<p>If you live in Florida, chances are there is a public university and/or community college within driving distance. You should qualify for at least 75% of your tuition paid for by Bright Futures, assuming you submitted the paperwork by the cutoff date. I believe that might even be 100%, if you attend a CC first (don’t quote me…) It sounds like your test taking skills are not as strong as your ability to make great grades, so I’m more concerned with boosting that up. Make sure you get a very strong background to prepare you for the MCAT. Look for the teachers and classes that will push you to learn as much as you can in the topics covered for the test… and prep, prep, prep for it. You want to aim for at least 30+. You need to get your foot in the door, so to speak, when you apply for med school… that means getting the interview. High grades and a high MCAT will pretty much guarantee that much, but then you’ll have to sell yourself to the adcom, which is where your personal interests, experiences, and personality will come into play. While in college, establish good relationships with mentors because you will need at least 5 recommendations… these can come from professors, advisors, medical staff that you’ve worked under (volunteer in a clinical setting), research staff that you’ve worked under (volunteer), physicians that you’ve shadowed… Also, consider both allopathic and osteopathic schools. </p>
<p>My son went through the pre-med process, essentially on his own. Looking back now, and seeing the resources like CC out there (which he did not avail himself to), I’m thankful that he made it. I was absolutely useless, and he navigated a very bumpy ride to where he is at now. There were many dark hours, because going pre-med and doing all the preparation required really feels like going out on a limb. There are no guarantees. But I will never forget a conversation I had with him one late night… I suggested that he have a plan “B” in case he didn’t get into medical school. His reply was something like this… “All I have ever wanted to do is work in the medical field, and work with patient care. If I don’t get into medical school (and he applied to allo and osteo schools), I will be a PA, or a nurse, or a EMT… I don’t care, really… but I will not turn to a “plan B” that does not involve patient care.” </p>
<p>I think that’s a good way of looking at things for anyone wanting to go into patient care. Good luck and God Bless…</p>