What can I do as a freshman undergrad student?

[Ahmac]

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Hello everyone! I am new to this forum and I was wondering if anyone here is/was in a similar situation that I am in now.

You see, the background story is that I am graduating high school next week and I am enrolled at the University of Maryland. Maryland has a regular program, a scholars program and an honors college.

I am currently in the scholars program. There are several divisions of programs in the scholars program. Life Sciences, a program focused on those interested in medical and health related fields is the main program that pre-med students want to join. The program has separate teachers, classes, and clubs than the other programs. However, due to the large number of people interested in the program, it has a limited availability of space.

My dilemma is that I want to do premed and I am very interested in being a part of the life sciences program to fully engage in the opportunities it offers but instead, I was put in the program for Science and Global Change. Although this program is also science related, it mainly focuses on geology and things completely unrelated to the field I want to be a part of.

I really would appreciate it if someone could tell me how I could make up for this drawback. I applied for a change in programs but the director emailed back and said they couldnt change me but would let me know if any spots opened up in the summer. Is there anything I can do to be able to make up for this? I was thinking of talking to the life sciences teachers anyways but what could I possibly talk about? Any ideas or suggestions would be great. Thank you so much to whoever replies and I appreciate your help greatly.

 

[lilwayne]

"My dilemma is that I want to do premed and I am very interested in being a part of the life sciences program to fully engage in the opportunities it offers but instead, I was put in the program for Science and Global Change."

Wait, so you were put into a program that is going to make you take classes that you aren't interested in? That is a recipe for disaster...I suggest that you drop out of that program and if you can't get into the life sciences program, enroll in a general division of the scholars program (if they have that).

After you enroll, take one or two easy science classes your first term to test the waters. Your focus right now shouldn't necessarily be the division of the program, just make sure you have a great GPA for your first term. Don't worry about doing a crapload of EC's either, pick one or two EC's and do those for your 4 years at UMaryland.

Once again, worry about getting a great GPA your first term...don't overload yourself...it will go a long way. I also suggest that you close your ears to all other premeds and make friends outside of the sciences. Listening to other premeds talk can make you do things that you regret later.

- Young mula baby

 

[Benedictus123]

Yeah, get out of that thing you're not interested in. Honestly, I've never been that impressed with the whole 'honors college' thing that a lot of public schools try to do as a way to compete with elite private schools. Medical schools want to see you have strong grades in the pre-reqs, so for now just focus on getting the best grades you can in your chemistry/physics/etc.

You DON'T need to be a part of some weird special 'health sciences' thing to get into med school. Don't be to frustrated or discouraged by this.

However, I WOULD recommend that you find a clinical volunteering position somewhere around you. Start doing that asap.

 

[lilwayne]

Yeah, get out of that thing you're not interested in. Honestly, I've never been that impressed with the whole 'honors college' thing that a lot of public schools try to do as a way to compete with private schools. Medical schools want to see you have strong grades in the pre-reqs, so for now just focus on getting the best grades you can in your chemistry/physics/etc.

You DON'T need to be a part of some weird special 'health sciences' thing to get into med school. Don't be to frustrated or discouraged by this.

However, I WOULD recommend that you find a clinical volunteering position somewhere around you. Start doing that asap.

Yeah or if you can't do the clinical thing immediately, just get that good GPA first term and use it to apply to an internship for your first summer that can give it to you.

 

[Ahmac]

Wait, so you were put into a program that is going to make you take classes that you aren't interested in? That is a recipe for disaster...I suggest that you drop out of that program and if you can't get into the life sciences program, enroll in a general division of the scholars program (if they have that).

Well, they didn't necessarily say I can't take the classes I am interested in, but my classes are generalized whereas the Life Sciences classes are more specialized in health sciences. The only issue is that I won't be able to fully engage with the Life Science or Pre-med community since our dorms are separate as well.

However, I WOULD recommend that you find a clinical volunteering position somewhere around you. Start doing that asap.

I also am trying to find volunteering opportunities but it feels quite impossible at the moment. Would it be terrible if I couldnt find one this summer?

Thank you for the replies, by the way.

 

[Benedictus123]

Trust me, you want to avoid the 'pre-med' community as much as possible. Just get good grades and find some good volunteering opportunities. Maybe shadow a little if you have time.

 

[Ahmac]

Okay that is a huge relief thank you so much.

 

[Benedictus123]

It's absolutely fine if you don't find one this summer, but if you're not doing much this summer it might be a good way to rack up the hours you need to be a competitive candidate. Inquire at hospitals, hospices (these are almost ALWAYS taking volunteers), nursing homes, free clinics, etc. I'm sure if you really looked you will find something.

Seriously though, go peak at the 'what are my chances' threads sometime. One consistent thing you'll observe are people who always have an obscene amount of shadowing/volunteer time/research/etc but either a really weak GPA or a really weak MCAT score. You can always try to fix MCAT scores by retaking it, but GPAs are permanent (as AMCAS doesn't allow for grade replacement).

The point is that a lot of those people would kill for a clean slate to redo their grades with. You have that clean slate. So focus hard on just getting the highest grades you can get. Don't take too many tough classes in one semester, actually take notes and read your textbook outside of class, don't get roped into any ECs that suck up too much time, avoid drama with personal life stuff, keep your head down, don't get arrested (look at all the applicants who freak out over having an arrest record thanks to drinking under age and getting caught), and dive into college with an open mind and the will to get the work done.

Good luck. I'm happy I finished my bachelors degree years go, but in a lot of ways I miss being an undergrad too.