<p>I really want my future to be in the medical field. As of now, i'm going to be a rising junior in high school, but I wanted to know what to focus on during junior year. I entered an accelerated school during the beginning of sophomore year. I had a 4.0 during my freshman year, but my GPA during sophomore year dropped to a low 3.2. I know that this coming junior year, I can do much better, and the reason that I did so poorly was because I didn't try at all. I know that if I put all my effort in this coming year, I can definitely raise up my GPA much more. However, my SAT scores are really not that good at all. My math is 800, writing 760, and Critical reading being a 600, and I've never gotten it above 600, no matter how much I try. I was on the math team a few times, done the math and biology olympiads, involved in a few clubs, but i'm not on any sports as of now. I know that my chances of a really good pre-med college is quite low, but is there any chance that I'll still have a good shot at getting into a semi-good college? And also to raise my chances of this, what should I mainly focus on next year? Are ACT/SAT really important? What about teacher recommendations and clubs/sports? I've coached mathcounts and a few things of that sort, along with being on science olympiad, but I don't think I have anything that really makes me "outstanding" compared to the next kid in line. Any advice on what to focus on next year would help. Thanks!</p>
<p>What is a semi-good college to you? Also are you looking at a large university of a liberal arts college?</p>
<p>Semi-Decent as in better than the average state university, but probably less like an Ivy or like Johns Hopkins. </p>
<p>And I don’t really know a lot about the type of college, more just wondering on what to work on to add to resume/application for next year.</p>
<p>If you have not yet sat your parents down and had The Big Money Talk, you need to do that. They may whine and fuss and say “It’s too early to think about how to pay for college.” but you must be strong and keep them on task. Until you know how much they are ready, willing, and able to pay, what they feel about you taking on college debt, and whether they want you to hold down a job in the summers and during the school year, you won’t know how deep you are going to have to dig to find an affordable institution.</p>
<p>Medical school is horrifically expensive, and there are almost no scholarships. Most Med Students pay for it with loans. This means something in the range of $200,000 and up. You do not want to start Med School with a boat-load of undergrad debt.</p>
<p>What school do you go to? Focus on making your test scores shed light on the fact that your grades could be due to lack of effort or other factors. </p>
<p>You should definitely work on your gpa, since it is probably not too late for you to raise it. Also, get involved in ec’s but don’t let that affect your gpa or cut into your test prep time.</p>
<p>Also, make sure your college app has a theme. Don’t just write everything down you can think of. Make sure that what you put exemplifies you in the best light possible.</p>
<p>happymom is right. Find out how much your parents can pay each year…and have them do some Net Price Calculators at a variety of schools…various levels of privates and publids…instate and OOS.</p>