Pre-Med v. High School

[deleted867660]

Howdy y'all,

been wanting to post something I have been contemplating for a while. I will be graduating this year with a total of 13 AP's. I have a 4.9 weighted GPA (around 3.94-3.95 unweighted I would wager) and an SAT of about 1540. I will have taken AP Biology, AP Chem, AP Comp Sci, AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP Physics 1 in way of STEM courses taken before graduation. I am capable of studying 4-7 hours at a time but often find myself losing considerable amounts of sleep.

I understand that med school is looking primarily for GPA and MCAT. I am terrified that classes like Physics and Orgo are gonna upend my chances to get into a decent med school, and am wondering if my performance and classes I have took have adequately prepared me. I don't expect a free ride but my hope is that I have done enough to get a headstart, with enough room for extracurriculars. Any help would be appreciated.

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[hamstergang]

I am terrified that classes like Physics and Orgo are gonna upend my chances to get into a decent med school, and am wondering if my performance and classes I have took have adequately prepared me. I don't expect a free ride but my hope is that I have done enough to get a headstart, with enough room for extracurriculars. Any help would be appreciated.

How much more could you have expected to do in high school? College will still take hard work and effort but the available evidence suggests you'll be able to manage.

 

[ebno]

Having lurked here a lot, I've seen many med students claiming half your high school stats. With your scores and classes, I don't see how much more prepared you could be. I'm personally going to be attending college next year with pretty unimpressive stats but I have hope I can do well if I dedicate myself. I'm sure you can too and the fact that you've seemingly mastered studying will give you a good advantage to those who will have to learn these skills on the spot.

 

[deleted859535]

I understand that med school is looking primarily for GPA and MCAT. I am terrified that classes like Physics and Orgo are gonna upend my chances to get into a decent med school, and am wondering if my performance and classes I have took have adequately prepared me. I don't expect a free ride but my hope is that I have done enough to get a headstart, with enough room for extracurriculars. Any help would be appreciated.

Speaking from the other side of board certification and everything that preceded it: this is all unnecessary worry. Study and do your best when you get to college just like you're doing in high school. Period. Nothing else is required of you now.

One of the hardest things for people to learn sometimes -- especially the hyper-type-A folks that medicine often attracts -- is when to do less to nothing, not more.

 

[Cheezin]

@habitualnerd That is pretty much identical to me so I am wondering why didn't you apply to joint medical programs (like BS/MD programs). You could have competed for these programs and gained a reserve spot at a school and medical school. I find that getting into these programs relieves a great deal of stress which you seem to be going through right now.

--and its funny how you count BC as 2 exams lol (although it should be)

 

[deleted867660]

Actually, I did apply to BS/MD, lol. I only applied to the one at Brown bc I don't have a lot of shadowing experience. Not sure what you mean as counting calc as two exams - Calc AB and Calc BC are two separate tests and two separate courses.

Keeping my fingers crossed I will get in - but I know how competitive it is and am mentally prepped to go a traditional route. Glad you think I have a chance tho! @Cheezin

 

[Cheezin]

@habitualnerd If you wanted to apply to BS?MD programs than why did you apply to possibly the most competitive program- especially if you say you don't have much shadowing experience. And as for calc, usually you say you take BC because BC has an AB subscore and so it is one test that is one course, but you say you took AB and BC which means you took 2 years of AP math? might as well have taken BC and then calc III lol. But yeah good luck haha [although I meant competitive for average/ above average BS/MD programs which I am, not the highest in Brown haha, but who knows maybe you will get lucky.