I want to become a pediatrician?

Question

What classes should I take in high school?

What courses should I take in university?

I am good at math in general but do I need to take calculus and other advanced math to be a pediatrician? How much math does a doctor do, anyway?

Answer 1

What you take in high school isn't particularly importnat to medical schools. They're only important because they will determine what university you will be able to attend. Top universities send more students to medical school than lesser universities. This means you NEED to take lots of honors courses and do lots of extracurricular activities so you'll have a shot at going to a really high ranked university.

When you get to university, there are certain courses you will need to take to qualify for medical school. These are:
1 year general chem (with lab)
1 year organic chem (with lab)
1 year general biology (with lab)
1 year intro. physics (with lab)
1 year English
1 year CALCULUS

And no, you cannot use your AP credits to waive out of these courses. They must be on your college transcript for the med schools to see.

Suggested coursework includes: psychology, statistics, biochemistry and humanities. You can major in anything you want and still go into medicine. Med schools like to accept students who have studied things besides biology.

As for mathematics, yes, you will need to learn math. You can stop after the first year of calc. But it is a necessary skill. Otherwise, how else do you expect to understand things like dosing, pharmacokinetics and such?

Answer 2

You will need math to do your univesity science courses. In high school as well as math chemistry and biology courses will be important.