Starting Pre-Med

[Ischemia1032]

I hate to beat a dead horse, because I am sure this topic has been asked god knows how many times. I will be a freshman at a very good school, and I am just scared, almost terrified. I am not really used to college grading since I will be a freshman. I am simply scared of the difficulty of transition, I went to Bronx High school of science, one of the best, if not the best high school in NY, nonetheless. I took tons of APs etc., but did anyone have a big trouble transitioning from hs to college freshman, and had trouble maintaining friends, grades, shadowing, research etc.

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[genericpremedstudent]

You'll be fine. I took 11 years off between high school and college. No AP classes in high school and I had a 2.2 GPA. I transitioned just fine and still have a 4.0 GPA while juggling all my ECs.

 

[Mavs88]

I went from like perfect grades in many AP courses in senior year to an abysmal freshman year. The biggest thing is staying serious about the academics, even if it is classes you're taking again that you had in AP courses

. Don't be afraid to talk to professors. Take the first month or two to settle into a study routine. One thing that screwed me over in the transition was the fact that in college, you're a lot more on your own. You have to motivate yourself to go to class and make time to study. There's no required classes five times a week or homework every week (mostly, at least). Keep your eyes on the overall goal. Don't be afraid to make a couple Bs or so along the way too...the difference between a 4.0 and 3.7-8 is probably minimal.

most of all, make sure you have fun and are experiencing new things. don't make your ECs and shadowing type stuff a burden, but something you enjoy and are getting things out of. Get involved with non-medicine/science stuff for sure.

 

[bengirlxD]

I had an excellent transition from high school to college. I was a pretty all A student and with a B every now and then but I really got my stuff together in college and have kept a solid 4.0 even completing some of the science prerequisites going into my sophomore year. College for me is a lot easier than high school due to the chillness that comes with it but you will have to take that time to study extensively for your classes. I do less homework than ever in college but I have to study almost quadruple the rate. However I still get a better grade and class satisfaction than I did in high school

 

[Gibbward]

Incoming BU freshmen? Good luck with the curve. Grade deflation is a major problem there!

 

[shwedoc]

The important thing that you've probably heard more time than you can count is to find out how you study. I hurt myself a lot by studying in groups due to the fact that I just didn't do well in group environments. I work better alone. Once I realized this, it really helped me during finals bc I was able to study my ass off while alone.

 

[avgn]

How is it that you know you want to do "neurointerventional radiology" already?
I don't even know what that is

(P.S. @Psai lol)

 

[Ischemia1032]

How is it that you know you want to do "neurointerventional radiology" already?

Hi! Well of course I am not completely sure, I would say 70-80% sure. I love the brain so much, so that is one thing, that makes me want to do it. Secondly, I also love radiology, scans, echos, etc. all are very interesting diagnostic tools and can be very difficult to read and require a lot of skill to do(the right way). Now, I was considering neurosurgery, and while that is really cool, despite being probably the best paid specialty, it is also immensely difficult(which is not turning me away), what does turn me away after shadowing a neurosurgeon or two is the call hours, they can be called at any time any week basically, and the lifestyle is not family oriented. Diagnostic radiology is only reading scans, interventional is doing procedures like MRA(magnetic resonance angiogram), cardiac cath, there are a lot of procedures to do over a vast range of specialties. One of the cool things about radiology in my opinion is that you need to know a decent amount about almost every specialty to diagnose properly. Of course, the diagnosing is limited in that it is limited to labs, notes and scans, and even if you do not find anything, you still you know you helped narrow it down for the other doctor. Neurointerventional is like dealing with bleeds if they are small, clots. You go into the head through the DFV. It is really cool in my opinion, they "only" work like 70-80 hours/week pretty average for specialists nowadays unless you are in derm or plastics.

 

[oopsaloo]

You'll be fine. I took 11 years off between high school and college. No AP classes in high school and I had a 2.2 GPA. I transitioned just fine and still have a 4.0 GPA while juggling all my ECs.

