Not Elite in HS--Major Disadvantage?

[jsmith1]

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Hey guys I am currently a student at a top 50ish school (top 20ish public) and I have done pretty well so far in my classes. I have gotten A/A-'s in pretty much all my bio classes as well as orgo but I can't help but think that things would be much easier had I been in the "smart" classes in high school. Freshman year I did poorly in gen chem and calc because my math skills were poor. In HS I was in the slightly above average math class (not really honors) and I just can't shake the feeling that I would be doing much better in school if I had been in honors math/sciences the entire time in high school.

I took AP bio senior year and I attribute a lot of my success in college bio to that class.

Are pre-meds that take all honors classes in HS at a great advantage when it comes time for college? If you took 4 years of honors English along with classes like AP US wouldn't your verbal skills be 100x better than someone who took the "regular" classes in hs?

What kind of students were you guys like in high school?

 

[Cozell]

Stop crying I took ZERO chemistry in HS and one semester of Bio in HS some pre meds dont decide they want to be doctors until junior senior Year. Im going to be a doctor and I didnt even pass algebra the first time around in HS, you have an advantage over me in the area of HS preparation I have the advantage over you in the area of dedication and determination. me>you stop doudting yourself.

But I would like to see your Q answered.

 

[Stumpyman]

I did very little in high school and college turned out fine for me (still running with a 4.0 after 70+ credits).

It just takes some effort; you'll be OK if you put in an adequate amount of time.

 

[asecondtolife]

I don't think you would do better. At most you'd have an easier time in college, like those kids that don't show up to a single physics lecture because they learned it all in high school. The effort you put into your genchem/math classes would determine your results far more than taking some random useless honors chem class in high school. I would know, because I was one of those nerdy high school kids.

 

[NightGod]

I went to a private "college prep" high school and partied my way out of college my first time around. I went back 20 years later, remembering next to nothing from high school, and have been pulling straight As for two years, on top of working full time and being a part of my kid's lives. Sure, part of that is natural ability, but a large part of it is determination and a willingness to put in the work. Before this, I hadn't had straight As in school since grade school, because I was generally lazy and just coasted by on the minimum.

Hard work and sheer determination will overcome other people's "advantages" in nearly every situation when it comes to academics. While others may have somewhat of a leg-up at the start, that quickly falls by the wayside after the first semester or two. Don't let yourself lean on the mental crutch of "they had it easier so it's OK if I don't do as well" or you'll just end up kicking yourself for it.

 

[JABWS]

I agree with most of what's been said thus far. I went to a private school, where I did very well, until about 7th grade. After that, I was put into the public school system and began to veer off the academic path considerably. I can't remember exactly, but I know I finished somewhere around the top 50% of my high school class, which was a lowly ranked school to begin with. Through some trial and error, I eventually got my act together and started focusing on doing well in my classes, and once my mindset changed, it didn't make any difference that I hadn't taken all AP courses or attended a preparatory school. Don't live in the past. Consider it a challenge to prove you're capable of performing at the same level as those who are expected to succeed based upon their pedigree.

 

[lobo.solo]

I went to HS in a third world country with no exposure to science whatsoever..... I took it easy at the beginning of college, and now I'm a senior about to graduate--I'm doing well so far and I'm satisfied with my performance so far. Just do your best and work hard and smart. Good luck.

Edit: Take it as challenge!

 

[MicroSteph]

I can say that regular pre-cal did NOT prepare me for calculus at a giant university. Toughest class I ever took and I really wish I had better preparation in high school.

 

[Lil Mick]

Went to school in a trailer park. No AP classes, no science lab, a teacher teaching physics who'd never taken a physics class, and no opportunities for women to take hard math courses. I dropped high school and started college quite young. You pick it up as you go. If you have to take the intro classes, take the intro classes and don't worry about the kids who could start with upper level classes. You might get a B in a class, but you'll learn how to study and how to remember the material that you learn, which will serve you well in medical or graduate school.

 

[tiedyeddog]

I can say that regular pre-cal did NOT prepare me for calculus at a giant university. Toughest class I ever took and I really wish I had better preparation in high school.

I also had the same problem.

I will say, once you get past gen chem and physics the playing field evens out considerably.

 

[Pattycake25]

Hey guys I am currently a student at a top 50ish school (top 20ish public) and I have done pretty well so far in my classes. I have gotten A/A-'s in pretty much all my bio classes as well as orgo but I can't help but think that things would be much easier had I been in the "smart" classes in high school. Freshman year I did poorly in gen chem and calc because my math skills were poor. In HS I was in the slightly above average math class (not really honors) and I just can't shake the feeling that I would be doing much better in school if I had been in honors math/sciences the entire time in high school.

