I'm so confused about college, medical school, and whatever is next!?
461147
The above person has given you good advice.  I'll just add a bit to it by giving you a rough timetable, and some pointers.\n\nFirst, you will have to apply to colleges.  Most college applications will be due in December or January.  Make sure you apply to more than one college (perhaps five or so), since most students do not get into every school to which they apply.  Do your research before you select these colleges.  Visit websites like collegeconfidential.com, princetonreview.com, and look at annual rankings of colleges in  publications like "US News and World Report."  Look for information that is important to you, like location, available majors, cost, and the percentage of graduates who are successful in getting into medical school.  Also, make an appointment with your high school's guidance counselor, who should be a great help to you as you choose schools, and put your applications together.\n\nYou will also want to apply for federal financial aid using the FAFSA form.  It is due in January or February as well.  Your guidance counselor should be able to help with this as well.  \n\nMost colleges will inform applicants of their admissions decisions in April.  You will then have a few weeks to decide where you'd most like to go.  Compare their financial aid offers, and weigh their pros and cons before you make your final decision.\n\nSince you are not really familiar with what college is about, and you probably don't know what classes you should take, you should definitely begin college in August or  September, whenever the college you choose begins its regular school year.  That way, you can attend the formal orientation (these usually begin a week before classes start in the fall) where you can meet with an advisor who will help you choose your courses, meet other students, and familiarize yourself with the environment.\n\nMost good colleges and universities will have advising offices, where you can go for advice about how best to make yourself a good candidate for medical school.  \n\nThis is just general advice, but I hope you find it helpful.  I was the first in my family to attend college too, and it was a confusing process.  Things ended up great for me, and I'm sure things will turn out well for you, too.
22526
Each school will have different requirements.  The best idea is to talk to an advisor about the college you would like to go to.  They can help you plan exactly what courses to take into the future.
272889
You should talk to people in different fields to get their take on what its like.  Most people will give an honest answer.  \n\nIf thats not possible, try to contact a career center in the medical school or medical facility..
523011
You should plan on majoring in some science that you will need in medical school, i.e. biology, chemistry, microbiology, etc.\n\n----\n\nDon't get your heart set on one medical school.  If one doesn't accept you, try another.  Med school competition is usually tough, and it might even take 2 or 3 tries at the same school to finally get in.  You would have a better advantage trying for a med school in the state in which you live.  State funded med schools usually have an obligation to give preference to residents of their own state before accepting out of state students.\n\nEven if you decide against med school, you can still use these degrees for other things.  You could possibly get a job working in some medical position in a hospital.  As a chemistry major, you could get a job doing chemical formulas for drug companies.  With any of the degrees, you could teach community college, or get your master's degree and teach at a university.  Depending on your state's requirements, you could possibly teach in a high school.
772809
You have a long way to go before worrying too much.  Get into college first, do well in undergrad.  Get into med school.  There is a long way ahead of you, and you have to make sure this is what you really want.  Honestly, not having all A's in 10th grade won't bar you from med school.  I know people that got B's in some Biology courses that got into med school just fine and are well on their way to being doctors.  But Undergrad is generally a lot harder than High School, and Med School is infinitely harder than undergrad, so if you're struggling with straight A's right now, just think what it will be like to struggle for straight A's in college.  I'm not trying to discourage you, but there is a lot to do before you're really ready to become a doctor.  After high school the next 12 years of your life are devoted to becoming the best damn doctor you can be.\n\nThe 12 years after high school are generally, 4 years of undergrad (Pre-Med), 4 years of Med-School, and mostly 4 years of a residency, depends on the specialty.  The undergrad years are generally your most fun, but are still crucial.  Now I don't want you to be a naive little gunner and overwhelm yourself like most pre-meds, so watch out for scheduling yourself to do too much (volunteering at the hospital, trying to do some extra research, taking too many hard classes at once, doing shadowing rotations).  And while you are doing extra curriculars, make sure you're making them worthwhile, like if you're shadowing a pediatrician, ask them as many questions as you can without coming off annoying.  Just do your best in these years, and keep your GPA high and study as much as you can for the MC AT (Expect to study up to 6-8 hours a day).  Then once you do get accepted into a med-school, prepare for the first stage of hell.  It will involve constant studying, with maybe a few hours A WEEK for fun, and not much time for you to have a fun life.  A residency is your next step, and once you're there, you will spend time running around the hospital picking up as much info as you can on how to become a pediatrician.\n\nJust don't buy into all the glam our of the life of a doctor, you might change your mind about becoming one, or might change your specialty, or who knows.  There is a lot of work ahead of you kid, and I wish you the best of luck, but make sure you have your wits about you, and actually understand the profession inside and out.  And understand that you'll end up in debt most likely, and that family life will be really hard while in med school.  Realize that malpractice insurance comes with the job, and that not just bad doctors get sued.  Becoming a pediatrician is one of the most prestigious careers you can choose, but it comes with so many hardships that anyone who is too weak will be sorted out very quickly, make sure you know what you're in for, and that you're strong enough to make it.  Best of luck.
