HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
What should you do as a high school student, if you want to become a physician someday?
- Make sure your high school curriculum includes plenty of mathematics, science, and English courses.
- Do your best--remember that what you learn later will build on what you are learning NOW.
- Many colleges require two years of foreign language instruction at the high school level.
- Learn to write clearly and well.
- Take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and/or the ACT.
- Medical school admissions committees look for "well-rounded" individuals, so develop your interests in sports, the arts, or other extracurricular activities.
- Volunteer for community service activities.
- Pursue opportunities to learn more about the medical profession. Do some job shadowing, or volunteer for health care organizations such as hospitals, assisted living centers, or others.
- Take part in summer programs for high school students interested in careers in medicine. The UAA WWAMI Biomedical Program offers two such high school summer programs: the Della Keats/U-DOC Summer Enrichment Program and the NIH NIDDK Short-term Education Program for Underrepresented Persons (STEP-UP).
- Attend the annual Alaska PreMed Summit, sponsored by the UAA WWAMI Biomedical Program. You will learn about the academic path you will take in order to become a physician, medical school prerequisites, the MCAT examination, financial aid and MORE.
Helpful Links
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) website offers information for students Considering a Medical Career.
The Alaska Center for Rural Health offers a website containing information about health careers in Alaska. One section is devoted specifically to information about programs for Alaskan high school students interested in healthcare careers.
AspiringDocs.org is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC); it offers resources for students from ethnic minority backgrounds who wish to pursue careers in medicine.