Pre-Med Freshman Year

[Entie]

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Hello,

I'm pretty young--a high school senior--and I'll be graduating in a few days and I'll be heading off to a four year university this fall. I was wondering, is it too early to start thinking about med school? I've been doing tons and tons of research on med school recently, I have two doctors who have offered to mentor me, and I have a clinical research internship over the summer. Many people have told me that I should keep my options open, and I will, but I was wondering am I doing this all too quickly?

Thanks in advance!

 

[VisionaryTics]

Hello,

I'm pretty young--a high school senior--and I'll be graduating in a few days and I'll be heading off to a four year university this fall. I was wondering, is it too early to start thinking about med school? I've been doing tons and tons of research on med school recently, I have two doctors who have offered to mentor me, and I have a clinical research internship over the summer. Many people have told me that I should keep my options open, and I will, but I was wondering am I doing this all too quickly?

Thanks in advance!

Never too early to start thinking about it, but I'd worry first about getting your study skills down. High school to college is a big transition, and figuring out how to study and succeed is your #1 priority. For that reason, I'd wait a bit before taking on a bunch of ECs. You've got plenty of time for that.

 

[Entie]

Never too early to start thinking about it, but I'd worry first about getting your study skills down. High school to college is a big transition, and figuring out how to study and succeed is your #1 priority. For that reason, I'd wait a bit before taking on a bunch of ECs. You've got plenty of time for that.

Ok, thank you. I have two years of college units already, and I have heard it helps slightly with the study transitions. Hopefully I'll be able to make the full transition smoothly.

 

[Entie]

Just curious OP, are your parents doctors?

To answer your question, extracurriculars are things you probably don't need to worry about until after freshman year. Worry more about being able to handle school, then worry about all the outside stuff

No. I think I'm considered an URM, correct me if I'm wrong please. I'm African-American, single parent household, and my mother doesn't make too much.

Thank you for the advice.

 

[pfaction]

Wouldn't hurt to volunteer for a few hours a week right now.

 

[luke587]

don't be like me and freak out if you don't get above a 3.8 your first year, because you have tons of time to fix any early mistakes

 

[PantherPride]

The #1 best thing you can do for yourself freshman year is get a high GPA. Freshman year is the year most people have their lowest GPA, and for some it's a hard journey to raise it up to a competitive level. Having a high GPA will keep all doors open for you.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Moving to hSDN.

 

[MedMentor]

OP I recommend shadowing a few physicians, this way you can get a feel for whether or not you truly want to become a doctor before you go through all of the chemistry, bio, physics, and extra-curricular activities.

 

[youmed]

Don't worry about anything else but your GPA during freshman year.