<p>I'll be attending NU this fall and am planning on taking the pre-medical route. I'm going to take up Biological Sciences as my major. What worries me is that I don't really have any career in mind apart from Medicine/Dentistry. I've been doing some research and apparently 500 or so students start off on the Pre-med track, and around 200 or so actually give their MCAT. Furthermore many of those who persist with pre-med have relatively low GPA's which makes it harder to get into Med School. Is it really that hard? </p>
<p>Since I don't have a Plan B, I'm going to give it my all to make Plan A work. I have a number of questions. Is Bio Sci a good option for pre-med? How should I split my courses- keeping in mind that the summer quarter isn't option for me? I wont be looking to use AP credits to get out of any courses as many med schools don't look favorably on that. So what's the best way to go about fulfilling my medical school/major and distro requirements? And finally.. Organic and NU is very very daunting. How should I go about it? Most people will say, 'study hard'. But could you be more specific. If I want to come out of the pre-med weeding process unscathed how hard will have to study? 2-3 hours outside class per day? Or more? I'm only asking so I can be mentally prepared for what I'm signing up for. </p>
<p>Any other tips would be much appreciated too. Thank you.</p>
<p>Hi AsminAziz-
This may or may not apply to you…my DD’s boyfriend, whom she met in her dorm, entered NU with the intent to go on to med school. During the course of his education at NU he has involved himself in research, done well in his courses/GRE’s, and instead of applying to med school, has elected to pursue a Phd instead. The grades he earned at NU were not the determining factor-it was his interest in research.
Sometimes your skill set will point you into a direction you are not even aware of when you enter as a freshman. NU will give you many opportunities-embrace them-and enjoy them. My guess is your “Plan B” will really be all about YOU-thereby being your true “Plan A”.
Congratulations on your acceptance to NU!
~APOL-a Mum</p>
<p>ASIM-- Impressive your homework on a pre med route-- having been a NU
student I’ve seen many students alter their major and career plans. I bet 100
of the original pre med students you cite simply said around their 2nd year,
hey-- I don’t want to be a doctor. In many cases, this had nothing to do with
Organic, etc. High end private schools are loaded with pre meds freshman
year-- things change. I’m a professor and happy to go to work-- be happy.</p>
<p>I took Genetics with the pre meds at Northwestern many years ago. Trust
Me, they were not playing Bean Bag!</p>
<p>i will be a freshman at NU next year and i met with a premed advisor during wildcat days. he told me that for the class of 2011, about 750 kids started premed and 500 dropped. the requirements are intense and im reconsidering. all tough science classes, gen chem, orgo and physics at the same time, math, bio ( two years if you want to go to med school in texas) and clinical research and the MCAT. i wouldnt do it unless you LOVED science. but if you’re going to be a bio major hopefully you love science : )</p>
<p>I spoke to pre-meds there during Wildcat Days and they all told me that it is reasonable. Of course, you can expect tough classes but there are a bunch of ways to find help (collaboration with peers, caring profs, and tutoring services).</p>
<p>@ APOL - That’s true and I do believe that I will find my place once I start University and that there’s a good chance it wont be anywhere near pre-med. But the thing is that for now it’s the only option I can see before me, so I’m looking to prepare for it to the best of my ability.</p>
<p>@texangirl77 - You shouldn’t change your plans simply because there’s hard work involved. Give it a shot, if it works out it will. If it doesn’t, it wont. And I’m sure you can manage the coursework. 200 people do it each year right? That’s the point of this thread - getting advice on how to cope with it. Like is Bio/Orgo manageable, etc.</p>