Impressive... Congratulations!

 

[avgn]

Hi! Well of course I am not completely sure, I would say 70-80% sure. I love the brain so much, so that is one thing, that makes me want to do it. Secondly, I also love radiology, scans, echos, etc. all are very interesting diagnostic tools and can be very difficult to read and require a lot of skill to do(the right way). Now, I was considering neurosurgery, and while that is really cool, despite being probably the best paid specialty, it is also immensely difficult(which is not turning me away), what does turn me away after shadowing a neurosurgeon or two is the call hours, they can be called at any time any week basically, and the lifestyle is not family oriented. Diagnostic radiology is only reading scans, interventional is doing procedures like MRA(magnetic resonance angiogram), cardiac cath, there are a lot of procedures to do over a vast range of specialties. One of the cool things about radiology in my opinion is that you need to know a decent amount about almost every specialty to diagnose properly. Of course, the diagnosing is limited in that it is limited to labs, notes and scans, and even if you do not find anything, you still you know you helped narrow it down for the other doctor. Neurointerventional is like dealing with bleeds if they are small, clots. You go into the head through the DFV. It is really cool in my opinion, they "only" work like 70-80 hours/week pretty average for specialists nowadays unless you are in derm or plastics.

Lol totally missed the point. Get through college first, bro

 

[genericpremedstudent]

Impressive... Congratulations!

haha thank you, but it really isnt that difficult to do well in undergrad. there are so many services at your disposal that are there to help you succeed. if i can do it, anyone can do it. it all comes down to how bad you want it.

 

[GiveMeThatMD]

Honestly, you should be scared. This is your undergrad, really do enjoy it, but let that fear keep you in check. If you put the time in, you will get the material out of college. Easy as that. Take it from someone who didn't even finish high school... let alone any *prestigious* top-tier one, if I can do it, so can you.

 

[Ischemia1032]

Lol totally missed the point. Get through college first, bro

Lol, sorry for being career oriented?

 

[NewHorizons]

Lol, sorry for being career oriented?

You still don't get the point.... he's saying that you need to go to college and through that gain exposure to various fields with more depth (and hopefully some more tact and maturity as well), then see if the options you listed earlier is still something you want to do... that's even assuming that you can translate your high school success into post-secondary achievements (which can be a toss-up).

Being career oriented is fine, but don't confuse being oriented with having a narrow vision.

 

[Meeehai]

I went to Bronx High school of science, one of the best, if not the best high school in NY, nonetheless.

lol

On a serious note, if you're this excited about medicine already you'll probably transition just fine. Really the only people that don't transition are the ones who don't care about their grades or have no idea how to manage their time.

 

[Ischemia1032]

On a serious note, if you're this excited about medicine already you'll probably transition just fine. Really the only people that don't transition are the ones who don't care about their grades or have no idea how to manage their time.

Thank you, great answer!

You still don't get the point.... he's saying that you need to go to college and through that gain exposure to various fields with more depth (and hopefully some more tact and maturity as well), then see if the options you listed earlier is still something you want to do... that's even assuming that you can translate your high school success into post-secondary achievements (which can be a toss-up).

Well, I tend to disagree, while that may be how you decided to become a med student, a lot my friends who either are med students, successful pre-meds/accepted, or even residents considered medicine a calling. It was not just a career, that is how I feel. I am career oriented, but there is literally nothing else I WANT to do in life. Could I get a PhD in anatomy for example, or could I get a JD, or an MBA, if I put my mind to it sure. I know I am smart enough and have the work ethic to achieve anything, the thing is I know what I want and there is no getting around that. I am nervous a bit, but I am pretty confident I will do very well, minimally 3.6 for my first semester, which is not that bad for a pre-med 1st semester.

 

[avgn]

Lol, sorry for being career oriented?

