PLEASE HELP! High School class selection and College admission troubles.

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello everyone.</p>

<p>I am a Junior in High School right now, and I am very determined to study for an M.D. I am most looking at Radiology, Plastic Surgery, and Neurology, but right now that doesn't matter...</p>

<p>I know that medical school is extremely competitive and selective. I was foreign born in a third world country and lived here in Chicago for 12 years. </p>

<p>My first two years of high school were mediocre with respect to my GPA because I slacked off too much. This year I am buckling down and focusing, and with first semester done with I have made an enormous improvement in grades, ranking in the top 10%.</p>

<p>So I have some questions regarding High School and College admissions:</p>

<p>I am only in two AP classes now: AP Latin Literature and AP US History. For my senior year I want to take all AP, as I am confident in my abilities. For my science class, however, I have the choice of AP Biology, AP Chemistry, or both. I am contemplating on taking both of them, but I was rather weak in my sophomore Introductory Chemistry class averaging a B in it. Would taking AP Chemistry be a mistake for me? Right now I am in a Physics class, so next year I will not have been exposed to any chemistry at all for a year.</p>

<p>My first pick University would be either Northwestern or UIC, but I don't even know if I can get into there, and I am starting to doubt it. I suppose I could get into Loyola or Benedictine (which is close to me) but I want to aim higher.</p>

<p>Are there better Universities in Illinois that I can look into or have a better chance of getting into? Any out of state ones?</p>

<p>If anyone can help me out, I would greatly appreciate it.</p>

2

<p>You can do the pre-med course sequence at just about any college or university (and even at many community colleges) in the USA. Med school admissions is highly dependent upon your overall college GPA, your GPA in the pre-med coursework, and your MCAT scores. Lots of people get into medical and osteopathic medicine programs every single year from colleges and universities that you have never heard of. Don't worry about attending a "name" school for your undergraduate degree.</p>

<p>Medical education is unbelievable expensive, so a strong argument can be made for doing your undergraduate degree where ever it is cheapest for you. Take a long hard look at your financial situation before you commit to any one college/university.</p>

<p>Some medical schools do not like college transcripts that show that AP courses in high school were awarded transfer credits to replace core science classes (Biology, Chemistry, etc.) that form part of the pre-med sequence. You need to do some research on this issue. You can start with the Med School Forum. Click on "Discussion Home" in the upper left of this screen and then scroll down. There are useful sub-forums on Med School admission, pre-med programs, etc.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>