Is it just me...

[powerful_squib]

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... or is there alot of freshmen/HS students on this thread. Not trying to start a flame war or anything... but I find it odd that so many HS seniors are worried about getting into med school, when they didn't even have a taste of college yet. Yes, it is good to be focused, but I feel as though this will cause them to not be open to the other opportunities that college has to offer. I mean some/most of them will probably change their minds once the professors bring out their weed wackers, so why stress out now.

I can understand the whole "fall schedule" threads, but all the stress isn't necessary. Leave that up to the people on the waitlists and the people who are reapplying/ applying to med school this cycle.

I know this forum is about asking questions pertaining to med schools... but c'mon really?

 

[UnderdogMD]

... or is there alot of freshmen/HS students on this thread. Not trying to start a flame war or anything... but I find it odd that so many HS seniors are worried about getting into med school, when they didn't even have a taste of college yet. Yes, it is good to be focused, but I feel as though this will cause them to not be open to the other opportunities that college has to offer. I mean some/most of them will probably change their minds once the professors bring out their weed wackers, so why stress out now.

I can understand the whole "fall schedule" threads, but all the stress isn't necessary. Leave that up to the people on the waitlists and the people who are reapplying/ applying to med school this cycle.

I know this forum is about asking questions pertaining to med schools... but c'mon really?

I agree 👍. They just rub me the wrong way. In fact mods (I know your reading) I think it is time for a Pre-College forum and all these threads can go there. While your at it go ahead and add a Pre-Highschool forum because you know its gonna happen.

 

[nick_carraway]

Well I find the fall schedule questions to be disheartening too. Those are questions to be addressed by school advisors--not SDNers.

I don't mind helping people with advice since God knows that I've gotten great tips from current med students but some of these questions are concerning because they show little independent thought and attempts to find the answers for themselves.

I mean do people really want a doctor who has had his hand held through the whole process? I'm sure most doctors and most of us made it to this far without the benefit of having a community of people ready to chime in like guardian angels. And the peanut gallery isn't necessarily helpful either as the same people who take SDN's advice as gold without second guessing things will also become a breed of applicants who are all the same.

 

[TheRealMD]

Experience is really the best teacher. Heck, if people would just spend a month here reading threads, they'll learn all the information they ever wanted and more. People giving you the answer isn't as good as you learning it yourself through searching through threads and coming to general conclusions.

I've only been here 2 months and my post count is pretty high (I live on SDN), but I spend most of my time here only rehashing what I've learned in a mere 2 months (and have that many posts to cover for it). I really wish people would remember to learn things on there own in the beginning. The time for neurotically having your hand held should be reserved for when your applying.

Anyway... almost 1000 posts. I think I need a life... or a hobby or secondaries to write. Darn AMCAS!

 

[nick_carraway]

Experience is really the best teacher. Heck, if people would just spend a month here reading threads, they'll learn all the information they ever wanted and more. People giving you the answer isn't as good as you learning it yourself through searching through threads and coming to general conclusions.

I've only been here 2 months and my post count is pretty high (I live on SDN), but I spend most of my time here only rehashing what I've learned in a mere 2 months (and have that many posts to cover for it). I really wish people would remember to learn things on there own in the beginning. The time for neurotically having your hand held should be reserved for when your applying.

Anyway... almost 1000 posts. I think I need a life... or a hobby or secondaries to write. Darn AMCAS!

Yeah I read through tons of old SDN posts and learned such a great deal. Better advice--for the most part--than any book that I've bought and it's helped me to know which questions to ask when I meet med students or advisors so that I can fill in the blanks.

As for your post count, impressive. I wonder who holds the SDN record for time it took to get 1000 posts.

 

[maestro1625]

most of said high schoolers will crash and burn anyway... advice or not.

 

[Narmerguy]

*High School Student*

The way I see it, the competition is just getting too hard. Getting into med school 10 years ago isn't what it is now. I suppose we're all just trying to find our "edge", prompting some, such as myself, to delve into the medical world now. I don't envy the people aspiring to go 10 years from now.