I took AP bio senior year and I attribute a lot of my success in college bio to that class.

Are pre-meds that take all honors classes in HS at a great advantage when it comes time for college? If you took 4 years of honors English along with classes like AP US wouldn't your verbal skills be 100x better than someone who took the "regular" classes in hs?

What kind of students were you guys like in high school?

Of course it's an advantage, but it doesn't preclude people without it from winding up just as high in the long run. You just have to budget more study time for some of those classes, which places more restrictions on your academic plan (for example, it may not be a great idea to take both calculus and chemistry freshman year if you didn't have substantial exposure in either in HS, which means that one has to wait at least a year, leading to less time to pursue higher-level courses like Orgo or Lin. Alg. along their paths). It may lead to less time for ECs as well, but worse case scenario there, you take a gap year to finish bulking them up - and I'd recommend a gap year for most premeds anyway.

In the end, the advantage is simply reduced to greater efficiency and thus flexibility, which is exactly what you'd expect for students who pushed themselves harder, sooner.

 

[jsmith1]

I also had the same problem.

I will say, once you get past gen chem and physics the playing field evens out considerably.

This is pretty much how I feel. I was able to do well in orgo because no one had ever seen it before so we were all in the same boat. Now I just gotta get past physics...

 

[gettheleadout]

One of the mods on here was a middle/high school dropout who got his GED and eventually went MD/PhD at a top program. No, I don't think it will hold you back.

 

[StraddleHand]

I was in the AP program in high school, but couldn't care less about my classes beyond doing what I had to slide by. I was way more concerned about my sport which I spent hours after school each day practicing and competing in on weekends, rather than studying. I think I may have opened one or two textbooks all throughout high school. Once I got to college I tried using my same tactics, but it didn't work so well. My 1st semester I had a rude awakening by the amount of work I had to put in to "catch up" and get good grades. It wasn't that I couldn't handle the material as well as the other pre-meds, but I just had to re-focus some of the effort I put into my sport into my academics as well. I wasn't as prepared as others in the beginning, but after some habit changes and first semester's grades I quickly "got prepared" LOL

 

[sliceofbread136]

I did amazing in high school, I even took the AP classes for quantum physics, partial differential equations, and advanced signal analysis. Now I have a 1.89 gpa in college 🙁

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Zero disadvantage as far as med schools are concerned; you start college with a fully clean slate. And I did way better in high school than in college--was valedictorian in HS, graduated college with a 3.5ish liberal arts degree because I cares more about partying. I took AP physics and chem in high school, but forgot everything I learned by the time I took them as a post-bacc.

 

[TheShaker]

You do have some catchup to do if you were terrible in high school. Even though my high school somehow let me graduate (I guess they really mean it when they say no child is left behind), I came in with the knowledge of basic algebra and basic geometry and that's it. It was hard but you just have to be motivated and work to catch up. In my opinion, my weak high school background only hurt me during my first semester.

Also, in general, people change after high school. I was a bottom of the barrel student in high school and now I'm one of the top in my class. Similarly, some of the valedictorians at my high school dropped to the bottom of their classes.

Don't worry too much about your weak high school background. Just work hard to catch up and you'll get on through just fine.

 

[DryHopped]

Yeah don't worry about it, you can learn everything you need to know to ace all of your classes and do well on the MCAT without being a standout academically in HS or having a background in many of the classes you will take. I was a very average HS student, I was a stereotypical "jock" and I tried to dodge every difficult class because I didn't care about anything but trying to get a D1 scholarship. Eventually I ended up putting the same amount of effort into academics as I did into sports and ended up with 3.9 science GPA and an MD acceptance. So don't worry about it and just put your all into your studies and if you have what it takes you will make it.

 

[KevAquarius]

Not at a disadvantage at all. Some people are given specific opportunities. It's what you do with the opportunity (no matter how big or small), that defines you.

I did pretty well in high school (was top of graduating class), but I bounced around a lot after high school and transferred schools etc. Looking back, I could have made it work anywhere, really.

 

[kthon9]

I went to a pretty crappy high school, and I definitely felt behind coming into college. It sucks, but you just have to put in a little more study time than everyone else and you'll be just fine. For anyone still in high school, TAKE PSEO! Helped me out a LOT.

