I am not sure if I understand you correctly? Are you saying that your HS has a BSDO track? That is false.
not exactly a school per se
No Im going to try for a BSDO after highschool
Ok that makes sense.
It looks like this HS is part of the college/affiliated with the college and you can apply to the BSDO program as a rising senior.
Right now you are a freshman in HS. You do not need to transfer to a magnet school to go to med school. In my opinion you need to focus on getting good grades, making friends, getting involved in your school community etc.
I would not skip grades. I would do your best academically and get involved. There are many ways to get to medical school and it is not necessary to make that decision in 9th grade.
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Also, do you want to be a family doctor or perhaps a pediatrician? Because that’s what most DO doctors do. Family doctors and pediatricians are absolutely necessary but locking yourself into the idea of a DO school as a freshman in HS strikes me as a very bad plan; in addition, it ties you to attending UNT, which may sound cool right now but once you’ve grown a bit and you’ve researched more colleges may not be a good fit. And attending TAMS makes it much harder for you to be top 6% making UT also harder to get to… So, all in all, I don’t know whether it’s the great idea you think it it.
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Graduates of DO schools enter all kinds of specialties…not just family practice and pediatrics…
I think locking yourself into a career in medicine at the age of 14 is very premature. But that’s my opinion.
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I’m a high school teacher in Texas and I understand how you feel.
You want to be a doctor. that’s great!
you’re stressed out about how to stand out. this is NOT necessary.
I think your best approach is to attend a public university for undergraduate, then medical school in state. This has been approved practical and NOT stressful by several students I know. The most recent one just started dental school after graduating from UT Austin with great GPA and lots of internship/work experiences. She was a straight A student in large public high school (graduating class >700), not tippy-top but had plenty of time for herself in high school.
On the other hand, it is possible to self study Algebra II, especially when you have someone around to go to with questions. Make sure you master it.
However, the most likely thing that makes you “stand out” among your current peers is finding what you like to do, spend time doing it, and do it very well. If you enjoy violin, practice to play better. I know several great student violinists who did NOT start playing immediately after birth, rather 6-9 years after birth. They made all-state multiple times, Young arts, NYO, etc. If you play violin because your parents made you, then that’s a different story.
whatever you choose to do, please include a lot of reading, on various topics. Reading probably won’t help you “stand out” or getting in med school, but it helps you become a responsible citizen.
Good luck and have fun.
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