Ask a future med student anything

[SellerAl]

Well I'm a college senior and I was just accepted to medical school, and have learned a lot about what it takes to get to this point, and have some good tips too. Feel free to ask me anything.

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[Yoled123]

Can you give us your GPA, MCAT, your ec, what schools accepted you, and what school you are coming from?

 

[SellerAl]

3.94/36R, for privacy reasons I'll say i went to a public state school and was accepted to a top 25 med school

 

[Ontology]

What would you have done differently if you could start all over.

 

[SellerAl]

What would you have done differently if you could start all over.

Well, thats an interesting question, because as of today, I'm so excited to have gotten my first acceptance, it's hard to wish it was different, but I absolutely made some mistakes along the way.

For somebody in high school, I wish I stressed out less applying to college, because number one rule: it isn't where you go, it's what you do when you get there. For sure. A school's name isn't going to take you somewhere you don't deserve, and if you deserve to become a doctor, a state school's name won't hold you back a bit.

During college, keep your grades up as high as possible, but also enjoy your time. I wish I had stressed out less, getting by first B was the best thing that ever happened to me. Do not rush TOO much to finish the science pre-reqs, don't graduate in three years.

When you have to apply to med school, do it EARLY, pre-write the application secondaries, and study your butt off for the MCAT. My theory is that its sort of cheating that schools let you in based only off of one test, so all you have to do is master that test, and you can go anywhere. Dedicate a few months of your life to studying for it, and try to get a 33-40, and you'll be able to.

Don't stress, enjoy life, it'll pass by while your planning for the future.

 

[Conflagration]

What's the specialty that you're interested in and why?

I'm trying to figure out what I want to specialize in if I became a doctor.

 

[SellerAl]

What's the specialty that you're interested in and why?

I'm trying to figure out what I want to specialize in if I became a doctor.

The thing about deciding specialties that is easy to forget is the fact that you don't really have to know until your more than half way through medical school. So if your a senior in high school, you have 6 or 7 years left to pick something. I think this is good because both of us, really don't know enough about any specialty yet to mentally commit to anything.

Given I do have certain things that I suspect I would like and dislike, generally people know if they are, or are not interested in surgery, but almost every med student will tell you that they changed their mind about what they want to specialize in, and end up in a field that is vastly different than they thought they would do, that's the beauty of the 3rd and 4th year rotations.

So to answer your question, I'm just not sure, I don't know enough about each one yet, and probably won't for another two or three years. Try to keep an open mind, it's not a decision you have to make yet, there's so many different fields with so many good and bad aspects.

Deciding to become a doctor is the first step, and the biggest hurdle, the rest should fall into place.

 

[Conflagration]

Thanks, that actually made me feel a little less strange.

What made you decide that being a doctor was right for you?

 

[SellerAl]

Thanks, that actually made me feel a little less strange.

What made you decide that being a doctor was right for you?

Haha when you get to med school interviews, you'll have the response to that question memorized for answering it so much, its the one question that is sure to come up during an interview. I could feed you my stock answer, but its only mostly true, I'll admit there's a little bit of school-friendly fluff in there.

To be realistic, I'm not sure how I got set on wanting to be a doctor, but now that I have had some clinical exposure, and got to do some cool work in hospitals, deal with patients, observe surgeries etc, I just know for sure that being a doctor is what I want to do with my life. I guess it partially doesn't really matter how you get to the point where you settle on that decision.

If you're unsure at all, volunteer at the ER near your house or something along those lines, and imagine yourself working there everyday the rest of your life, if it excites you then keep going, if not, there are other options, even other options that you could pursue with an MD, if you didn't want to back out of being a pre-med.

One last note, try to get involved in some research, it's a huge part of the medical world now, and will only grow in importance, there's some great opportunities for some research in high school if you find them, and it will really look great on your college apps too.

 

[Conflagration]

I can only imagine how much fun it'll be to tell my mother that I'm going to job shadow at the emergency room. xD

This has been very helpful, thanks. I'll post another question if/when I think of one.

 

[CeeEstee0]

Ah, I love these threads. Thank you!

-What order did you take your science pre-reqs in? My student advisor recommends to take anatomy before general biology, what is your opinion?