 

[qwerty2012]

I moved a lot and went to different highschools. Never gotten adjusted 'properly'. Took AP classes and got credits. Was maybe above average in grades.


H.S really don't mean anything but your undergrad grades will stick for the rest of your life.

Ap classes do help but only a little. I think mostly just give you some foundations. None of that is really that advantageous.

 

[JackShephard MD]

Hey guys I am currently a student at a top 50ish school (top 20ish public) and I have done pretty well so far in my classes. I have gotten A/A-'s in pretty much all my bio classes as well as orgo but I can't help but think that things would be much easier had I been in the "smart" classes in high school. Freshman year I did poorly in gen chem and calc because my math skills were poor. In HS I was in the slightly above average math class (not really honors) and I just can't shake the feeling that I would be doing much better in school if I had been in honors math/sciences the entire time in high school.

I took AP bio senior year and I attribute a lot of my success in college bio to that class.

Are pre-meds that take all honors classes in HS at a great advantage when it comes time for college? If you took 4 years of honors English along with classes like AP US wouldn't your verbal skills be 100x better than someone who took the "regular" classes in hs?

What kind of students were you guys like in high school?

lol, what? Zero advantage.

 

[notbobtrustme]

spent all my time in HS chasing ***** and smoking weed. Still managed a 3.7 majoring in Biology/Chemistry.

the only thing you should learn in HS is how to lose your virginity.

 

[Galatasaray]

i disagree with most of the people on this thread. i was top of my class in a very ****ty hs (worst in state). never actually got through more than two chapters of a science book each year. i never studied for an exam in hs. imagine my shock when I got to college.
I knew I needed to study, but I had no idea how to study. Do i study the slides, do i study from the book.
It takes about a semester or two to catch up with other students if you go to a college full of expensive prep school kids. learning how to be a good student is different than being bright, so it's something that you might have to work on. when med schools see that you went to a really ****ty hs and that you have a great upward trend, i think they might be more forgiving about your gpa.

 

[235788]

The cool thing about the american medical education system is that you really don't have to care about school until college. So just try hard in college and everything will be good.

 

[NickNaylor]

I went to private college prep high school and didn't do anything special in college.

I didn't take many honors courses and no AP courses. I was more concerned with partying/playing varsity sports/getting swoll.

And look what happened, I made it in when plenty of the nerdy kids perished.

*swole

 

[Haislip]

You are more than ok. I went to an awful public school that had an average SAT of 1000 (all three sections). Ap courses were limited and i took 2. I go to a notoriously difficult UG and i struggled my freshman year. I could have gave up because i was so unprepared but i didnt. I busted my azz to pass and i did. The only roadblock you can have is truly your mindset

 

[pmarank]

*swole

Lol nick what about you? I would imagine hs valedictorians to be the norm at UofC

 

[Camy99]

I did amazing in high school, I even took the AP classes for quantum physics, partial differential equations, and advanced signal analysis. Now I have a 1.89 gpa in college 🙁

This.

I had a 4.08 in high school, now... well, I'm trying to stay alive. Funny story, the one class I could not get an A in for the life of me was AP Chem--I'm now a Chemistry major! It's a different world, don't let high school hold you back. Or in mine and sliceofbread's case, give you too much confidence.

 

[Narmerguy]

I doubt it makes any difference. Kids who sucked in HS regularly kick everyone's a** in college. 90% of success is just about effort and preparation. Your high school will do very little to hold you back in college, especially in the sciences when it's all just built on a bunch of logical rules. It's not like you had to refine your writing voice, artistic eye, or philosophical conceptions of the world.

 

[ScarletKnight24]

Hey guys I am currently a student at a top 50ish school (top 20ish public) and I have done pretty well so far in my classes. I have gotten A/A-'s in pretty much all my bio classes as well as orgo but I can't help but think that things would be much easier had I been in the "smart" classes in high school. Freshman year I did poorly in gen chem and calc because my math skills were poor. In HS I was in the slightly above average math class (not really honors) and I just can't shake the feeling that I would be doing much better in school if I had been in honors math/sciences the entire time in high school.

I took AP bio senior year and I attribute a lot of my success in college bio to that class.

Are pre-meds that take all honors classes in HS at a great advantage when it comes time for college? If you took 4 years of honors English along with classes like AP US wouldn't your verbal skills be 100x better than someone who took the "regular" classes in hs?

What kind of students were you guys like in high school?

Med schools don't give a crap how you did in HS.