HOW TO GET ACCEPTED TO MEDICAL SCHOOL starting from high school

[fragrancia]

How to Get Accepted to Medical School


1. Decide that this is what you want, and stick to it. No one will create your determination for you. It will take a lot; and it will drain you. You will want to give up. You will want to quit. But if you really and truly want this, you won’t let any temporary feeling of resignation take over your determination.

2. Start early. Plan ahead. Think smart. You should have completed step 1 by the age of 18 at the latest.

3. Right after your high school graduation/acceptance into a college, sit down and plan the next 3 years of your life. Your first 3 years of college are essential to your acceptance.

4. Select a major that you enjoy, but also one that will allow a good “fall back” option if you do not get accepted to medical school. I recommend: chemistry, biology, biochemistry, physics, engineering, business, accounting, finance, computer science, management information systems, education, or pre-law.

5. Learn all the pre-med course requirements. They are usually: calculus, statistics, English, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, some advanced biology like human physiology or microbiology, biochemistry, and all of their affiliated laboratories.

6. Choose courses for freshman year. At the end of freshman year, you should be done with: English, calculus, introduction to chemistry, introduction to biology, and their affiliated laboratories. Add on other classes that you find interesting, like honors courses that are unique and invigorating to you.

7. Consider joining an honors program in college, they are excellent and provide a well rounded education.

8. During your freshman year, join the pre medical society (Alpha Epsilon Delta) or other pre-health clubs. Make friends with fellow pre-meds and talk to your professors.

9. Talk to your professors. Go to their office hours, make friends with them, have a personality, discover their personality, listen to them, talk to them, find out what makes them click and connect with them.

10.During weekends/breaks/free time, volunteer. Volunteer at nearby hospitals, clinics, healthcare events, fundraisers, walks, and club activities at school.

11.Find a physician to shadow during winter break of your freshman year, or sooner. Stick with this physician or his/her department’s physicians throughout college. Shadow them, learn their trade, perfect your knowledge, grow close to them. Apply number 9 here too.

12.Don’t get distracted by friends, volunteering, clubs, activities, drinking, partying, “fun,” “life,” or other frivolous activities. All things are great in moderation (don’t be a loser) but don’t exceed your limits, ever.

13.During second semester of your freshman year, fix the mistakes you made first semester. If you partied too much, stop now. If you studied too little, increase now. If you didn’t study correctly, fix it now. If you forgot how much you wanted this (number 1) remember now.

14.Aim for 4.0 GPA’s every semester. Aim high. Aim for all A’s. Be a “gunner.” Be a “go-getter.” Be passionate, dedicated, focused, driven. These classes are not easy. These topics are not easy. These fields are not easy. You will have to learn to love this stuff if you really want it. Sure, you won’t get all A’s. But if you aim for them, you just might.

15.Another important thing to do during spring semester of your freshman year is to ask your professors if you can do research with them over the summer. If your school has a research summer scholarship program, apply to it and pick a professor that you’ve grown to bond with, (through number 9) and ask to help them out with their research from may-august after your freshman year has ended.

16.If number 15 doesn’t work out, spend spring break applying to and searching for jobs/internships that you can apply to at nearby hospitals/research centers/medical schools. If there’s a medical school affiliated with your undergraduate university, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. Some of your undergraduate faculty may very well be faculty there as well. Find someone to do research with, somehow.

17.If number 16 doesn’t work out, spend your summer shadowing physicians from number 11, and volunteering from number 10. Have some fun, travel, pick up a hobby, take one-two summer classes (but not more!) and try to relax. Organic chemistry will be tough sophomore year; get ready.

18.Plan your courses for sophomore year. By the time you are done with sophomore year, you should be done with: physics, organic chemistry, and their affiliated labs. Try latching on some biology electives too, like physiology or microbiology, but don’t over load yourself. Get rid of some required classes like art history or political science. Try to add enough “safety” classes to safe-net organic chemistry so that you can focus on it. It’s an important class. Don’t go crazy volunteering/shadowing this year because your grades are more and more important now. You must realize that it is a lot harder to “fix” your GPA as you add more semesters. You can’t mess up now because you don’t have a lot of time left to fix mistakes. Your GPA is your number one priority this year; don’t let it fall through the cracks.

19.When first semester of sophomore year is done, collect yourself during winter break. Try to relax because once the second semester of sophomore year ends, you’re going to be doing MCAT all summer and you won’t really have a lot of time to relax during that time.