-When did you take your MCAT? How many times?

-What are your plans for financing med school? (you can not answer this, or be as vague as you wish).

-Your undergrad study methods?

 

[SellerAl]

Ah, I love these threads. Thank you!

-What order did you take your science pre-reqs in? My student advisor recommends to take anatomy before general biology, what is your opinion?

-When did you take your MCAT? How many times?

-What are your plans for financing med school? (you can not answer this, or be as vague as you wish).

-Your undergrad study methods?

1. I took the general chem's with the general bios during my freshman year, then the organic's with the physics sophomore year, biochem, physio, anatomy and those others during my junior and senior year. Advisers are helpful, but always take it with a grain of salt, make your own decisions. As long as all of the general bio, physics, ochem, and general chem is done before the MCAT, the order isn't as important. I would make sure to take physiology for the MCAT, its incredibly helpful for the biological sciences section. Anatomy never hurts to take, take it anytime, when you feel you can handle it, don't over due it, grades through junior year are crucial, so don't go overboard.

2. I took it in mid June, but wish I had taken it sooner, AMCAS (the general med school application that goes to every school), opens June 1st, and you should submit it early June if possible. Don't take it too early to compromise studying for it, but plan accordingly and take it no later than June before you apply, if possible. And I took it once, never take it more than once unless it will hold you back otherwise. It's not like the SAT where you have 2-3 chances.

3. 90% of med student will take loans, get your parents to help you if possible, apply to outside scholarships as often as possible, the essays will start recycling, and money will pour in.

4. I took classes in the morning, about 10-1 everyday, and went right to the library before I even went home, stayed until about 5 or 6. This way I got all my work done while it was fresh in my head, didn't put it off, and had my nights to enjoy myself. Time management will be essential, my methods wont work for everybody, find out what works for you. Never be a slacker, or med school just won't happen. Get a 3.7/32 if you can to be confident about applying to a MD program in the US.

 

[da8s0859q]

Well I'm a college senior and I was just accepted to medical school, and have learned a lot about what it takes to get to this point, and have some good tips too. Feel free to ask me anything.

Boxers or briefs?

 

[SellerAl]

Boxers or briefs?

Haha, Depends.

 

[I'm No Superman]

Haha, Depends.

You mean these?

Just kidding.

Thanks for making this thread, I'm sure it will be a huge help to us high schoolers.

Would you recommend taking O-Chem freshman year? I already have all my gen chem and lab requirements done, and and was wondering if I would be at a major disadvantage taking it early?

 

[SellerAl]

You mean these?

Just kidding.

Thanks for making this thread, I'm sure it will be a huge help to us high schoolers.

Would you recommend taking O-Chem freshman year? I already have all my gen chem and lab requirements done, and and was wondering if I would be at a major disadvantage taking it early?

Haha you know it. And if you finished the gen chems with the lab already then I say go for it. It won't put you at a disadvantage at all, as long as your able to do the level of work ochem demands as a freshman, don't take that class lightly. Two advantages in my opinion:

One. If schools notice you took it as a freshman, it will surely show your diligence, work ethic, and eagerness. Most people obviously don't do this, and separating yourself from the pack is usually advantageous.

Two, most people take the MCAT the summer between junior and senior year, when they need to apply, this means you have about 3 years to take classes that will help you get ready for the MCAT, with your required basic classes finishing up early, you'll have time, unlike most, to squeeze in anatomy, physiology, biochem, genetics, and other classes that will help with your mcat, but most people wouldn't have been able to do before that summer. If you can handle it I say go for it.

Spend at least an hour or 90 minutes everyday, not a class that cramming will work, not only too much memorization, but it requires very high levels of thinking. Good luck I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[SellerAl]

One more thing, which applies to everybody. Primarily, above course load, course order, ECs, and even arugably MCAT, is your GPA. Make no decision that will ever jeopardize your GPA, so if taking ochem as a sophomore, and spreading out your pre-reqs is better for your GPA then do it.