Should it be that surprising though? At this stage in the game we're deciding what colleges we want to go to which is essentially the beginning of the whole pre med frenzy. Some of us are applying for scholarships, some of which are department specific. Later through the year we'll be picking out classes, clubs, and start charting out our probably misguided path into the academic wilderness. For me, the sooner I'm prepared the earlier I can go ahead and make my mistakes and move on. The sooner I'm prepared the sooner I can think up a plan B and maybe if I'm lucky C instead of coming up with it all on the fly as it happens.

I see where you all are coming from. Perhaps it is too early, too irrelevant at this point. On my part I read these forums a lot before joining to ask specific questions, however, on the contrary I mostly found information for people already in college. This was good because I have a good idea of what to expect once it finally begins for me so I value that. However, there was very little information for the prospective student so thus my emergance.

Sorry for making you guys babysit

 

[Jolie South]

*High School Student*

The way I see it, the competition is just getting too hard. Getting into med school 10 years ago isn't what it is now. I suppose we're all just trying to find our "edge", prompting some, such as myself, to delve into the medical world now. I don't envy the people aspiring to go 10 years from now.

Should it be that surprising though? At this stage in the game we're deciding what colleges we want to go to which is essentially the beginning of the whole pre med frenzy. Some of us are applying for scholarships, some of which are department specific. Later through the year we'll be picking out classes, clubs, and start charting out our probably misguided path into the academic wilderness. For me, the sooner I'm prepared the earlier I can go ahead and make my mistakes and move on. The sooner I'm prepared the sooner I can think up a plan B and maybe if I'm lucky C instead of coming up with it all on the fly as it happens.

I see where you all are coming from. Perhaps it is too early, too irrelevant at this point. On my part I read these forums a lot before joining to ask specific questions, however, on the contrary I mostly found information for people already in college. This was good because I have a good idea of what to expect once it finally begins for me so I value that. However, there was very little information for the prospective student so thus my emergance.

Sorry for making you guys babysit

I think you crazy kids are smart for thinking about all of this now, BUT don't forget to relax and have some fun in college too.

That's what it's all about. 🙂

 

[eeyoreDO]

High school students are the cancer that is killing SDN. They turn the threads into a ****-swinging competition with their snooty "I'm a high school senior and I've set my entire future in stone and I'll be dual-majoring in computer-science and biochemistry etc etc" crap.

 

[TheRealMD]

*High School Student*

The way I see it, the competition is just getting too hard. Getting into med school 10 years ago isn't what it is now. I suppose we're all just trying to find our "edge", prompting some, such as myself, to delve into the medical world now. I don't envy the people aspiring to go 10 years from now.

Should it be that surprising though? At this stage in the game we're deciding what colleges we want to go to which is essentially the beginning of the whole pre med frenzy. Some of us are applying for scholarships, some of which are department specific. Later through the year we'll be picking out classes, clubs, and start charting out our probably misguided path into the academic wilderness. For me, the sooner I'm prepared the earlier I can go ahead and make my mistakes and move on. The sooner I'm prepared the sooner I can think up a plan B and maybe if I'm lucky C instead of coming up with it all on the fly as it happens.

I see where you all are coming from. Perhaps it is too early, too irrelevant at this point. On my part I read these forums a lot before joining to ask specific questions, however, on the contrary I mostly found information for people already in college. This was good because I have a good idea of what to expect once it finally begins for me so I value that. However, there was very little information for the prospective student so thus my emergance.

Sorry for making you guys babysit

Actually, 10 years ago it WAS harder. 46,000 applicants for only 16,000 spots. Today, it's about 41,000 (projected) applicants for 17,500 spots (projected). Although the best time to apply would have been 2002-2003 with 33,000 applicants for 17,000 spots.

All this info is on the AAMC website btw.

 

[nick_carraway]

Actually, 10 years ago it WAS harder. 46,000 applicants for only 16,000 spots. Today, it's about 41,000 (projected) applicants for 17,500 spots (projected). Although the best time to apply would have been 2002-2003 with 33,000 applicants for 17,000 spots.

All this info is on the AAMC website btw.

Hmm surprising data. I have to admit that I thought the same as Narmerguy.

 

[TheRealMD]

Hmm surprising data. I have to admit that I thought the same as Narmerguy.

