<p>Hi there. I know this sounds premature, but I've wanted to go to a top school (ivy league or highly-ranked LAC) my entire life. Highschool didn't play out well for me for many reasons and if I could go back and tell my freshman self some tips about what to look out for, opportunities to be aware of, tests I needed to prep for, important courses to take, etc., I 100% would. I know graduate school admission is vastly different in that one really wants to be doing a lot of research in one's field, and it isn't about a "laundry list" of accomplishments. </p>
<p>Are there any details that I should be aware of as I begin my major (Biology/Biochemistry) or any specifics that I should be aware of? Any tips to help get me to a very good school for my graduate education? </p>
<p>I plan on getting involved in the student government and rushing a sorority. Right now I am taking AP Bio, AP Govt, AP Micro, and AP Govt [though I have a Polisci credit from a CC already]. If I can get the majority of my gen ed requirements out of the way, I can free up my schedule a bit more [and I already have 6 credits of Comp to back me up from AP Lang last year].</p>
<p>You will find that extracurriculars don’t matter except as fun things to do, so rushing a sorority and joining the student government will have no impact on your graduate school applications, although they WILL impact your undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>Just do the best you can. Seek out research opportunities right away. Interact with your professors. And enjoy your undergraduate years.</p>
<p>Wait, so I’m confused: are you still in high school (you mention AP courses) or are you just beginning undergrad?</p>
<p>Either way, you are thinking WAY too far ahead. Focus on the doing the best you can in your undergrad work and then decide where you want to go from there. Also, remember that, in graduate work, just because a school is an Ivy doesn’t mean they have the best program in a particularly field. Grad school is a totally different ballgame.</p>
<p>In the most general sense: do research, form close relationships with professors/mentors/advisors, pace yourself in terms of outside activities so that you start off with strong grades and keep them up. Some graduate schools do look at leadership & volunteer experience as a positive factor, so look into those opportunities, but don’t (!) overload yourself. And have fun! If you’re not having fun, you won’t be as motivated to do all of the above.</p>
<p>@captain88 - I’m still in high school and will start college in the Fall. I’m aware that for graduate school prestige become almost irrelevant. However, Duke medical school is a robust program and it’s what I intend on going into. @kigali - sounds sensible. I wonder if I should hold off on joining a sorority…</p>
<p>^Think really really hard about this. Duke’s medical school produces graduates with significantly lower usmle scores than their undergrad grades and mcat scores would predict as compared to those at Duke’s peer institutions. The reason for this is that Duke squeezes the first two years of medical school, the foundations of medical science (micro, immu, biochem, cell, pharm, anatomy, physiology and all other basic and applied science coursework) into a single year. Medical school coursework is challenging enough without having to double it. And the results suggest that the students are getting less out of it.</p>
<p>I personally wouldn’t hold off rushing a sorority. I’m in a fraternity myself and I plan to go graduate school in engineering. </p>
<p>Courses will get heavier, you’ll get more involved and basically the more you prolong it, the more excuses you’ll find not to rush sororities this semester and you’ll promise yourself you’ll do it next semester, but it’ll never happen.</p>
<p>Enjoy college, rush a sorority if you want to; they can be great support and fun, help you academically and you never know but one of your alumnae might just be a really well-established professor in your field looking for undergraduates for research opportunities.</p>