Hi, I’m a freshman in high-school, and though rather early, I’ve been seriously looking into what colleges I want to go to.
For years I’ve known I’ve wanted to be a midwife or OB/GYN. The only thing that holds me back from definitely going to medical school is how truly rigorous it’s going to be. With that being said, I’ve always planned to major in nursing just in case I DO decide I’m not going to be going to med school.
However, if I do get into a UCLA, I feel like it’d be overwhelming at that particular school. Classes are already rigorous, pre-med competition is cutthroat, and I’m sure nursing is pretty competitive too. I worry that I wouldn’t be able to handle it. Not to mention I definitely want to play soccer (probably club) when i go to college. Having time to socialize, be in clubs etc. is crucial to me.
What do you all think? Is it possible to major in nursing and be pre med and still maintain a GPA good enough for medical school?
the admit rate for Nursing at UCLA is something like 5%. If you don’t get in, you are not considered for an alternate major. Something to keep in mind…
If you are in 9th grade, there is no need to make any decision now. What you ought to do, when you are old enough, is start volunteering in a medical setting (hospital, nursing home, etc) to get relevant experience. This may help you decide if nursing is right for you, or if you’d rather be a doctor. And if you end up applying to med school having medical-setting experience is an unofficial requirement.
More importantly, without experience like this you will not get accepted into nursing at UCLA or elsewhere. Go to the UCLA nursing department website and download the supplemental app for Nursing. Most schools offering Nursing majors have supplemental apps, so go to the other schools and download theirs too. You’ll see they ask about experience in the field, and also often ask for letters of rec from those who supervised you in that setting.
I currently attend UCLA and know someone that got in to nursing without volunteering in a medical setting so if you don’t have the opportunity to go that you can still get in. If UCLA is your dream school I would recommend not applying as nursing just because the acceptance rate is like 3%. However it comes down to what you want more- nursing or attending UCLA. As far as being nursing and pre med it’s rare but I think it’s doable because there is a decent amount of overlap with the required classes for nursing and med school. Also you’re so young, relax and enjoy high school!