Yeah you don't get it. It's ok, just keep telling people Science is the best HS in New York. Let's see what the Stuy and Hunter kids think.

 

[JustintheDoctor]

Yeah you don't get it. It's ok, just keep telling people Science is the best HS in New York. Let's see what the Stuy and Hunter kids think.

I had friends that went there. Man, that is probably the best Highschool in NY.

 

[md-2020]

Yeah you don't get it. It's ok, just keep telling people Science is the best HS in New York. Let's see what the Stuy and Hunter kids think.

Best overall HS? Horace Mann, hands down....


Agree that Science is not the best public in the city though.

 

[Strudel19]

You'll do fine. AP's prepared me really well. I'd say most of my AP's were more difficult than the university counterpart.

 

[WedgeDawg]

You'll do fine. AP's prepared me really well. I'd say most of my AP's were more difficult than the university counterpart.

I had the opposite experience. I went from middle of the road high school to highly competitive college and my AP courses were a joke compared to my college courses.

 

[Strudel19]

My college isn't competitive at all. The gen bio and gen chem were easier than my AP courses. I guess this is what the MCAT is for

 

[NewHorizons]

Thank you, great answer!


Well, I tend to disagree, while that may be how you decided to become a med student, a lot my friends who either are med students, successful pre-meds/accepted, or even residents considered medicine a calling. It was not just a career, that is how I feel. I am career oriented, but there is literally nothing else I WANT to do in life. Could I get a PhD in anatomy for example, or could I get a JD, or an MBA, if I put my mind to it sure. I know I am smart enough and have the work ethic to achieve anything, the thing is I know what I want and there is no getting around that. I am nervous a bit, but I am pretty confident I will do very well, minimally 3.6 for my first semester, which is not that bad for a pre-med 1st semester.

You still don't get it....

What the guy with the awesome dratini picture and I are saying is not doubting your intelligence nor your interests....... you haven't even lived life long enough to know which paths are available in allied health and there's still plenty of time in which events in your life may change your views/goals. How could you be so possibly dead set on one super specific specialty... most people just want to get into a med school first and take it from there.

In any case there's no real point in both of us debating our intended messages. You'll live your life the way you want to.

 

[tortelliniboy]

Lol is this a parody of that "less informed premed" topic. I don't understand how people can know so specifically what field they want. I'm an anesthesiologist doing a critical care month and the director is telling me he'll give me a spot if I'm in interested and I still don't know enough about the field to know if it's really for me.

It's really odd that someone so young and with so little experience (relatively speaking) can be so sure of themselves

 

[genericpremedstudent]

i know its normal to jump on any early pre-med who wants to do (insert extremely competitive specialty) after med school. i even give people **** about it sometimes. but i feel like every single person on here started their pursuit of medicine with a specific specialty in mind. for me, urology is the top of my list. have i done clinical rounds in urology yet? no. i'm also very well aware that my mind might change, thats why when doctors I meet/work with ask what i want to do, i mention that but say that my mind is open because it might change after clerkship. but for me, having that lofty goal is motivation to work that much harder because i know just how competitive it is. so, while "neurointerventional radiology" (never heard of it either) might be like every annoying freshman who tells everyone "I'm going to school to be a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon," let OP have his goal if it means he has something that helps him work to his highest potential.

 

[NewHorizons]

Lol is this a parody of that "less informed premed" topic. I don't understand how people can know so specifically what field they want. I'm an anesthesiologist doing a critical care month and the director is telling me he'll give me a spot if I'm in interested and I still don't know enough about the field to know if it's really for me.

It's really odd that someone so young and with so little experience (relatively speaking) can be so sure of themselves

FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT

WHEW I can breathe easier now

 

[avgn]

I had friends that went there. Man, that is probably the best Highschool in NY.

Stuy is overrated. The SHSAT lets in too many underqualified people and bad apples. Not enough individual attention for growth.

