New shiny STEM bioscience focused high school....

[SunshineMom]

Please tell me that our homeschool with plans for DE in 11th &12th grades would be a better option for a dd who wants to go to medical school. The high school is geared towards bioegineering, nursing, pharmacy and traditional high school classes. Are the situational medical experiences really needed so early? Seems more like trade school training? I'm suddenly feeling inadequate despite having a really solid education trajectory plan:(

[Woodland Mist Academy]

We faced a similar decision. We chose to forego the tempting options and stick with homeschooling high school, probably with some DE in 11th and 12. Considering medical schools accept students from a variety of majors, a bioscience focused high school certainly doesn't appear to be a necessity. I'm not convinced it would even increase the odds, but I have nothing concrete to support that.  

 

I have no idea what the right decision is. Just wanted to let you know you're not alone in the angst. :cheers2:  

Edited January 20, 2016 by Woodland Mist Academy

[Reefgazer]

I live in a district that touts its "medical" programs for high-achieving middle and high school students.  While you are deciding, keep this in mind:  If they are public schools, they still have to live with all the public school nonsense of testing and state requirements, no matter what they like to call themselves.  Second, if you student is on a specialized track, that means a very narrow track, and one that has to give up the luxury of electives like art and music in order to fit all those "medical" programs into the schedule because they are still state schools that have to meet state requirements.  I look at these specialized programs as somewhat narrowing, actually, and think that the soundest education for a potential doctor is a broad-based program that exposes the student to quality literature and writing and rigorous math.  You are more likely to get that in a well planned homeschool than most public or private schools. 

[regentrude]

You don't need a life science focus in high school to get into medical school.

In fact, you don't even need a life science undergraduate degree to get into medical school! They were quite happy to accept one of our physics majors with a double major in chemistry and minors in French and Philosophy - he certainly stood out among all the biology major applicants.

[G5052]

You don't need a life science focus in high school to get into medical school.

In fact, you don't even need a life science undergraduate degree to get into medical school! They were quite happy to accept one of our physics majors with a double major in chemistry and minors in French and Philosophy - he certainly stood out among all the biology major applicants.

 

I agree. We see a lot of doctors as a family, and some of our favorites had unconventional degrees and/or minors that you wouldn't expect. To me that's a sign of being well-rounded, which is very important if you're going to be adept at interacting with patients.

 

Also as a college professor and parent, I'd note that plans can change in the teens. Of course there are some who know exactly what they're going to do early in high school, but many do not or change. I give mine a well-round education and let them try some tough classes in an area or two of interest, but their education isn't focused on one goal.

 

I thought I'd do pre-med and had pre-med scholarships lined up from an early decision admit, but I ended up in an entirely different field. I did a lot of hospital volunteer work in high school, and I would say that's something you should definitely plan for. Homeschooling may make volunteering much easier than sending them to the classroom IMHO. The academics are important, but you need to see if you're really cut out for that area. As it turned out I had several tough experiences late during my senior year that led me to see that I was not cut out for the medical field, so that was time well spent. Thankfully the college I was planning to attend was able to find other scholarship money, but my parents were freaked out at the time.

 

I'm also leery of start-up schools and programs. There is a STEM high school co-located at the local community college. Their first 2-3 years were pretty tough with a lot of staff turnover and heavy issues that came up. Everyone I know who put their kids in at that point were disappointed in some way, although they said that there were some good aspects to the experience as well. Now I've heard that it's doing fine, but there was almost a complete staff turnover to get there. 

Edited January 20, 2016 by G5052

[SunshineMom]

Thank you so much ladies!  Yes, I agree, I want my dd to explore many options.  Because she is bound to change her focus, I am preparing her by giving her a solid foundation. There is so much hype, much like a panacea, by public school parents about these types of schools that I feel even more in the minority. 

 

BTW-Yes, she plans on volunteering in a hospital which will hopefully help her decide if it is the right field for her.  Thank you for sharing your stories.

 

Edited January 20, 2016 by jewel