What are my chances of getting into medical school?
546585
First off, if you're really serious about becoming a doctor don't ever give up. There are multiple roads that lead to "doctorhood" (some which cost more than others) so don't give up just because of grades in the 1st semester. \n\nOkay. I think what you really need to decide is if you're going to give this track you're currently on, everything you've got. As long as you ace all your science classes and prove to your professors that you're serious about becoming a doctor 1st semester grades, which probably didn't have a lot of biochemistry in it, won't matter much. \n\nUnderstanding and getting A's in science isn't as hard as people think. It may be hard work, but it's not hard if you're committed to it and believe in what you're doing. You'll just have to change your life around. Study in groups instead of going out to socialize. Ask your teachers and counselors for help on how to be successful. Be earnest, honest and committed. \n\nThe only other thing is that if you find that you're struggling too much... you'll have to ask yourself if this is where you really belong.
208073
go to a regular 4 year university first, get a degree, then apply for med school
587852
Totally.\nTo get into Medical school you need 2 semesters with lab of Organic Chemistry\n2 semesters with lab of General Chemistry\n2 semesters of Math\n1 semester of English\n2 semesters with lab in Biology.
169568
I've heard that by time you get to applying for residencies (OB/GYN being a residency) they don't seem to place alot of focus on where you attended undergrad school, what you got on MCAT's etc.  \n\nHowever, like previous posters mentioned you DO have to do well on all those steps to get into medical school FIRST.  \n\nOnce you are ready to apply for residency, you will want to have good USMLE (Step 1 of the Medical Licensing Exam) scores (or  the D.O. version if you attend a DO school).  You should also seek a good mentor in the OB field.  They can help you with letters of recommendation and to choose where to apply.  You'll need several good letters of recommendations, good grades in your clinical rotations (esp. OB, Surgery, Medicine), and a good personality during interviews.  It seems during residency applictaion time, they are less focused on grades and more interested in learning about YOU (though good grades etc. help you get the interview offers).  \n\nSo, my answer is, choose schools where you have a "good fit."  Don't focus so much right now on that ultimate goal (assuming you are not in college yet).
863246
You should research the schools to find out what your chances are. Most school websites give information about their acceptance rates, diversity break down and what areas their students come from. You can see which of the categories you fit into.\n\nBut if you know you meet all their requirements, you should know that you have a chance of getting in. It's also good if you show a record of balancing extracirricular activities with school. Community service is also a plus, but they'll be able to tell if you do it at the last minute just to get into their school.\n\nGood luck!
964874
Try very hard to improve your grades, good grades will help you get into a good school, but as others have said, schools take into consideration, circumstances.    You will certainly want o be strong i science and math, especially Biology and Chemistry.  Before you choose a college, make sure it has a reputable pre med program.  Med school are extremely competetive, you will need good grades in college and/or someone with a lot of clout to get you in.  If you want something bad enough you will succeed, but in the event you don't, there are always options.  I work for a company that builds medical devices.  I work in Oncology R&D and we are part of the battle against cancer as well.  In fact, everything I have worked on there has been used on me on at least one occassion over the last 6 years as I am fighting late stage RCC.\n\nOh, I almost forgot.  There are other types of doctors that fight cancer also, not just Surgical Oncologists.  In fact, there is a growing trend toward Interventional Radiologists who use less invasive methods to treat people.  If you like, Email me and I can fill you in some, but make the Subject line interesting enough so I don't delete it as Spam.
101558
You have to apply for medical school.  See the pre-med advisor, or change to a school that has one and a good medical school acceptance rate.  You need to take certain classes, pass the MCAT test, then apply to medical schools until you finally get accepted.
877317
If and only if:\n\n1. your online degree is accredited\n2. you did NOT do your lab courses online\n3. took MCAT and did well.\n\nbut even still, NO ONLINE SCHOOL ranks remotely close to the real universities that matriculate students into med school. I'm coming from UC Berkeley with a masters degree from USC, and i had a MCAT score of 32. You will be competing with the likes of me for admission.\n\nAdmissions committees will be paying attention to where you came from. Unless you have a GREAT back story to tell (married, 6 kids, spouse in the military, constantly moving, worked as a medical tech for 30 years etc...), you will be fighting an uphill battle.