Hunter, on the other hand, is fantastic. Definitely the best public school in NY. They're super small though, so they're not as well-known, but the students are bred from 7th grade to be academic superstars.

On the private school side, Horace Mann is a mile above everyone else. People from my undergrad used to say college was easier than 4 years of HM

 

[Ischemia1032]

Well, I think I am still debating whether I would do regular ISN or ESN. Besides the fact, I do see your point. I obviously do not have the knowledge of a doctor however, I do study from netters just out of interest since I lovee anatomy. I understand the points, how would I know what I want to do. Well, I have not done rotations yet of course, and I have shadowed about 4-5 doctors as of date. I mean if I had to list them for me, I would put 1.Radiology(hopefully interventional), 2.Ophthalmology, 3. Interventional Cardiology, 4. Neurosurgery, 5. not sure lol. Look, I am not saying I am completely sure, but based on the extensive research into both the day to day jobs of these specialties, my personal experience talking to physician in these fields, doing research in two of them, and how the lifestyles are etc. I just feel ISN or ESN peaks my interest the most. Most of my top 5, I can see myself coming in happy to work(even 10-20 years after residency), but I know with one of my top two, I will come in every day passionate and excited to do. Especially as I hope the ABR will allow IR and the various sub sub specialties to have their own scope of practice, instead of being dependent on referals.

 

[PREDOCSIMP]

Well, I think I am still debating whether I would do regular ISN or ESN. Besides the fact, I do see your point. I obviously do not have the knowledge of a doctor however, I do study from netters just out of interest since I lovee anatomy. I understand the points, how would I know what I want to do. Well, I have not done rotations yet of course, and I have shadowed about 4-5 doctors as of date. I mean if I had to list them for me, I would put 1.Radiology(hopefully interventional), 2.Ophthalmology, 3. Interventional Cardiology, 4. Neurosurgery, 5. not sure lol. Look, I am not saying I am completely sure, but based on the extensive research into both the day to day jobs of these specialties, my personal experience talking to physician in these fields, doing research in two of them, and how the lifestyles are etc. I just feel ISN or ESN peaks my interest the most. Most of my top 5, I can see myself coming in happy to work(even 10-20 years after residency), but I know with one of my top two, I will come in every day passionate and excited to do. Especially as I hope the ABR will allow IR and the various sub sub specialties to have their own scope of practice, instead of being dependent on referals.

Eh.. I think you are still missing the point. I understand your enthusiasm and high goal setting!
"I can see myself coming in happy to work" .Try to find a part time job related to healthcare. Perhaps that would make the picture more clear.

 

[Ischemia1032]

I am not sure what I am missing then. As I said, my opinion could very well change, I am simply stating right now, that is where I See myself based on my experiences and research. I have shadowed nurses and PAs and did not find those jobs interesting, they did not really require a ton of knowledge compared to medicine, the jobs themselves were more technical then cognitive and I Like being a leader, I am not a follower. Secondly, I am a volunteer EMT this summer, so I have a job in that respect, I have personally revived people before. I am curious what you mean, what is the picture I seem to be missing?

 

[avgn]

I don't think we can get through to this one...oh well. Good luck with everything, man. Don't be a gunner, don't fail, don't get bullied in college, etc. etc. You'll need the luck with your "plans."

 

[PREDOCSIMP]

I am not sure what I am missing then. As I said, my opinion could very well change, I am simply stating right now, that is where I See myself based on my experiences and research. I have shadowed nurses and PAs and did not find those jobs interesting, they did not really require a ton of knowledge compared to medicine, the jobs themselves were more technical then cognitive and I Like being a leader, I am not a follower. Secondly, I am a volunteer EMT this summer, so I have a job in that respect, I have personally revived people before. I am curious what you mean, what is the picture I seem to be missing?

