just starting out...

[mfernando87]

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hey! i'm a high school student who's interested in pursuing a career as a physician but has no idea of how to go about it...lately it seems that there are so many ways to get into med school, but for some reason i don't believe any of them will work for me in the future...
i'm a senior in high school, so i just finished applying to colleges 😱...i think i'm okay in the getting-into-college department, but after that it's a little hazy. the thing is, i want to major in biology, but from what i've heard medical schools don't seem to want that as much as they did before. i've asked around and it seems anthropology is what's hot lately... i enjoy biology and i would like to major in it, but i'm afraid it may hinder my chances of getting into med school...what should i do?

 

[prefontaine]

Get into medical school!: A guide for the perplexed by Kenneth V. Iserson.

Buy it used from amazon.

hey! i'm a high school student who's interested in pursuing a career as a physician but has no idea of how to go about it...lately it seems that there are so many ways to get into med school, but for some reason i don't believe any of them will work for me in the future...
i'm a senior in high school, so i just finished applying to colleges 😱...i think i'm okay in the getting-into-college department, but after that it's a little hazy. the thing is, i want to major in biology, but from what i've heard medical schools don't seem to want that as much as they did before. i've asked around and it seems anthropology is what's hot lately... i enjoy biology and i would like to major in it, but i'm afraid it may hinder my chances of getting into med school...what should i do?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Lots of threads on this...moving to the Pre-Allo forum (please be kind to him/her guys).

 

[Psycho Doctor]

(please be kind to him/her guys).

😱 don't you trust us?

To the OP: welcome!! 🙂 ...if you get addicted to this board, you'll learn so much and be so far ahead of your peers. You already are in good shape; I didn't start thinking about pre-med until my junior year of college. 😱

 

[eilis721]

mfernando87,
it doesn't really what your major is..pick something that really interests you and you do well in the courses. if that's bio, then go with...if not, shop around. make sure you do well in your prereq classes no matter your major.

 

[flash]

yeah buy a book or find a website that provides all the basics ( i used to know a good one). Then come back and ask questions. Agree totally with above poster, major in what interests you. And get ready to work hard in college, having fun too.

 

[Dr.Cait]

hey, i'm in your postition right now too, except I'm a junior in HS. My advice from what these guys have told me, keep your GPA up through college, maybe get some experience by volunteering at a local hospital, doing a research program, or shadowing a doc, and score good on your MCATS. By the way, some colleges also have special programs for students who want to go into med school (i recently read an article about a program like this at SUNY Cobelskill...), so see what your school has to offer, keep the grades up, and honestly, if you want to major in bio, major in bio. It would likely give you the best outcome. Good Luck!

 

[Dr.Cait]

By the way, you're a senior in high school, for right now, have some fun, and then later worry about med school. After all, you have another 4.5 years before you're out of college anyways...

 

[DrHopeless]

haha we converted Dr.Cait she sounds like all of us now Welcome to Pre-Med

By the way, you're a senior in high school, for right now, have some fun, and then later worry about med school. After all, you have another 4.5 years before you're out of college anyways...

 

[Dr.Cait]

🙄

 

[Docta "O"]

I'm in the same position as Dr. Cait, extremely interested in medicine, junior in high school, all that good stuff, been reading this forum for a few months now. Really informative stuff. 👍

 

[dmhill99]

Im a senior is HS now, and looking to get my MD. This board is soooooo addictive. For some reason i get the feeling a lot in negative. I mean i think the upper eschelon people come here. All i here about is upper level med schools. The advice ive picked up on is get a good college gpa, LOR, volunteer, and do research. And then don't get me started about the mcat. People are ranting and raving about this test all the time. They already have me nervous and ive got 2.5 years until i take it. Im going to gradually start looking at the mcat format and materials for a while. I plan to study for it for 1.5 years. Not 8 hours a day, but now and then, and then really push hard in like jan until aug. And yes, i know dont get burned out. A word oof encouragement is needed for us young ones from time to time, so be nice.

I also have a question is the mcat more facts based, like tests in school, or plain intelligence based like the SAT. Or both. Thanks.

 

[Rendar5]

Im a senior is HS now, and looking to get my MD. This board is soooooo addictive. For some reason i get the feeling a lot in negative. I mean i think the upper eschelon people come here. All i here about is upper level med schools. The advice ive picked up on is get a good college gpa, LOR, volunteer, and do research. And then don't get me started about the mcat. People are ranting and raving about this test all the time. They already have me nervous and ive got 2.5 years until i take it. Im going to gradually start looking at the mcat format and materials for a while. I plan to study for it for 1.5 years. Not 8 hours a day, but now and then, and then really push hard in like jan until aug. And yes, i know dont get burned out. A word oof encouragement is needed for us young ones from time to time, so be nice.

I also have a question is the mcat more facts based, like tests in school, or plain intelligence based like the SAT. Or both. Thanks.

