What can a rising senior in high school do to set himself apart from other premedical students?

[uafootball27]

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I'll be taking AP bio and this summer interning in research in a New York City hospital.

I know there are many things I wish I knew before entering high school, what are some important things that many people don't do that can help me get into a medical school?

 

[rockersoccer]

Not much at the moment. I'm doing an extensive 500+ hour observation opportunity, 200 of which are clinical hours, but I'm a rising pre-med freshman. Be careful not destroy your summer by spending too much time doing research. Sure, it's a great idea and a great experience, but unless you obtain a publication, most med schools frown upon including work still done in high school. If you really want to get some incredible opportunities, wait one more summer like me and then file under the "undergraduate" status. That way, you'll get into cath labs, pacer clinics, and more advanced things, all the while counting towards your med school application. 🙂

 

[Simpson]

I'll be taking AP bio and this summer interning in research in a New York City hospital.

I know there are many things I wish I knew before entering high school, what are some important things that many people don't do that can help me get into a medical school?

Well, first of all. Don't waste your time with AP Bio.
You need the college experience, first try to dual enroll in courses. The reason I say this is because, you might have trouble getting a 4 year university to accept your AP credits. Now, more cases than not, they will work out;however, there are plenty of people who have to retake a bio course in college that they already did for AP. A great benefit is the fact that you can already start working on your Medical school GPA while in high school. I finished biology 101, and 102 this year as a senior and have maintained 8 credits worth 4.0/4.0 each. You must take these classes seriously, because the effect can weigh in on your admission to medical college(but one C right now is not going to hurt you, an upward trend is what you are looking for). Let's say you went the AP route, you would possibly get a 5 and receive the same amount of credits, however, you won't receive a GPA for the course. Obviously, this is nothing that is going to hurt you for medical school;however, I would advise getting these easy 4.0/4.0 science credits in. Considering, biology at intro-level is plain memorization(any idiot can do well).


Secondly, I would advise volunteering at your local hospital. This will give you insight on the field of healthcare. It might come in handy during an interview.

 

[Lawpy]

I'll be taking AP bio and this summer interning in research in a New York City hospital.

I know there are many things I wish I knew before entering high school, what are some important things that many people don't do that can help me get into a medical school?

1. Major in something awesome (i.e. outside of biology). Majoring in physics, math, engineering, humanities, etc. are good ideas

2. Work in a research lab pertaining to your unique major as well as in a biomedical lab (basic science, translational, clinical etc)

3. Do stuff you enjoy. I know someone who was a professional poker player and went to a Top 20 medical school. Others are horse racers, computer technicians, athletes, actors, etc.

These 3 will set you apart if done right. With clinical exposure, community service, and excellent stats, you're good to go wherever you apply.

All this are what you do in college. Do whatever you want in your senior year in high school but don't get carried away.

 

[Simpson]

1. Major in something awesome (i.e. outside of biology). Majoring in physics, math, engineering, humanities, etc. are good ideas

2. Work in a research lab pertaining to your unique major as well as in a biomedical lab (basic science, translational, clinical etc)

3. Do stuff you enjoy. I know someone who was a professional poker player and went to a Top 20 medical school. Others are horse racers, computer technicians, athletes, actors, etc.

These 3 will set you apart if done right. With clinical exposure, community service, and excellent stats, you're good to go wherever you apply.

51% of the people accepted to medical school are biology majors.

 

[uafootball27]

Well, first of all. Don't waste your time with AP Bio.
You need the college experience, first try to dual enroll in courses. The reason I say this is because, you might have trouble getting a 4 year university to accept your AP credits. Now, more cases than not, they will work out;however, there are plenty of people who have to retake a bio course in college that they already did for AP. A great benefit is the fact that you can already start working on your Medical school GPA while in high school. I finished biology 101, and 102 this year as a senior and have maintained 8 credits worth 4.0/4.0 each. You must take these classes seriously, because the effect can weigh in on your admission to medical college(but one C right now is not going to hurt you, an upward trend is what you are looking for). Let's say you went the AP route, you would possibly get a 5 and receive the same amount of credits, however, you won't receive a GPA for the course. Obviously, this is nothing that is going to hurt you for medical school;however, I would advise getting these easy 4.0/4.0 science credits in. Considering, biology at intro-level is plain memorization(any idiot can do well).


