Stick out premed or try prepharm?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>So I was just hoping for some feedback. Just finished my first year of college at UVA (don't know if that makes a difference really but just thought I'd mention it in case it does) where I didn't do so hot GPA wise. I have a 3.3 as of now. </p>

<p>I'm planning to be a biology major with the possibility of doubling or minoring in something else. I wasn't sure about wanting to be premed throughout my first year, but realized, when nothing else grabbed my attention amongst the wide variety of classes I took (philosophy, economics, commerce, women's theory, politics), that medicine is something I actually want to pursue. </p>

<p>I am discouraged not only because of my current GPA, but because of my science GPA. I got a C+ in both semesters of Gen Chem, a B and B+ for Gen Chem Lab, and a B- in Immunology. Not too hot there. I think I can do well in future semesters if I really put my mind to it. I was a straight A student in high school and I got a 1560 SAT. I guess you can say I slacked a bit when I got to college... </p>

<p>I don't want to waste four years dedicated to medical school if I was more likely to get a spot in pharmacy school. I'm not downplaying pharmacy school, but the mean GPA is less competitive than medical school.</p>

<p>This summer, I've been working at a hospice/nursing home and am going to shadow a doctor. If I stick with being premed, next summer I plan to take summer school as well as do a repeat of working in a hospice and shadowing a doctor. Also, I'm thinking of doing research this upcoming year, too. </p>

<p>This has been long I know, but can you guys give me advice on my chances of getting in to a US MD program? Any ways to bolster my resume? Do you think I should do pharmacy? Thanks for reading and any feedback!</p>

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<p>You’ve only done one year - plenty of time to pull up that 3.3 - a few C’s (especially in your freshman year) aren’t going to kill your app. If you want to go to medical school, you can definitely do it. That being said, if you’re so quick to jump to pharmacy as a backup, you might want to consider if you really want to put in the time and effort for medical school. If you think you might be happy in pharmacy, you should look into it and decide which field you want to pursue.</p>

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<p>Also consider a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. They get to do everything MD’s do. Google it. Michigan State comes to mind. Emphasis is on primary care.</p>