Here's the site: http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2006/2006mcatgpa.htm

Although averages were lower back then, I guess it just goes to show you that people get more and more competitive as time gets passes trying to do better than last year's average, even though they technicaly might have an easier time getting in.

 

[Hurricane95]

When I was in high school I didn't have a care in the world...I didn't start really planning my hardcore premed stuff until my second semester of undergrad. My advisors picked my fall schedule for me and all I did was show up and do well in my classes. Planning ahead is smart but make sure not to overwhelm yourself before you even get your feet wet. It's going to be a looooong road.

 

[Narmerguy]

Here's the site: http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2006/2006mcatgpa.htm

Although averages were lower back then, I guess it just goes to show you that people get more and more competitive as time gets passes trying to do better than last year's average, even though they technicaly might have an easier time getting in.

It's so curious to me why there are less and less applicants. One would think, with greater international competition and greater population size and general increased competition in schools that applicants would atleast increase. It's so curious. I'm sorry for the statement I made earlier then, I wasn't basing it on facts, just expectations.

 

[TheRealMD]

It's so curious to me why there are less and less applicants. One would think, with greater international competition and greater population size and general increased competition in schools that applicants would atleast increase. It's so curious. I'm sorry for the statement I made earlier then, I wasn't basing it on facts, just expectations.

"are less applicants" or "were less applicants"? The numbers are rising. I'm guessing there were less applicants around 2002-2003 because people thought there was a lot of money to be had in the crazy dotcom boom. How wrong they were.

Hopefully though, this web 2.0 stuff will decrease the competition for years to come. Too bad that won't happen any faster than when we get a good president. 🙄

 

[nick_carraway]

It's so curious to me why there are less and less applicants. One would think, with greater international competition and greater population size and general increased competition in schools that applicants would atleast increase. It's so curious. I'm sorry for the statement I made earlier then, I wasn't basing it on facts, just expectations.

Yeah strange data. It's kinda encouraging though that matriculants are increasing though. The new upswing with applicants probably has something to do with the economy. With more med schools opening due to the AAMC mandate to increase the number of physicians, it looks like it'll be a nice next decade or two.

 

[Narmerguy]

"are less applicants" or "were less applicants"? The numbers are rising. I'm guessing there were less applicants around 2002-2003 because people thought there was a lot of money to be had in the crazy dotcom boom. How wrong they were.

Hopefully though, this web 2.0 stuff will decrease the competition for years to come. Too bad that won't happen any faster than when we get a good president. 🙄

I meant the latter my bad.

 

[maestro1625]

It's so curious to me why there are less and less applicants. One would think, with greater international competition and greater population size and general increased competition in schools that applicants would atleast increase. It's so curious. I'm sorry for the statement I made earlier then, I wasn't basing it on facts, just expectations.

international competition?

 

[TheRealMD]

Yeah strange data. It's kinda encouraging though that matriculants are increasing though. The new upswing with applicants probably has something to do with the economy. With more med schools opening due to the AAMC mandate to increase the number of physicians, it looks like it'll be a nice next decade or two.

Applications are increasing faster than they are building med schools. Sorry, but there isn't a field of daisies and roses at the end of the tunnel.

 

[nick_carraway]

Applications are increasing faster than they are building med schools. Sorry, but there isn't a field of daisies and roses at the end of the tunnel.

Hey it was a day FILLED with daisies and roses when UC Riverside decided to grace Cali with a new school. You're right about Web 2.0 though! I heard that a doctor became a YouTube comedian instead. A few more of those people with a cyclical decrease in applicants and I see good things.

 

[jochi1543]

I agree 👍. They just rub me the wrong way. In fact mods (I know your reading) I think it is time for a Pre-College forum and all these threads can go there. While your at it go ahead and add a Pre-Highschool forum because you know its gonna happen.

That's not such a bad idea, IMO. I'm gonna mention it....and credit myself for it.

 

[Narmerguy]

international competition?

Students around the world are getting better and more inclined to travel to the US for study.

 

[maestro1625]

yes, but unless they graduated from a US undergrad, they're irrelevant. Even being a non-US resident disqualifies you at a lot of schools, no matter where you graduated from (my own being an exception in this case though).

