with what you choose, because you'll be doing it for the rest of your life.

 

[vanillabear55]

I agree with the above poster. Don't major in neuroscience. A) It's boring (trust me, I took a semester, and I was done) B) It's not exactly neurosurgery. C) If you're like me, you won't want to be bogged down by one specialty! I wanted to be a brain surgeon my senior year in high school. But after I spent three weeks in surgery, I realized that while I'd love to cut people open for a living, neurosurgery wasn't for me. (It's quite boring, actually.) However, I began to take interest in a completely different specialty, which is where I stand today! (And still might change, for that matter, who knows? 🙄)

The thing is, med school is the time to find your specialty. Don't get bogged down by a major you don't like or classes you don't want to take just so you can do a specialty you might change your mind about later.

Try shadowing different specialties, or even find a brain surgeon that will let you follow him for a while. But make sure you're happy with what you choose, because you'll be doing it for the rest of your life.

This is extremely subjective........I do agree with everything else though!

as for a minor, just like a major, pick whatever you like and can do the best in. A science minor might be a good idea to keep your science GPA up if you tackle a non-science major though.

do try to relax though, its high school - have fun!

 

[CuttingCorneas]

True, it's subjective. And I'm sure other people find it a lot more interesting that I do. But it's more psych-based than medicine-based. And I think that's what the op was wanting, a medicine-based major that would get them on the right track to neurosurgery. Which is not what a neuroscience major is.

 

[Doxorubicin]

I am about to be a sophemore in highschool and I am starting to think about colleges because I heard 10th grade is when it really starts getting hard. In 9th the first semester I got a 3.833 GPA 5 As and 1 B(89) Last semester I didnt do as well because I got into depression and i wasnt thinking about school as much. I got anywhere from 4 Bs and 1 As to 3 As and 2 Bs they dropped one class because I had to get homeschooled. I havent got my Report Card yet I was ranked 41 out of 900 in first semester but it probably dropped big time.

I didnt do any extracurriculars last year but I will in the next 3. I will be in Cross and Track but I am not that good in either so i probably wont get a scholarship. I will be doing Beta Club and SGA and Im thinking about National Honors Society and National Science Honors Society. I might also do Mu Alpha Theta. Im also in level 5 sting orchestra and will probably get in level 6 string orchestra(highest) in Junior year. I play double bass. Im going to volunteer this summer and the next two summers at Eastside Emory Hospital and might shadow a doctor the next two summers. Its been my dream to become a neurosurgeon.

I took one AP(AP Human geography) in the first semester but it got dropped and i got Audit credit the second semester. The teachers wont let me take AP World History next year because they fear it will get me in depression again, so Im only going to take AP statistics. In Junior year I will be taking AP US History, AP Literature, AP Physics B and Precal. Senior year i will take AP Lang, AP Gov/Econ, AP Calc BC,. the rest of the classes are gifted leveled or Spanish or Orchestra. I will only have three years of Spanish.

Im also going to take some PSATs and SAT classes to get me ready for that next year and Junior year. Do you think I have what it takes to get into Emory or UGA. Maybe even a better one than those? Or Worse? Please help

Also I have a question about a major and a minor. I'm thinking about being a neurosurgeon and is neuroscience major with a music minor good because I heard medical schools like diversity. Or should I minor in something science related. I also like math though.

I think the common consensus is this: do well and learn in high school but have a good time. You're obviously smart; keep it up. Find extracurricular that you enjoy and can be passionate about. Particularly for Emory (and other top schools,) they like to see an EC that you're passionate about. In considering schools to apply to for next year, I've found that I feel very comfortable being recognized at the local, district, state, and national levels in one EC that I do (music) and holding office in and chartering my school's chapter of Tri M rather than being recognized as a "club member" in 5 different school clubs.

Concerning class rank, top schools generally like top 10%. Try to get back up there if you've fallen past the top 90.

My freshman year was, academically, my worst year. I've had a rising GPA ever since then. If you truly were depressed, which resulted in your "sub-par" (but still awesome) performance, the rest of your years should be cake if you apply yourself.

UGA, if you're an in-stater will be easy for you to get in if you keep up the good work. Emory is getting more and more selective, to the point where in 3 years it could be a crapshoot for anyone. Put your best foot forward and try your hardest and you'll be set though, I would think.

Regarding a major, again, the consensus is do what you enjoy rather than "what a med school wants to see." While they enjoy diversity, an English degree will not make up for subpar performance. If you truly enjoy math, neuroscience, music, or whatever, do it. College is when you grow intellectually, so make it count. Besides, when you're passionate in what you do, nine times out of ten you'll do it very well (again, pick ECs you're passionate about, and you'll do well in them, giving yourself a leg up in admissions.)

In closing, enjoy high school. I've had a blast doing what I love, and in looking forward to my senior year, I wouldn't change a thing. My college tuition is paid for with a scholarship, I've taken interesting classes, and made new friends. Focus on this. Medical school is years ahead of any of us... and will stress us to no end when it's time to apply -- and for many years after that! You'll find out whether or not you want to be a neurosurgeon there. Just do your best and follow your passions, enjoying the journey through education. People say: "Worry about your undergraduate colleges first. After that, then worry about getting to medical school. And after that, your residency, fellowship, employment opportunities, retirement plans..."

Good luck!