I am saying, to come out today and say " I can handle the hours required and will love my job for the next 30-40 years" is pretty absurd to be honest. I worked a position at a hospital, and was enthusiastic for the first two months; however, (yes it's an excuse) I became drained of energy due to other things I was dealing with, and no longer enjoyed the position as I had before. In addition, I had learned everything that I could possibly learn.

You did nothing wrong btw. People just want you to be realistic.

 

[PREDOCSIMP]

I don't think we can get through to this one...oh well. Good luck with everything, man. Don't be a gunner, don't fail, don't get bullied in college, etc. etc. You'll need the luck with your "plans."


lol the gunning is real strong in this one

"I want to do the four most competitive, demanding, and high stress specialties in the medical field but I can barely handle the impending pressure of starting college"

"$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$"

"My magic 8-ball tells me I will be successful and happy in these ultra competitive fields in 20 years but it can't tell me if I can make it through college classes in one piece"

This post is unprofessional and you should edit it.

 

[avgn]

I am not sure what I am missing then. As I said, my opinion could very well change, I am simply stating right now, that is where I See myself based on my experiences and research. I have shadowed nurses and PAs and did not find those jobs interesting, they did not really require a ton of knowledge compared to medicine, the jobs themselves were more technical then cognitive and I Like being a leader, I am not a follower. Secondly, I am a volunteer EMT this summer, so I have a job in that respect, I have personally revived people before. I am curious what you mean, what is the picture I seem to be missing?

Where you "see yourself" right now doesn't mean a dog doody. You are 17, 18, barely out of puberty, so daydreaming like this doesn't do you any benefits beyond setting yourself up for big disappointments if you end up not doing as well as you need to in college, med school, and so on and so on. Seen it happen way too often

 

[tortelliniboy]

yeah man when I was 17 I was at the bottom of my high school class and my wardrobe consisted of flannel shirts/band t-shirts/ripped jeans; I also thought I wasn't going to college and was going to just be a welder. You never know what's going to happen.

 

[JustintheDoctor]

yeah man when I was 17 I was at the bottom of my high school class and my wardrobe consisted of flannel shirts/band t-shirts/ripped jeans; I also thought I wasn't going to college and was going to just be a welder. You never know what's going to happen.

*stares at mirror*

 

[Ischemia1032]

Well after talking to professors and actually looking through my textbooks which arrived yesterday, the material is not that bad, I am pretty confident I can get an A in Bio and Chem. Besides that fact, I understand realism, I know all to well things may not go my way. The way I see it, there are two things to do it. Work hard, and make it happen. I know it sounds very superficial, and bloated, but there is literally nothing in this world that you cannot achieve if your mind is set to it. The pessimism in this thread is astounding to me, possibly because I am very optimistic. I see no point in reflecting on what may go wrong, why look at the negatives. The most successful people I know whether they be MDs, PhDs, MAs etc. all said I am going to do this, and I will achieve it, and they did. Also, I am sorry for being stressed for college, apparently that is a crime. Yes I want to go into highly competitive specialties, I believe I can get into them whichever one I decide to choose if I put my mind to it. How I see myself now matters more then anything in my opinion. How can you set a goal if you do not see yourself preforming in that goal. The higher my goal is, the harder I will have to work. Just because I am "fresh out of puberty" does not make me a day dreamer, or anything like that. It makes me intelligent and goal oriented, it is pretty simple in my opinion. I realize what specialty I want to do may change, but I have pretty much gotten over my nerves once I looked through the textbooks. If you have a goal, there is nothing in your way from achieving it besides hopping every obstacle. I have had people in my past try to tear me down again and again(I am not saying you all are, I am just trying to show a point), I had teachers and guidance counselors call me an idiot, and that I would never get into college, and yet I graduated with a 4.0, honors in every subject, I was a national merit semifinalist and I proved them wrong. I simply believe I can acheive whatever I put my mind to, and once again, I do understand the principle that I may not go into ESN or ISN as much as I want to. Considering I am already signed up to do research in ophtho and radiology and shadowing, I am already on my way lol.