 

[PreMedMommy]

*High School Student*

The way I see it, the competition is just getting too hard. Getting into med school 10 years ago isn't what it is now. I suppose we're all just trying to find our "edge", prompting some, such as myself, to delve into the medical world now. I don't envy the people aspiring to go 10 years from now.

Should it be that surprising though? At this stage in the game we're deciding what colleges we want to go to which is essentially the beginning of the whole pre med frenzy. Some of us are applying for scholarships, some of which are department specific. Later through the year we'll be picking out classes, clubs, and start charting out our probably misguided path into the academic wilderness. For me, the sooner I'm prepared the earlier I can go ahead and make my mistakes and move on. The sooner I'm prepared the sooner I can think up a plan B and maybe if I'm lucky C instead of coming up with it all on the fly as it happens.

I see where you all are coming from. Perhaps it is too early, too irrelevant at this point. On my part I read these forums a lot before joining to ask specific questions, however, on the contrary I mostly found information for people already in college. This was good because I have a good idea of what to expect once it finally begins for me so I value that. However, there was very little information for the prospective student so thus my emergance.

Sorry for making you guys babysit

DISCLAIMER: While I use the word "you," I am not referring specifically to Narmerguy. I am addressing the high school population of SDN in general.

At least for me, the thing about the high school kids posting so much on here, is that they ask a lot of questions about "What will medical schools think about my Freshman schedule?" and "What clubs should I join that would interest medical school?" and "What can I start doing to prepare for my MCAT in 3 years?" and "What college should I go to to get in to medical school?"

These questions are irritating, because there aren't cookie cutter pre-med answers that always get you in to med school. Take the class schedules in college that you need to get through the prereqs. and for the MCAT, make sure you graduate on time, and keep a good GPA. There aren't magic answers. Go to the school that suits you best, get involved with clubs and organizations that you like, make good grades, take the MCAT after you have taken all the courses needed to have a good foundation for studying for it. Just be yourself.

It doesn't matter how many times SDNers tell the high school kids these things, people just keep coming back and asking the same questions on how to mold themselves into the "ideal" applicant. If you do that, and you don't have the heart behind what you have done, interviewers will notice, and you may very well get rejected.

I am definitely not trying to sound mean when I say this, and as a disclaimer, I was probably guilty of this too after I graduated high school, but in high school, you DO have parents to help guide you, and the transition from always having someone to answer to, to having to make important decsicion on your own, is difficult, but you don't have to come to SDN and have other people make the decision for you on what college to go to, what classes to take, and what clubs to join. Only you know that. And frankly, for me, I wouldn't trust a pack of well-meaning strangers to make those decision for me. Only I know what I interested in and what my capabilities are.

Okay, I am now off my soapbox.

 

[TheRealMD]

DISCLAIMER: While I use the word "you," I am not referring specifically to Narmerguy. I am addressing the high school population of SDN in general.

At least for me, the thing about the high school kids posting so much on here, is that they ask a lot of questions about "What will medical schools think about my Freshman schedule?" and "What clubs should I join that would interest medical school?" and "What can I start doing to prepare for my MCAT in 3 years?" and "What college should I go to to get in to medical school?"

These questions are irritating, because there aren't cookie cutter pre-med answers that always get you in to med school. Take the class schedules in college that you need to get through the prereqs. and for the MCAT, make sure you graduate on time, and keep a good GPA. There aren't magic answers. Go to the school that suits you best, get involved with clubs and organizations that you like, make good grades, take the MCAT after you have taken all the courses needed to have a good foundation for studying for it. Just be yourself.

It doesn't matter how many times SDNers tell the high school kids these things, people just keep coming back and asking the same questions on how to mold themselves into the "ideal" applicant. If you do that, and you don't have the heart behind what you have done, interviewers will notice, and you may very well get rejected.