Secondly, I would advise volunteering at your local hospital. This will give you insight on the field of healthcare. It might come in handy during an interview.

Thanks for the advice. How do I go about taking bio 101 and 102? Virtual high school? Enroll at the local community college?

 

[Lawpy]

51% of the people accepted to medical school are biology majors.

I know that. OP is asking what makes him set apart from others. And this is all college advice, since no one cares what you do in high school.

 

[uafootball27]

1. Major in something awesome (i.e. outside of biology). Majoring in physics, math, engineering, humanities, etc. are good ideas

2. Work in a research lab pertaining to your unique major as well as in a biomedical lab (basic science, translational, clinical etc)

3. Do stuff you enjoy. I know someone who was a professional poker player and went to a Top 20 medical school. Others are horse racers, computer technicians, athletes, actors, etc.

These 3 will set you apart if done right. With clinical exposure, community service, and excellent stats, you're good to go wherever you apply.

All this are what you do in college. Do whatever you want in your senior year in high school but don't get carried away.

I'm an international lacrosse player, would that count as an EC that medical schools would like to see? How about science related things?

The summer before Junior year I interned in a biomedical engineering lab at a large research university- how could I use these research experiences to my advantage, even though no papers are written with my names in them?

Thanks

 

[uafootball27]

Not much at the moment. I'm doing an extensive 500+ hour observation opportunity, 200 of which are clinical hours, but I'm a rising pre-med freshman. Be careful not destroy your summer by spending too much time doing research. Sure, it's a great idea and a great experience, but unless you obtain a publication, most med schools frown upon including work still done in high school. If you really want to get some incredible opportunities, wait one more summer like me and then file under the "undergraduate" status. That way, you'll get into cath labs, pacer clinics, and more advanced things, all the while counting towards your med school application. 🙂

Cool! Before college I will probably spend 3 summers in research, but two of them won't count for my application?

 

[Simpson]

Thanks for the advice. How do I go about taking bio 101 and 102? Virtual high school? Enroll at the local community college?

I would do this at a local community college that sends a lot of students through the transfer process.
A lot of students enroll in 2 year CC, then transfer to 4 year universities to finish their degree. You are just taking advantage of this, because the 4 year has an agreement with that CC to accept it as equal credits;however, it will not count for your college degree at that university. But, you will still send your grades in that CC course to medical schools. I was not aware of this.

 

[taffer]

What is all this "rising high school / rising junior / rising whatever" hippity hop the kids are saying these days?

 

[PantherPride]

What is all this "rising high school / rising junior / rising whatever" hippity hop the kids are saying these days?

Rising 1st grader, how do I get into derm?

 

[rockersoccer]

Cool! Before college I will probably spend 3 summers in research, but two of them won't count for my application?

Correct, only undergrad opportunities are included in your med school app. I'd definitely suggest doing research though, as it will help open doors and give you better experience. If you waited one more year, until you are a rising freshman in undergrad, then you can technically count it.

 

[uafootball27]

What is all this "rising high school / rising junior / rising whatever" hippity hop the kids are saying these days?

Hippity hop

 

[Pasmal]

Correct, only undergrad opportunities are included in your med school app. I'd definitely suggest doing research though, as it will help open doors and give you better experience. If you waited one more year, until you are a rising freshman in undergrad, then you can technically count it.

I knew a couple ppl in high school who had medical journal pubs and reported them on their apps, and both got into 3:4 programs. I think HS research is definitely valuable in that scenario. Otherwise, I wouldn't report a HS research experience on amcas but if I had a pub I would include that (just like I am going to report my undergrad pubs/abstracts on my ERAS residency applications, a standard practice).

 

[Vain Brother]

dude, enjoy high school. medical schools don't care what you did with your summers in high school

 

[WedgeDawg]

Get into Harvard

 

[mmmcdowe]

moving to hsdn

 

[Dreamstoo]

I'll be taking AP bio and this summer interning in research in a New York City hospital.

I know there are many things I wish I knew before entering high school, what are some important things that many people don't do that can help me get into a medical school?

Just focus on research. I did summer interning in research in a small hospital before my senior year. I thought it helped me a lot when I applied to some reach schools. I got into a certain school that had a higher gpa (+0.1 higher or so) and a SAT score average significantly higher than mine. I wasn't an URM either.