I'm a little overwhelmed...

Pre-Med & Medical School High School Student Topics
1

<p>As I have been perusing this board I have noticed that so many other people that post on here absolutely obliterate my "stats"... and needless to say, it's making me quite nervous! I have been looking forward to medicine since around the 7th grade (Class of '08) and I'm pretty sure I'd be absolutely devastated if I didn't quite make the cut into medical school... essentially (and I know these posts are <em>everywhere</em>), I'd simply like some assurance.</p>

<p>Well, here are my stats...</p>

<p>Gender: Male
Ethnicity: White
Wealthiness ballpark: NO way to qualify for FAFSA</p>

<h2>Location: Lincoln, Nebraska</h2>

<p>_ ACT _
Composite: 32
English: 35
Math: 29
Reading: 32
Science: 33</p>

<h2>[Comment: I'm sure I can bring the composite up to at least a 33 by raising that math score]</h2>

<p><em>SAT</em></p>

<h2>NONE - I need to get on top of this, eh?</h2>

<p><em>GPA</em>
Unweighted: 3.9<X<4.0
Weighted: 4.2<X<4.3
Class Rank: Top 5%</p>

<h2>[Comment: Man I need to get an updated transcript...]</h2>

<p><em>Curriculum</em>
[Comment: Hardest possible classes for my school
Also, it's block scheduling (I know that doesn't actually matter)]
9th: Differentiated Biology (No AP here... >_<)
10th: AP World History (3)
11th: AP Psychology (Probably a 4 or 5); AP Macro Economics; AP Human Geography; AP English Language and Composition (Probably a 3); AP US History (Probably a 3)
12th: Advanced Chemistry (Again, no AP); Differentiated Physics; AP Physics; Medical Terminology; AP Calculus AB; AP Literature and Composition; AP Government and Politics</p>

<h2>Totals: 4 years of math; 6 years of science; 4 years of English; 5 years of foreign language (4 German, 1 Latin)</h2>

<p><em>Extra Curricular Activities</em>
Principal's Advisory Council
National Honors Society (Officer - Tech Guy)
Reserve Tennis (10); JV Tennis (11)
[Comment: Hoping for Varsity this fall - Wish me luck!]
Key Club (international volunteer service organization)
Volunteer at local library (100+ Hours)
Volunteer at local hospital (25+ Hours)
Going to become CPR certified this fall
Training to become EMT-Basic certified this winter [Officially certified after my June 2 birthday... then I'll try to get some work!]
Tennis Pro at local country club (9 months)
Graphic/Web Design (Designed school's webpage -- almost done!)
I shadowed a family practitioner once for a few hours... if that counts...
=== [Comment: Should I get a lot more hospital volunteer hours and try to shadow some doctors? I'm thinking so... confirmation, please!!] ===</p>

<p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>

<p>Well, what kind of programs do you guys think I have a shot at? I really don't think I could make it into some of the high-end guaranteed professional programs like at Northwestern, so I'm going to shoot for the BA/MD at Saint Louis University or major in biochem at Grinnell...</p>

<p>Oh and I almost forgot - on top of my <em>only</em> being qualified for merit scholarships (of which I am not exceptionally qualified for), my parents are essentially demanding that I get a scholarship to whatever school I attend... so UofC, WashU, etc - are basically out of the question, although I think I will apply to those schools in the off chance that I do win the lottery...</p>

<p>Thanks for any constructive criticism and advice!</p>

<p>-Ryan Town-</p>

2

<p>i would say more volunteer hours @ a hospital....
but i have to admit the emt certification would only help. How did you get it?? and do you have to be 18 to get the certification??</p>

3

<p>Alright more volunteer hours coming up!</p>

<p>To get EMT certified you must first be CPR certified (4 hour class... easy). Once that is done you should find a local community college and take the EMT-Basic class as a visiting student - try to get it so the class ends near your 18th birthday, because you can only take the certification exam after you're 18 years old. I think this would be a unique addition to any resume :)</p>

4

<p>No idea about med schools, but...</p>

<p>What about joining your local ambulance corps? If you want hands-on experience, that is the way to go. Volunteering in a hospital is interesting, but there are some legal restrictions as to what you can do. As a member of an ambulance corps (particularly as an EMT), you'll have a lot of patient contact. I'm an EMT-B and the most important thing I've learned since becoming certified is that there is a huge difference between working in a classroom, and working under emergency conditions.</p>

<p>I'm against doing things just because they will look good on applications, but working under pressure and being a crew chief (which is generally the EMT) are great examples of leadership.</p>

5

<p>Yeah that's exactly why I want to do it... I know it will look good on a resume, but I really do want to get some real emergency medicine experience... Thanks for posting!</p>

6

<p>lol, your stats looks great! (according to what i have seen anyway).
yes, you might want to look at more hospital hours and shadowing more doctors. </p>

<p>and on collages, i suggest UMKC. (SAT is not require) </p>

<p>you should take SAT anyway...</p>

7

<p>My mother actually suggested UMKC as well... I'll look into that! Thanks for the advice and comments - I'll work on those things...</p>

8

<p>ryanmt....o my gosh....
your mom works at UMKC and she didn't tell you about the 6 year med?
your stats and your connection to the school pretty makes you well fitted for UMKC.
from all the threads that I've read, i believe you have a VERY HIGH chance of getting in (assuming you live in Missouri). if your a resident in Missouri, UMKC is A LOT easier to get in. ( i think).</p>

9

<p>Nonono she just <em>suggested</em> it hahaha she doesn't work there!! In fact... she doesn't work at all... Also, I'm a resident of Nebraska... :)</p>

<p>But yeah I've upped UMKC to 2nd choice on my little list... thanks for the reminder!</p>

10

<p>ooo ok! i assumed that your mom worked there and suggested to you. lol</p>

<p>anyway good luck. for more infomation on UMKC just go to the thread. </p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=10493&page=60%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=10493&page=60&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>btw if you want more collages to look at here is a website. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.medicalhelpnet.com/content/view/28/46/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.medicalhelpnet.com/content/view/28/46/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>