Everything is pretty standard in terms of your schedule in High School. They give you a little bit of everything, physical education, art, earth science, bio, chem, physics, algebra, trig. The list goes on. As an aspiring doctor, I would recommend taking as many AP Classes as your school offers. Especially, the science APs. I barely survived in AP Chem, and I failed that AP Exam, but later on in CHEM 107/108 at Binghamton, I remembered those little things that helped me do really well in those classes. AP classes are thus, a GREAT introduction to college-level classes, and being exposed to it early is definitely a foot forward. Passing those AP Exams with a 4 or 5 is even better as some colleges will allow you to be exempt from taking that class! AP Classes that I took were: AP Chem, AP Bio, AP English, AP Literature, and AP U.S. History.
Okay, so now you're pretty solid on the sciences. And if you're like me, you want to test the waters, you want to see what being a doctor is all about and you want to learn more information about the path to medicine. Two programs that I did and I would highly recommend looking at are:
1. Health Profession Recruitment and Exposure Program at Weill Cornell Medical College: This is a GREAT 10-week internship program, where you will be given a mentor in medical school, write a 10 page research paper, write your college essay, and more. I did this in 10th grade of High School, from January to March. Apply early.
2. Brooklyn Queens Long Island-Area Health Education Center (BQLI-AHEC) Summer Health Internship Program: I was placed at Maimonides Medical Center for this internship program, and it was such a great experience. I assisted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) by filling out PKU slips, transporting blood samples, and creating and updating patient charts. I also attended rounds performed by doctors. And outside of the hospital experience, I was required to create and present a team collaborated health project. My experience at Maimonides Medical Center was one that definitely solidified my decision to become a doctor.
In addition to participating in enrichment programs, you should volunteer, get a job, whether its for the summer (Summer Youth Employment Program), or during the school year, and/or tutor because all of your experiences can teach you the essential work-life balance that you will need to survive in college.
Photo credit: http://successbeginsathome.org
1. Health Profession Recruitment and Exposure Program at Weill Cornell Medical College: This is a GREAT 10-week internship program, where you will be given a mentor in medical school, write a 10 page research paper, write your college essay, and more. I did this in 10th grade of High School, from January to March. Apply early.
2. Brooklyn Queens Long Island-Area Health Education Center (BQLI-AHEC) Summer Health Internship Program: I was placed at Maimonides Medical Center for this internship program, and it was such a great experience. I assisted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) by filling out PKU slips, transporting blood samples, and creating and updating patient charts. I also attended rounds performed by doctors. And outside of the hospital experience, I was required to create and present a team collaborated health project. My experience at Maimonides Medical Center was one that definitely solidified my decision to become a doctor.
In addition to participating in enrichment programs, you should volunteer, get a job, whether its for the summer (Summer Youth Employment Program), or during the school year, and/or tutor because all of your experiences can teach you the essential work-life balance that you will need to survive in college.
Photo credit: http://successbeginsathome.org