20.During second semester of sophomore year, figure out if you’re going to study by yourself for the MCAT or if you’re going to take a class. Princeton Review is great, so is Kaplan and MDI. A lot of companies boast “results” but the truth is; you are the one who will have to attain those results.

21.When summer after sophomore year begins, recollect yourself and make several schedules for how you’re going to tackle the MCAT, and when you’re going to take it. Remember the timeline: you will apply for medical school in May/June of your third year, meaning your MCAT scores MUST be in before May/June of your third year. It takes one month to process results; so you should take the MCAT in early April or late March of your third year AT THE LATEST. Don’t take chances. This is your life we are talking about.

22.Plan to take the MCAT at the end of the summer after your sophomore year. If you section off an entire summer where you must will yourself to study, you’ll do it, Take the August or July MCAT only if you’re ready after an intense summer of studying, taking practice tests, assessing strengths and weaknesses, and figuring out if you’re ready. If you’re not, put it off till January; study all winter break of your third year and take it in January of the year that you will be applying. You’ll get your scores by February and have ample time between February and June to plan your application, personal statement, letters of references, etc.

23.During your third year; do not compromise your classes/GPA for the MCAT. Both are important! By the end of your third year you should be done with all pre-med requirements, including biochemistry and some more advanced electives like cell biology or genetics. It’s very hard to study for the MCAT while you are juggling classes and tests, that’s why it’s a good idea to save the hardcore MCAT studying for summer and winter, and take the test accordingly.

24.Once second semester of your third year comes around, you’ve either a) taken the MCAT the previous summer, b) taken it in January, or c) are planning to take it in March. IF you’re doing option c, you’re going to have a difficult time juggling your classes and studying. If you’re doing option a or option b as suggested, you have so much time now to plan your application with confidence.

25.Find out what kind of healthcare committee you have at your campus; these committees review your application prior to your sending it through AAMC or TMDSAS. Find out their requirements, find out if there’s a letter mailing service, find out what you need to do in order to meet their standards. Ask professors for letters of recommendation whom you think you know well enough, who know you, and who you’ve made excellent relationships with over time. Ask research coordinators or doctors to write you letters as well. You should have at least 2 science professor letters, 1 doctor, 1 administrative personnel like a dean, and 1 non-science professor. This is 5 letters at the minimum.

26.When your letters are taken care of, stress deadlines and make sure they get in on time. Start working on your personal statement and do not waste your time! This is crunch time!

27.You want to have everything PRE-PREPARED for when AAMC and TMDSAS applications open on May 1st and June 1st, respectively.

28.If all goes smoothly, apply on time, submit within 2 weeks of the application opening, and wait for interviews. Then you just wait… and wait…. And wait….

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[fragrancia]

How to Get Accepted to Medical School


1. Decide that this is what you want, and stick to it. No one will create your determination for you. It will take a lot; and it will drain you. You will want to give up. You will want to quit. But if you really and truly want this, you won’t let any temporary feeling of resignation take over your determination.

2. Start early. Plan ahead. Think smart. You should have completed step 1 by the age of 18 at the latest.

3. Right after your high school graduation/acceptance into a college, sit down and plan the next 3 years of your life. Your first 3 years of college are essential to your acceptance.

4. Select a major that you enjoy, but also one that will allow a good “fall back” option if you do not get accepted to medical school. I recommend: chemistry, biology, biochemistry, physics, engineering, business, accounting, finance, computer science, management information systems, education, or pre-law.

5. Learn all the pre-med course requirements. They are usually: calculus, statistics, English, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, some advanced biology like human physiology or microbiology, biochemistry, and all of their affiliated laboratories.

6. Choose courses for freshman year. At the end of freshman year, you should be done with: English, calculus, introduction to chemistry, introduction to biology, and their affiliated laboratories. Add on other classes that you find interesting, like honors courses that are unique and invigorating to you.

7. Consider joining an honors program in college, they are excellent and provide a well rounded education.

8. During your freshman year, join the pre medical society (Alpha Epsilon Delta) or other pre-health clubs. Make friends with fellow pre-meds and talk to your professors.

9. Talk to your professors. Go to their office hours, make friends with them, have a personality, discover their personality, listen to them, talk to them, find out what makes them click and connect with them.

10.During weekends/breaks/free time, volunteer. Volunteer at nearby hospitals, clinics, healthcare events, fundraisers, walks, and club activities at school.

11.Find a physician to shadow during winter break of your freshman year, or sooner. Stick with this physician or his/her department’s physicians throughout college. Shadow them, learn their trade, perfect your knowledge, grow close to them. Apply number 9 here too.