When I took the MCAT, 1/6 of the test was straight recall, the other stuff was application (2/6 application of stuff you know, 3/6 application of stuff they give you on the test, ormaybe the reverse. It's been 2 and a half years since i had to care). It's a mix of knowledge and application. I'm not sure SATs are intelligence based, honestly, though.

 

[viciousstreak]

Mfernando, I can relate to much of what you're saying. When I started out in college, I didn't want to be a biology major. I figured it was too average and I needed something less ordinary like art or sociology. I was an art major my first year and had an interest in art, but also took standard freshman premed reqs like biology and chemistry. I really enjoyed biology and pretty much fell in love with the subject. After my second semester, I changed my major to bio and I've never been happier.

I think what is important is that you have a true interest in what you are majoring in, whether it's bio, chem, english, or history. Plus, when your interested in something, it's a lot easier to do well. General enthusiasm in your courses combined with good grades is much more likely to get you into med school than a less common major.

 

[DrKT2009]

hey! i'm a high school student who's interested in pursuing a career as a physician but has no idea of how to go about it...lately it seems that there are so many ways to get into med school, but for some reason i don't believe any of them will work for me in the future...
i'm a senior in high school, so i just finished applying to colleges 😱...i think i'm okay in the getting-into-college department, but after that it's a little hazy. the thing is, i want to major in biology, but from what i've heard medical schools don't seem to want that as much as they did before. i've asked around and it seems anthropology is what's hot lately... i enjoy biology and i would like to major in it, but i'm afraid it may hinder my chances of getting into med school...what should i do?

If you really like Biology, go ahead and major in Biology. You don't want to just major in something because someone said that it sounds good or someone said that the medical schools are looking for that major. There is no sure way into medical school, so you have to do what interests you. They may even ask you why you picked such-and-such major, and you want to have a heart-felt answer to tell them. Also, there is a chance that you may change your mind about becoming a doctor once you enter into college -- I know, it is hard to believe. I taught a discussion class in college of 30 students -- all of which were pre-med their fall semester of their Freshman year (this was a pre-med requirement biology class). Do you know how many people were still pre-med at the end of the semester? That group of 30 got knocked down to 12. 😱 I am not saying that you will be one of these students, but if you do change your mind, you want to be majoring in something so that you can get a job that you enjoy. Besides, if you really like a subject, you are going to be more interested in it, therefore, you are more likely to study it more, and thus do better in that class versus a class you hate.

Once you get into college and you are in your freshman year, I wouldn't worry too much about medical school yet. Just focus on adjusting to college life -- it is harder for some students. Get involved in some clubs, but make sure you don't get too involved and neglect your studies. You will find that many of your classmates are going to be able to have much more fun than you will be able to have. Just make sure that you stay as focused as possible and balance your schedule so that you can go out every once in awhile -- just don't go out partying every night or anything. There are lots of clubs that you can join or you can volunteer. You just want to have a well-rounded college education, I know that medical schools would rather have a student with a slightly lower gpa (I mean still around a 3.7 or so at least) and tons of volunteering versus a student that has a 4.0 with no experiences. Besides, these experiences will help you write your personal statement.

Well, I hope that helps you out a little bit in your quest to get into medical school. I understand you worrying about getting in -- I worried as well. I just learned once I got into college, there was no sense stressing out so early -- classes do that enough as it is at times. If you have any questions, don't hesistate to PM me anytime. Best of luck in your future

 

[youngin]

Good info here. But dang is it just me or has there been an influx of high school students who probably still need to take their SATs? Not trying to belittle anyone, it's just amazing how more competive kids get each generation.

 

[Shredder]

hey! i'm a high school student who's interested in pursuing a career as a physician but has no idea of how to go about it...lately it seems that there are so many ways to get into med school, but for some reason i don't believe any of them will work for me in the future...
i'm a senior in high school, so i just finished applying to colleges 😱...i think i'm okay in the getting-into-college department, but after that it's a little hazy. the thing is, i want to major in biology, but from what i've heard medical schools don't seem to want that as much as they did before. i've asked around and it seems anthropology is what's hot lately... i enjoy biology and i would like to major in it, but i'm afraid it may hinder my chances of getting into med school...what should i do?

As a URM (assumption based on alias), a 3.5 GPA and 30 MCAT should all but guarantee you admission into many schools. Raise to perhaps 3.7 and 35 for good schools. All, please don't raise hell, I'm only trying to give practical and straightforward advice based on the system as it currently stands. I don't see any use in beating around bushes. I think these numbers combined with the usual bs extracurriculars should do the trick for the guy.

On another note, I don't think you should let hearsay determine your college major. This is what you will be studying for the next four years of your life. If you're not going to pick something based on interest, I say at least pick it because it's easy and will allow you to get As while partying.