I am definitely not trying to sound mean when I say this, and as a disclaimer, I was probably guilty of this too after I graduated high school, but in high school, you DO have parents to help guide you, and the transition from always having someone to answer to, to having to make important decsicion on your own, is difficult, but you don't have to come to SDN and have other people make the decision for you on what college to go to, what classes to take, and what clubs to join. Only you know that. And frankly, for me, I wouldn't trust a pack of well-meaning strangers to make those decision for me. Only I know what I interested in and what my capabilities are.

Okay, I am now off my soapbox.

*steals soapbox*

Things I wish I had done before I applied this year:

1) research - so I know what companies and institutions spend billions on each year without an actual product.

That is all.

 

[powerful_squib]

I agree 👍. They just rub me the wrong way. In fact mods (I know your reading) I think it is time for a Pre-College forum and all these threads can go there. While your at it go ahead and add a Pre-Highschool forum because you know its gonna happen.

I completely agree with you...

 

[nick_carraway]

DISCLAIMER: While I use the word "you," I am not referring specifically to Narmerguy. I am addressing the high school population of SDN in general.

At least for me, the thing about the high school kids posting so much on here, is that they ask a lot of questions about "What will medical schools think about my Freshman schedule?" and "What clubs should I join that would interest medical school?" and "What can I start doing to prepare for my MCAT in 3 years?" and "What college should I go to to get in to medical school?"

These questions are irritating, because there aren't cookie cutter pre-med answers that always get you in to med school. Take the class schedules in college that you need to get through the prereqs. and for the MCAT, make sure you graduate on time, and keep a good GPA. There aren't magic answers. Go to the school that suits you best, get involved with clubs and organizations that you like, make good grades, take the MCAT after you have taken all the courses needed to have a good foundation for studying for it. Just be yourself.

It doesn't matter how many times SDNers tell the high school kids these things, people just keep coming back and asking the same questions on how to mold themselves into the "ideal" applicant. If you do that, and you don't have the heart behind what you have done, interviewers will notice, and you may very well get rejected.

I am definitely not trying to sound mean when I say this, and as a disclaimer, I was probably guilty of this too after I graduated high school, but in high school, you DO have parents to help guide you, and the transition from always having someone to answer to, to having to make important decsicion on your own, is difficult, but you don't have to come to SDN and have other people make the decision for you on what college to go to, what classes to take, and what clubs to join. Only you know that. And frankly, for me, I wouldn't trust a pack of well-meaning strangers to make those decision for me. Only I know what I interested in and what my capabilities are.

Okay, I am now off my soapbox.

I agree. I'm glad that I didn't start reading SDN until after my MCAT in the middle of my senior year. I'm already pretty cookie cutter except for the subpar GPA. If I had read SDN and taken most of the advice on here, I'd be so generic that I'd be sick of myself.

I think there's something to be said about learning from your peers before you commit their mistakes but independent thought and individuality is always a good thing. Someone in a different thread said it best when he said that adcoms want a compelling story from the applicant and the easiest way to do that, I think, is to do things for yourself first and for med schools second.

 

[imamom]

I think the most important things for college freshman & high school seniors to know, whether they're pre-med, pre-dent, pre-law, education majors (any career that requires a license and/or graduate school):

1) Don't do anything that can come back and bite you in the a$$. No cheating, no arrest record, etc.
2) Work hard at keeping your GPA up there. It's a lot easier to take a "hit" on grades junior year than to dig out of a hole from a bad freshman year. Do the math.
3) Get a job--there is no reason why anyone in college cannot be working part-time--the lessons learned & the people you meet are invaluable to a future career (at anything), gives you something to talk about at interviews & you get to have some spending money you've earned yourself!
4) Join clubs, play sports, whatever....but do what interests you & stick with it--consistency (quality) matters more than quantity.
5) Volunteer--find one organization that speaks to you & give at least 1 Sat. morning a month to it. Gratification gained from helping others less fortunate is priceless.

All said & done, the above is good advice to leading a fulfilling life, in college & out. Keep your options open & experience all there is to college life--you'll never be able to get this part of your life back again.

 

[Sir Buckethead]

just ignore the threads. Or have the words "do what interests you and pick up the prereqs along the way" permanently copied to your clipboard.

 

[Sir Buckethead]

therealMD: I'm pretty much the same situation as you, though i lurk more than post. 2 or three months on this bad boy and I feel like I have the admissions process cold without ever speaking to a premed advisor.