 

[SellerAl]

I definitely want to reemphasize the GPA point again. Don't let a heavy courseload be the reason for a poor GPA. You aren't going to impress anyone by trying to bite off more than you can digest. I took a pretty light courseload as an undergrad (just did enough to stay as a full time student) and even in my two year post-bacc program, the science coursework was spaced out pretty nicely. I look like a slacker compared to most other premeds (who, in my humble opinion, are insane with the amount of work and ECs they try to take on). My comparatively light schedule was not brought up in any of my interviews I think because of my high GPA and MCAT (cGPA ~3.8, sGPA ~4.0).

Also, unless you are absolutely sure that you have solid study habits, don't force yourself to take too many science classes during your freshman year. For many people, college represents the first time when they are suddenly given a lot of freedom. You want to make sure you're settled in before you throw yourself into a schedule that demands consistent hard work and studying. Also, before you take chemistry or physics, make sure you have a solid grasp of at least algebra.

Another tip I would like to add is to do something that is of genuine interest to you. We all want to help people, but that doesn't mean we should be spending all of our free time in the ER volunteering. College is a great time to learn how to paint, or cook, or dance, or do something outside of the sciences. As a 'career-changer' (I use that term very loosely lol), adcoms definitely appreciated that I had many interests outside of medicine.

My final tip is to be yourself in your activities and to do things that you are truly passionate about (it's cliche but I do believe it's true). SDN is really full of overachievers and you might get the impression that you must go to a rural village in Africa, start your own premed club, etc. etc. in order to even have a shot at getting into medical school. I have no interest in any of those fancy 'look at me!' activities so my ECs are surprisingly bland and uninspired by comparison--but they paint a consistent picture of who I am as a person and applicant (e.g. hospital volunteering, research, painting, learning how to cook and cooking at a food shelter, some tutoring; no leadership at all). I worried a lot initially that I wasn't 'doing enough' but everything turned out alright for me (multiple acceptances at "top 20" and other great schools with full scholarships at some). It's not what you do in college that matters. It's why you choose to do them and how you present what you learned from those experiences that are going to influence your success at getting into medical school. If you choose to volunteer in the community or do research because you think it'll "look good" on your application, adcoms will be able to see right through it when they ask you about your motivations for doing those activities (they aren't stupid and are well-aware of the perceived admissions checklist).

Getting into medical school (in my opinion) comes down to having a good GPA, a good MCAT score, good LORs, a sincere personality and a logical motivation for pursuing medicine (i.e. 'your story'). If you are able to hit these few basic points, don't worry about all the other stuff (e.g. insane courseworks, resume padding activities, trying to be ultra-special and unique, etc.).

That's good advice. You need to balance being a gunner pre-med, and enjoying your life. It is all about the balance. But I will also agree to re-stress the issue, keep that GPA up!

 

[CeeEstee0]

What prepatory materials, (if any) did you use for the MCAT?

How excited are you about med school?

 

[SellerAl]

What prepatory materials, (if any) did you use for the MCAT?

How excited are you about med school?

I would assume that literally every single medical student in this country prepped for the MCAT. It's just too competitive now to wing it. People have many different styles, but I'll share what worked for me, I went from a 23 on my first practice test to a 36 on my real test. It did take about 4 or 5 months of real commitment though.

First thing is, make sure you actually learn the material, schedule your classes so that you will be done with the MCAT relevant courses before you take it, I would strongly encourage physiology as well. Anatomy will be helpful for med school, but not so much for the MCAT. Once you make sure that your MCAT relevant classes will be done before the end (or middle) of junior year, take a prep class! I took Kaplan, had no complaints, I've heard good things about Princeton Review as well. These classes are not magical, they will be nothing but a 2k mistake unless you put the work in on your own, most people say about 15-20 hours a week if possible. 90% of the helpfulness of these prep classes is doing the weekly homeworks/readings/tests/quizzes. Class is just a review/q and a.

Next important issue, take as many practice tests as possible, and learn your wrong answers, why they're wrong, the topics your shaky on, and make a list. Study every wrong answer thoroughly, and your correct answers as well, doing practice tests isn't nearly as helpful if you hit submit and close your laptop.

