High School Students

Making the decision to pursue a career in medicine this early in your education shows a great deal of self-awareness. This is a remarkable attribute that many colleges and admissions counselors love to see on any application. Some younger students often know that medicine is in their future because they have been exposed through family members in the field, they are attracted to the humanistic rewards medicine has to offer, or they've been watching way too much Grey's Anatomy or ER! Whatever the case, truly knowing you want to be a physician at such a young age is commendable. At times, younger students are often attracted to the idea of being a physician. They look forward to enjoying a comfortable lifestyle and job security among many other perks. We have seen that students pursuing a career in medicine for the right reasons do very well and become successful, however, students doing it for the wrong reasons almost inevitably wind up failing, or becoming disgruntled and unhappy doctors. In medicine, you have to love what you are doing. If you do not LOVE being a doctor, you will hate your job, you will hate coming into work, and often times, everything else in your life is affected by it. We have seen physicians make dangerous medical mistakes, resort to addiction and succumb to divorce because of problems in the workplace. Patients and physicians alike suffer because of this issue, and an important one it is. So, before you take the leap, you must truly know that YOU want to be a doctor. This is the focus of the consultation with your Medical Advisor at this stage of your education. Usually, for freshman, sophomores, and juniors, 1 hour of consultation per year with your advisor is sufficient to establish a basic plan. For High School Seniors, we have found that it is best to spend approximately 2 hours to discuss your next steps as you start planning for college. You and your Medical Consultant will discuss:

1. Why you want to pursue a career in medicine?? (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CONVERSATION)
2. You will learn the good and the bad and what to expect of your career (From High School - College - Medical School - Residency - Specialty -Pay - Malpractice)
3. Discuss certain courses you should elect during your high school years.
4. Extracurricular activities will be stressed (Which activities look good on your application?)
5. Volunteer opportunities/Community Service in medical field stressed (Placement assistance possible)
6. Class Rank, GPA, & SATs (Where you should be compared to peers?)
7. College Screening and Selection (Which College is best for me? Traditional 4-yr, 6-yr, 7-yr, Foreign Schools??)
8. Financial Aid
9. Major in College (Pre-Med vs Other?)
10. College Application Process/Personal Statement Editing/Letters of Recommendation Editing/Resume

Our High School Students have benefited a great deal from our services. We have found that our younger students were unsure of many of things to come, and after only 4-5 hours of one-on-one consultation throughout their four years of high school, they were much better prepared to face the challenge. Others after only one hour of consultation, saw that maybe, they were getting ahead of themselves, and ultimately were not sure if medicine was right for them. It's a win-win for everybody!