I'm sure I'll make lots of panicky threads in a year or so though.

 

[maestro1625]

therealMD: I'm pretty much the same situation as you, though i lurk more than post. 2 or three months on this bad boy and I feel like I have the admissions process cold without ever speaking to a premed advisor.

I'm sure I'll make lots of panicky threads in a year or so though.

and for what it's worth, princeton review (review.com) has a college admissions forum (or at least they used to) that probably has 3x the number of members that SDN's pre-allo has. They'll all tell you that if you don't get into an ivy you're completely worthless, but at least it's somewhere to go.

 

[etf]

how many of you knew you wanted to go to medical school when you were in high school? i'm pretty sure the answer is a lot.

 

[nick_carraway]

how many of you knew you wanted to go to medical school when you were in high school? i'm pretty sure the answer is a lot.

I entertained the idea as my working plan, but did I spend as much energy as these kids on SDN are spending? Not at all. Like others have said, it's great that they're so focused but I think they might be committing themselves a little too early. They might be tunneling in on something that won't interest them 4 years from now.

 

[TheRealMD]

how many of you knew you wanted to go to medical school when you were in high school? i'm pretty sure the answer is a lot.

Heck, even college was a daze back then. We're not talking motivation thinking like that back then, you're talking madness. The problem is that these people don't know what it means to get into HMS or JHU for med school and automatically write-off all other med schools before they're even in college! It pisses the **** out of all of us with good reason. Part of me just WANTS them to be weeded out or at least quickly realize that even college isn't a walk in the ballpark and going to a "top" med school isn't a field of daisies and roses.

 

[sle3pyguii]

There should be a rule forbidden HS students on posting "What are my chances?" "Look at my Schedule Please." and "What major should I choose?"


I think the only posts I've seen that didn't bother me were some of the posts that asked about the BS/MD schools.

 

[Krisss17]

I do think that it would benefit them to read the threads, and Narmerguy argues his case very well and with a lot of maturity. My biggest suggestion to younguns...is to enjoy your college years...but be careful in your class choices. If you look at the reapplication thread, you will see that many reapplicants going through the cycle due to poor choices and either didn't take school seriously enough when they were in their early college career OR they over did it and burnt themselves out where they were just struggling to pass their classes.

I totally agree that there should be a forum for Pre-college medical aspiring students. I'm sure that many of us more mature members would like to help answer their questions if we can.

 

[paranoid_eyes]

i find it odd that there are even sophomores on this thread. seriously...you don't need to worry about the application process till the end of your junior year.

 

[Nick Riviera MD]

... or is there alot of freshmen/HS students on this thread. Not trying to start a flame war or anything... but I find it odd that so many HS seniors are worried about getting into med school, when they didn't even have a taste of college yet. Yes, it is good to be focused, but I feel as though this will cause them to not be open to the other opportunities that college has to offer. I mean some/most of them will probably change their minds once the professors bring out their weed wackers, so why stress out now.

I can understand the whole "fall schedule" threads, but all the stress isn't necessary. Leave that up to the people on the waitlists and the people who are reapplying/ applying to med school this cycle.

I know this forum is about asking questions pertaining to med schools... but c'mon really?

Hey don't let the secret out! It will be great when they start interviewing and they don't know about anything outside of science & medicine !

 

[prettymonkey]

they make me feel old. but they also make me really happy that i am where i am. ha ha ha ha i already finished undergrad and took the mcat and am almost done with secondaries!!!!! good luck. 😉

 

[mvenus929]

how many of you knew you wanted to go to medical school when you were in high school? i'm pretty sure the answer is a lot.

I did, but I didn't take the application process seriously until after my first year, because I wanted to know things like how to study for the MCAT, which I took after my second year. I got very humble very quick when I realized stats of other people.

 

[ZagDoc]

i find it odd that there are even sophomores on this thread. seriously...you don't need to worry about the application process till the end of your junior year.

Another excellent point. I see sophomores even taking the MCAT these days... WHY??? Why not wait till the spring of junior year where you have even MORE scientific knowledge under your belt that can only HELP you?