667882
Majors that help when you get into Med school are biology, pre-med and chemistry. You can literally major in anything and get accepted into Med school but those 3 majors are decided advantage in Med school. Pharmacology and the biochemistry areas are the most difficult areas for most medical students. \n\nAs for what school, you can be in any accredited collage but the better known schools will be a slight advantage. Going to Ivy league will help. \n\nIt is very important for you to get good grades. Your MCAT is the MOST important aspect. Start studying possibly in your freshman year. If there is ever one test in your entire life that is truely important it is your MCATs if you really want to be a doctor. Pediatrics is a competitive field to get into, not as bad as trying to be an Orthopod or a surgeon. Still be prepared to be family practice as an alterntive. You still work with kids and are still a Doc. Making it through med school is hard enough. Not sure how hard it is to switch to pediatrics afterwards but I suspect it is quite possible. The key things are getting into med school and making it through it. I'm going to paste some tips on becoming a Doc from a previous answer into this one. I have seen the whole thing first hand with my ex. Her struggle to go from Blue collar family to Doc was informitive and inspiring. \n\nFirst keep your record spotless. No memberships in political or crimanal orgizations. No reference to drugs at all. Stay away from anything contraversial. Do not join anything that is ethnic or political in nature. You might get away with membership in a political parties org but thats taking an unnecessary risk. Not matter how innocent it might seem to you it is possibly contraversial and could hurt you in interviews. Join all the clubs you want after you become a Doc.\n\nGenerally pharmacists do extremely well in Med school. I would recomend this route to anybody who is not brilliant in school. It means taking longer to become a Doc but it will be a huge help down the road. Both in deciding if you really want to become a Doc and in getting to that goal.\n\nGet into a decent college. It helps if your major is Pre-med or biology. Chemistry is not a bad major either. There is no requirement so technically you can major in Phys Ed and still be eligible. What you major in WILL affect your interviews. So it is important to either have a major that will help you in Med school or be very good in interviewing to get around the damage done by a major not associated with medical students. Every year hundreds or thousands make it into med school with majors like Law, English lit, etc. You may want to do this to bulk up your grades if you are extremely well suited to another major.\n\nAfter doing very well through your bachelors. Just gettting yoru degree will not be enough. You do not have to be a strait A student either. The better your grades the easier it will be to be accepted into medical school. Involvement in certain organizations can help as well. Anything medical, intellectual or that strikes a chord with the interviewer is good. Avoid anything contraversial. If if the interviewer agrees with you politically Doctors are supposed to be objective.\n\nStart studying for your MCATs as a freshman in college. If you do not make at least a certain score on them and these are very difficult exams you are not going to get into Med school in the US. The better you do the easier it will be to be accepted. If you are female, a minority or have a special story you can make it with respectable MCAT scores possibly. Depends on how many of your exception are appying that given year and what their scores are like. There is a program or at least was several years ago that allowed certain minorities to get extra help and acceptance of minorities with less than minium scores. The program gave them extra time on tests, sliding scales on exam scores and other help to promote diversity among doctors. Still nobody glides thr
829554
Unfortunately, the BS/MD programs are all highly selective. They want top students who are ready to jump in and excell in highly intense courses immediately. If you've had less than a stellar academic experience in high school, regardless of the reason, you would, in all honestly, not be served well by an accelerated BS/MD program. You'd be much better off at a college where you'll be able to reach your full potential academically before going on to medical school. Luckily, there are many such colleges out there - look for a solid science program, good academic advising, support services, and a strong med school placement rate. If you're meant to be a doctor, you'll get there. Good luck.\nCarolyn Lawrence, www.AdmissionsAdvice.com
1097138
unless you want to go somewhere out of the US (e.g. a country like australia or the UK where medicine is an undergraduate-entry program), you go to college and do really well. i mean REALLY well. and well enough that you forget about medicine entirely and just kick some academic butt. and abandon all hope of getting in until it actually seems possible. (as for classes to take, i would recommend swallowing all the organic chem you can get ahold of... major in something hard core like biochemistry or neuroscience, but not biology--everyone does that.) however, if you go outside the US, check your scores--if you've got really amazing numbers, you can enter a 6 year undergrad program in australia.
