Chelsea
2 answers
Richard A.
Richard’s Answer
Pick a college that fits your personality you so you don't mind devoting a majority of your hours to studying. You will need to get good grades in college in order to apply for medical school. At the medical school I attended, the average GPA is reported to be 3.85, so even one or two B's can hurt your chances of acceptance.
There are plenty of good colleges and medical schools. In general if you are interested in research, you may want to look at the more elite private institutions, but if you are interested in clinical practice, a state university may offer the best value
Kristen Schimmrich
Kristen’s Answer
My advice is to go to whichever university/college you would like to go to. While your years in college will be exciting and fun, they are also going to be difficult. So, you will need to decide where you would be happiest. Also, there is often times a huge difference in cost between the different schools, so you need to keep that in mind as well. How much student debt do you want to have when you graduate? Yes, you may be able to get loans, but often people pay these loans over a period of 20 -30 years. On the other hand, what better investment is there, than an investment in yourself? These are decisions only you can make.
Keep in mind, also. that you don't HAVE to major in pre-med to get into medical school. It is helpful to major in pre med, because you will be assigned pre med advisors and take all the classes you need to prepare for the MCAT, (medical school entrance exam). But, again, that's up to you. I majored in psychology, a field I enjoyed very much. However, when it came time to prepare for the MCAT, i had to take all the pre-requisite courses that I did not have to take as a psych major.....the chemistry, physics, organic chem, and calculus. To save money, I did these at the local CUNY because, in the end, chemistry there is the same as chemistry in a private university. You will learn the same things, but at a fraction of the price.
If you major in something you love, studying will be more enjoyable. You will want to learn. Your grades will reflect that. You can always supplement your studies with volunteer work in a local hospital or volunteer EMT.
Good luck.