No matter what, you can't go to med school until you graduate college. That requires going through junior and senior year. Enjoy the ride a little bit, expand your knowledge. Hell, if you're going into medicine you should enjoy learning, not treat it like a race.

Besides, med school and residency is a long and grueling enough process as it is... if you treat college as just another 4 years of that, well, lets just say I wouldn't want to be you.

And this is coming from a person who knew he wanted to go to med school from very young. I knew what the MCAT was when I was 10. But being so narrow in your life focus isn't going to make you a better doctor.

*steps off his own soapbox*

 

[Krisss17]

i find it odd that there are even sophomores on this thread. seriously...you don't need to worry about the application process till the end of your junior year.

Are you referring to college sophomores? then I think you are wrong...there is a lot of useful information that students can pick up...especially when they can see the right vs. wrong way to proceed.

 

[inaminute]

High school students are the cancer that is killing SDN. They turn the threads into a ****-swinging competition with their snooty "I'm a high school senior and I've set my entire future in stone and I'll be dual-majoring in computer-science and biochemistry etc etc" crap.

You might want to rethink your decision to be in a helping profession. You seem wrapped way too tight about inconsequential stuff like whether a high school kid has an ego (it actually looks like a pretty insecure kid to me). What difference could it possibly make in your life?

As for students getting going on the "app process" "too early," I'd like to point out that there are some med schools whose MINIMUM requirements for consideration would necessitate a college freshman to start right away to nail those down. I'd much rather see a new college student asking what s/he'll need for serious consideration than to see a senior freaking out about how to set a new speed record for getting shadowing, volunteering and clinical experience in six weeks.

 

[mirakate]

As for students getting going on the "app process" "too early," I'd like to point out that there are some med schools whose MINIMUM requirements for consideration would necessitate a college freshman to start right away to nail those down. I'd much rather see a new college student asking what s/he'll need for serious consideration than to see a senior freaking out about how to set a new speed record for getting shadowing, volunteering and clinical experience in six weeks.

Especially if they're not majoring in a bio. 😱

 

[inaminute]

Especially if they're not majoring in a bio. 😱

cazactly

 

[maestro1625]

You might want to rethink your decision to be in a helping profession.

oh ****... here comes the "bad doctor" argument... 🙄

 

[ZagDoc]

As for students getting going on the "app process" "too early," I'd like to point out that there are some med schools whose MINIMUM requirements for consideration would necessitate a college freshman to start right away to nail those down. I'd much rather see a new college student asking what s/he'll need for serious consideration than to see a senior freaking out about how to set a new speed record for getting shadowing, volunteering and clinical experience in six weeks.

Of course... I'm more referring to the people who are on here obsessing about every little facet of their academic career and whether it will "allow/help them get into medical school." A simple 10 minute google search will let you know what classes you need to fit in in your 4 years to every school you'd want to apply to.

One of the strong points of my app was that I was a dual major in philosophy. I got asked about it in every interview and all interviewers seemed very intrigued/impressed by it. It helped make me a unique and memorable app. Philosophy is not a "requirement" to get into any medical school (beyond basic humanities). If I had been on SDN obsessing over each of my semester's schedules and whether it will help me prepare for the MCAT, look good on AMCAS, etc, etc, I would have never double majored in philosophy. Thinking too much about getting into medical school actually detracts from getting into medical school. Go do stuff outside of the norm. ADCOMS will be impressed by that. They won't be impressed if you followed your pre-med tract to the T, took the MCAT ahead of schedule, or pulled .1 points higher on your GPA.

 

[Dayfed]

*High School Student*

The way I see it, the competition is just getting too hard. Getting into med school 10 years ago isn't what it is now. I suppose we're all just trying to find our "edge", prompting some, such as myself, to delve into the medical world now. I don't envy the people aspiring to go 10 years from now.

Should it be that surprising though? At this stage in the game we're deciding what colleges we want to go to which is essentially the beginning of the whole pre med frenzy. Some of us are applying for scholarships, some of which are department specific. Later through the year we'll be picking out classes, clubs, and start charting out our probably misguided path into the academic wilderness. For me, the sooner I'm prepared the earlier I can go ahead and make my mistakes and move on. The sooner I'm prepared the sooner I can think up a plan B and maybe if I'm lucky C instead of coming up with it all on the fly as it happens.

