Chance Me/ Match Me (PLEASE BE HONEST): Sophmore in TX (4.08 GPA, will be taking SAT in a week, Pre-Med) graduating early

Chance Me / Match Me
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@ucbalumnus sort of brought up a good point that is related to this. You can get to medical school with an undergraduate GPA of 3.76. However, premed classes in university are going to be a lot tougher than high school classes. When you get to university, whenever that occurs, you are going to need to work very hard and make a strong effort to keep your grades up as much as you possibly can.

There are a lot of universities that are very good for premed students. An unweighted GPA of 3.76 in high school is pretty good, and will get you into a university with a good premed program. However, it does not strike confidence into me that you will be able to maintain a medical-school-worthy GPA in the tough university premed classes.

Right now job number 1 might be to be a good high school student. Part of this might be to get some sleep. Part of this might be to have some fun. Part of this is to learn how to do well in tough classes. Part of this is to get some background in biology, math, chemistry, physics, and other subjects in order to set a foundation that will help you do well after you get to university. All of this takes time.

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Let me ask you again: why do you want to do both a JD and MD degree?

What is your ultimate career goal?

The career pathways really aren’t compatible except in a very few unique cases. (And regardless, even in those careers you really won’t be utilizing BOTH degrees to their utmost.)

For JD/MD programs, the time spent in the classroom isn’t shortened. Those take 7 years to complete and if you want to practice medicine you’ll still need to complete a residency. And there’s no break on the tuition for JD/MD, you’re still going to pay list price tuition.

Possibly, but not likely
Are you ready to experience failure? (It’s huge ego bruiser to get rejected. You’re a kid who has seen a lot successes
.)

There is no single prescribed major for pre-med. All you need to do is complete the med school admission requirements. (bio, gen chem, ochem, calc, biostats/stats, biochemistry, physics, 2 semesters of writing skills, psych, sociology plus the various additional requirements that individual med school have. Typically genetics and human anatomy & physiology. A foreign language is strongly recommended for everyone. Other admission requirements vary widely by school. Some require advanced math. Some require 2-4 semesters of UL humanities/social science. Some require computer science. Some require public speaking
.) My kids’ med classes had students who majored in tons of different things: music composition, Italian language & literature; forestry; gender studies; classics; English & American lit; sports communications; sociology; business; computer science; electrical engineering; physics; mathematics
..Most majored in biology, biochemistry, neuroscience, chemistry or biomedical engineering since these majors have the greatest overlap with med school required classes.

It’ll get a small consideration, but it won’t move the needle on admission.

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Listen again. Most 22 year old college grads take 1-3 years after undergrad before applying to medical school
which makes them 23-25 years old when they apply, and a year older when they start.

If you graduate high school one year early, you will still be amongst the youngest applying to medical school even WITH one gap year after undergrad.

What’s the rush??

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And this. You can major in anything you want to major in as long as you also take the required courses for medical school applicants. So it’s advised that you study something you really like a lot
and will get great grades in as your GPA does count in med school admissions.

And you need to consider a Plan B. Every premed needs a Plan B because not everyone gets accepted to even one medical school.

And law school
isn’t a plan B in my opinion.

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That was last year as my 9th grade Weighted GPA, with 4 Honors classes and 1 AP class. This year, I am taking 5 5.0 classes (3 APs and 2 PLTW classes), 1 4.5 class and one 4.0 class. Grades haven’t started for me so I don’t know my GPA from this year.

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Parents want me to get a Medical Degree because it will be useful to work at their urgent care and etc. I just thought that I could get a JD if “there was time left”. But, as you said, two professional degrees are both costly and time-consuming. I also have a bigger background in math and science than anything for law. (I’m taking Dual Enrollment Medical Terminology and Healthcare Communications right now (fall) with the local community college and taking Pathophysiology in the spring (it’s an intro-level) as well as PLTW Biomed). That’s why I decided that getting an M.D. would be more beneficial.

You should know how many times I got “rejected” per se lol. I’m pretty used to not getting what I aspire for because with those few successes, comes a LOT of rejections. So, if I do get rejected from all the colleges, I’ll take it with maybe a few grains a salt and just do junior year and then graduate early and if that doesn’t work out, then senior year!

