<p>Hey, I'm currently a junior attending Stuyvesant High School in New York and I want to be a pediatrician after college, or some other medical field. however, my science grades aren't exactly that high, meaning (80-85) while my english and history grades are much better. I know i have a pretty good shot at Liberal ARts colleges but I want to be a doctor and I don't think Liberal Arts is the best way to go. </p>
<p>I'm thinking, should i go to an okay school and then transfer? Or should I try to apply to an engineering or medical school that is not so competitive? </p>
<p>I'm thinking Cooper Union, UMICH, CArnegie Mellon
is cooper union good for pediatrics? are there any other great schools that are good for so-so people in science but wannabe medics?</p>
<p>my average is about 88, currently taking three AP's, hope to take more senior year. haven't taken any SATs or SAT II's yet.</p>
<p>One can become a doctor via attending a liberal arts college as well as the kind of college that you mentioned. You also can major in any subject. You just need to make sure that you take the courses that medical schools require. The premed advisor or career office at your college can advise you about that. You also can contact medical schools and professional organizations to learn about the specific course requirements. </p>
<p>Since you're at Styvestant High, one of the nation's top high schools with an absolutely brilliant student body, and are getting "B" grades in the sciences, you have more talent in the sciences than you're giving yourself credit for. You'd probably be aceing your science courses if you were at virtually any of the other high schools in the country. Your SATs will give you a better idea of how you stand. When you evaluate your scores, realize that most of the people who take the science-oreinted SAT II probably are very bright people who are planning on going into science careers, so getting a score under 700 does NOT mean that you lack talent. Only the top students in the country take the SAT IIs because only the very top colleges require them.</p>
<p>You can get information from medical schools about what colleges their students come from. You also can check with the career placement office at colleges to find out how many students get into medical school and what medical schools those alum attend.</p>
<p>"Pediatrics" would not be offered as an undergraduate major anywhere. If you're interested in become a pediatrician, you might want to take advantage of any extracurricular college organizations that offer opportunities to work with kids. That kind of undergraduate experience would help you figure out if you really want a child-centered career, and you'd learn valuable skills for working with kids.</p>
<p>"I'm thinking Cooper Union, UMICH, CArnegie Mellon
is cooper union good for pediatrics? are there any other great schools that are good for so-so people in science but wannabe medics?"</p>
<p>None of those schools are for science major aspirants who are "so-so" in science. However, you may have shots at those schools since you are not "so-so" in science.</p>
<p>what do you have against LACs?</p>
<p>have you read this thread?
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=101650%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=101650</a></p>
<p>btw, stuy senior here with 88 avrge. this is what i'd tell myself if i had travelled back in time: WORK YOUR BUTT OFF TO RAISE THAT AVERAGE.</p>
<p>
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I know i have a pretty good shot at Liberal ARts colleges but I want to be a doctor and I don't think Liberal Arts is the best way to go.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I think you may have gotten bad information about the term "liberal arts". A "liberal arts curriculum" as taught by most undergrad colleges and top universities (such as Harvard, Yale, etc.) is a curriculum that includes all of the basic areas of study: hard sciences, math, social sciences, and humanities. The contrast to a "liberal arts" curriculum is one that focuses heavily, or even exclusively, on one field of study -- such as an art school, a music conservatory, or an engineering school.</p>
<p>For example, other than their school of engineering, Columbia University is a "liberal arts" school. Princeton University is a "liberal arts school". At the undergrad level, Harvard is a "liberal arts school".</p>
<p>Schools that teach a liberal arts curriculum are among the highest producers of pre-med graduates and admissions to med school. You, by no means, have to go to a tech school to get into med school. In fact, going to a specialized tech school if your math and science grades are not your strong suit would probably be a mistake.</p>
<p>munkeegirl, ahhh...so i'm guessing I probably don't have that great of a chance to any of the schools i listed.</p>
<p>i dont have anything against LAC's. i guess i just undermined their science programs. as a matter of fact, im thinking of applying early to an LAC. i was thinking Williams & Wesleyan for LAC's.</p>
<p>Cooper Union-reach
UMICH-slight reach(apply early)
Carnegie Mellon-for MCS? (college of science) safe match</p>
<p>from my opinion and the Stuy statistics. But of course, it depends on your ECs and esp your SATs as well. And i wouldn't go there for premed. good luck on SATs.</p>
<p>Engineering is an extremely competitive major no matter which undergrad school (think about Calc and physics with a bunch of engineers in the class all fighting for top grades). However, since you attend one of the top public high schools in the country, you are used to that kinda competitition.</p>
<p>Since med schools focus on gpa first (mcat second, EC/recs, third), future docs need to go to a school where you can maximize your gpa. Since you are strong in english and history, a LAC would be great choice for you, IMO. </p>
<p>Premeds do not need to major in science, nor conduct scientific research to be a successful applicant. On the contrary, an English major who successively completes two years of premed science requirement can really stand out from the thousands of Biology major applicants.</p>
<p>You do realize you have to complete four years of undergrad (aka, college) before you can go to med school, right? In most cases, at least. </p>
<p>Applying to college (or the undergraduate component of a university) is definitely not the same as "applying to a medical school" unless they tell you up front that admission to a medical school is included in the deal (like Brown's PLME program.) Fundamentally, you have a least a year of college in front of you before you have to ultimately decide where to apply to med school, or even whether to apply at all. You should be deciding which college environment overall will give you the best fit. That decision alone will bolster you chances of getting into the "right" med school when the time arrives.</p>
<p>If you are a NY resident, you should consider SUNY Stony Brook, Binghamton, Buffalo. They send students to med school. If you excel there and do well on your MCATs you'll get in. If money is not a factor, there are schools closer to home than U Michigan. Carnegie Mellon is a good possibility. Consider U of Rochester, Cornell, Columbia, RPI, Vassar, Colgate, Hamilton, NYU if your SATs are competitive. Lots of other northeast schools provide good preparation for med school. Is there some reason you want to go midwest?</p>