I'm a freshman seriously considering med. school... is this enough?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I’m very interested in studying medicine since taking Biology freshman year (I’m in high school, but please take me seriously!). </p>

<p>Academics: Straight A’s, and teachers are very friendly towards me. I’m also planning on taking AP classes every year. The problem is I’m afraid regular classes will bring down my GPA. The summer before freshman year started, I took a creative writing class, not knowing that Health is required. Also, I want to take a class called: Intro. to Organic, General, and Biochemistry at the community college, but I’m afraid that more regular classes will bring down my GPA. </p>

<p>Activities: I’m involved with many clubs (Red Cross, American Heart Association, California Scholarship Federation, Link Crew, Math Club, Science Olympiad), I’m also in music (choirs, accompanist for small children’s choir, piano), I take Tae Kwon Do (but I don’t think I’ll be black belt by senior year), and I’m seriously considering becoming a tutor for young children as volunteer or low-pay. I plan on continuing all of these activities through high school. </p>

<p>Personality (does that even count?): I like to be happy and friendly, but I have this fear of being disliked by anyone. Therefore, I have friends from many difference clusters (from academic to athletic) and I put others’ requests as my first priority (is this bad?). My school has amazingly talented people in so many different fields, but I am very easily intimidated, discouraged, and stressed whenever someone is more skilled, when I have a strict teacher, or when I lose something (slight short-term memory).</p>

<p>So these are the things I’m very worried about (please answer these if you can): </p>

<li><p>Will taking the community college class lower my chances ('cause of GPA), or raise it (because the subject might appeal to medical colleges)? </p></li>
<li><p>Although I have straight A’s, I’m not in the top rankings in any of my classes, and I have many friends who are higher than me (I’m mostly in the mid-90s… depressing). Do medical colleges look for class rank?</p></li>
<li><p>I know this will sound very strange, but will I have to give up my social life in order to be accepted to med. school? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>By the way, I’m aiming for John Hopkins as my first choice, and UC Berkley as my second (Yup, I looked on US News rankings) because the idea of M.I.T. or an Ivy League Schools scares me a lot.</p>

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<p>Grade inflation makes grades a bit of an iffy subject. Your GPA won’t matter past a 4.5 even for ivy I hear. What will matter are AP tests, SAT II, SAT/ACT, Letters of rec, interview, essay etc. The thing is you have no idea how you will perform when taking 4-6 AP classes at the same time. If you’re scared of intense competition, don’t bother with John Hopkins. If you do do well enough in school to get into an Ivy I’m not sure how you would cope. Everyone around you will be better in at least one subject and you’ll have to accept that to get through it. </p>

<p>You mention having straight A’s but not being in the top rankings because you’re only in the midrange for As. That’s grade inflation for you. A’s are the new C. You’ll want to expand your extracurricular activities and intern at a local hospital. With everyone getting within 3 questions of a perfect score and a 4.5+ GPA applying to ivy leagues, they are relying more and more on things outside of GPA/SAT to differentiate people.</p>

3

<p>It’s wonderful that you’re interested in medicine at such a young age, but your high school grades will have absolutely no bearing in terms of Med School admissions. Just work hard, get good grades, go to undergrad and succeed there, then worry about Med School. Good luck. </p>

<p>I agree with ADHDFTL. Start volunteering/interning at a hospital or something, and keep doing it throughout high school and during college. 6-7 years of volunteering at a hospital will look great for Med Schools. Just make sure your grades are good too.</p>

4

<p>I may be wrong, but im pretty sure med schools only look at your college transcript. Honestly, it is WAY to early to worry about med school. However, it is awesome that you can discover your interests this early in life. The first step to getting into a good med school is getting into a good college, so focus your attention on college. Get good SAT scores, maintain your GPA, and focus on your ECs. Also, I would volunteer at a hospital near you or do research in a lab ASAP, and maintain this interest through your senior year. It will pay dividends.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the advice! I’ll really work hard, but I’m kind of nervous about what hospital to volunteer at or how can I participate in lab research. The really inconvenient thing is I can’t drive, and the only hospital in my city that offer the experience I want is UCI Hospital, but their volunteer positions won’t open until October. Is that too late to impress med. colleges?</p>

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<p>No… that’s not too late at all. Dude you’re a freshman in high school. You have all the time in the world.</p>