Expert: Todd Johnson - 12/31/2011

Question
QUESTION: I know I'm thinking about college early (I'm 15 and a sophomore in high school), but this is something that has been bothering me for a while now. Becoming a doctor is my dream, and I know that the competition for medical school is very tough. I want to do everything that I can to make sure that I can get in, so here's my plan: If I go to Princeton for my undergraduate college, do well there, and then do well on the MCAT, I would have a very good chance of getting into medical school. For medical school, I hope to go to Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

The thing is that I don't want to shoot too high. I know this path is extremely difficult and I don't want to be disappointed. The other things is that I don't know how I can stand out from the rest of the crowd. I'm sure that I can definitely make it to college, but I don't want to go to just any college. Although I'm ecstatic about college and learning now, that's not how it was for the last few years when I was picking my courses. I go to a private school and I scored high on the entrance exam, but in the previous years of elementary school, I had never taken any advanced courses and didn't trust myself to do well with them in high school, so I took average courses. Now, that is a decision I regret. Last year, I did fantastic in all my classes, with straight A's. This year, I continued average courses (except I decided to take marketing, a class with a majority of seniors and juniors)and tried even harder. I got straight A's with no A-'s and several compliments from teachers. I currently volunteer at my local hospital and am also in Socratic club. Last year, I volunteered at my home ice rink (I'm also a figure skater) to help with the Special Olympics.

That's not enough, though, to get into Princeton. Next year, I'm going to apply for PSEO courses. Then for my senior year, I plan I on going for full dual enrollment.

However, even if I pull all that off, it's still not enough. I would have to be absolutely spectacular. How would I do that, though? How can I make it in? Even if I did make it in, would I be able to do well in the difficult courses?

A lot of people tell me that I'm thinking too far ahead right now, but this is my future. What if I miss out on my dream because I want to relax now and have fun? Honestly, to me, this is exciting. I love learning and reading. I can't imagine doing something else with my life at this point. I take time for myself to relax, too, so it's not like I'll regret "wasting" my childhood. I understand that things aren't going to work out exactly as I planned, but I'd still like to have a plan, something to follow. I like to know where I'm going.

I've put great consideration into this and here is my conclusion:
1.) I definitely do want to become a doctor.
2.) I am in no way wasting my childhood.
3.) I am going to continue trying to get into the best college I, myself, can get into.

What I am questioning, though, is:
1.) Whether I can get into Princeton
2.) Whether I can keep up with Princeton's difficult courses
3.) and if there is a better route to becoming a doctor

Thanks for reading and I'm sorry it's so long. I wanted to give you the full story, though.

ANSWER: Angie,

It is great that you are preparing early to be the most competitive candidate for college. However, you don't need to be so worried about admission to any particular college. There are many great colleges in this country, many of which you have probably not heard about.

If you are looking at going to a selective college, I would probably rethink going PSEO. If your high school doesn't offer AP classes or IB classes or if you will have taken all of the available courses, then PSEO may be an option. However, generally selective colleges would much rather see AP classes or IB classes. The reason is that AP and IB classes are the same throughout the country. Colleges understand how a student did when taking a standard class and test like AP. However, the quality of education at different colleges varies dramatically and colleges often can't determine the strength of the classes taken in PSEO.

To answer your questions, there is no way for anyone to say how competitive for a college like Princeton you may be. For admissions they look at not just grades, classes taken and test scores but also essays written for the college application, extracurricular involvement, and many other issues. Generally these colleges are looking for students who have a particular passion in one or two particular areas and who have succeeded at the national level.

Once you get into a college, handling the courses is not generally an issue. Colleges only admit students that they think can handle the work.

As for Princeton for preparing for medical school, it is fine but there are many choices that I think are better. Just because a college is highly selective doesn't mean it is necessarily the best choice for preparing for medical school. If you look at the percentage of students that are admitted to medical school from different colleges, there are a number of small liberal arts colleges that have a higher percentage of students get into medical school than schools like Princeton.

Focus on being the strongest possible student and then finding colleges that fit your needs, whether they are a "name" college or not.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much, I understand what you are talking about. I think that I will most likely stop focusing so much on Princeton and be open to other options. I still want to do whatever I can now to prepare for college, so I have a few more questions.

My high school does offer AP and Honors courses; however, I cannot take most of them. Because I took all average classes my freshman year, I've basically set my path for the rest of high school. I've gone to the guidance councilor about this and she said that there was no way for me to move up to more advanced courses(my school won't allow it). I do, however, have one AP course that I CAN take. I can still take AP History next year. I don't know if I should take that, though. Will it increase my chances of getting into a better college (if I do well) or will it be unnecessary since my aim is to become a doctor? History is not a particular interest for me, and I fear that colleges may not really care much about it if my aim is more toward the medical field.

My strengths are math, marketing, French, and biology. We are scheduling next year's courses in a few months, so I do need to know what would be best. I don't want to end up taking extra courses or putting extra pressure on myself if it isn't going to be helpful. My guidance councilor also said that I should consider the PSEO courses. Since my school doesn't offer me any other advanced courses, I guess PSEO is my only other option, yes?

You mentioned that colleges look at your extracurricular involvement. What kind of things do they look at? Sports, volunteer work, just intellect based activities?

Thank you so much for your input; I really appreciate it.

Answer
I would consider taking the AP class if you think you can do well in it regardless of whether you are interested in the subject. Since you go to a high school that apparently doesn't understand what AP courses are for you may consider doing some PSEO but I would still be hesitant to take a full college load.

Colleges look at all types of activities. There is no specific preference for one type of activity over another. Find what you like to do and do it. Ideally, if you can get into a position of leadership by senior year that would be good. Volunteering, however, is always good and I would recommend some volunteering regardless of what else you decide to do.