<p>Well hello guys, i feel like i know a lot of you guys already haha i been reading this forum for like a year and a half now but never posted before -_-</p>
<p>So im going to give u guys a little bit of background so you guys have all the information that u might need to help me.</p>
<p>I been in this country for 4-5 years, graduated HS and got into UCF. I did some Dual Enrollment credits:
-Freshman Comp I and II....i got a B in freshman comp I and an A in freshman comp II...my first B ever i just wasnt rdy for that english level just yet.
-I did all the way to Calc II...all As also in a community college, and then i stopped cuz after reading this forums i noticed i would be makign a big mistake if i took anymore classes.</p>
<p>So my first semester went pretty well...i got all As with one A-..</p>
<p>However, i took an easy chem class, its like Chem I divided in a whole semester, so then ill take chem II during the summer. I was wondering if that was a bad choice? Also, i drive to school for 1:30min cuz ilive at home, since i dont have the money to live on campus.</p>
<p>I am worried because i have not started doing any volunteer work yet, even though im doing the orientation to volunteer in a hospital next week. I also wanted to tutor ESOL students from my high school because the school is short in staff and the percentage of students from the ESOL program that actually got into a university is just sad. </p>
<p>I was also wondering if i should start doing internships this summer?</p>
<p>OH and i was wondering if i could give u guys the schedule for this semester and next semester to see if u guys could let me know if i should take more classes or like take harder classes. Any help would be appreciated thx!</p>
<p>Hey, to be honest, I’m not 100% sure what you’re saying. It sounds like you took some sort of easier chem course? It needs to be a freshmen general chemistry (1 yr) course (what a bio or chem major would take freshmen yr). Not sure what yours was.
As for the rest of it, you sound fine. Get some volunteering in (100-200 hrs) and some clinical experience (200-500 hrs) as well as some research (6 mos-2 yrs) and you should be fine on that side of things.
It sounds like you may not speak English natively. Is that the case? If so, you’re going to need to get working on that. Your writing is somewhat disorganized and difficult to understand. This could severely hurt your MCAT writing score (which is really not a big deal unless you are significantly below average on it and even then…) as well as ruin your MCAT verbal if your understanding of the language is not up to par (a very big deal) and make the BS and PS sections much more difficult for you to complete efficiently and catch the nuances therein (which would also be a really big deal). If you don’t speak English natively, you’re going to have to overcome that quickly and realize that most other test-takers with whom you are ultimately competing have been speaking the language since they were toddlers. Unfortunately, schools won’t give you any real leeway simply because you don’t speak the language natively. (Ultimately, the reason for this is probably that your classes will be conducted in English and most scientific articles you will be reading are available only in English locally, so your grasp of that language is crucial.) If you do speak English natively, I apologize for the misunderstanding. Best of luck!</p>
<p>The chem class is Chemistry Fundamentals, which is usually only one semester, i am just taking it in 2 semesters.</p>
<p>And yes, im from venezuela so my native language is spanish. I have only been in this country for 5 years and even though i can understand the language i still have a lot to learn. So i do have that disadvantage at the time. Usually when i write essays it takes me a long time, but i do make it organize not like my post -_- i wrote that really quick and i didnt even double check.</p>
<p>I am trying to learn more and more english asap, and my classes are helping a lot. I already went through 4 classes and noticed that it didnt really feel like a challenge, it was pretty easy in my opinion, i just did bad in one test for humanistic traditions and i ended up with a 93 in the class which got me an A- sadly…</p>
<p>Would u suggest for me to take another writing class? i mean i can write essays pretty good, but it takes me time. Im thinking to take some writing class to help me develop in that area.</p>
<p>I really want to go to medical school, its my passion and i have been able to job shadow my mom in my native country so i do have an idea of what is like. Sadly, my mom does not speak english and has no clue on how it is done here so nobody in my family is really able to help me. I guess ill be going a lot to my advisor to make sure im doing the right things.</p>
<p>Would a school in the PR be an option? They teach classes in Spanish and are US MD accredited schools.
As far as a writing course, yes, I’d suggest taking some more English and literature courses as they will help your comprehension. However, this can be a catch-22 since you don’t want to ruin your GPA in the process of working on language skills so take it easy. Maybe take your first upper division writing and/or lit class pass/fail to reduce the chance of a B or C ruining your GPA.</p>
<p>Oh no believe me i am more than capable of learning in english do not underestimate me. I may have only gotten a 24 in the ACT, but i have not failed yet. I will take some lit class even though i thought my DE credit covered that. I believe i am prepared to take upon the challenge, i know its going to be hard but not impossible </p>
<p>Not suggesting you aren’t capable of learning. You simply might be a better fit for a PR school. The PR schools are equal to any other U.S. MD-granting institution. The PR is not the Caribbean. Since you are not a native English speaker, it may be advantageous to attend a school in the PR as, along w/ your English speaking skills, you would be in great demand later for residency and professionally and would likely find learning medicine less cumbersome in your native language. Since there is really no academic difference nor difference in prestige between the schools in the PR and those of the continental US, it might make more sense to attend a school built for you instead of trying to force yourself into the mold of the “typical anglo-saxon, middle class” premedical student.</p>
<p>I see what you are saying. And i hate to make it sound like im trying to argue with somebody that clearly knows more than i do in this topic, but i do not want to take my classes in spanish.</p>
<p>I also feel i have to say that i do not feel like i am forcing myself into the mold, its honestly a wonderful experience what i am going through and im enjoying every second of it.</p>
<p>However, i will keep your advice in mind. Thank u once again.</p>
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