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The single most important thing med schools look for is maturity. yes, GPA, MCAT scores, volunteering, time with vulnerable populations– all of those things count. But unless you can demonstrate that you aren’t operating from a “TV land” version of what doctors do (deliver adorable babies, diagnose a cute toddler with a highly curable disease, explain to the delighted parents that they are pregnant with twins) you won’t get past the first screen.

It is VERY hard to demonstrate maturity if you zipped through HS. Even with a gap year
. you will be young compared to a 24 year old who has had life experience– he or she worked at a hospice center. Volunteered at a homeless shelter. Coached basketball for a group of kids with CP. Worked as a dietary aid at a nursing home. You will be a smart and talented kid compared to the other people applying, who understand that as a doctor, people will throw up on you, throw feces AT you, will walk into your ER or clinic in the throes of opiate withdrawal, will be non-compliant with their meds, will need a foot amputated because they are in denial about their diabetes.

Please stay in HS. Keep working hard. Get a job; do volunteer work; get exposed to people outside of your family, neighborhood, community. Learn to balance your studying with getting enough exercise, sleep, good eating habits. Having a social life.

The world isn’t running out of diseases. There is no rush.

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I guess I just want to go to Med School early so that I can actually do something in my 20s like open more urgent cares with my parents or something like that. I just want to make a name for myself when I’m younger before I have to get married (I’m a female) and settle down. I guess I have big dreams

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Okay! :+1:

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It’s good you have big dreams. Being in your 20s probably sounds like you’ll be mature and rather old, ready to get married and have children, and being in your 30s must be pretty indecipherable.

However, rushing through HS is the fastest way to find yourself in a dead end.

First, if you want to be a doctor, keep studying Spanish and achieve the highest possible level in your parents’ language (externally certified if possible -Embassy, Cervantes, Alliance Française, Confucius certificates or any test
) Being trilingual will be an asset for med school.

Second, start knitting, crocheting, and rock climbing. Dexterity, strength, fine motor skills, eye/hand coordination.

Then, map out your next two years as a HS student. If you’ve taken everything your HS offers, use Dual Enrollment. An example of what you could do to strengthen your college success, which in turn will increase your odds of med school admission, using the info you provided:

  • Math: Algebra 1 Honors, Geometry Honors, Algebra 2 Honors, PreCalculus, and currently taking AP Calculus BC

=> _Take Calculus 2, Biostatistics, and calculus-based statistics_

  • English: Honors English 1, Honors English 2, (will be testing out of English and 4 with credit by exam) and taking AP Seminar

=> AP Seminar is a nice elective but doesn’t replace English courses. Take AP Language next year, then Dual Enrollment Speech/Communication and one literature or intro to philosophy college class of your choice during senior year.

  • Science: Biology Honors, Chemistry, Physics, PLTW Principles of Engineering Science

=> AP Biology 11th, AP Chem 12th + Intro to Anatomy& Physiology, Environmental Science as DE any semester (suggesting Fall Jr year, Spring Sr year as Spring Jr/Fall Sr are busier than normal)

  • SS: AP Human Geography, AP World History (will be testing out of U.S. History)

Do NOT “test out” of US history. Take the full year college course (DE) then senior year take AP Psychology and Honors sociology or AP African American Studies. (All of that will be relevant for med school, do NOT skimp).

  • Health Science: Health Science Theory, Medical Terminology and Healthcare Communications (these two are in partnership with Collin College), and PLTW Principles of Biomedical Science

=> Nice electives, within your field of academic interest. Just electives though- as such, they don’t replace what colleges expect or what you need to succeed in premed classes.

  • Spanish: Spanish 1 and Spanish 2

=> Either Spanish 3&4 at your HS or College Spanish 2 and 3 as Dual Enrollment

During this year and the next 2, volunteer with a group of people different from you; since your parents are wealthy, the easiest would be finding a place away from your neighborhood and volunteering at a place that primarily serves middle/working class people but you can also choose from a very long list: a disadvantaged youth program, a homeless shelter, a clinic, a Planned Parenthood
 All that in addition to working as a Junior Assistant at your dad’s clinic. Please keep in mind that you will have to learn to do grunt work first, that many places may not be open to a 14-15year old volunteer, etc. so this is going to take some work on your part and that work alone will be a learning experience. (Also, avoid the “humanitarian volunteering/mission in exotic locale” trap. You _must_ volunteer where you’re needed in your community, town, etc. ) You’ll have more opportunities in college and having that background will help you secure these opportunities that a crucial for med schools.

