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However, the parents have absolute veto over the student’s college choices due to either paying for some of it, or cooperating with financial aid paperwork. No parental cooperation, no college money.
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<p>with a few majors, the parents wouldn’t really know that the student is also doing premed. the parents arent going to wonder why she is taking bio chem physics calc. They probably think premed classes are medically-sounding. If she attends an undergrad that has a good number of Core, then fitting in the premed prereqs can come under the cover of Core/GenEd. </p>
<p>As I said earlier, if she chose ChemE or similar, the premed classes are mostly part of the reqts. If the student keeps her mouth shut about being premed, the parents are just going to think that an additional class is an elective or recommended course for the major…or a minor!</p>
<p>the student just needs to keep her mouth shut…do what she wants, and go on. Parents are less helicopter when you dont raise any red flags. </p>
<p>However, the parental restrictions are not just for the student claiming to do pre-med – the restriction is to a BS/MD program, which greatly restricts the choice of undergraduate schools (and greatly increases the chance of being shut out, since BS/MD programs are reach-for-everyone).</p>
<p>OP needs to find fill ride merit scholarships as a backup in case the parental restrictions cannot be reconciled.</p>
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However, the parental restrictions are not just for the student claiming to do pre-med – the restriction is to a BS/MD program, which greatly restricts the choice of undergraduate schools (and greatly increases the chance of being shut out, since BS/MD programs are reach-for-everyone).
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<p>You dont understand. the parents are saying BS/MD…OR…something else they approve…like engineering. So, choose an engineering area that the parents accept which allows a student to easily include the premed prereqs. No where on the transcript/grades does it need to say that the student is premed. she can join premed clubs and the parents dont need to know.</p>
<p>To be competitive for BSMD you need like 750s on your SAT scores for all sections.
As others have said, you can major in anything you want as long as you take the Pre-reqs (Bio, Calc, Physics, English, Chem, Organic Chem)</p>
<p>You just completed TENTH grade. I think you need to take a chill pill. Get a summer job, and also do some things that are fun this summer. By the time you get to college, you may not even want to be a doctor. And you might not like astronomy. And you might not like any of the things you think you like now. </p>
<p>Plenty of time before applying to colleges. Your parents need to get a reality check in the next year. I’m a physician and H is also- he’s from India.</p>
<p>In India students choose medicine instead of a major and then applying to medical schools. In the US there are very few students who do a BS/medical school to follow program. Most US medical students will not go this route. Your parents need to get in tune with how things usually work here. I assume they are not physicians or they would be more aware of how things work. If they are or are not they need to talk to physicians about this. The advantage of an American education over an Indian straight to medicine program is that here we choose an interesting major plus get to take all sorts of fun electives as undergrads. My H says I took a course in everything. Not really, but I had courses in symphony, art history, literature, another language as well as all of the courses for a chemistry major plus premed reqs in biology. Much more well rounded than a student who focuses too soon on medicine.</p>
<p>Your job now is to have your parents become educated about the way things are usually done in the US. They should learn that your chances of being one of the very few in a BS- medical school program are very low. They should instead help you focus on a college that is affordable and fits you academically and socially. Any college will suffice for getting the premed requirements and potentially being accepted into a medical school. Do not try to play the odds of highest percentages getting in or other such strategies. Your chances of being one of the one in three interested in medical school who actually gets accepted to one goes up if you are happy with your major and school and therefore do well. </p>
<p>Your junior year of HS is the last complete one college admissions people will see- do your best. The coming year is the time for you and your parents to learn about colleges and to visit several informally. This can be a drive through when on vacation nearby. A good start is seeing public U’s near you- where you live there are tons of schools within an easy driving distance. Also visit campuses of private schools in your region. At first it may be confusing but after seeing many campuses you and your parents will be able to see what is the same and different. Spring break of junior year in HS is a good time for a one parent-child tour of schools on the list you make. </p>
<p>Also- no matter where you go to college be aware that most entering freshmen don’t know their major or will change it. By the time you are in college you will have many more tools in deciding your future path. For now, don’t panic. Educate your parents and yourself about the American college experience. Your HS is likely to have presentations on college for students and parents- be sure your parents attend those.</p>
<p>Realize that as a sophomore in HS you really have little idea what it is like to study at a higher level in most fields-including ones you haven’t even been exposed to yet–and you definitely don’t know what it is like to actually practice any of the professions. Your interests and aptitudes will refine over time. That is normal. </p>
<p>The best thing you can do now is have a great summer in which you do something rewarding and interesting. Volunteer. Work. Read Proust. Write. Tend a garden. Swim. Learn to cook. Look at the stars. Take on some chores to help around the house. Some consistent SAT prep wouldn’t hurt, either, since higher scores would give you broader choices. Check out the Ziggi method here: it’s free. (But don’t be one of those people who thinks they can get into top schools on the basis of scores alone: you can’t.) When school starts, work to get the best grades you can, but ALSO pursue at least one EC that you really enjoy. </p>
<p>HS should not be one long slog to college, and college should not be one long slog to grad school. Working hard and having purpose is great, but you have to experience satisfaction and joy in what you are doing. Life is not a dress rehearsal: this is it.</p>
<p>Listen to these last posters. In the US, you can major in anything at all and still go to med school. There are even programs between college and med school that offer prerequisites. My favorite doctor was an English major. The group with the highest admit rate, compared to other majors, is music!</p>
<p>And try to enjoy high school, follow genuine interests,make friends, contribute as best you can and all will work out. LIfe should not be about resume building alone.</p>
<p>Just looked at the UConn BS or BA/MD link above. You still do 4 years of undergrad (in any major) plus 4 years of medical school so no time savings, or tuition savings. Unless YOU are highly motivated (not your parents) you most likely would not get accepted to the program. You can easily attend a college with any major and take the premed courses needed, plus the other things that help your application without being in a specific program. Your parents can’t prevent you from taking premed courses, the MCAT and applying to medical school while you are in college. Also, they will have another 4 years to adjust to you doing what YOU choose to do instead of their current ideas.</p>
<p>Definitely enjoy HS and all it offers. Your parents may not realize that along with grades and test scores colleges consider extracurricular activities. Find some activities you would enjoy. Do NOT try to be part of any just to make your application look more impressive. Consider music groups, sports (running is great although I don’t like/do it) and other groups that interest you. The best students have time for extras along with taking the most rigorous classes available (and doing well in them). </p>
<p>It could be that you need more time for schoolwork than being in activities allows. Your HS life should not be all work and no play. If it becomes that reconsider your strengths and interests- change your courses and load to fit YOU, not what Superstudent would do. I know many physicians whose kids did not follow their parents (like mine- math/comp sci). I had medical school classmates who were several years older than the typical straight out of college age most of us were. There is no one path. I also know people who changed their path along the way.</p>