It is only 7:19 am in beautiful, sunny Las Cruces, New Mexico, and today I will be leaving to go to my cooler, incredibly humid hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin. I told a coworker yesterday about where I was going for two weeks, and he was confused. When I told him I was from there he said, Oh yeah, it seems like you could be from there. I'm just going to take that as a compliment, because it is my favorite place in the world. I also love Las Cruces, as you can tell from my other, now ended, blog about it: The Land of Three Crosses. I was thinking about doing another short series blog about Wisconsin, but two weeks isn't enough when I have a graduation party to do as well as reconnecting with people I haven't seen in a year.
So, onward little soldiers to the amazing, incredible, completely phenomenal advice I'm about to give you. The only catch is that it mostly pertains to those of you wanting to be a scientist or a doctor (since science majors are common there) but I'm sure this is also something you may want to think about regardless of your future major.
So here's the thing-your high school probably offers a plethora of AP classes, right? Right. I, myself, have taken a large amount of these, sometimes horrifically stressful, year-long classes designed to prepare you for college. And it's true, they certainly do prepare you. I guarantee that if you take these classes and it is challenging, you will learn to work eight times harder than you normally would. Mostly the classes are full of the "smart kids" and we are used to procrastinating and slacking off because we could. In some classes, you simply cannot do that anymore. But we did try.
Sounds like AP classes are a dream come true for young, bright future college students, right? Maybe. The thing is, many colleges will not want to accept AP credits for special circumstances. If your major is Biology and you take AP Biology and Pass the test, you may want to still take the beginning level of Biology at your college. There's a possibility that you will cover material you haven't before and you will definitely cover it in more depth at the college level. Plus, there are these beautiful classes called labs that you take with science classes and, trust me, you would rather take entry levels to learn about what to expect there. Labs often require tedious, multiple page packets due at the end of lab, and you have to work with a, sometimes less quality, group. Skipping your first class would be like diving into the deep end of a pool without learning to swim, and all you know how to do is float there. Yikes.
For future Medical students, many medical schools do not accept AP credits for science classes. I'm sorry, I don't make the rules. When I thought I would go into medicine instead of plants, I centered my college plan around taking the MCAT. You might want to do the same. You will take it your junior year of college, second semester most likely. Make sure you have the classes you need to help you study and pass that test during that year. I highly recommend taking physics that year, because chemistry and biology are a lot more likely to stay fresh with you. At least, I hope so. If physics is your thing, you might consider changing your major.
Oh yes, you can change your mind in college. One of my coworkers just transferred to Agricultural Biology from Sociology or something. Kind of a weirder one, but you get the point. You should also note that Medical Schools do not strictly want one major or another, but they do have class requirements. Look up some Med schools you like and check out their requirements. If you are serious about going, you need to start making a plan because it will make your life a lot easier. You need internships, recommendation letters, volunteer work...Basically it's like trying to get into college again, but a lot harder. Unless of course you're currently going to an Ivy League school, kudos to you young achiever. Also, why are you reading this? Just kidding, stay and have some fun.
Lastly, understand that the college process is more than one of strictly educational matters. You're going to want to try other things. Do not overdo it at any point in time, but especially not the beginning or end of your college career. It can be hard when you don't know what you like to do, but try to find a couple things and stick to them. If you want community service, join a group so they can help you reach your goals. If you want to stay fit, there are tons of fitness activities, but beware that over indulgence of exercise isn't good for you either. Do not let yourself sit around in your dorm room. Don't stress about the fictitious "freshman 15" because it isn't real and who cares if you gain weight anyways? If you live on campus, don't get a car unless you plan on driving to see family every once in a while like my roommate (she lives 3 hours away). They get expensive, and one thing broke college students do not need is more expenses. Go out and make friends! They can help you study, share interests, and be there for you when you really need them. It can be daunting to say goodbye to childhood best friends, but the friendships you make in college might be even better!