Start dabbling in the materials, so you know whats coming, Exam Crackers has a great study book, I believe its the most comprehensive. Its perhaps the most important test of your life, and you only really (ideally) get one shot at it. But for now, worry about your GPA.

 

[SellerAl]

And I'm very excited, just ordered a tshirt and car sticker today actually to make it really official.

 

[da8s0859q]

That's good advice. You need to balance being a gunner pre-med, and enjoying your life. It is all about the balance. But I will also agree to re-stress the issue, keep that GPA up!

Agree about the balance, but I'd almost actually say that you might want to lean towards the chill / having fun side. College is no place for being a "gunner" -- a term that barely applies in undergrad anyway -- or for being hypercompetitive / hyperintense.

I'm over halfway through my third year of med school, and I will say that in retrospect, I'm so glad that I never let academic obligations keep me from doing fun stuff when I "should" have studied and gotten those extra couple of points on the next exam. Yeah, academia is priority to get into med school, but eventually, there is such a thing as "point of diminishing returns" where peace of mind and good memories are more important.

Okay tap, I'll stop hijacking your thread now.

 

[SellerAl]

Agree about the balance, but I'd almost actually say that you might want to lean towards the chill / having fun side. College is no place for being a "gunner" -- a term that barely applies in undergrad anyway -- or for being hypercompetitive / hyperintense.

I'm over halfway through my third year of med school, and I will say that in retrospect, I'm so glad that I never let academic obligations keep me from doing fun stuff when I "should" have studied and gotten those extra couple of points on the next exam. Yeah, academia is priority to get into med school, but eventually, there is such a thing as "point of diminishing returns" where peace of mind and good memories are more important.

Okay tap, I'll stop hijacking your thread now.

The more opinions, help, and posts the more helpful it will be to future pre-meds, I fully encourage it. I agree with you, however it is easy, once accepted or attending medical school, to take that stance. I think with good time management, you should (as I did) have no problem having lots of fun at college, maybe even too much fun sometimes. But always remember why your there, what your priorities are, and that most of your friends don't need the GPA that you need to accomplish your life goals.

 

[LJ1000F]

Can I ask which medical school ranking system/list youre using. There's a lot out there and I'm just wondering what people are using as their basis

 

[SellerAl]

Can I ask which medical school ranking system/list youre using. There's a lot out there and I'm just wondering what people are using as their basis

You mean this in the context of when I said that I was accepted to a top 25 school? Most people value US News and World Report as the standard, generally the research subcategory, there is less "prestige" associated with their primary care ranking. But rankings are certainly not always agreed upon, nor does it mean one school is "better" than another. All med schools are great schools, rankings are far less important than they are for colleges.

 

[I'm No Superman]

How long did it take you to develop good study habits/How did you develop good study habits?

Right now, I use an "n-1" system. I do my 2nd block homework in first block, my 3rd block homework in 2nd block, and 1st block homework (if any) in 3rd block.

 

[SellerAl]

How long did it take you to develop good study habits/How did you develop good study habits?

Right now, I use an "n-1" system. I do my 2nd block homework in first block, my 3rd block homework in 2nd block, and 1st block homework (if any) in 3rd block.

Haha I like that, unfortunately it won't work in college. I was a slacker in high school, GPA barely above 3.0 when I applied to college. I knew from day 1 of undergrad that I needed to get it together, or I simply could not be a doctor. I went to class in the morning, and did all of that day's homework that afternoon, start to finish, no more no less. It kept me very stress free, and I had nights to enjoy myself and chill with my friends. Now some of my friends that are applying to med school have that low GPA from freshman year that's holding them back (a very common problem), and I worked to get nearly a 4.0 since day one, which I am particularly proud of since I was never that type of student in the past. Work ethic is a conscious decision, not a stroke of luck. You can work as hard as you want to. Time management is a crucial component, when you go to study, actually study, turn your laptop's wireless off, be efficient, you'll do a higher quality of work in a smaller amount of time. You'll be fine, don't worry, and enjoy yourself, if your concerned already it means you care, if you care, you'll do well, its that simple.

 

[gibson777]

What did you major in? You may have said it but I don't recall.

 

[SellerAl]

What did you major in? You may have said it but I don't recall.

