How do you know if you are smart enough to be a doctor?

<p>The title says it all...
I want to be a doctor but i am not sure if i am smart enough...</p>

<p>Do well in your pre-med coursework and do well on the MCAT. That's all the "book smarts" you need to do well in medical school.</p>

<p>There are plenty of other "smarts" that you need to be a great doctor, but they don't teach you those in school.</p>

<p>well I am a junior in HS... and after all I have heard about pre-med classes I am scared that I might not be smart enough to get all A's((</p>

<p>Try getting As in your high school classes before worrying about something that's a couple years away.</p>

<p>You don't need all A's to get into medical school. A C or two won't stop you, either.</p>

<p>But I would take GoldShadow's advice, first.</p>

<p>It all depends on how hard you work towards that goal. Are you good at science? A lot of your course work will be heavy on chemistry, biology, and physiology. You'll also have to be able to do well in calculus. If you spend extra time on the subjects that you struggle with, you should do fine. You don't need to get straight A's but it would be nice to help your GPA towards admissions. If they see that you took difficult classes and maintained a 3.7+ average than you should be on the right track. </p>

<p>Also, MCAT is a big determinate. I'm not a great test taker (I get nervous) so it's best to start studying early. I'm in my second year of undergraduate studies and I'm studying general studies for the MCAT just so I can be fully prepared. </p>

<p>There are a lot of extracurricular and projects that you can do outside of your studies that will look good on your application. Try volunteer work or getting an internship; not only will this help you understand the field but it will show that you're a hard working and ambitious individual.</p>

<p>What are your PSAT scores and GPA??</p>

<p>PSAT - 195
gpa 3.8uw</p>

<p>I know stats are really horrible, but I am not a native speaker, and we just moved here 2 years ago from E. Europe</p>

<p>You are definitely smart enough to be a doctor. Whether you will work that hard is up to you.</p>

<p>This board, with its emphasis on the "elite" schools, drastically distorts standards and expectations. Many excellent practicing physicians had lower standardized test scores than you with comparable grade point averages. This is from my personal experience over 40 years, knowing about 50 pre-meds that got into medical school and graduated. 5 of these were my classmates at a small college. The rest were my wife's students in secondary school, relatives, children of friends, and friends.</p>

<p>These men and women did not go to the top echelon schools (well one went to Harvard but she was an URM). They did go to solid, accredited medical schools.</p>

<p>You are "smart enough". Are you motivated and disciplined?</p>

<p>lol, how about the average joe, say 1200sat; 3.3/3.8</p>

<p>It’s not as much being “smart”, as it is being a hard working, dedicated student.</p>

<p>High school grades definitely does not foretell future success in college, and certainly not for medical school.</p>

<p>It partly IS indeed about smarts. Being a doctor requires innate ability as well as drive. Good HS grades don’t necessarily foretell good college grades, but BAD high school grades obviously aren’t a good prognostic sign for college.</p>