what subjects i need to go to medical school??

Question

i am a sophomore in high school, can u guys tell me what subjects i need to get to a good medical school like harvard or John Hopkins? i already finished one year of biology, so I'm thinking of taking chemistry, what else do i need? I did volunteer in hospital for 58 hrs for credits & what other medical related activities can I do to be accepted in medical school?

Answer 1

If you have decided to pursue a career in medicine, you should focus on obtaining and maintaining good grades throughout high school and college. The basic requirements for high school graduation will likely cover the science classes that you need for college. However, the more advanced classes you take, such as Advanced Placement Biology, the better prepared you will be for the rigorous schedule of the premed student.

There are several classes that can help you out in your career that many high school students avoid including typing, foreign language, and computer classes. Many students do not take these because they don't see how they are relevant, but they often prove invaluable later in life. Most college courses require a fair amount of writing. It will save you time if you have learned how to type and use a computer. Foreign language skills are also important because so many patients do not speak English. Taking Latin is useful during college and medical school because many medical words have their roots in Latin words. Knowing Latin makes figuring out the meaning of much of the medical jargon easier.

To be a competitive applicant for medical school, students need to take a science-intensive curriculum, adding as many arts and humanities classes as possible. Medical schools look for well-rounded individuals who have demonstrated that they care about others.

* A GPA of at least 3.5 -- with a separate science GPA near 3.5
* MCAT scores above 24 (the average score on the MCAT). This score is extremely important for admission since the medical schools use this score as a predictor of your performance on the medical boards. The MCAT is scored from 1 to 45 with the average being 24. A good predictor of how you will do on the MCAT is how you do on the ACT. The scores on both tests are generally within 1 to 2 points of each other. If you receive a 24 on the ACT, you will probably receive a similar score on the MCAT, so high school students should take the ACT seriously and post the highest score they can as a predictor of their ability to get into medical school. Some schools, such as Wright State University School of Medicine, have started Early Assurance Programs (EAP) based on accepting a small number of applicants at the end of their sophomore year of college, using their ACT scores as one criterion (ACT score of 28 or above is necessary) for consideration. The EAP then gives students a conditional acceptance based upon
* Finishing their bachelor's degree before they start medical school
* Experience in the medical field through work or volunteering at hospitals, nursing homes, or medical facilities
* Involvement in extracurricular activities
* Involvement in community volunteer activities
* Letters of evaluation from professors
*Personal qualities including outgoing personality, leadership skills, team skills, intellectual curiosity, compassion, empathy, and others

There is more to getting into medical school than just getting the right "numbers." Volunteering in a field that you enjoy, whether a medically-related field or not, illustrates how you use your time to help others. If you have to work while in college, still try to find time to help those less fortunate. Become involved with campus activities, get to know your professors, take some courses just for fun, and enjoy your college experience. Remember, you should start your freshman year taking biology and chemistry, and you should do well because your first three years of undergraduate work go on your medical school application. If you do poorly your first year, it will be difficult to raise your GPA high enough to be competitive during the next two years.


Read this article "Medical Careers for High School Students:"
http://www.bestpremed.com/hs.htm

"Considering a Career in Medicine," read these articles:
http://www.aamc.org/students/considering/start.htm

Getting into medical school:
http://gradschool.about.com/od/medicalschool/a/medoverview.htm

Keep up medical school deadlines from the medical school you want to go to:
http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/admissions.htm
http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/deadlines.htm

Answer 2

The MD [program requires at least 130 weeks of instruction (LCME Criterion). California requires a curriculum of 4 academic years totaling 36 months or 3 calendar years. Year 1 & 2 are for basic sciences and clinical subjects (Anatomy, Physiology, Histology, Pathology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Introduction to Health and disease, critical thinking, patient's assessment, etc.. A medical student in CA must have 72 weeks of clinical rotations: Surgery, Internal medicine, Pediatrics, Obst.Gyn, Psychiatry. For more information go to Google and search Medical Schools curriculum. Best wishes. The next 10 yrs the USA there will have a shortage of MD's and we will need a lot of youngers MD's as many older ones are retiring and enjoying life right now!! What's up Doc?

Answer 3

Miss QA has provided all the answer you will need in terms of medical school.

However, before you can ever go to medical school, you will need to get into COLLEGE. Getting into Harvard or Johns Hopkins Medical Schools require that you have excellent undergraduate grades, a good score on the MCAT, and good references.

Keep your grades high (translation: graduate in the top portion, hopefully #1 or #2, of your class in High School), get into a good (if not excellent) school (any Ivy League school will do), and get outstanding grades AGAIN.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I am learning myself but from checking out a few of the practice MCATs focus on your biology, chem, and definately physics and calculus!!! I wish I would have started at your age! lol

Answer 5

Top grades
Student tutoring (extra)
Organic chemistry and a lot of biology

You're on the right track.