Give yourself time to visit different campuses:

UT Dallas (ask for the Honors College tour), SMU or TCU, UT Austin, Trinity University, Rice. These should give you an idea about various types of colleges. You may want to borrow a book called Princeton Review’s Best Colleges and read up the descriptions for each of the above: can you pick out the differences? Some will be subjective or implied so may be hard to pick up at first.

Once you’ve figured what colleges are your best fit, you can start to expand your search. Other good premed colleges could include St Olaf, Mount Holyoke, Trinity CT, Lafayette, Whitman, Pitt, or Case Western Reserve.

October next year (Junior year) you’ll have the PSAT and it’ll be the last year to establish your rank for Texas public universities. It’s fixed June Junior year and you can start applying to Texas colleges in July or August. At that point, you’ll have a solid list starting from the foundations up.

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These are your parents’ reasons for med school. What about you?

Here’s a secret: the biggest screen for med school isn’t GPA or MCAT, but rather are you choosing medicine for the right reasons.

Fulfilling your parents’ expectations/desires is one of the worst reasons for going into medicine.

To be eligible to work in an urgent care (get a medical license), you need 4 years of med school and 3 years of residency (Family medicine or general internal medicine)–so minimum of 7 years.

Staring college at 16 or 17, graduating at 20-21, plus 1-2 gap years, plus 4 years of med school and 3 years of residency–you’re going to be in your late 20s by the time you’re ready to practice medicine. (20+1+4+3= 28 at the earliest)

Medicine as a career requires you to give up your 20s for education & training. Many young physicians don’t start their independent careers in medicine until their mid 30s.

If you’re planning on babies in your 20s–maybe marriage & children first, then med school. Med schools are welcoming to older students.

Sure, it’s possible to have children during med school, esp. during the first 2 years when it mostly classroom work, but 3rd & 4th year are clinical rotations where you’ll be working nights, weekends, holidays, all with odd hours.

Residency is even harder on family life because you will be working up to 30 hours straight at times, you will have multiple stretches of overnight hospital shifts. You will have zero control over when you will be assigned to work or where you will be assigned to work.

You need rock solid childcare, with multiple back-ups in case a child or caretaker gets sick. You cannot call in sick just because you have sick kiddo at home or your sitter/care provider is out with the flu. It typically requires a live-in round-the-clock caretaker (like at non-working spouse or a retired parent) or 2 shifts of nannies. (one day, one night). All that plus back up sitters just in case.

It’s tough to do. It’s why there has been explosion of new babies among D2’s friends recently (all in their mid-late 30s). They finished residency and are now attendings who have a bit more control over their lives. They now have the time to have babies

BTW, it’s fine to have big dreams. But you also need to be realistic about how achievable they are.

RE: law school. You can also major in anything and go to law school–even bio or one of the other typical pre-med majors. Law school is very stats driven in admissions. GPA + LSAT are more or less the sole determining factors for admission. You really aren’t expected to have extensive ECs like med students are. Maybe a summer interning in law office so understand what the day-to-day is like, but not the whole long list expected of pre-meds.

If you are interested in law (you said you were “passionate” about it above), maybe you should visit the pre-Law/Law school forums on this site to get better insights into how law school admissions work.

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If you really, really want to work in your parents stand alone urgent care centers, here’s another option: nurse practitioner. (DNP or APRN)

Nurse practitions do not have independent practice rights in TX; however, their supervising physician needn’t be onsite or even nearby. They can practice without having a physician immediately supervising their practice.

DNP or APRN requires a BSN (4 years) or RN (3 years) followed by a period additional training (typical 3-4 years), thought there are direct-entry BSN→DNP programs that only require 2 years of additional education.

Nurse practitioners do not do residency training. They learn on the job through a probationary period with their employer. The probation period is usually 6-12 months.

If all you want to do is urgent care work, that pathway gets into the job much quicker and your scope of practice will have a large overlap with those of physicians who work in an urgent care. You can assess and diagnose patients, initiate and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, order diagnostic testing


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OP—why do you want to work in your parents’ urgent care clinic? Is this something you feel really strongly about or is it perhaps a family expectation / obligation and you might prefer some other area of medicine or even a different field altogether?

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