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med school is all about mcats dudes and dudettes...
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<p>Actually...that's not totally true. Yes...the MCAT and your GPA play a large role in medical school admissions....but I would argue that your history with research/community service/clinical experience is even more important. I know someone who had a 3.7 and a 33 on the MCAT....had no meaningful community service or clinical experience...got a few interviews, but no acceptances.</p>
<p>The person who personally recommended Hum Ec as the best track for him is also a senior in high school such as yourself. I do not believe you can major outside of HumEC although you will take classes outside of the college. Here is HumEc's description of a pre-health major in their college:
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Students in Human Ecology preparing for health-related careers receive an education that focuses on prevention and wellness. Our students are confident in their preparation for medical school and for lives as health professionals, because they are effective communicators who can incorporate multiple perspectives and critically consider the social and environmental factors that play a role in human health.
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I would listen to Norcalguy, who is an expert on this topic. It is not prudent at your stage of looking at schools to take important advice from high schools students whom you do not know. At least Norcalguy went through the process at Cornell, did top level research and is attending a prestigious med school. There is no best answer to your question or best college for pre-med. The most important thing is to find the program that suits you best so you can earn a high GPA - very important. Also, of course you have to do well on your MCATs, find a research project, volunteer in a hospital, etc.</p>
<p>*Edit- Sorry, I forgot about Dewdrop, who is also experienced in this field.</p>
<p>thanks for the clarification, tahoe.</p>
<p>I agree with Tahoe (who was agreeing with me ;)). Your basic question is what college you should apply to. As I said, you can major in literally anything and still go to med school. Most of Cornell's premeds come from CALS, CAS, and Human Ecology because that's where the biology-based majors are. You can do pure biology in CAS or CALS. Or you can do something like nutritional sciences or human biology health and society (which combines biological sciences with a bioethics/social sciences component). Or you can choose to major in something that's entirely unrelated to biology (such as history or economics). </p>
<p>The key point is that this is something YOU should be deciding. Read through the descriptions of various majors at Cornell, see what interests you, and then decide which college to apply to. We can't tell you want to major in (like I said, premed's not a major). If you want to go to med school, that's fine. But, you still need to choose a major in college.</p>
<p>Thanks norcalguy. I heard from a doctor's son that the way through med school is hard and that once a physician, life isn't any easier. Is this true?</p>
<p>Eventually, I'd like to become a physician and have a career in medicine. As of now, I'm interested in eventually becoming a Gastroenterologist, ENT, Psychologist, or Microbiologist.</p>
<p>Med school is difficult but graduation rates remain in the 98-100% range for most schools. In other words, if you can get into med school, you can graduate.</p>
<p>The life of a physician is becoming tougher and tougher with rising malpractice premiums and med school debt and declining salaries. It is still a rewarding career (if you get into medicine for the right reasons) but it is no longer the slam-dunk career it was 20 years ago.</p>
<p>You don't need to go to med school to become a psychologist or microbiologist. And it's way too early to decide what kind of physician you'll be. I'm sure you'll change your mind many times before you'd ever have to choose.</p>
<p>So, what career did you choose?</p>
<p>I'm only a med student so I won't have to choose until my fourth year of med school.</p>
<p>Ah, but your time's coming soon.</p>