12.Don’t get distracted by friends, volunteering, clubs, activities, drinking, partying, “fun,” “life,” or other frivolous activities. All things are great in moderation (don’t be a loser) but don’t exceed your limits, ever.

13.During second semester of your freshman year, fix the mistakes you made first semester. If you partied too much, stop now. If you studied too little, increase now. If you didn’t study correctly, fix it now. If you forgot how much you wanted this (number 1) remember now.

14.Aim for 4.0 GPA’s every semester. Aim high. Aim for all A’s. Be a “gunner.” Be a “go-getter.” Be passionate, dedicated, focused, driven. These classes are not easy. These topics are not easy. These fields are not easy. You will have to learn to love this stuff if you really want it. Sure, you won’t get all A’s. But if you aim for them, you just might.

15.Another important thing to do during spring semester of your freshman year is to ask your professors if you can do research with them over the summer. If your school has a research summer scholarship program, apply to it and pick a professor that you’ve grown to bond with, (through number 9) and ask to help them out with their research from may-august after your freshman year has ended.

16.If number 15 doesn’t work out, spend spring break applying to and searching for jobs/internships that you can apply to at nearby hospitals/research centers/medical schools. If there’s a medical school affiliated with your undergraduate university, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. Some of your undergraduate faculty may very well be faculty there as well. Find someone to do research with, somehow.

17.If number 16 doesn’t work out, spend your summer shadowing physicians from number 11, and volunteering from number 10. Have some fun, travel, pick up a hobby, take one-two summer classes (but not more!) and try to relax. Organic chemistry will be tough sophomore year; get ready.

18.Plan your courses for sophomore year. By the time you are done with sophomore year, you should be done with: physics, organic chemistry, and their affiliated labs. Try latching on some biology electives too, like physiology or microbiology, but don’t over load yourself. Get rid of some required classes like art history or political science. Try to add enough “safety” classes to safe-net organic chemistry so that you can focus on it. It’s an important class. Don’t go crazy volunteering/shadowing this year because your grades are more and more important now. You must realize that it is a lot harder to “fix” your GPA as you add more semesters. You can’t mess up now because you don’t have a lot of time left to fix mistakes. Your GPA is your number one priority this year; don’t let it fall through the cracks.

19.When first semester of sophomore year is done, collect yourself during winter break. Try to relax because once the second semester of sophomore year ends, you’re going to be doing MCAT all summer and you won’t really have a lot of time to relax during that time.

20.During second semester of sophomore year, figure out if you’re going to study by yourself for the MCAT or if you’re going to take a class. Princeton Review is great, so is Kaplan and MDI. A lot of companies boast “results” but the truth is; you are the one who will have to attain those results.

21.When summer after sophomore year begins, recollect yourself and make several schedules for how you’re going to tackle the MCAT, and when you’re going to take it. Remember the timeline: you will apply for medical school in May/June of your third year, meaning your MCAT scores MUST be in before May/June of your third year. It takes one month to process results; so you should take the MCAT in early April or late March of your third year AT THE LATEST. Don’t take chances. This is your life we are talking about.

22.Plan to take the MCAT at the end of the summer after your sophomore year. If you section off an entire summer where you must will yourself to study, you’ll do it, Take the August or July MCAT only if you’re ready after an intense summer of studying, taking practice tests, assessing strengths and weaknesses, and figuring out if you’re ready. If you’re not, put it off till January; study all winter break of your third year and take it in January of the year that you will be applying. You’ll get your scores by February and have ample time between February and June to plan your application, personal statement, letters of references, etc.

23.During your third year; do not compromise your classes/GPA for the MCAT. Both are important! By the end of your third year you should be done with all pre-med requirements, including biochemistry and some more advanced electives like cell biology or genetics. It’s very hard to study for the MCAT while you are juggling classes and tests, that’s why it’s a good idea to save the hardcore MCAT studying for summer and winter, and take the test accordingly.

24.Once second semester of your third year comes around, you’ve either a) taken the MCAT the previous summer, b) taken it in January, or c) are planning to take it in March. IF you’re doing option c, you’re going to have a difficult time juggling your classes and studying. If you’re doing option a or option b as suggested, you have so much time now to plan your application with confidence.

25.Find out what kind of healthcare committee you have at your campus; these committees review your application prior to your sending it through AAMC or TMDSAS. Find out their requirements, find out if there’s a letter mailing service, find out what you need to do in order to meet their standards. Ask professors for letters of recommendation whom you think you know well enough, who know you, and who you’ve made excellent relationships with over time. Ask research coordinators or doctors to write you letters as well. You should have at least 2 science professor letters, 1 doctor, 1 administrative personnel like a dean, and 1 non-science professor. This is 5 letters at the minimum.