894946
While the MCAT is very important, it is not the end-all-say-all for medical school admission.\n\nHere are some helpful tips for building a strong medical school application:\n\n1. Volunteer at a local hospital. Medical schools are placing more and more emphasis on getting clinical experience while studying as an undergraduate. It tells the medical schools that you have spent time in a hospital, have observed doctors working, and that you are sure medicine is the right career for you. It also allows you to portray yourself as a compassionate person and gain a sense of accomplishment by volunteering your time to help others.\n\n2. Do well in your medical school prerequisite classes. Ideally, you want to get an "A" in every class you take. That  is not possible for everyone, however. It was not possible for me! Make sure you concentrate the majority of your time and effort on the classes that really matter: biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, math, and physics. While getting an "A" in your history class is nice, it does not mean much when it is sitting next to a "C" in organic on your transcript. On your medical school application, they have a spot for your total GPA and your science GPA. Schools like to see a high science GPA. Doing well in your science classes (aka actually learning the material rather than cramming for exams) will really pay off when you take the MCAT. Schools also look at your performance in specific classes on your transcript. For example, there is a moderate correlation between your performance in organic chemistry classes and your performance in medical school courses. Think about this while studying as an undergraduate. Also, make sure to TAKE ALL OF YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL PREREQUISITES AT A FOUR YEAR SCHOOL! Community college is fine for general education classes, but medical schools like to see you taking your important classes at a four year school. \n\n3. Start studying early for the MCAT. If you take the April test, start studying November. Spend something like 30 minutes a day studying, and it will pay off in the long run. It is also helpful to take an MCAT prep course, specifically for the full-length simulated practice exams. It is not the material on the MCAT that is difficult. It is the amount of material covered and the length of the exam (about 8 hours). Practice exams let you know what areas you need to devote more time to and get you acclimated to taking an 8 hour exam. I received a 24 on my first practice MCAT and received a 35 on the actual test. Prep courses do help, if you are willing to shell out the dough (took mine through Kaplan).\n\n4. Get to know your professors. Most medical schools require three letters of recommendation from class room professors. The more personal your letters of recommendation are, the better off you will be. The best way to get to know a professor is to undertake a research project or work in their lab. Many schools have honors research programs or job listings for labs. It is also a good idea to enroll in some classes with a smaller number of students. If you actively participate, professors will remember you.\n\n5. Work on your writing skills. Medical school applications require you to complete endless essays. If you can put together an articulate and well-organized essay, you will be a more appealing candidate. While what's in your essay is important, how it is written will also go a long way. When you are writing your essays, head over to your college's English department. Many departments will have a free student writing center. You could also seek the help of an English graduate student or professor.\n\n6. Get involved in activities you are passionate about. Research, volunteering, student organizations, intramural athletics, clubs, etc. You do not need a huge list of activities to impress admissions committees. What you do need are a handful of activities that you really enjoy and are passionate about. Many essays
643030
Absolutely. Med schools really don't care what your major is, since they train you from scratch anyway. You can get in as an art major. What really matters are your grades, test scores, references, recommendations, and last, but not least, your determination to get in.
975384
Go for it.\n\nYou don't need to take any science courses beyond what are required by medical schools if you don't want to. The prerequisites will be plenty of preparation for medical school, if you do well in them. \n\nThe fact that you can write proper sentences is a nice plus :)
178955
you don't necessarily have to go to a prestigous university, however u should get into a decent university. Remmber med shool is a totally different ball game. Its very competetive. Where ever u go, make sure you have AT LEAST A 3.7 GPA, and good MCAT. \nIf you really want to be doctor, then go to a communnity college. (2years) Get a 3.8 GPA. then transfer as a junior to a semi-prestigous university, ie. UCLA, Penn State, SUNY, or any state universtiy. Finish with a 3.7. Apply to Med School\nAlso, while in college pre-med, have a back-up major, ie biomedical engineering, nursing, doctor assisant, teaching. Also have tons of community services, ie. volenteer at the hospital. Oh a good thing to do is become an EMT while doing pre-med. Have great refrences, and make sure u STUDY. No joke. more than 50% of pre-med applicants don't get admisstion. Also you might want to even consdireding getting a masters before u get into med school. thats 6 year of PRE-med. then another 4 years of med school, then another 3 years of resedency then a few more years of internship. Be realistic (Can you handle all that, no offense, just trying to help)
534337
Nope.\n\nMedical schools will never see your high school transcript or GPA. They *will*, however, see your college transcript and GPA, and this is an important factor in admissions. Further, things like your MCAT score, research experience, community involvement and interview skills will also play important roles in medical school admissions.
1171290
Going to med school?\nI suggest you read the books then...