What should I do?

[RedTurboCCX]

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Okay, so I'm a community college student in Houston, Texas.

Just a little bit to give you guys something to go on. I currently am a freshman with a 4.0 gpa after the first semester. Member of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society for the Two Year College, and President-Elect of the Patriot Club at my school. In addition, I am an Army ROTC Cadet.

My dream is Harvard Medical. I have a long way to go before I get there though. I want to know which would be better at this point.

I want to attend Texas A&M University. I have two choices. I can either go fall of '09 as a Biology major, or I can go fall of '10 as a Biomedical Science major. Which would look better for Harvard, or med schools in general?

Unfortunately, I must have 2 years of college out of the way before I can go into Biomedical, but only 1 year for Biology.

I also have another problem! You could have seen that coming, right?

There is the possibility I might be accepted to Rice University. Now, Rice is a better school than TAMU in terms of academics. But at TAMU, I would be doing alot more extracurriculars, which might be impressive, such as:

Member of the Corps of Cadets, Member of the Parson's Mounted Cavalry, Commissioned Officer in the US Army, and hopefully some other clubs. At Rice, they don't have the Corps, which teaches leadership and discipline.

What do you guys think I should do?

 

[Mobius1985]

Medical schools don't care about your major, but a lot of them do care if you have community college credits on your transcript. I'd suggest transferring to a four-year school as soon as possible. Also, don't take the med school prerequisitres until you get to the four-year school, as you'll need them to be sufficiently rigorous to prepare you well for the MCAT.

If you are in ROTC, won't you be commissioned directly after you graduate?

You can obtain leadership opportunities in many ways other than the military. The ECs you need to develop otherwise are community service, clinical experience, and research.

 

[virusgirl]

I completely agree with Mobius. The most impressive major is the one you do well in. And yes, schools are picky about CC credits, so hold off on your pre-reqs. Similarly, where you went to school isn't given much weight -- if ALL OTHER THINGS are equal, Harvard might trump Framingham State, but it really isn't a deciding factor. Go to the school you will be happiest at and do the best at.

If you really want to go to HMS, then you really need to do EC stuff beyond military options. And I don't just mean "other clubs." Be a leader (don't just join the Corps which "teaches leadership and discpline" -- actually get out there and lead something). Do volunteer work with the underserved, and make it something that isn't hospital volunteering. Do research and if you can, get a publication out of that experience -- HMS is a big research school and establishing yourself as a good researcher will be important. Get LOTS of clinical experience, and make sure that it is diverse. Spending a day with a GP is great, but try to experience multiple disciplines.

 

[Mobius1985]

Any research-intense organization like Harvard will expect you to demonstrate dedication to research, like 2+ years is typical, so get that going as soon as you get to your 4-year institution. The more publications you can generate, the better.

 

[RedTurboCCX]

So here's the problem with all this.

I can't get into TAMU without first completing the pre-reqs for medical school. For example, Bio I and II, Chem I & II, and OChem I & II must be completed along with Cal I before I can transfer to TAMU.

Since I have to take these at San Jac (my CC), will the med schools frown upon this, or is it just because a more rigorous biology course will prep me for MCAT?

I'm seriously taking into consideration what you all have said, so thank you for the feedback!

 

[SB25]

I'm not an ad com member, so I can't say this for sure (and others, please correct me if I'm wrong in saying this), but I think ad coms do not like to see your prereqs taken at a CC. It's not an MCAT thing, although I would think your MCAT score would also benefit from taking a more rigorous course. If I were you, I'd find a way to take those prereqs at a 4 year university. After all that work, you wouldn't want a little thing like where you took your classes to be a deciding factor in whether or not you are accepted.

 

[virusgirl]

While med schools definitely do prefer your prereqs to have been taken at a 4 year institution, I don't know if it is a deal-breaker, and if you have your heart set on TAMU you may not have a choice (unless you take those specific classes at a different 4 year place).

I would PM this to LizzyM -- she is a school admin and could give you her perspective on just how much of a problem CC prerequisites would be. Alternatively, take those science classes over the summer at a 4 year institution -- could even be TAMU. Many places will let you take summer classes without being a student there, and you get credit/a transcript, etc.

 

[LizzyM]

Okay, so I'm a community college student in Houston, Texas.

Just a little bit to give you guys something to go on. I currently am a freshman with a 4.0 gpa after the first semester. Member of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society for the Two Year College, and President-Elect of the Patriot Club at my school. In addition, I am an Army ROTC Cadet.

My dream is Harvard Medical. I have a long way to go before I get there though. I want to know which would be better at this point.

I want to attend Texas A&M University. I have two choices. I can either go fall of '09 as a Biology major, or I can go fall of '10 as a Biomedical Science major. Which would look better for Harvard, or med schools in general?

Unfortunately, I must have 2 years of college out of the way before I can go into Biomedical, but only 1 year for Biology.

I also have another problem! You could have seen that coming, right?

There is the possibility I might be accepted to Rice University. Now, Rice is a better school than TAMU in terms of academics. But at TAMU, I would be doing alot more extracurriculars, which might be impressive, such as:

Member of the Corps of Cadets, Member of the Parson's Mounted Cavalry, Commissioned Officer in the US Army, and hopefully some other clubs. At Rice, they don't have the Corps, which teaches leadership and discipline.

What do you guys think I should do?

In your situation, it won't matter that you've done pre-reqs at a CC. ROTC might impress some adcoms; many won't care one way of another. It is important to have had some clinical experience and, for Harvard, to have had some research experience.

Major doesn't matter. Choose what you find most interesting.

 

[RedTurboCCX]

Again, thank you all for the great feedback!

I have spoken once again to Texas A&M Admissions and after a lengthy conversation I found a way to get in after this semester, which is a semester earlier than I thought I was going to be able to get in. Thanks for all your input guys!