26.When your letters are taken care of, stress deadlines and make sure they get in on time. Start working on your personal statement and do not waste your time! This is crunch time!

27.You want to have everything PRE-PREPARED for when AAMC and TMDSAS applications open on May 1st and June 1st, respectively.

28.If all goes smoothly, apply on time, submit within 2 weeks of the application opening, and wait for interviews. Then you just wait… and wait…. And wait….

 

[Zelda840]

You should have completed step 1 by the age of 18 at the latest.

Ridiculous.

 

[fragrancia]

I'd like to add that this was mostly a post for high school students (I posted it there as well) but then thought college freshmen might benefit also To each their own, Zelda!

 

[mcloaf]

This is everything I dislike about medical school admissions in one convenient thread.

 

[RueTay]

I was not fond of premeds and med studs like you

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

Thank God other people were thinking what I was thinking. Yall beat me to it

Sent from my RM-917_nam_usa_100 using Tapatalk

 

[Syndicate]

I agree with all your points

 

[QuiteAConundrum]

There are many different paths to medical school...if everyone prescribed to this, we'd all be drones...

I earnestly believe that medicine is my purpose in life, but it is not my entire life. I have many other things that I'm passionate about, and that will contribute to me being an awesome doctor.

You can balance a lot with pursuing a path to medical school. Just sayin.

 

[amazing tekkers]

Why all the hate? I think it's helpful.

 

[Zelda840]

I'd like to add that this was mostly a post for high school students (I posted it there as well) but then thought college freshmen might benefit also.

Your intended audience is irrelevant when to comes to the accuracy of your statement. 18 is by no means "the latest" age for someone to decide that medicine is right for them. I'm not just being rude for no reason and am definitely not trying to be hateful. Many of the tips are helpful, but that one is just really terrible advice that only serves to rush young people into making an extremely important decision.

 

[karayaa]

Lol''d a little at #12, not gonna lie.
But there's some helpful advice here - it depends on the person of course, but there are lots of pre-meds who would benefit from applying some of this.
The danger is that people might think it's a) mandatory, or, even worse, b) that it guarantees them an acceptance.

 

[Pasmal]

OP is seriously misguided.

Life is more than a frivolous activity. Give me a break.

I agree with karayaa, I think that some will find it helpful but everyone needs to realize this is pretty subjective and anything but the Gold Standard of med admissions planning/pre-planning/pre-pre-planning

 

[neekzg]

This step-by-step is more on the extreme side and should probably only be used as a framework, if that. I definitely think it's smart to go all-out at first, particularly in regards to keeping a high GPA, but it's more important to realize that being pre-med should NOT be the most important thing in your life which this schedule sort of makes it out to be.

I feel bad that OP seemed to actually be trying to help out newbies and received this response since I'm sure it would really help high school seniors/freshman/etc. understand what kinds of things they should be doing before they apply--they would just really need to take the advice with a grain of salt since it would really stress them out if they couldn't do all those things, which they certainly don't need to.

 

[Skyforever]

"You should have completed step 1 by the age of 18 at the latest."

Was thinking about USMLE STEP I

 

[masaraksh]

"You should have completed step 1 by the age of 18 at the latest."

Was thinking about USMLE STEP I

Attending at 22. Baller.

 

[SN12357]

Interesting to see friends, fun, and life itself all lumped under 'frivolous activities'. What fabulous life advice. Why live when you can be a mercenary, zombie premed?

 

[Gauss44]

A comic version:

1. Don't decide that this is what you want...
2. Start late...
3.Don't plan...
4. Select a major you hate...
etc.

Jokes aside, an excellent addition to "how-to" books is a quick concise summary ("Cliff Notes" version) of just the most important and least obvious stuff. I think the For Dummies books has a snapshot for that purpose. In this case, it would be either a more concise or reduced list to supplement the detailed one.

It's great that you're doing this. As a first generation college student, I wish I had a book like that a few years back.

 

[deleted407021]

#8: Nah.

I really think this has too many holes in it to be a legitimate resource for Freshman. Information pertaining to all of this is widely available on this forum and with just a bit of searching (even starting a new thread, ignoring the "use the search function you git" trolls), you can find tons of information from a large pool of very reliable individuals and threads. All the questions can't be answered by one premed within one thread. Encourage newcomers to explore this resource instead of relying on one dubious post. Despite the flaws, I'm sure we do appreciate the effort @fragrancia .