884474
HA!  that's funny.  Dude, your in for a big surprise.\n\nFor a real eye opener, talk to your college guidance counselors.
258759
If you really wnat to become a doctor then Pre-med is the way to go.  It wiil prepare you for the rigors of med school.  If you're really not sure, your 1st year should be loaded with general eduacation hours, so hopefully you'll catch on to an area that you feel is what you want to study.\nIf you're concerned about the costs, apply for FAFSA, and every scholarship that you can.  Also, consider community college for the 1st two years and knock out your gen-ed requirements (CC's are typically less expensive), consider public (state) schools.  Private schools are more expensive.\n\nGood luck!
421342
The best person to get this advice from is an administrator at your college.  Otherwise, you might not end up taking the classes that you will need to go pre-med.  Each institution has different classes that it requires, so it's best to go to a professional so you don't end up wasting money and time taking unnecessary classes.
995151
Ask your school counselor, how you should prepare, academically, to become a pre-med student, and which medical school in Canada you should attend.\n\nBest of luck in your studies.
692165
I am 40 and starting med school this year.  I took a long time to take the pre-reqs after getting a BA in English.  If you really want to do it, you can do it.  I would recommend some volunteering/shadowing so you have an idea what you're getting into.  Get to know some docs: they can answer questions and may be able to help you with recommendations when the time comes.  You should look at colleges that have good records for getting their graduates into med schools.  Don't forget that you can attend college part time while working full time.  I would recommend working on the financial situation because when you start med school you will be looking for private loans, and credit history and finances will be looked at.\nBecoming an ophthamologist means doing a residency in ophthamology after 4 years of med school.  During this time you will be paid, but not much.  You will work a lot of hours, although not as many as in some specialties.  \nIf you really want this you have to make up your mind that nothing can stop you.  For more information, a good site to look at is www.studentdoctor.net; you can email me if you have any other specific questions.
478775
My best advice in addition to what has been posted, is to focus on getting into medical school while in college.  Once you are in, you will be able to rotate through all of the medical specialties, and profess your inclination towards OB.  Then sign up for several fourth year med school rotations in OB.  \nTry to become involved in OB research, whether clinical or basic science (that, you can start in college, but is not essential) during medical school, that will earn you a lot of respect when you apply for an OB residency your fourth year of med school.
845815
No undergraduate degree is going to replace medical school.  Take undergrad in pre-med or chemistry, biology, etc.  The go to med school.
1097138
unless you want to go somewhere out of the US (e.g. a country like australia or the UK where medicine is an undergraduate-entry program), you go to college and do really well. i mean REALLY well. and well enough that you forget about medicine entirely and just kick some academic butt. and abandon all hope of getting in until it actually seems possible. (as for classes to take, i would recommend swallowing all the organic chem you can get ahold of... major in something hard core like biochemistry or neuroscience, but not biology--everyone does that.) however, if you go outside the US, check your scores--if you've got really amazing numbers, you can enter a 6 year undergrad program in australia.
630485
1st of all, UC Davis and U of Iowa are two of the best universities for the field you are considering.  2nd: the other answer is correct: although doctors have terrible handwriting, spelling, especially grammar and diction, are of utmost importance to the field.  I would focus on linguistics, computer science and biochemistry/biology during your undergraduate study, meaning pick one of these fields and focus on it while taking classes and earning minors or certifications within the others, and then consider your options for medical school.  It is insanely difficult to gain acceptance to medical school, and the first step is confidence.  If you focus on the right classes and keep a GPA in high school and college of at least 3.7 on a 4.0 scale, you should do fine... but if your grades are below this range you will probably find placement in medical school extremely difficult.  Study the subjects you excel in the most to keep your grades high, and take it from there.  Good luck!
645330
Even though your grades weren't high enough for medical school, there are plenty of fields you can go into that are related.  Nursing, pharmacology, physical therapy, medical research...\n\nAside from becoming a doctor, there are so many other options out there for you. Keep your chin-up, you will find your calling - or it may find you.
772545
Go to college and study pre-med. Then go to medical school.
1077562
What school you can get into depends on your grades, but any of the Cal States are good. Being a pre-med student myself I can tell you it's a hard row to hoe. You will have to go to school for 4 years to get your bachelors, and take the rigorous MCAT exam during your junior year. You'll also have to maintain a high grade point average, and have a high MCAT score to get into med school. You will then have to go to Med School for another 3 years, during your third year doing a rotation at a hospital. Then after that depending on the specialty you choose, gynecology, or plastic surgery it could be on average 3-5 more years of specialty training as a resident (where you'll finally be earning cash! yay! but not that much). So I would suggest talking to you high school counselor and checking out the interest rates on some student loans. I'd also recommend reading "Planning a Life in Medicine" from the Princeton Review.