I read so much about how med school is a hard admit these days. Given that a premed track in college generally includes a bunch of weed out science classes, can a pretty average high school student succeed and get good grades? Or are only stellar high school students giving premed a shot? If a B high school student has his heart set on being a doctor are there certain types of colleges would give a student the best chance of success?
You want a supportive, collaborative college where your stats and preparation place you among the top students.
During orientation, focus on support resources: Book a tutor in all science subjects (Don’t wait till midterms when they’ll all be booked). Learn how to book a study room so you can step up and say ’ let’s form a study group, I’ve booked room 120A from 7:30-9:00 on Sundays ".
Then, you have to be focused right away. Many freshmen will do silly things their first week - get drunk every night, not go to class… You can’t afford to. No going out during the week. Go to class. Every class. Sit in the first 2 rows, right in front f the podium. Pencil in office hours every week and go with questions ready. You get the questions during the lecture, during lav, during problem sets and jot it own in your Notebook (something you didn’t get; something you found interesting and want more information on).
You should also, if possible, not take General bio, general chemistry, and calculus together. Start with chemistry (+lab) and calculus only - those will be weedout and really hard. Add Composition, Sociology, and something else. In the Spring, take Biology 1, chemistry 2, biostatistics, psychology, one gen Ed.
It’s a marathon, no a dash race. Slow and steady wins the race. Students who take too much all at once crash and burn.
I also think it matters why the student is getting Bs in HS. If a student is working super hard, doing a ton of studying, and still struggling to get Bs, I think pre-med courses are going to be super challenging. If it’s because a student is bored and isn’t trying, that can be turned around if they are really focused on that med school goal. IMO though, bored/not trying/poor study habits should be addressed ASAP while still in HS. Getting As in the college intro courses requires a lot of effort and the self discipline to study long hours…
You may also want to consider schools that are on a trimester schedule so you aren’t taking more than 4 courses/semester.
^ very true.
Except for a trimester system: not a good idea because it goes too fast.
Some private colleges have semester classes and 4-credit courses so full load is only 4 courses.
To clarify, not a school on trimesters that are really like a quarter system without summer, but a school like St Olaf where there is a short January term.
Yes. I was thinking that a liberal arts school may be the way to go. Maybe those science classes won’t seem like such weed out classes and a smaller school would be less likely to have a student fall through the cracks. Lots of think about.
IMO if the kid isn’t working very hard in high school where it is easy to get an A, what changes when he gets to college? All this motivation is intrinsic. The reality is many kids say fantastic things out loud about being a Dr, parents don’t have to really say anything much as they really self select out. Just make sure his major has potential for earning a living.
I think that there will always be some B students who rise to the occasion and do really well in college…and eventually apply to medical school. There are a lot of variables to consider.
There are other routes to take as well…PA, nurse practitioner, DO school ( somewhat less competitive than MD school), etc
Just FYI - this is not about my kids. Just a general question as I hear kids we know talk about being doctors and they aren’t the best students. Made me wonder if these types of students end up making it when they aren’t top of their high school classes.
In my opinion and from my observations, most average ( as well as above average) HS kids end up switching to a different major or health care career. Premed …as well as everything that comes along with it ( volunteering, shadowing, high mcat, high gpa, research, etc) is tough, even for the strongest students.
Many of these kids figure that out with time. My own D (recent grad) will likely apply to medical school within the next few years, and I see what she has had to accomplish. I have a hard time believing that students who aren’t that strong/driven etc can do it…but…some surprise us I guess.
HS kids talk a lot of nonsense. But it is the least likely kids that talk the loudest. Smile and nod.
Smiling and nodding is actually a good skill LOL. It’s not easy…it’s like when these same kids had a list of unrealistic schools…and didn’t get in. Similar concept.
@Sybylla lol!!! I did have one friend ask me flat out if her daughter stands a chance at getting to medical school and I guess I should just say “sure” and move on! I’m sure they’ll figure the whole thing out sooner or later. It just made me really curious if a late bloomer could make it happen. But it does seem unlikely.
It’s hard to be premed and a late bloomer…you need to hit the ground running right away and you need the study habits to go along with it…among other things.
Some late bloomers do eventually attend medical school, but they might not do it right after college graduation ( gap years are very common for many). They enroll in programs to improve their gpa, and they spend time volunteering etc.
If my good friend asked me if her HS student with a B average had a chance of getting into medical school, I think I would be honest and say “I don’t know.” Then I would go through the long list of what is necessary to possibly get into medical school ( I may come across to this friend as a know-it-all …but would take my chances LOL):
- high gpa overall and in science, getting all or almost all A’s in prerequisites including “weedouts”
- strong mcat score
- volunteering with underserved populations
- leadership
- research ( depending)
- shadowing
- being able to thoughtfully answer the question “why medicine”
- developing relationships with professors who will write LOR
- meaningful gap year if you are doing one
- clinical volunteering
Many don’t realize the long and difficult road…but once they hear it they may understand …or maybe not ?
And …remember that most who begin as premed…change their mind.
I have a family member who was a B student in HS and went on to college as an education major. Senior year of college he applied to Teach for America and did not get in, but he did get accepted to another similar type program in a city. After one year of doing this program he quit…hated it. He didn’t last through the entire 2 years of the program.
At the age of 23 he decided that he was interested in medical school. He spent the next few years taking all the prerequisites for medical school, shadowing, volunteering, etc. He took the mcats and at the age of 27…he was in medical school. I spoke to him recently and he was very happy and doing well in school.
This is how some (not many) B students in HS ( and even in college) gain entry to medical school. As noted earlier, it is becoming more and more common for most premeds to take a gap year…or more. I think I just read that the average age now to begin is 24. I suspect that this age will continue to rise.
Non trads with some kind of trust fund might be able to meander for sure.
Yes the process is very expensive.
Adding to @twogirls (#14,15) I don’t think that the question can be answered as there are just too many parts to becoming a successful med school applicant. Med schools receive 1000s of application, some over 10k applications to fill perhaps 1-200 seats. Hard decisions get made. Weakness in any application area can be fatal.
I’d to the above list
Doing well on interview
Applying broadly
Some luck.
As to gap year(s): med school application process is year long meaning that if one wants to start med school after senior year, they need to submit a strong application in all respects at end of junior year. I think the pressure to jam a lot of stuff (eg premed reqs, ECs, etc) into three years often results in premed hopeful dreams ending and their moving on to Plan Bs, or submitting an otherwise weaker application hoping they will somehow be the one. Slowing down and taking an extra year(s) to strengthen one’s application can be a very wise strategy for any student, stellar or not. There’s a saying about the process that it’s a marathon not a sprint.
More and more students apply senior year or even after - I think the average first ear is now 24.