 

[mehc012]

Welp, guess I'm screwed...I didn't decide to aim for med school until I was 22. :O

 

[SunsFun]

OP, have you actually gotten accepted? I have been on this forum for a whole and haven't seen much of you.

I can't quite put a finger on it but something about your advice just bothers me. Someone who would actually follow your advice sounds like a terrible person to have as a classmate in medical school.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

Thread should be titled "How to be a huge gunner."

 

[kmp0410]

Am I the only one who read this as a big joke?

 

[darkjedi]

4. Select a major that you enjoy, but also one that will allow a good “fall back” option if you do not get accepted to medical school. I recommend: chemistry, biology, biochemistry, physics, engineering, business, accounting, finance, computer science, management information systems, education, or pre-law.
5. Learn all the pre-med course requirements. They are usually: calculus, statistics, English, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, some advanced biology like human physiology or microbiology, biochemistry, and all of their affiliated laboratories.
9. Talk to your professors. Go to their office hours, make friends with them, have a personality, discover their personality, listen to them, talk to them, find out what makes them click and connect with them.
10.During weekends/breaks/free time, volunteer. Volunteer at nearby hospitals, clinics, healthcare events, fundraisers, walks, and club activities at school.
11.Find a physician to shadow during winter break of your freshman year, or sooner. Stick with this physician or his/her department’s physicians throughout college. Shadow them, learn their trade, perfect your knowledge, grow close to them. Apply number 9 here too.
15.Another important thing to do during spring semester of your freshman year is to ask your professors if you can do research with them over the summer. If your school has a research summer scholarship program, apply to it and pick a professor that you’ve grown to bond with, (through number 9) and ask to help them out with their research from may-august after your freshman year has ended.
16.If number 15 doesn’t work out, spend spring break applying to and searching for jobs/internships that you can apply to at nearby hospitals/research centers/medical schools. If there’s a medical school affiliated with your undergraduate university, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. Some of your undergraduate faculty may very well be faculty there as well. Find someone to do research with, somehow.
17.If number 16 doesn’t work out, spend your summer shadowing physicians from number 11, and volunteering from number 10. Have some fun, travel, pick up a hobby, take one-two summer classes (but not more!) and try to relax. Organic chemistry will be tough sophomore year; get ready.
19.When first semester of sophomore year is done, collect yourself during winter break. Try to relax because once the second semester of sophomore year ends, you’re going to be doing MCAT all summer and you won’t really have a lot of time to relax during that time.
23.During your third year; do not compromise your classes/GPA for the MCAT. Both are important! By the end of your third year you should be done with all pre-med requirements, including biochemistry and some more advanced electives like cell biology or genetics. It’s very hard to study for the MCAT while you are juggling classes and tests, that’s why it’s a good idea to save the hardcore MCAT studying for summer and winter, and take the test accordingly.
25.Find out what kind of healthcare committee you have at your campus; these committees review your application prior to your sending it through AAMC or TMDSAS. Find out their requirements, find out if there’s a letter mailing service, find out what you need to do in order to meet their standards. Ask professors for letters of recommendation whom you think you know well enough, who know you, and who you’ve made excellent relationships with over time. Ask research coordinators or doctors to write you letters as well. You should have at least 2 science professor letters, 1 doctor, 1 administrative personnel like a dean, and 1 non-science professor. This is 5 letters at the minimum.
26.When your letters are taken care of, stress deadlines and make sure they get in on time. Start working on your personal statement and do not waste your time! This is crunch time!
27.You want to have everything PRE-PREPARED for when AAMC and TMDSAS applications open on May 1st and June 1st, respectively.
28.If all goes smoothly, apply on time, submit within 2 weeks of the application opening, and wait for interviews. Then you just wait… and wait…. And wait….

This is actually decent advice

1. Decide that this is what you want, and stick to it. No one will create your determination for you. It will take a lot; and it will drain you. You will want to give up. You will want to quit. But if you really and truly want this, you won’t let any temporary feeling of resignation take over your determination.
2. Start early. Plan ahead. Think smart. You should have completed step 1 by the age of 18 at the latest.
3. Right after your high school graduation/acceptance into a college, sit down and plan the next 3 years of your life. Your first 3 years of college are essential to your acceptance.
12.Don’t get distracted by friends, volunteering, clubs, activities, drinking, partying, “fun,” “life,” or other frivolous activities. All things are great in moderation (don’t be a loser) but don’t exceed your limits, ever.

