steps after high school. help

[Morgan1616]

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Hi,
(Keep in mind I live in Canada)
I'm a newly graduated high school student. I'm enrolled in community college taking courses that have nothing to do with medicine. This is my big problem seeing as how that's what I want to be in. I wasn't offered all the right courses in my last years of high school to qualify for any medical courses in college, nor did I have the guidance from a school councilor to direct me after high school. My questions are:

1) I don't have grade 12 bio or chem, If I took clinical chem in college would that make up for missing high school chem? Or do I need to find a way to take it.

2) There are so many years of med. school, which is thrilling, but I have no idea where to start of what I'm exactly looking to apply for.

3) Can someone please possibly give me a step by step 'you should do this this and this to apply for this and to get into this' type help.

Any replies or help are very much appreciated

 

[Near]

I'm not sure how the process differs in Canada, but I'll offer the process in America if it ends up not differing too much:

Don't worry about your high school credits. Medical school doesn't even look at those.

Also, don't worry about taking medicine classes in college. You'll learn everything you'll need to in medical school. Focus on taking premedical classes, like biology, chemistry, and math. It's fine if you do them at CC level if you can prove you can handle the work at the university level, or get a good MCAT score.

 

[Morgan1616]

Okay. So say I don't have a great mark in grade 12 math, and I didn't get to take chem and bio 12. Medical schools wouldn't care about that.
And what schools should I look to apply to? And I'm not hesitant to leave the country if the US is where I'd receive a better education.

 

[greatnt249]

Okay. So say I don't have a great mark in grade 12 math, and I didn't get to take chem and bio 12. Medical schools wouldn't care about that.

No, they don't care about high school grades unless you're looking to get into an accelerated BS/MD or BS/DO program.

And what schools should I look to apply to? And I'm not hesitant to leave the country if the US is where I'd receive a better education.

The name of the school you go to doesn't really matter; what you make of your education (which hopefully is reflected in your GPA) and how well you do on the MCAT do. Additionally, if applying to US medical schools, having gone to a US undergraduate institution would do better for your chances than coming from a Canadian school.

 

[Morgan1616]

So if I understand you correctly. If I take this MCAT and do very well on it, I can apply to medical schools and that's what they'd base their decision on, as well as a well put together portfolio.

 

[greatnt249]

So if I understand you correctly. If I take this MCAT and do very well on it, I can apply to medical schools and that's what they'd base their decision on, as well as a well put together portfolio.

They take into consideration your cumulative/science GPA, your MCAT, extracurricular and volunteering activities, etc.

My initial points were:
1. High school grades don't matter.
2. The name of the college you went to doesn't really matter a lot, either. Maintain a competitive GPA; do well on the MCAT, and be a very well-rounded student and you'll find yourself to be a competitive applicant.

If you intend to apply to US medical schools, though, you're better off doing your undergraduate studies in the US.

 

[FuturaDocta]

So if I understand you correctly. If I take this MCAT and do very well on it, I can apply to medical schools and that's what they'd base their decision on, as well as a well put together portfolio.

First of all, since you seem new to this whole pre-med process (all of us were at one point), you should definitely just lurk around SDN's pre-allo forums and the "what are my chances folder" to get a solid picture of what most schools are looking for. Keep in mind that some of the people on here will stone you even if you have a perfect MCAT and/or GPA. So, learn to take some of the advice with a grain of salt.

That being said, I can pretty much give you a summation of what med schools look for.

1. Good GPA (avg. is 3.6 cumulative, you can still be comp at 3.2 with a really good MCAT, but go for higher anyway).
2. Great MCAT (avg. 30, this score justifies all your hard work and whether you are ready to take on med school)
3. Good ECs (show that you are servile to society and you really want to help people- focus on the stuff that interests you so it's not a waste of time for you)
4. Your major doesn't matter (med schools don't care what you majored in because you never use it in med school. You just get a major that you enjoy (helps with acing the classes) and do well in the pre-reqs)
5. You need need need (did I say need?) clinical experience. (There is no way you can be taken seriously, unless you are a non-trad or extremely smart, when asked why you want to be a doctor if you haven't seen what doctors actually do. Plus, how do you really know you want to be one? It is also great for making those tough decisions.
6. Research? This doesn't really matter unless you get published in some paper, which takes quite a number of years. Although, it is justified if you actually do research for a couple of years (just show you are genuinely in like with research, not just to pad your resume). I must also note that research is a must if you are interested in a MD/PhD program which entails about six years of research with med school then residency.

Hope this all helps. If you have anymore Qs just pm me if you like.

 

[tennisball80]

Proceeds to Premed101.com.