What should I do as a high school student if I want to become a doctor?
Hi,
I am trying to use my time wisely, and I was wondering if there is anything extra that I could be doing in my High School years to help with med school and getting into colleges.
Academically:
Take upper-level biology, chemistry, physics, and math courses.
ECs:
Shadowing doctors, volunteering at clinics/hospitals
If you're 100% sure about becoming a doctor(no ifs and buts), consider applying to BS/MD or BS/DO programs in your senior year. These programs provide perks like direct entry into medical school after Bachelors and lower/no MCAT score requirements for med school. This helps save a lot of precious time in college that you would spend applying to med school. However, these programs are usually binding, so it's not worth it if you're not confident about your career.
Hope this helps.
This is very good advice in my opinion. Also, to add on, many schools have pre-med clubs which I would highly suggest joining if you want to be a doctor. I think joining your school's biology and chemistry clubs would be another good way to supplement your knowledge. Also, I have found that Science Olympiad has many biology and chemistry events that could be helpful in this subject area (Disease Detectives and Anatomy & Physiology being some of the best ones) so if your school has a team you may want to check that out.
Hope I was able to be of some help.
Hey there,
Here are a few tips for you:
1. Set the foundation: Determine your schools of choice as well as your major. Regarding majors, docs typically follow a "pre-med track".
2. Choose relevant classes for that future pre-med track (ex-choose chemistry over earth sciences).
3. Grab 1-2 career oriented extracurriculars that you find interesting and pursue those alongside pre-existing activities. (ex- hospital volunteer, research internships, science fair, Science Olympiad, etc.) Show the colleges that you are a self-starter in that you took your interest in medicine outside school walls.
4. In the inevitable event that your path to med-school gets tough, remember your "why" for choosing medicine. Determine exactly WHY you want to go this route. Let that motivate you.
Keep reaching out to others for advice. You are going to do great.
Aimee H
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