I am a junior and since middle school to sophomore year I had my heart set on being a doctor, However, a bad math grade (not too bad just bad by my own standards) really discouraged me from that path, so I began to take an interest in the Arts 7 Humanities track (art has always been an interest of mine.) During my sophomore year I joined a program that is available to the top 10% of my class where you pick a track (Math & Science OR Arts & Humanities) and essentially take classes related to that subject and focus in on one aspect and create a capstone project to be presented your senior year. I chose the Arts & Humanities track which essentially set me up for a literature, social science, and art-focused schedule for the rest of high school. It is too late to catch up with the advanced math and science students. HOWEVER, I recently began volunteer 10 hours a week at the hospital and discovered that it really is something that I am interested in. My dream school right now is Duke, where my dad went, but I haven’t seen many schools, so it may change. If I were to go the route of Duke I would most definitely apply early decision.
SO, that being said, there are a couple of options;
Take science and math classes at the local community college in order to have those on my application
Major in political science, international studies etc. and still take classes required for med-school
If you have any suggestions or advice PLEASE SHARE!
Having been to an Ivy league medical school, I’ll tell you schools like different backgrounds than just true pre-med. my undergrad degree was Fashion Merchandising with a business minor. Many of my classmates had history, political science or arts degrees. Major in something you really love and are interested in…and add the required sciences/math pre-reqs. Who knows…you may change your mind – like a very good friend of mine who was pre-med all the way until her final semester and ended up getting a full ride to Wash U law school. She’s now an immigration attorney. Lol. It’s ok to change your mind later on down the road!
I’d be more concerned that a “not actually bad but bad by your standards” MATH grade completely shook your desire to be a physician. The path to being a physician involves many mistakes and failures and they will feel increasingly more relevant to your ability to function as a physician than your sophomore math class. What is going to keep you committed through those failures?
Agree with @buuzn03 - can tell you more if you PM me - as both DH and I have been on faculty at med schools. But, will tell you that they look at so many different factors in the application process and your math score should not limit your dreams. Some schools do want to see research and relevant work experience. Can you speak a foreign language? My work with Haitian children led to an interest in a particular field - believe me, nobody ever looked at my weak math grades in undergrad…DH worked in a clinic along the Mexico-TX border as an undergrad and this really helped him get experience dealing with emergency situations…A friend’s son speaks 2 foreign languages and this (he felt) was a big help in getting into med school. Many applicants start in high school via research projects and include opportunities to be mentored by someone who may write your recommendations - even volunteer experiences can be helpful. BTW, I had a great job in high school at a hospital that started out as a volunteer opportunity and progressed into a paid job. The schools want maturity and to see that you can overcome adversity — because you will get plenty of adversity in med school - and you will witness adversity…if your high school or BS offers any type of community service in healthcare or serving others in need, this will help you better determine your interest in the field. Also, keep in mind that for your generation medicine is quickly changing!! Very different from the field of medicine even 20 years ago. You should check out Becker’s to see where the field is going - For example, Amazon is looking at buying a healthcare company. It’s never too early to start thinking about your future. Good luck!
There really isn’t a “true premed”. Being premed academically means just completing a required set of courses that a med school expects. Other than that you can major in anything you want (eg poli sci, literature, art history, etc). It’s wise to pick a major that interests you because if you like material, you’re more likely to do well GPA wise which is something med schools, in part, care a lot of. It’s probably a good idea that your major is the basis for a Plan B should your career goals change.
Med schools may or may not care about you taking math/science courses at CC. If you go this route, it may be a good idea to take more advanced math/science at your 4 year school to help med schools conclude you can cut it academically. Yes, CC courses are real college courses, but in the minds of some adcoms (they are humans, not robots), CC courses may be viewed as less rigorous than those offered at a 4 year university. It also may be advisable to complete two full years at 4 year university before applying.
Most who start as premed change their minds and never apply. Of those that apply over 60% will fail to get any acceptance. Getting one acceptance is quite the accomplishment. It’s nice to dream about Duke, but all US med schools are good schools and can serve as springboard into whatever field of med you might be interested in.
We have a friend who took pre-med classes and applied to med school several years after graduating from college. (She worked in politics in DC before switching paths.) Also: Brown has a combined undergrad and med program in which you are encouraged to major in something that has nothing to do with Medicine. I know people who attended that program who majored in Art History and Comparative Literarure.
