how soon should one prepare for med school?

<p>i am in high school and i am planning on going to med school after college. How soon should i start preparing? i really think i would enjoy being a doctor, although science and math arent exactly my strong subjects. I get A’s in them, but only with a substantial amount of effort. Any tips on preperation?</p>

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<p>This is the best site by far for all things medical. Read it and don’t forget to enjoy your time in college.</p>

<p>thanks for the site. Greatly appreciated</p>

<p>There’s nothing you can do to “prepare for med school”. I would also suggest avoiding SDN for a couple years.</p>

<p>Do well in your classes, read books, and most importantly, don’t forget to have fun. That’s what you can do to prepare for anything your future may hold.</p>

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<p>QFT! SDN will only stress you out…</p>

<p>That’s is probably good advice.</p>

<p>SDN has far too many neurotic over the top posters…stay away as long as you can…for your own mental health :)</p>

<p>What? Your not already prepared? I have been preparing since I was born.</p>

<p>Honestly dude, you have 4 YEARS OF COLLEGE, to prepare for medical school. Relax.</p>

<p>Hi, maroon123. While it is too early to really “prepare” for med school, there are things you can do to stay on the path. I’ll give you my advice. My D is just completing her first year of med school.
–Math and science: keep working hard. Get extra help from your teachers or even tutoring for anything in math you don’t understand. My D only went through algebra II in high school as she wasn’t intending to go to med school or even major in science. She also didn’t take chemistry in high school. Start at the lowest level allowed when you get to college in math and chemistry. That way you will have a solid foundation. Don’t overload on too many science classes with labs at first when you get to college.
–Helping others. You need a strong history of helping others and of leadership roles when you apply to med school. Start now by pursuing your genuine interests in volunteering or in a part-time job. You could try working with kids or with the elderly. Try out some different kinds of volunteering now and stick with that in college.
–Work on your critical thinking skills. Read hard books, complex articles. Read the New York Times, especially difficult articles in subjects you aren’t that interested in. Analyze what you read. That will help you with the verbal portion of the MCAT. Keep that up from now through undergrad.
–Take writing classes. You have to write about a zillion essays for your applications.
–Be a serious student, now and from day one of college. Your GPA is critical to med school acceptance.</p>

<p>You cannot prepare anyhow in HS. Make sure that your college GPA is 3.7+ and study hard for MCAT few weeks (or some people prefer few months) before taking it. Most people are taking it at the end of college junior year. EC’s are pretty much standard for pre-meds, just seek opportunities while at campus, sometime they are hard to get into outside. The most improtant is to enjoy your HS and college years, meet people, have fun, engage in your favorite activities. It is your life, do not waste years worrying about things out of your control.</p>

<p>Maintain a good GPA in college. The MCAT isn’t THAT difficult if you are a math-science person. Since you are only in high school, it’s too early to start preparing.</p>

<p>Not everyone starts thinking about medical school early on. I thought I was going to attend law school for the longest time. For whatever reason, I ended up majoring in math in undergrad. I never took any real “science” courses like chem or bio though. After I graduated, I went back and got a post-bac, and am now in medical school.</p>