This is all terrible advice, especially the 'frivolous' activities. Clubs, activities, non-medical volunteer are all things that can set you apart as an applicant. They are also opportunities to really find something you are passionate about and devote your time to them. Ideally you shouldn't be doing these things just to 'check off' a box, but rather because they are actually things that interest you. Also not investing in your friends means you are either going to go crazy or already are.

 

[mcloaf]

Don't cross post.

 

[nOchemallday]

I have to agree with what @darkjedi said, there's both very useful advice and very counterproductive adivce.

Honestly I wish I had known some of these things going into college /as a freshman. My premed advisor is pretty terrible and gives me the same schpiel every time I visit him..."Well you're in a good position. Here have this timeline I've given you 8 times already that is absolutely useless."

I never knew it would be so difficult to get research experience and to start early, or to get close to recommenders, let alone how many other flaming hoops there were to jump through. That being said I wasn't certain I could say "Why Medicine" until after I wrote my personal statement and read it back to myself and there is such a thing as non-traditional students. But many previous posters have overlooked the good in the post to point fingers at the bad.



As for:

I was not fond of premeds and med studs like you

Hard-working, dedicated, self-driven applicants who understand what they are getting themselves into? Sheesh, if I could just sit back and cakewalk my way into med school with the good-ole-boys by my side, where do I sign up.

Do they look like they're fresh out of a cookie cutter? Yes.
Are they both committed to the time consuming lifestyle and thoroughly preparing themselves for what they plan on spending the next 10 years of their lives pursuing? Probably more than you are/were based on your attitude.

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

Why all the hate? I think it's helpful.

Because its mainly idealistic information that a pre-med hears from other premeds without much authoritative evidence.
I, for one, didnt do most of those things.

If people followed that advice, they would be mindless robots with no unique aspects to set them apart from the others.
While I understand the OP is trying to provide some wisdom to the community, most of those points are no-brainers ( aiming for a 4.0, study for the MCAT, do research), there are a few points which are utterly wrong ( blowing off friends and frivolous activities, planning your college life right after being accepted to high school, volunteering during your free weekends, breaks, holidays).

Although the goal is to get into medical school, there are many paths that will lead you to it.

 

[mcloaf]

Are they both committed to the time consuming lifestyle and thoroughly preparing themselves for what they plan on spending the next 10 years of their lives pursuing? Probably more than you are/were based on your attitude.

Ikr, what could an orthopedic surgery resident possibly know about commitment to the field that cookie cutter premeds haven't figured out?

 

[MedWonk]

LOL, I just about broke every rule in this list. Also, listing pre-law as a good fallback is good for a laugh.

 

[Dogcat1290]

Yea stopped right 3. Hilarious!

 

[Ismet]

Merging related threads.

Just a reminder that cross-posting is not permitted on the forums. Please only post something once. Thank you.

 

[PapaGuava]

Interesting post

 

[nOchemallday]

Ikr, what could an orthopedic surgery resident possibly know about commitment to the field that cookie cutter premeds haven't figured out?

I'm not saying the list should be followed to the letter. Chances are @RueTay did a lot of these things to get to where he is today whether he knows it or not and you likely did too whether you want to admit it or not. You can argue that there shouldn't be 'checkboxes' all you want, but the truth is that there are 'checkboxes.' Each and every medical student and resident has a couple of them checked off; save the "high and mighty" speech about you don't need to do any of the things in this list for those hypocrites among you. I'll return to my home sweet cookie cutter and prepare my application as best I can. #soapbox

In my opinion,
All of the following is decent information:
#1 Obvious, but still applicable. You'll have to answer this question a million times before you becom a doctor, might as well figure it out at some point before you apply. Also, it should actually be what YOU want to do!
#4 Good information. How many times is the word spread to pick a major you enjoy?
#5 I didn't know what the MSAR was until junior year.
#7 is good advice whether you are premed or not. They have a lot of resources.
#9 is a helpful mindset. Don't kiss a**. I normally don't ask questions in class/go to office hours/hang around and chat. How else would I ever get a recommender/chance of getting research if I didn't actively get to know my professors?
#10 has a good list of generic volunteer opportunities if you don't know where to start. If you don't volunteer during your weekends/free time, when do you volunteer? during class?
#11 not a make-or-break, but most people shadow to figure out what the job is like (even if only a "glazed over" version).
#13 should be done from your second semester to every term thereafter.
#14 should be a goal, but not with any sacrifices. Do the best you can with what you have (i.e. don't be a gunner if you're not a gunner).
#15 is good if you want to attend a research-heavy medical school/are interested in research. Gives you options.
#16 & #17 be productive during your summers, even if it's not medically relevant.
#21 if you think you're going to take the MCAT September of your application cycle and have all the med schools swoon over you, well I'd suggest you do some research.
#23 you don't have to be done your pre-reqs. But the GPA/MCAT juggling is good advice. Neither should suffer, and if either does just reassess your timeline.
#25 all of this is good information minus who you should get to recommend you. Each applicant will be different, but using a committee can be helpful (for instance mine offers mach medical interviews as a part of preparing the committee letter).
#28. and wait.

