By the time they’re juniors in high school, high school students are expected to at least have some notion of what they would like to pursue as a career. Students interested in the medical field should be prepared for at least six years of higher education, but as many as 10 years could be required. Medical school is time consuming, expensive, and, on top of that, highly competitive to be accepted into in the first place.
Being a high school student with big dreams is frustrating, though. It feels like there’s nothing that can be done to adequately prepare for the intense education to come. While that may be somewhat true, there are ways for students to make themselves more attractive to schools and to do well once accepted. The following list explains ways high school students can prepare for higher education.
* Focus on your grades. A good grade-point average alone isn’t enough to get accepted into a great program, but it’s tremendously helpful.
* Study extensively for the SAT, and re-take it multiple times. Performing well on standardized tests is only one test of intelligence, but it is one of the only that is comparable throughout the country. A 4.0 means different things depending on the high school, but a perfect SAT scores means the same everywhere.
* Create tight bonds with your teachers and advisers. You will need to look to them to write you letters of recommendation come application time. If they don’t know who you are, they can’t help you.
* Involve yourself in extracurricular activities related to science and medicine. Colleges are interested in how well you do in school, but they are also interested in how many activities you’re able to juggle simultaneously. Medical school overwhelms students; admissions officers want to see you can handle the pressure.
* Sign up for advanced mathematics and science courses.