OK, here’s the deal: you are aiming for medical school after college. That’s the big picture, here’s the road map.

Your high school work should prepare you for college. Take four years of English, four years of math, and at least 3 years of lab science (specifically biology, chemistry, physics). But also take a full range of other subjects, and definitely do extracurricular activities that you enjoy. Develop a nice physical fitness habit as well–trust me, it will pay dividends during your internship!

What college you attend will matter little unless you can get into Yale or Princeton or another of the elite ones. If you haven’t got big bucks, start at a community college and transfer to a state university. Major is unimportant, tho’ pre-med is a logical choice–but medical programs want their students to have a broad undergraduate background, so make certain you complete a wide range of elective courses–get some fine arts, social sciences, philosophy, etc. If you don’t major in pre-med, you can still get into med school, but get a lot of science electives, especially chemistry and biology.

Now, you will want to get to know doctors. If you aren’t related or acquainted with any, then try to volunteer or get a job (while in college) at a clinic or hospital or physician’s office. You want to meet doctors and let them know you are aiming to become a pediatrician. Then they can help you with medical school applications in several ways–

1. They can advise which med schools in your region are best.

2. They can write letters of recommendation, and for a med. school application, letters from doctors are the best.

3. Med school applicants often have to interview, and doctors can advise you about what questions they’re likely to ask and how to answer.

The other thing you should anticipate is the medical school exam, the MCAT–you’ll take it around the end of your junior year in college, and you should prepare to ace it–your score will be considered carefully by med schools.

Now, after college, you go through med school and then internships and you get licensed as a general practitioner. Then you go back to med school for another couple of years of advanced study in pediatrics, you do a short internship in pediatrics, and you pass board certification tests to become a pediatrician.

Work hard and well–we need more good baby docs 🙂

In high school stick to academic subjects: French, German, chemistry, physics, math, etc. Study, study, study. Pick a college that has a medical school. Get a second opinion on which college from one or more physicians. It also doesn’t hurt to have a healthy well balanced life style. They do not want a person with a background in drug or alcohol addiction. When medical schools evaluate you for admission, they give you points for things besides grades and subjects. Find out what the current standards are. Some things you may not be able to fix, like having a father or mother as a physician. This may not be a point getter anymore, but at one time it was.

Bulk up on your sciences in high school. You can get your undergrad degree anywhere you choose. UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) has one of the best med schools in the nation and as a PA resident your tuition would be less than an out of state student and also less than you going out of state.