My son wants to be a doctor though has not yet decided on which medical field to enter. If there is an alternative path to pre-med, PhD, residence and then medical license .... I am all ears.
Right now, this is the only path that I know.
Pharmacy School.
It’s not my intent to be rude, but is your son’s goal of entry to med school even realistic?
I once worked with a guy who had gone to med school for a year before parting company with it, and the application process included checking his grades back to elementary school.
“2.9 / 3.0 student”
He’s not going to be a doctor. A doctor needs to be a 4.0 student and 600 points higher on the SAT. He should focus on what he really wants to do.
Wants to be a doctor with a 3.0 grade point average.
He has a huge amount of work ahead of him that even a high SAT score well not help.
How is biology and chemistry skills.
Unless the reason he only has a 3.0 is that he finds this stuff so easy it is boring.
He is in for a very long hard road.
Nurses especially those that specialize tend to make a lot of money and it is a easier field to get into.
Physical therapy, Occupational Therapy
Big job growth ahead
Others have already posted it and I’m piling on - his score matches up with his GPA. Likely his math section matches up with the GPA from the various math classes on the transcript. Further, why so late in the process? A strong SAT score should already be “in the can”, ready for the college application process in the fall. Latest to take the SAT should be fall of the senior year, not just before graduation in the spring.
You’ve already seen this advice so I’m going to repeat for emphasis: community college will save money while your student proves his worth/readiness for the university. I’m telling you this as a parent that wishes I’d had similar advice and the fortitude to follow it, twice. I’ll not bore you with details but especially for males you need to realize the gonads are in charge, not the gray matter.
Get with the high school counselor or community college admissions specialist to define the desired path. Find out the courses that will test your son’s aptitude for what he thinks he wants. No enrollment allowed in any course that doesn’t align to the path. The first/test semester should include: Biology for majors, General Chemistry, College Algebra, English Composition, American History. That’s two lab classes that will define whether he has the chops to live in the lab, a math to warm up for the fun stuff in the future, and two general education courses. Eighteen hours of gut check for student and parent alike.
He should do better on his SATs that next time he takes it simply by being familiar with the test. My son got into a decent school without any tutoring, but he is an excellent test-taker (note I didn’t say “excellent student!”)
I’m no expert but some of the suggestions you are getting about the medical field are spot-on. Nursing, Physician’s Assistants, Pharmacy, and medical fields like that pay very well AND do not require the same cost/level of education as doctors (although they are still academically rigorous).
Pre-med is also not the be-all, end-all, but getting the requisite courses in biology, chemistry, etc. is important.
He should probably talk to his H.S. guidance counselor. There might be paths to the medical field he hasn’t considered.
My son did not take pre-med, he majored in Electrical Engineering and took pre-med courses as electives. He graduated from Purdue with a 4.0 GPA and got accepted into IU Medical School on the first round, did his residency at the University of Louisville, and is now a Board Certified Trauma Surgeon.
My point is not all med school openings are filled by pre-med students, a portion (15 to 25 percent) are from other disciplines where the competition is not nearly as intense.
Good for him!
Medical technician or LPN is possible he wanted to go into medicine.
For the SAT, Kahn is about as good as it gets unless you want to go the private tutor route.
Is he smart enough to be a doctor?