Just graduated HS this year, and have a few ?'s ...

[Tim Haas]

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Hey everyone...I'll be attending Rochester Institute of Technology this fall for a 5 yr program in mechanical engineering tech, and will be doing premed coursework...reason being, is i always wanted to be a mech engineering of some sort, and eng. tech seems easier than eng. itself so...and on top of that, ill have premed stuff..but besides the point, i had Honors Chem and Honors Bio in 9th and 10th grade, and thats what im worried about...i didnt really put in the time to learn a lot and made C grades...Also this year i had AP calc and tried extremely hard and only got a C in it...so i dunno if i could do good enough to get into a DO school or not...ive already chosen that i would apply do cuz of my non traditional major and other personal reasonings. If i would pull high C's in Orgo,Reg Chem, and Bio would i have any chance of getting in to a DO school if my mcats were like 27 if my science gpa wasnt too great, but my major gpa was high 3.8's or close to that?

Thanks a lot, very much appreciated..in the past, people have liked to flame me. Please keep that to a minimum here. Thanks

 

[PreMedAdAG]

Originally posted by Tim Haas
Hey everyone...I'll be attending Rochester Institute of Technology this fall for a 5 yr program in mechanical engineering tech, and will be doing premed coursework...reason being, is i always wanted to be a mech engineering of some sort, and eng. tech seems easier than eng. itself so...and on top of that, ill have premed stuff..but besides the point, i had Honors Chem and Honors Bio in 9th and 10th grade, and thats what im worried about...i didnt really put in the time to learn a lot and made C grades...Also this year i had AP calc and tried extremely hard and only got a C in it...so i dunno if i could do good enough to get into a DO school or not...ive already chosen that i would apply do cuz of my non traditional major and other personal reasonings. If i would pull high C's in Orgo,Reg Chem, and Bio would i have any chance of getting in to a DO school if my mcats were like 27 if my science gpa wasnt too great, but my major gpa was high 3.8's or close to that?

Thanks a lot, very much appreciated..in the past, people have liked to flame me. Please keep that to a minimum here. Thanks

So, I'm sure everyone has already told you to take a deep breath right? Well, here's my best advice. Speaking as an undergrad who is applying to DO school next year here is what I can tell you about the coursework and the MCAT. Where you are right now, you have no idea how you will do on the MCAT and there is no real reason to think about it until you've done the coursework. Speaking about coursework, just because you got C's in high school, does not mean you'll get C's in college. It's different, you're going to have to learn how to study. Your parents won't be there and you'll be all by yourself. No home cooked meals, none of that. You'll have two options. To party... or not to party. Do a little of both but don't sacrifice your grades. Just so you know, engineering is a tough tough major. If you're struggling with math and physics now, just wait until you take circuits!! If you really want to be a pre-med, just have a great attitude and tackle your classes with confidence. Utilize office hours and do the work that the teacher assigns. PM me if you need more help
Christine

 

[kpax18]

hey Tim

Work hard in undergrad and study hard for the MCAT, and you'll be fine. Also, remember to "have a life". Involve in community and clinical experience to see whether you really want to do medicine. Don't forget to have fun.
g luck

 

[SM-UCLA tech]

Tim.....the previous two post are very good advice. But remember, you still haven't even begun college and you are needlessly worrying about something that's a long way off. Although the time will go by quick, you still never know if medicine will be your choice 5 years from now.

As far as your grades go, you will need to stay focused on maintaining the best grades possible. If you were to get C's in your pre-med coursework, likely the only school you will have a shot at is AUC or Ross in the Caribbean.

I recommend you start school and try to enjoy yourself as much as possible. As you are taking your pre-med classes, study your butt off and at the end if you still want to do medicine, study your butt off for the MCAT.

I wish you luck in whatever you may be doing in 5 years!!!!

 

[cdreed]

Hi Tim! It's good to see such ambition in such a young man. I agree with the above posters... you must just relax a little. The transition into undergrad life is a big one. Maintain your focus now on doing the daily things that are required to help you succeed. Make sure that you develop a solid support system, study, eat (healthy), get adequate sleep, and have fun. I don't know about you, but I entered college hoping to pursue medicine. While in undergrad, I must have changed my major 6 or 7 times. But I stuck with my ultimate goal and will be matriculating this fall.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes either as long as you are willing to learn from them. Take your track record in high school. Forget it. College is a new ballgame with different rules. You must learn to really study which most highschool students don't do. If you put in the time and effort into succeeding in your classes, then you will. I think that the rule of thumb is to study two hours outside of class for every hour of lecture. It takes a lot of discipline and energy to do this.

And don't neglect your personal health and happiness. Do have a social life. Just don't let it overwhelm your academics. Get enough sleep and nutritional food so that you avoid catching the nasty bugs that fly around college dorms. It's really difficult to do your best when you feel like poop. And if medicine is really your calling, then you'll probably have convictions about performing some type of community service. Get involved and make sure to develop your leadership skills.

One more thing, don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. College life presents stressors that you haven't encountered beforehand. There is always someone to turn to when you need it. Sorry this post is so long. Hope it helps some.

Cyndi

 

[Tim Haas]

thank you everyone very much. I think i will be okay thought, because all throughout my life my mom really never told me what to do gradewise, never gave me any help, or never even told me to do my homework or even asked if something needed done...I have always just done outside coursework by myself on my own freewill, so i think i'll be okay in that part. I'm just a little worried about chem and orgo chem. I never really liked chem at all, and hear orgo is realy tough. Bio shouldnt be a problem for me cuz i love to learn that kind of thing. Eh well, i guess i am stressing over this too much.

By the way, i was wondering what type of students everyone was if they didnt mind so that i could have a general idea of what kind of peoople were thinking about becomign doctors..

I graduated 40/190 in my high school class w/ a 3.9 gpa on a weighted scale. Are all future doctors like top of the class type of people, cuz i know im far from it. Thanks

 

[sacroiliac]

I wish I was as ambitious and mature at your age! You have plenty of time! Don't sweat it now, just do your best and make adjustments along the way so that you remain on track. There is a misconception in our society that all medical students are or were straight A students. Not true. You just have to work hard (some harder than others, uhhem...that would be me) and you have to know what you want and what your priorities are. Sounds like you are off to a great start! Remain flexible and open minded yet steadfast in your convictions. Oh, and also, have some fun. Good Luck!

 

[Tim Haas]

sac, thanks for the input...just exactly what i needed to hear...i cant wait to get to college in a month...im going to be working so hard..heh. Thanks