Currently a sophomore in high school, what are my chances of getting into medical school?
I am wondering what my chances of doing well enough throughout the rest of my educational career to get into medical school are.
I really want to become a doctor because Biology and science in general really interest me. I admit I am driven partially for financial gains but mostly because I think I would profoundly enjoy it. I am a very empathetic person, so I do think I would enjoy helping people. However, I do think that might hurt me having to deal with my failures in the medical field. Now on to my question.
I am a very good student. My GPA is a 4.08 right now, and I am first in my class of 420. I am taking the hardest course load possible (aside from being one level lower in math than the highest people because a math that I took in middle school didn’t count towards high school so I had to retake it). Right now, I have no concern that I will not do well enough in high school to get into a decent college. What I am concerned with is how I go about getting the grades that I get.
I do not have to try very hard at school… ever. I have never once through all four semesters that I have been in high school ever had to seriously study for a test. I was one of the very few people in my honors biology class to get an A, and I know that I didn’t have to try nearly as hard as some of the people who got B’s. I was one of the probably 4 sophomores who took physics, and I did as good or better than every junior or senior in the class to my knowledge. Most people at my school say physics is hard; aside from Spanish, it was probably my easiest class. The only class I struggle with is English, and that is probably because I am not as gifted with that subject as I am with my other subjects (I tend to start trailing away from the main topic when I write papers). I still managed to get an A in the class.
What I am worried about is that I don’t truly understand the meaning of hard work because I can ace all of my classes with little effort. I don’t know if the study habits (or lack thereof) that I have right now are going to hurt me when I get to college, and, in turn, prevent me from getting into medical school. I am wondering if college will be totally different than high school for me and if I will have to drastically alter my approach to school.
Thanks in advance!
P.S. I know grades aren’t everything, but they do seem to be the primary determining factor when gaining admittance into college and medical school. Also, I do have extracurricular and community service activities; I just don’t think they are relevant to the discussion.
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I would be careful about thinking that just because you do well in high school, you will do well in college. I was in the top 5% of my high school class graduating cum laude and then went to an Ivy League school. Going to college was a learning experience for me. I realized that I was one of many fish in an ocean full of smart fish. Even though I never had any problems in getting good grades in high school (I went to a prep school with a strong academic reputation), it was a different story in college. I had to work much harder and build better studying habits. High school is cake compared to college and college is cake compared to medical school. Just a word of caution. But if you persevere and keep at it, you can do it. The field of medicine is a never ending learning process with endless exams and certifications. Good luck.
Currently a cardiology fellow.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:53 pmGrade 11 is when things start to get hard, and natural ability is not enough. You need to have good study habits to continue getting straight As. There are many "natural" students at your age, most most get weeded out of competition for medical school.
If your school has the program, I suggest you enroll in the IB (International Baccalaureate) program. This will test to see if you’re as good as you think you are.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:53 pmYou have quite some time to worry about it, but I have to be honest and say that the people who find high school easy aren’t prepared for med school or college even.
You need to find a way to challenge yourself and find out how you react. Take a college level course to see what its like, or spend a day with a doctor.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:53 pm