 

[SmurfingReviews]

I didn't think college was much different from high school. Just gotta self-learn stuff and do well on exams. Whether you go to class is entirely up to you, but some classes may be for your benefit to attend while others may be better to do without. With that said, the responsibilities as a student in college is a bit more than as you had in high school, where they pretty much spoon fed you and told you where to go. Depending on the professor you may have a great time learning whatever you are taking, and may end up switching majors if you take a course with a bad professor. At the end of the day, it really boils down to what you want to get out of your education. If you want to cruise by you can, that's your choice. If you want to just get an A and do nothing else, that is achievable as well. There will be some courses that are required to be taken which you will despise, but you will figure it out on the way as you progress in your college career.

Most important thing is to have fun in undergrad! Studying is important but having a well balanced life is also critical!

Good luck!

 

[avgn]

I was a national merit semifinalist

Might as well waltz straight into med school then

Ok ok last joke I promise lol bye

 

[Meeehai]

This post is unprofessional and you should edit it.

lol

 

[PREDOCSIMP]

Might as well waltz straight into med school then

Ok ok last joke I promise lol bye

This post is also unprofessional.

 

[PREDOCSIMP]

Well after talking to professors and actually looking through my textbooks which arrived yesterday, the material is not that bad, I am pretty confident I can get an A in Bio and Chem. Besides that fact, I understand realism, I know all to well things may not go my way. The way I see it, there are two things to do it. Work hard, and make it happen. I know it sounds very superficial, and bloated, but there is literally nothing in this world that you cannot achieve if your mind is set to it. The pessimism in this thread is astounding to me, possibly because I am very optimistic. I see no point in reflecting on what may go wrong, why look at the negatives. The most successful people I know whether they be MDs, PhDs, MAs etc. all said I am going to do this, and I will achieve it, and they did. Also, I am sorry for being stressed for college, apparently that is a crime. Yes I want to go into highly competitive specialties, I believe I can get into them whichever one I decide to choose if I put my mind to it. How I see myself now matters more then anything in my opinion. How can you set a goal if you do not see yourself preforming in that goal. The higher my goal is, the harder I will have to work. Just because I am "fresh out of puberty" does not make me a day dreamer, or anything like that. It makes me intelligent and goal oriented, it is pretty simple in my opinion. I realize what specialty I want to do may change, but I have pretty much gotten over my nerves once I looked through the textbooks. If you have a goal, there is nothing in your way from achieving it besides hopping every obstacle. I have had people in my past try to tear me down again and again(I am not saying you all are, I am just trying to show a point), I had teachers and guidance counselors call me an idiot, and that I would never get into college, and yet I graduated with a 4.0, honors in every subject, I was a national merit semifinalist and I proved them wrong. I simply believe I can acheive whatever I put my mind to, and once again, I do understand the principle that I may not go into ESN or ISN as much as I want to. Considering I am already signed up to do research in ophtho and radiology and shadowing, I am already on my way lol.

Dear upset SDN member

First of all, no one is saying you have committed any crime. I think I know what the problem is, this statement revealed it " Yes I want to go into highly competitive specialties" Basically, your only reason for choosing a residency during your 1st year of undergrad is because it is competitive. Keep your goals in mind. No doubt!

However! Put every bit of effort you have on your studies now, the rest will come later. Do not worry about acceptance(there's always DO).

 

[Lawpy]

Might as well waltz straight into med school then

Ok ok last joke I promise lol bye

This post is also unprofessional.

Sarcasm is unprofessional?

 

[Glazedonutlove]

Sarcasm is unprofessional?

If you check his posts you'll notice he considers most posts unprofessional

 

[genericpremedstudent]

we should make @PREDOCSIMP a moderator

 

[MyNameWasUsed]

Dude just relax. Enjoy your undergrad. In 4 years, the world could be ending for all we know lol