I hope this has been informative for you. When I was in high school, no one told me about any of this. The planning thing is something I've done for years, because it made sense to me that if you had a plan, nothing could go wrong that you weren't prepared for. But things change and the reality is that no plan is perfect, no matter how solid you think it is. But it is a beginning and you should really consider no matter what your major is, because it will keep you on track if you follow it. All the rest are things I've learned at the very end of school, and I wish I'd known it sooner.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a super spectacular, extra incredible day!
So, onward little soldiers to the amazing, incredible, completely phenomenal advice I'm about to give you. The only catch is that it mostly pertains to those of you wanting to be a scientist or a doctor (since science majors are common there) but I'm sure this is also something you may want to think about regardless of your future major.
So here's the thing-your high school probably offers a plethora of AP classes, right? Right. I, myself, have taken a large amount of these, sometimes horrifically stressful, year-long classes designed to prepare you for college. And it's true, they certainly do prepare you. I guarantee that if you take these classes and it is challenging, you will learn to work eight times harder than you normally would. Mostly the classes are full of the "smart kids" and we are used to procrastinating and slacking off because we could. In some classes, you simply cannot do that anymore. But we did try.
Sounds like AP classes are a dream come true for young, bright future college students, right? Maybe. The thing is, many colleges will not want to accept AP credits for special circumstances. If your major is Biology and you take AP Biology and Pass the test, you may want to still take the beginning level of Biology at your college. There's a possibility that you will cover material you haven't before and you will definitely cover it in more depth at the college level. Plus, there are these beautiful classes called labs that you take with science classes and, trust me, you would rather take entry levels to learn about what to expect there. Labs often require tedious, multiple page packets due at the end of lab, and you have to work with a, sometimes less quality, group. Skipping your first class would be like diving into the deep end of a pool without learning to swim, and all you know how to do is float there. Yikes.
For future Medical students, many medical schools do not accept AP credits for science classes. I'm sorry, I don't make the rules. When I thought I would go into medicine instead of plants, I centered my college plan around taking the MCAT. You might want to do the same. You will take it your junior year of college, second semester most likely. Make sure you have the classes you need to help you study and pass that test during that year. I highly recommend taking physics that year, because chemistry and biology are a lot more likely to stay fresh with you. At least, I hope so. If physics is your thing, you might consider changing your major.
Oh yes, you can change your mind in college. One of my coworkers just transferred to Agricultural Biology from Sociology or something. Kind of a weirder one, but you get the point. You should also note that Medical Schools do not strictly want one major or another, but they do have class requirements. Look up some Med schools you like and check out their requirements. If you are serious about going, you need to start making a plan because it will make your life a lot easier. You need internships, recommendation letters, volunteer work...Basically it's like trying to get into college again, but a lot harder. Unless of course you're currently going to an Ivy League school, kudos to you young achiever. Also, why are you reading this? Just kidding, stay and have some fun.
Lastly, understand that the college process is more than one of strictly educational matters. You're going to want to try other things. Do not overdo it at any point in time, but especially not the beginning or end of your college career. It can be hard when you don't know what you like to do, but try to find a couple things and stick to them. If you want community service, join a group so they can help you reach your goals. If you want to stay fit, there are tons of fitness activities, but beware that over indulgence of exercise isn't good for you either. Do not let yourself sit around in your dorm room. Don't stress about the fictitious "freshman 15" because it isn't real and who cares if you gain weight anyways? If you live on campus, don't get a car unless you plan on driving to see family every once in a while like my roommate (she lives 3 hours away). They get expensive, and one thing broke college students do not need is more expenses. Go out and make friends! They can help you study, share interests, and be there for you when you really need them. It can be daunting to say goodbye to childhood best friends, but the friendships you make in college might be even better!
I hope this has been informative for you. When I was in high school, no one told me about any of this. The planning thing is something I've done for years, because it made sense to me that if you had a plan, nothing could go wrong that you weren't prepared for. But things change and the reality is that no plan is perfect, no matter how solid you think it is. But it is a beginning and you should really consider no matter what your major is, because it will keep you on track if you follow it. All the rest are things I've learned at the very end of school, and I wish I'd known it sooner.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a super spectacular, extra incredible day!
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