 

[darklabel]

It kind of comes across as gunnerish in my opinion. It sounds like OP is making pre-med to be a way of life and that there aren't any alternative avenues towards medicine. It seems rather self-punishing/neurotic if you were to follow this advice to the tee, but there is some solid advice here I wish I knew freshman year.

I guess the main thing is even if you've screwed up along the way or you decide medicine isn't right for you right now that it's ok. A year, or 2 or ten isn't an application killer and you shouldn't base all your activities solely on entering medical school. I have met people (and I'm sure we all have) that lived this way throughout undergrad. Some made it and others haven't, so it isn't exactly fool-proof...

 

[that redhead]

There are a few good points in there that basically boil down to: do your research on the path you want to take (know the pre-reqs, for example) and work hard. Worded that way, it's solid advice. The rest of it is better disregarded.

 

[EvenStevens]

"You should have completed step 1 by the age of 18 at the latest."

Was thinking about USMLE STEP I

Glad i wasn't the only one , thought it was a troll post when i saw that

 

[mcloaf]

I'm not saying the list should be followed to the letter. Chances are @RueTay did a lot of these things to get to where he is today whether he knows it or not and you likely did too whether you want to admit it or not. You can argue that there shouldn't be 'checkboxes' all you want, but the truth is that there are 'checkboxes.' Each and every medical student and resident has a couple of them checked off; save the "high and mighty" speech about you don't need to do any of the things in this list for those hypocrites among you. I'll return to my home sweet cookie cutter and prepare my application as best I can. #soapbox

My commentary in this thread has been pretty brief, so I'm really not sure how you made all of these inferences about what I'm arguing (actually, I do know: you made them up).

As someone who has actually been accepted to medical school I'm well aware that there are things all applicants must do to make it. I never said otherwise, nor did I even say that many of the things in the original post were totally off base or unnecessary. What leaves a bad taste in my mouth is the implicit attitude in the OP that medical school must be a path you follow beginning as a freshman in college, and there is only one way to that goal. It also follows from these assumptions that deviation from this path is errant or not worthwhile, which is total bull ****. I have no issue with the recognition that there are checkboxes for medical school admission; to deny that would be stupid. I have an issue with the distillation of getting into medical school into a simple timeline that everyone should follow because I think that's a huge negative. There's a difference between saying that "you need to score well on the MCAT to get in" and saying "you have to take the MCAT at this point in time, and if you don't that's a failure." My medical school experience has been massively enriched by my classmates who took serious time off before medical school and had circuitous routes to get here, the last thing I support is increasing the number of zombie premeds who start trying to get into medical school during college orientation.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

My commentary in this thread has been pretty brief, so I'm really not sure how you made all of these inferences about what I'm arguing (actually, I do know: you made them up).

As someone who has actually been accepted to medical school I'm well aware that there are things all applicants must do to make it. I never said otherwise, nor did I even say that many of the things in the original post were totally off base or unnecessary. What leaves a bad taste in my mouth is the implicit attitude in the OP that medical school must be a path you follow beginning as a freshman in college, and there is only one way to that goal. It also follows from these assumptions that deviation from this path is errant or not worthwhile, which is total bull ****. I have no issue with the recognition that there are checkboxes for medical school admission; to deny that would be stupid. I have an issue with the distillation of getting into medical school into a simple timeline that everyone should follow because I think that's a huge negative. There's a difference between saying that "you need to score well on the MCAT to get in" and saying "you have to take the MCAT at this point in time, and if you don't that's a failure." My medical school experience has been massively enriched by my classmates who took serious time off before medical school and had circuitous routes to get here, the last thing I support is increasing the number of zombie premeds who start trying to get into medical school during college orientation.

Well said. I wouldn't trade the non-traditional path I took to medical school for anything.