I see where you all are coming from. Perhaps it is too early, too irrelevant at this point. On my part I read these forums a lot before joining to ask specific questions, however, on the contrary I mostly found information for people already in college. This was good because I have a good idea of what to expect once it finally begins for me so I value that. However, there was very little information for the prospective student so thus my emergance.

Sorry for making you guys babysit

I know what you are saying, but trust me when I tell you that, sometimes planning everything out isn't the best choice. I know that may sound strange, but sometimes, people get too caught up with what they are doing four steps down the line, and not looking at what is in front of them. I know, I myself am guilty of this. I looked at college as a way of getting into med school, and that is certainly not what it should be, or even a healthy perspective to have. There is so much that you can do in the next four years that you may never be able to do again. But with every move you take, there are going to be risks, and sometimes you just can't weigh out all the pros and cons. You'll just have to go with your intuition on this, and not what others are telling you to do, especially what others on SDN are telling you to do. Also, things are not going to go all according to plan. If you think, "well, I'll take this class and this class, and that will get me to here....etc." you may be in for a difficult road. Unexpected things do occur, and I believe that many students do change (read "grow up") their freshman year.

Now, yes, planning for your future is a good, healthy thing, but realize (and I'm probably going to sound philosophical here, but oh well) that you only can enjoy today, and that there may not be a tomorrow.

 

[TheRealMD]

Of course... I'm more referring to the people who are on here obsessing about every little facet of their academic career and whether it will "allow/help them get into medical school." A simple 10 minute google search will let you know what classes you need to fit in in your 4 years to every school you'd want to apply to.

One of the strong points of my app was that I was a dual major in philosophy. I got asked about it in every interview and all interviewers seemed very intrigued/impressed by it. It helped make me a unique and memorable app. Philosophy is not a "requirement" to get into any medical school (beyond basic humanities). If I had been on SDN obsessing over each of my semester's schedules and whether it will help me prepare for the MCAT, look good on AMCAS, etc, etc, I would have never double majored in philosophy. Thinking too much about getting into medical school actually detracts from getting into medical school. Go do stuff outside of the norm. ADCOMS will be impressed by that. They won't be impressed if you followed your pre-med tract to the T, took the MCAT ahead of schedule, and pulled .1 points higher on your GPA.

The word you're looking for here is: neuroticism. 👍

 

[Dayfed]

DISCLAIMER: While I use the word "you," I am not referring specifically to Narmerguy. I am addressing the high school population of SDN in general.

At least for me, the thing about the high school kids posting so much on here, is that they ask a lot of questions about "What will medical schools think about my Freshman schedule?" and "What clubs should I join that would interest medical school?" and "What can I start doing to prepare for my MCAT in 3 years?" and "What college should I go to to get in to medical school?"

These questions are irritating, because there aren't cookie cutter pre-med answers that always get you in to med school. Take the class schedules in college that you need to get through the prereqs. and for the MCAT, make sure you graduate on time, and keep a good GPA. There aren't magic answers. Go to the school that suits you best, get involved with clubs and organizations that you like, make good grades, take the MCAT after you have taken all the courses needed to have a good foundation for studying for it. Just be yourself.

It doesn't matter how many times SDNers tell the high school kids these things, people just keep coming back and asking the same questions on how to mold themselves into the "ideal" applicant. If you do that, and you don't have the heart behind what you have done, interviewers will notice, and you may very well get rejected.

I am definitely not trying to sound mean when I say this, and as a disclaimer, I was probably guilty of this too after I graduated high school, but in high school, you DO have parents to help guide you, and the transition from always having someone to answer to, to having to make important decsicion on your own, is difficult, but you don't have to come to SDN and have other people make the decision for you on what college to go to, what classes to take, and what clubs to join. Only you know that. And frankly, for me, I wouldn't trust a pack of well-meaning strangers to make those decision for me. Only I know what I interested in and what my capabilities are.

Okay, I am now off my soapbox.

bravo👍