 

[docdaname]

My advice, major in what makes you happy. My next piece of advice, your first two years of undergrad, while I encourage partying, dont party so much that you sleep through class everyday. I would have a 4.0 if I only went to class. Lastly, i recomend starting your own mission trip to Africa or Costa Rica or something ot bring medical supplies or help out or something.When i was writing m y personal statement i bought a book. The hwole time the book was saying how you dont need to have some crazy sad story of adversary or anything like that to write a good essay. Then they gave like 60 examples of essays of people that got into med schools. and of course, they all had crazy stories in them. They all like went to harvard. So, find a grassrootes organization to back you, and start your own humanitarian trip, probly isnt that hard to do. I feel like if you do that, you are in.

 

[indo]

Also, college will take between 4 years +1 term and 5 years. See, they'll change the requirements on you at some time so you'll end up having to take some stupid 101 classes in order to satisfy graduation requirements.

 

[stoic]

hey! i'm a high school student who's interested in pursuing a career as a physician but has no idea of how to go about it...lately it seems that there are so many ways to get into med school, but for some reason i don't believe any of them will work for me in the future...
i'm a senior in high school, so i just finished applying to colleges 😱...i think i'm okay in the getting-into-college department, but after that it's a little hazy. the thing is, i want to major in biology, but from what i've heard medical schools don't seem to want that as much as they did before. i've asked around and it seems anthropology is what's hot lately... i enjoy biology and i would like to major in it, but i'm afraid it may hinder my chances of getting into med school...what should i do?

Hey there -

There has been some good advice given so far. I'll add that it's important to find ways to set yourself apart from the crowd of applicants other than just academically. College is a really cool time in your life, and honestly I'm a little jealous of those just starting out (I say this as I prepare for the last semester of undergrad before med school). Don't focus so much on your classes that you miss out on the other great opportunites around you. Go to lectures that sound interesting, get involved with clubs that fit you, do research, study abroad and remember that you've got an opportunity that not many in the world get.

Also, remember to keep perspective. You're probably going to fail a couple tests in college, and you might even get a couple C's. When these things happen, they can feel like a crushing blow, but in the long term, they really don't matter much.

On a side note, you've started posting on SDN at nearly the same time in your life as I did. So I just want to let you know that though the road ahead seems long, it really isn't and that the future will be here sooner than you think.

Good luck,
S

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Also, college will take between 4 years +1 term and 5 years. See, they'll change the requirements on you at some time so you'll end up having to take some stupid 101 classes in order to satisfy graduation requirements.

huh? last time i looked college takes 4 years unless you screw up.

hey I switched majors (total schools within the university) after my soph year and I'm still graduating in 4 years...you just might have to work a little harder, like taking 20-23 credits some semesters, but it can be done. 👍

 

[mfernando87]

Get into medical school!: A guide for the perplexed by Kenneth V. Iserson.

Buy it used from amazon.

thanks for the info...i'll be sure to peel myself away from my couch and check out the bookstores!

 

[mfernando87]

😱 don't you trust us?

To the OP: welcome!! 🙂 ...if you get addicted to this board, you'll learn so much and be so far ahead of your peers. You already are in good shape; I didn't start thinking about pre-med until my junior year of college. 😱

the 😱 was for the college app thingy...my gosh, i hate applying to colleges!!! if anyone here is in the process, or will be in a couple of years, make sure to pace yourselves! and do lots of really fun and interesting stuff aside from studying...it will really help you out in the essays/ personal statements department and you get to get away from the classroom for awhile 😛

 

[mfernando87]

hey, i'm in your postition right now too, except I'm a junior in HS. My advice from what these guys have told me, keep your GPA up through college, maybe get some experience by volunteering at a local hospital, doing a research program, or shadowing a doc, and score good on your MCATS. By the way, some colleges also have special programs for students who want to go into med school (i recently read an article about a program like this at SUNY Cobelskill...), so see what your school has to offer, keep the grades up, and honestly, if you want to major in bio, major in bio. It would likely give you the best outcome. Good Luck!

nice dialog...i'm never gonna look at carrots the same way again...

 

[mfernando87]

As a URM (assumption based on alias), a 3.5 GPA and 30 MCAT should all but guarantee you admission into many schools. Raise to perhaps 3.7 and 35 for good schools. All, please don't raise hell, I'm only trying to give practical and straightforward advice based on the system as it currently stands. I don't see any use in beating around bushes. I think these numbers combined with the usual bs extracurriculars should do the trick for the guy.

On another note, I don't think you should let hearsay determine your college major. This is what you will be studying for the next four years of your life. If you're not going to pick something based on interest, I say at least pick it because it's easy and will allow you to get As while partying.

thanks for the info...i actually just finished applying to UT Austin as an undergrad...how's their biology program? and i will remember what to do should i lose interest in all subjects 😀 .