Hi! I am currently a high school junior, and I’ve recently calculated my GPA in all my course subjects (Social Science, Natural Science, Mathematics, English Language, and Foreign Language). I’ve noticed that my poorest grades are in math and science, where my highest grades are in English, Social Sciences, and my foreign language, which is Spanish.
I want to be a doctor, but I’ve heard it may be to my advantage to apply as an English/Language major instead. I am working to be fluent in multiple languages, and I’m known for my writing skills throughout my school (writing contests, newspaper entries, etc). However, I’m afraid that my science grades will prevent me from getting into schools that offer good pre-med programs, even if I do apply indicating an English major.
My unweighted GPAs are as follows, I have taken the hardest course selection offered at my school for every subject except for Math.
Math- UW 3.2; freshman yr: Honors Alg 2 w/ Trig, sophomore yr: Precalculus w/ Trig, junior yr: IB Math SL 1
English- UW 3.8; freshman yr: IA English, sophomore yr: IA English, junior yr: IB Language & Literature HL 1
Natural Science- UW: 2.8; freshman yr: Honors Biology, sophomore yr: Honors Chemistry and AP Physics 1, junior yr: IB Chemistry HL 1
Social Science- UW: 3.9; freshman yr: IA World History, sophomore yr: IA APUSH, junior yr: IB Geography HL 1 and IB Psychology HL 1
Foreign Language- UW: 3.8; (Spanish 1 was taken in 8th grade after teacher recommendation from my English scores), freshman yr: Spanish 2, sophomore yr: Spanish 3, junior yr: IB Spanish SL 1
I do have somewhat of an upward trend; while my natural science and math grades are going up, the rest have maintained A grades. My extracurriculars show strong leadership with an emphasis in writing. I have no idea where I really stand- I am okay with not going to an extremely selective university because I would much rather attend a decent school with a heavy or full scholarship due to my financial and familial situations; at this point, I’m not really sure where I stand or what I should really study.
Major in non-math/science then. Nothing wrong with that. Majoring in a field of strength/interest would be advantageous for a couple of reasons: 1.) you need a high GPA for med school admission; 2.) if it appears that college level science is not your thing, and you want to change your med school plans, you will already be immersed in the stuff that seems more natural to you (English/languages/writing), so you’d be able to transition to a new career goal without much fuss.
For med school, you will need a very good GPA and MCAT score and medical-related ECs. Is a pre-med program going to help you with your GPA and MCAT? Not really. And you can find acceptable ECs almost anywhere. So don’t choose a school based on pre-med advising. You might end up eliminating schools that would otherwise be great for you, where you’d be much happier, and as we know, happy students tend to pull off higher GPAs.
I have to wonder how well you’ll do in your Pre-Med classes with that kind of a science GPA.
For a while I thought I wanted to be a doctor, but like you my grades were lower in the maths/sciences. @“Erin’s Dad” makes a fair point- the college-level courses in bio, chem, etc (all the med school pre reqs) will only get harder. I don’t mean to disuade you from pursuing your dream, but I would make sure to evaluate what will make you happier- struggling through pre-med or pursuing a major in an area of strength (such as english or history)?
I would recommend considering what draws you to being a doctor? For me, it was helping people, which turned me towards looking at international relations/politics as my course of study for undergrad, and pursuing a career in the NGO field. Whatever it may be for you, becoming a doctor may not be the only way to do what you are interested in (in general, I mean).
Current pre-med student here (college senior). It’s in your best interest to major in whatever you’re interested in. Don’t just pick a major because it would “increase your chances”. That’s not how it works. Your major has very little, if any bearing on med school admissions. They care a lot more about your overall and science GPAs, MCAT, exposure to medical practice, research, knowledge about current public health issues, etc. For me, I’m about to graduate with a major in Public Health with a double minor in Chemistry and Biology. If something like that is interesting to you, then go for it. Otherwise, do what you want. All that really matters are those pre-reqs, your experiences, and if you can demonstrate that you have exposure to medicine.
Also, if your poorest grades are in science, then I would seriously re-evaluate your decision to become pre-med. Unless you put a lot of work in and prove yourself otherwise, the courses are only going to get more difficult and more tedious (especially in OChem and Biochem). Your goal as a pre-med student is to get a minimum of a 3.7 science GPA (higher is better).
@Dunboyne @“Erin’s Dad” @unicornhorn008 @yonceonhismouth thank you for the responses!
I should explain a bit more- I’ve always been drawn to helping others and, coming from a financial background that isn’t the strongest, I’ve been groomed by my parents to be a doctor. This is why I’ve taken 4 of the hardest sciences classes at my school- it’s likely my poor achievement in these areas that has led me to question my overall intelligence and has left me very confused. I apologize for the disorganization of my post, especially towards the end where I ramble off topic.
I feel like I unintentionally geared myself to seem like I would apply as a pre-law or journalism major; I had complete freedom in my ECs and I chose leadership, community service, and arts. At the same time, I never took the time to expose myself to different careers; as illogical as it sounds, I feel as though the medical route is the only route available to me, despite my poor performance in science and mediocre scores in math (I have received mostly Bs in math, except for a few A grades). Is it really impossible for me to become a doctor?
So if you chose community service and arts ECs, and do better in humanities/social science, why do you think that medicine is the only route available to you? Because your parents want you to be a doctor?
@jalaeiaxjalaeia You’re very welcome! However, I have to offer another word of caution: don’t do pre-med simply because you want to “help people”, and especially if your parents are pressuring you. That’s just a recipe for disaster. Like I said, if you’re serious about it (and you actually want to do it), you’ll do anything that you can to make it happen.
Shadow some doctors and REALLY hone in on those science classes. If one way of learning isn’t working for you, then try another way. Use your opportunities and resources to your advantage. How will you know if you truly want to do medicine if you haven’t spent some significant time being exposed to the field?
Next, you can major in whatever you want in college. Pre-med is just a track that you follow. There are plenty of people who are English, History, etc. majors who are pre-meds who go on to medical school. That being said, you have to make sure that you do extremely well in your coursework, take some upper-level science classes, and rock the MCAT.
Lastly, if you honestly feel like you aren’t learning the material despite all of your efforts, then perhaps you should re-consider your career aspirations. However, I do feel like your current grades and motivation is due to the fact that you’re taking 4 science classes at once, which is, quite frankly, too much. Pre-med students in college take usually at most 2-3 science courses per semester (with long labs). If taking your time to learn the material is what you have to do, then by all means, do it. It’s better to take your time and really master the basics rather than rush through everything and learn nothing. You’ll just end up being frustrated (and I feel like that’s what’s happening).