<p>Anyone going to Med School? Any Ivy League/Prestigious Med Schools? My dream is to go to a med school in Stanford, UChicago, Duke, Columbia, John Hopkins, etc. I'm currently a freshman at Florida State, in order to save money with Florida scholarships. I am planning to double major in Biology and English with a minor in Chemistry, maybe another minor if I can OR another major if I'm crazy enough. If there's another school in FL that has a better Pre-Med program suggest it please, because I am willing to transfer my first year if there's a school that would give me more of an advantage. </p>
<p>I need advice on scholarships/money, MCAT scores and GPA ranges, appealing extracurriculars; anything that would make me a strong applicant and look impressive on my resume. Even if your response is simply general advice on college life, that would also be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>If your end goal is to make it into an elite medical school, you might want to reconsider your double major + minor. Just to get into medical school period, I think you are already crazy for double majoring. Also, transferring to a renowned school won’t add much to your application, but since your desire is to make it into an elite med school, I guess it could add a minimal edge. However, getting into such a school (any such school that could add this “minimal edge”) will very likely take much more than just a year’s worth of university studies. With just one year under your wings, your application will primarily consist of your high school statistics and only your first semester university grades - you’ll pretty much be running on the statistics you used this recent application season, whatever got you into wherever you got into.</p>
<p>why reconsider my double major?</p>
<p>I wasn’t saying it as in you’re wrong, but rather in the literal sense that you may want to actually reconsider pursuing a double major. Why? Because it’s an unnecessarily high risk to your application as a pre-med. Why is it unnecessary? Because med schools could give a damn about what you majored in, far less about whether or not you double majored or minored. So you’re putting in a lot more work/time that could be spent doing other more important things (like research or having a job), and adding a ton more of stress into your life (as if MCAT isn’t stressful enough), without actually receiving any benefit from it as a pre-med.</p>
<p>I understand. Maybe I won’t consider another minor, but English is something I’ve also been passionate about. I also have enough credits from high school to make extra room for more electives, and whatever your major is my school imposes on everyone to take a certain number of lit-based classes. Therefore they overlap almost effortlessly. Plus, it works as a back-up if I don’t get into med school. So I am “killing two birds with one stone,” so to speak.
but I am reconsidering, because you brought up a good point. it is very time consuming.</p>
<p>&btw, would international internships or simply studying abroad look good on my application?
I’m also trying to start a project, like an orphanage or raising money for health care in a different country. I’ve heard many people do that, and I was just wondering… how?!</p>
<p>If you want to double major double major, just understand that it isn’t worth the time if you are just trying to boost your application. If it is worth it to you, it is worth it.</p>
<p>As far as international internships, once again if you want to do them do them. They certainly won’t look bad, but I’m afraid you are going about this the wrong way. Students at the top schools didn’t get there so much by meticulously planning out their four years of college into some super schedule where everything was dedicated to making them look good. They got there by having many passions and the capacity/willpower to pursue them.</p>
<p>I think you overestimate the commonality of orphanage building as a pre-med. Many students ingrain themselves into a larger organization and, over time, take on a project that focuses on medical charity. The bottom line is you have to find someone or something with resources. Local businesses and organizations are often good places to start, but if you want it to be fruitful you should probably have the groundwork laid and a group of like-minded individuals to work with. Nonprofit designation is important as well.</p>
<p>Florida State is a fine school, keep the money and don’t transfer. I went to ASU and it didn’t stop me. 3.8+ and 35+ should be your goal for stats. Everything else is just passion and hard work.</p>
<p>Everything that you do in UG should reflect your own personal interests, otherwise it looks like you are tailoting your activities to application reguirements and it will come out at certain point, most likely during interview. I believe that UG name is not important, as well as somebody else’s EC’s and list of majors/minors. Pursue what is in your heart, and it will be just fine as well as having GPA=4.0 and MCAT=35+ (for your list), for most pre-meds, 30+ will do since most pre-med juniors are willing to go to ANY Medical School in the USA that will take them. Yes, by that time, it gets that desparate! So, my “very general” advice is do not overload yourself, go after that perfect GPA and listen to yout heart for engaging in EC’s and you will be just fine at ANY UG of your choice.</p>
<p>If you actually secure the funding, find the contacts, and actually oversee the construction of an orphanage, that is very impressive.</p>
<p>If you pay $2000 to a NGO for letting you volunteer in an orphanage in Africa and hold a dead African baby, eh, that’s not so impressive.</p>
<p>My advice is to pursue your interests and not tailor your activities to Med. School application too much. Given that some EC’s need to be there, however, if you just accumulating points instead of being really interested, it will come out eventually and it will be a negative point. And any UG is good enough for one with GPA=4.0. So, here is your reasonable goal.</p>