Nope I never mentioned it, I majored in biology, pretty generic I know. You'll see though that med schools do not favor one major over another, so if your thinking about being a biochem or astrophysics major because it looks impressive, don't do it if it will be at the cost of your GPA, do it because it interests you and you'll do well. I've been to med school interviews with accounting majors, finance, history, music, english etc. Anything you can imagine. Click any med school's website and they'll brag about the nontraditional variety of majors they accept. As long as you do the required pre-reqs (chem, ochem, labs, physics, bio's etc), are ready (and do well) on the MCAT as a result, your actual major is very low on the list of things med schools care about. I think sometimes it may even help to be a non-traditional major, but who knows. Majoring in more traditional majors like bio forces you to take anatomy, physio, neuro's, histology etc that will not only help in med school, but help for the MCAT if you take them in time. But like I keep saying, accommodate your GPA.

 

[I'm No Superman]

What are somethings you wish you would have done/done differently in college that you didn't do?

Edit: You do ONE image search for adult diapers and Google spams Depends ads at you...

 

[gibson777]

Nope I never mentioned it, I majored in biology, pretty generic I know. You'll see though that med schools do not favor one major over another, so if your thinking about being a biochem or astrophysics major because it looks impressive, don't do it if it will be at the cost of your GPA, do it because it interests you and you'll do well. I've been to med school interviews with accounting majors, finance, history, music, english etc. Anything you can imagine. Click any med school's website and they'll brag about the nontraditional variety of majors they accept. As long as you do the required pre-reqs (chem, ochem, labs, physics, bio's etc), are ready (and do well) on the MCAT as a result, your actual major is very low on the list of things med schools care about. I think sometimes it may even help to be a non-traditional major, but who knows. Majoring in more traditional majors like bio forces you to take anatomy, physio, neuro's, histology etc that will not only help in med school, but help for the MCAT if you take them in time. But like I keep saying, accommodate your GPA.

Thanks...I've been really stumped about the major thing if this all doesn't work out. I pretty much applied BioChem everywhere but now am thinking about other things, including physics, possibly accounting etc. I guess the good thing about BioChem or a related science is the MCAT prep you get, but if I can't get the GPA the prep is worthless.

 

[SellerAl]

What are somethings you wish you would have done/done differently in college that you didn't do?

Edit: You do ONE image search for adult diapers and Google spams Depends ads at you...

Haha it was worth it anyway though. And I would say I wish I had done more formal research. It's easy to neglect, or not pursue research opportunities, but if you have any aspirations of attending a top 30 school, having some research experience (or ideally a publication), would be extremely helpful, and even arguable required. Pitt told me during my interview that 93% of its accepted students had done research. It's possible to attend a top tier school without research experience but its much harder. Schools like Harvard, Penn, Yale etc are research institutions primarily, and want to accept people who have shown interest in doing research. If your not interested, there's nothing wrong with attending a less research intensive school, you will still not only get your MD, but a great medical education, every MD school in this country is top notch, however these schools generally don't always have the "prestige" that people look for in schools like the ivys, and will fall lower on the US News rankings. For both college and med schools, where you go doesn't matter, its what you do when your there. That may not be as true when it comes time to choose a residency though, but that's far off for us both.

 

[SellerAl]

Thanks...I've been really stumped about the major thing if this all doesn't work out. I pretty much applied BioChem everywhere but now am thinking about other things, including physics, possibly accounting etc. I guess the good thing about BioChem or a related science is the MCAT prep you get, but if I can't get the GPA the prep is worthless.

Well most schools wont force you to declare a major until at least two years in, so if you start off on the biochem track, take the econ classes anyway that the accounting majors would be doing freshman year, this way if you changed your mind you wouldn't be too far behind. I took micro and macro econ for literally no reason at all, purely elective, and loved it. If you go down the accounting path, consider taking the intro bios and chems, so you could change your mind and switch majors, or even apply to med school as an accounting or finance major (remember you still need to take the required science classes to apply to med school, even though your major wont require it). Don't stay in limbo too long, but its not as much of an emergency as some people will make you think.

 

[I'm No Superman]

Did you go greek?

 

[upright]

Did you go greek?

