I'm 19 and a sophomore in College. I plan to become a doctor in the future but I need some tips and guidelines. Can anyone help me out? Any other med students or people who know about becoming a doctor. What GPA should I maintain? What about the MCAT? Any help would be great, Thank you.<br />

Hello,

You want to aim for the following:

1.) GPA above 3.5
2.) MCAT above 32R
3.) At least 200 Hours of volunteer service (or research)
4.) Great letters of recommendation
5.) Persistence and perseverance.

The most important factor involved in med school admissions is your GPA, do the best you can to maintain above a 3.5 and you will be considered competitive. You can still get in, with a GPA under 3.5, but you need to strengthen the other aspects of your application. I heard of a person that got into UC Irvine with a 2.8!! Albeit, he had outrageous volunteer and extra curricular activities.

Don't apply to just one school!!! To increase your chances of receiving a secondary application and subsequent interview apply to quite a bit of schools.

Study, study, study for your MCAT as much as possible. STUDY FOR YOUR MCAT!!!! Aim to apply to medical school the year before you plan to matriculate, and apply as early as possible, applying late will guarantee failure.

Apply to schools you really plan on going, if you have a 3.1 GPA don't apply to Hopkins or an Ivy League, as it is expensive to file med school applications.

Do incredibly well in you required courses which are:

First year chemistry
First year organic chemistry
First year physics
First year biology
Calculus

Try to get to know your professors, and boss if you work, so they can write great recommendations for you (this is really important, and often the most neglected aspect of the application).

Don't forget to breathe, and relax. Medical school admissions process is tough, but worth every ounce of sweat and stress. Only the strong survive, keep in there, work hard and soon you will embark on your M1 orientation.

Good luck!