You can major in anything as an undergrad and apply to medical schools. You just need to be sure you have met all the course requirements for applicants.
But I will say something…no one should become a doctor who absolutely can’t see themselves doing anything else. It’s a tough and long course of study to get to being at the attending physician level. There are tests after tests after tests after test forever. And it’s costly (think probably well over $100,000 a year for medical schoo by the time you get there…if you do).
All folks thinking premed is a good idea need a plan B. Because a very small %age of entering premed freshmen actually get to medical school applications and attendance. @WayOutWestMom can clarify this.
I’m going to suggest that you read the following thread. It is very very important that you have sure things for admission that you like on your application list. This story is older, and college acceptances have only become MORE competitive. The student in this story was a NMF, class Val, excellent ECs, excellent LORs, excellent GPA and SAT scores. No one expected that he would NOT get accepted anywhere…but that is what happened his senior year of high school
I was replying to her post that said she would only attend a NJ college if it was close to free so she could pay herself, just saying that situation won’t happen.
@rosechild I applaud you for seeking advice and hope you will consider the suggestions in this thread.
It sounds like you will meet with your GC in April to discuss your application list. As preparation for that meeting, I hope you will research schools that would be targets for students with your stats. A 3.68 GPA, which implies mostly As but some Bs (or lower) is a good academic record. A 1280 SAT is in the top 85%… another stat to be proud of. There are many well-respected and academically challenging schools that fit that profile. Your job right now should be identifying those schools then diving into the other factors to find the best fit for you personally. The schools you mentioned in your OP are high reaches; reaches are easy to identify so set those aside until you figure out safeties and targets.
I’d also like to stress that it is okay to apply as undeclared and then explore your interests in college. There are some exceptions, such as engineering, that may require targeting schools that offer those majors… and may take longer to graduate if you switch in late. But my impression is you aren’t truly interested in engineering. So give yourself grace and don’t worry too much about figuring out now what you want to do with the rest of your life.
And on the topic of engineering, your friend’s comment that industrial and environmental engineering are low effort… I would hesitate making any decisions on that information. I don’t know many people who would describe any engineering discipline as low effort, though some are relatively easier than others depending on a student’s strengths.
My hope is that your GC will have valuable feedback for both you and your parents that helps you develop a balanced application list that everyone signs off on… academic fit, social fit, affordable, etc. And a mix of safeties, targets and reaches. By doing the legwork now you will be better prepared for that conversation than your parents so good for you!
UGA’s OOS admit rate was only about 25% last year.
“We review applications from Georgia and out-of-state similarly. However, depending on the geographic makeup of our pool year-over-year, decisions may vary for students from Georgia and students from out-of-state. UGA has a goal of enrolling a freshman class made up of 80% in-state students and 20% out-of-state students, and it depends on the strength of the applicant pool as to how this impacts admission and Georgia residency.”
I’m not sure I want to do anhthing but I can’t just sit around. I think I’ll target somewhere like Smith or Agnes Scott for now. I don’t really care where I go as long as I’m not mentally broken down. I think once I’m in college 90% of my problems will be fixed.
Isn’t NJ stars free community college if you are in the top 15% of your class? It doesn’t apply to 4 year colleges (mine were in the top 1% and got nothing except the free CC offer).
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