Not quite sure what his sexual orientation has to do with anything.

 

[I'm No Superman]

Not quite sure what his sexual orientation has to do with anything.

?

Maybe going Greek means something different in a non-collegiate context, but for clarification, Did you join a fraternity/sorority?

 

[Coffee Machine]

Not quite sure what his sexual orientation has to do with anything.

 

[SellerAl]

Did you go greek?

Haha well I'm not sure where the confusion is coming from, but as far as I know greek life relates to frats/sororities. At my school greek life was a big deal, nothing to sneeze at, I considered it but after learning the time commitment realized that I couldn't keep my grades up, and also find the time to get through pledging. Pledging was about 10 weeks long, and is arguably torture from what I heard from a few of my friends who ended up dropping out. My state schools frats are generally filled with nice people, but whose priorities were not about getting good grades. Theres nothing wrong with that but, I knew it would have had a negative effect on my academic life, and I had plenty of friends who I could still have fun with, and would respect the fact that I was at the library a decent portion of the day. All schools are different, and some people will have more of a desire to pledge than I did, you just have to see when you get there.

I encourage you to rush, meet some of the brothers, see if you fit in, ask if you have to spend a year in the frat house, then decide if you would even want to, get a grasp on the time commitment, and move from there. If you show interest in a frat during rush, they will likely give you a bid. You can always accept it, and if pledging seems to be too hard, you can always drop out (like many of my friends did, pledging is intentionally a weeding out process). There will be plenty of partying either way so don't do it just for the social aspects. There are plenty of leadership opportunities in fraternities that will be respected on a resume or med app. A good friend of mine got a very competitive job at a major bank through his business oriented fraternity.

 

[Brachyury]

Well, thats an interesting question, because as of today, I'm so excited to have gotten my first acceptance, it's hard to wish it was different, but I absolutely made some mistakes along the way.

For somebody in high school, I wish I stressed out less applying to college, because number one rule: it isn't where you go, it's what you do when you get there. For sure. A school's name isn't going to take you somewhere you don't deserve, and if you deserve to become a doctor, a state school's name won't hold you back a bit.

During college, keep your grades up as high as possible, but also enjoy your time. I wish I had stressed out less, getting by first B was the best thing that ever happened to me. Do not rush TOO much to finish the science pre-reqs, don't graduate in three years.

When you have to apply to med school, do it EARLY, pre-write the application secondaries, and study your butt off for the MCAT. My theory is that its sort of cheating that schools let you in based only off of one test, so all you have to do is master that test, and you can go anywhere. Dedicate a few months of your life to studying for it, and try to get a 33-40, and you'll be able to.

Don't stress, enjoy life, it'll pass by while your planning for the future.

Yes and no: if the prestige of your UG matters even just a little, then yes, it does matter. Obviously, good grades and MCAT scores are a must, but coming from an excellent UG can only improve your application, and if you are a 'weaker' applicant, the quality of your UG can help you get your foot in the door.

There are many benefits to going to a top private university, such as smaller class sizes, better services, and often times better financial aid. That being said, there are many excellent state schools (Cal, UCLA, Washington, Colorado, Virginia, Illinois, Michigan, etc), however, there are also many bad state schools. I'm also going to plug LACs as a better alternative to universities, but that's a different discussion.

If you have the gpa and SAT/ACT scores, consider applying to your state's flagship school and several private institutions. Most of the top private schools have large endowments and offer excellent financial aid; in many cases, it may cost the same or even less to attend a top private school rather than your state school. Point is, don't let the sticker price of a college scare you: you never know how much it's going to cost until you get your financial aid package.

Finally two general pieces of advice: make sure to study abroad in UG, and for the love of God, take at least two years off between college and med school

P.S. Make sure to keep an open mind in college. Although you might enter college with the intention of going into medicine, for all you know, you might fail physics/fall in love with something else. Also, don't think of college (or med school) as a necessary stepping stone towards becoming a physician: learn to enjoy the present and live life to the fullest.

 

[DocGodfather]

Hey bro, thanks for the great service you're giving. I'm a non-traditional, and I was wondering what non-prereqs do you recommend I take before applying (for the '13 or '14 cycle)? I'm going to take Anatomy, Physiology, Microbio, and Genetics. Not sure if this is enough.

 

[SellerAl]

Well I appreciate the other opinions, but now that we're getting some mildly conflicting advice I would like to make the following disclaimer: anything your hear from myself, other SDNers, your advisor, parents or anybody Is just a single opinion, consider their viewpoint, but ultimately ALWAYS make your own decisions because your the one that will live with them.

 

[SellerAl]

Hey bro, thanks for the great service you're giving. I'm a non-traditional, and I was wondering what non-prereqs do you recommend I take before applying (for the '13 or '14 cycle)? I'm going to take Anatomy, Physiology, Microbio, and Genetics. Not sure if this is enough.

Don't overload yourself with too many heavy high level classes. Course load is not nearly closely as examined as GPA, and if your already planning on taking the four above you seem to be flirting with a bio overdose. You'll never have the chance to take a astronomy class again, or animal behavior, economics, etc. I would find a balance between upper level bios, and other easier classes that you have a genuine interest in. It won't be looked down upon, I'm currently only taking ONE class that IS NOT an intro class and that fact was never mentioned in any of my interviews. Physiology, anatomy, biochem, and genetics are great, but don't ruin your junior and senior year by going too far. Pick something unusual that you like and enjoy it. I reccomend astronomy!

 

[I'm No Superman]

Are you slacking now that you've been accepted? I know I am, and I haven't even heard a decision from my 1st choice school. Can med schools/colleges rescind an acceptance due to a poor senior year?

 

[SellerAl]

Are you slacking now that you've been accepted? I know I am, and I haven't even heard a decision from my 1st choice school. Can med schools/colleges rescind an acceptance due to a poor senior year?

Short answer is yes, not to mention my stress level is WAY lower. Colleges, parents, teachers, and counselors will constantly tell the story of "that one guy" who slacked off second semester senior year and had his acceptance revoked, it's just to scare you. Is it a realistic worry, I don't think so as long as your grades are not THAT far below your norm. I have heard some schools can start you on academic probation for obvious neglect.

Keep in mind that if you keep your gpa up you may be able to graduate with some sort of distinction or honors from your high school, which is a bigger deal at college graduation, but is still something certainly to be proud of not only at high school graduation, but forever. Not to mention the time you'll free up from not studying will be consumed with guilt that it probably won't be worth It anyway. So can you relax now, yeah you earned it, but for your own sake, don't stop doing your homework.

 

[I'm No Superman]

I just wanted to say thanks for being so helpful. I really screwed up my first year and a half of high school, and it cost me an instate regents, and a fair chance of getting rejected from Michigan. I really don't want to make that mistake again.

 

[SellerAl]

No problem at all, I do have a little more free time now. And I had a similar high school experience, ended up applying with very poor grades. After I squeaked into my state school, my rough past served as my motivation to start working harder, and not only did it work but it felt great. College grades are much more important than high school grades, so just imagine the slate being wiped clean when you start.

 

[akhasawneh]

Thanks a lot for posting this thread, I find it interesting and helpful. I wish you luck in your future medical career.

 

[da8s0859q]

anything your hear from myself, other SDNers, your advisor, parents or anybody Is just a single opinion, consider their viewpoint, but ultimately ALWAYS make your own decisions because your the one that will live with them.

Sage words from the c/o 2016, folks. Don't get so inundated with others' opinions that you forget your own.

 

[SellerAl]

Thanks a lot for posting this thread, I find it interesting and helpful. I wish you luck in your future medical career.

Thanks a lot, I think I'll need it. The Prowler has a similar thread but it's ask a surgical resident anything, and I found that really fun to read and helpful, I know I don't have nearly the amount of cool life experiences but I figured I'd do my best, I've learned a lot about college and applying to med school, I wish I knew about this website when I was applying to college.

 

[CeeEstee0]

In medical school, what is the standard curriculum?
Also, I volunteer in my local hospital, and the other volunteers and I have the option of rotating to a new department every three months, or staying at our previous department for three months. In your opinion, is it better to focus in one area, or gain experience in all different departments?

Btw, nice avatar.