Doing the pre-med thing doesn't (and shouldn't) consume your life. College is the time you need to grow as a person. Don't spend it all worrying about following a rigid path to becoming a physician.

 

[fragrancia]

I'm just going to make one final post seeing as there are a wide variety of responses to my initial list. I feel like most of you took the title way too seriously (and possibly read the rest of it with that initial sentiment); as if what I said is the *only* or *best* or *most-researched* way of going about the medical school admissions process. I'd like to add that no where does it say "this will guarantee you" or "do this and you're in!" It doesn't say that I'm some credible source, nor does it say that my list is a peer-reviewed, concrete foundation of knowledge. Please, relax. This is an open forum; I feel that the majority of the points are sound advice and if you look at the main idea, I'm sure a lot of you did/are doing/plan to be doing the majority of these things! Let's not jump to conclusions or levy accusations falsely. This wasn't meant to be a hurtful/rude/pointing-fingers-at-older-students/arrogant post. I genuinely respect each and every one of your opinions, and I hope that you all can learn to find the positives in an attempt to give advice to students who really ARE a lot younger/less experienced/less understanding of a lot of the aspects of being a pre-med. Believe it or not, there ARE high school students, at the age of 15-18 who are positively sure that they want to become doctors, but don't have a lot of help because of their age. There are things that each of us would have done differently, looking back, and this was my take on it.

And yes, I've been accepted to 5 out of the 7 medical schools that I applied to.

 

[mcloaf]

And yes, I've been accepted to 5 out of the 7 medical schools that I applied to.

That part wasn't meant as a jab at you, I'm sorry if you interpreted it that way. Glad you found success.

 

[Evan Reynolds]

I'm a little saddened at some of the responses on this page, especially some of the initial reactionary posts at the top. It's clear that OP has taken a specific path towards medical school (@fragrancia congratulations on your acceptances). The 29 points are simply a reflection of what worked and didn't work for OP; basically an 'if I knew then what I do now' post. For anyone who took offense to these points, I can understand if it was because of the demanding, unforgiving tone of the post, but I hope everyone is on the same page that this lists off crucial steps on the way to med school.

The thing is, the OP does not make revolutionary points about being a premed -- all of this information can be found elsewhere on sdn, albeit in different threads. However, at the very least, this list is not misinforming anyone, and at best, it provides a concise list of what to think about when considering being a premed in college. I think it helps that the post carries a harsh voice, because it serves as a good reminder that getting into med school isn't easy (though at some points, the harshness becomes unnecessary).

Members of this site should be smart enough to immediately realize that this is one premed's take on how to be a premed -- not the definitive guide. There are obviously many different ways to get to med school. The way that OP writes will click with some people, and not others.

This thread should be commented on by those who feel that OP is an older version of themselves (not by age, of course), not those who feel that the way OP has done things is a direct shot at people who didn't do things the same way. If you disagree with OP, just leave this thread. There will be people who think that this post is the proper way to look at things.


As for the actual post, the majority of the points are objective, and yes, read off like a checklist. Some of the more subjective items ('don't be a loser', 'frivolous activities') perhaps do not serve any purpose. If you are a high school student who feels overwhelmed by all of the different things needed/suggested to get into med school, and that too many different pieces of information are hitting you from too many different sources, -- this list is about as simplified as it will get. If you want an even simpler version: high grades/mcat, thorough resume, interesting life.


tl;dr : some people will agree with OP, others will not. If you disagree, simply move on from this thread. There is no need to bash and potentially distract someone who may gain something from this thread.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

I'm a little saddened at some of the responses on this page, especially some of the initial reactionary posts at the top. It's clear that OP has taken a specific path towards medical school (@fragrancia congratulations on your acceptances). The 29 points are simply a reflection of what worked and didn't work for OP; basically an 'if I knew then what I do now' post. For anyone who took offense to these points, I can understand if it was because of the demanding, unforgiving tone of the post, but I hope everyone is on the same page that this lists off crucial steps on the way to med school.

The thing is, the OP does not make revolutionary points about being a premed -- all of this information can be found elsewhere on sdn, albeit in different threads. However, at the very least, this list is not misinforming anyone, and at best, it provides a concise list of what to think about when considering being a premed in college. I think it helps that the post carries a harsh voice, because it serves as a good reminder that getting into med school isn't easy (though at some points, the harshness becomes unnecessary).

Members of this site should be smart enough to immediately realize that this is one premed's take on how to be a premed -- not the definitive guide. There are obviously many different ways to get to med school. The way that OP writes will click with some people, and not others.

This thread should be commented on by those who feel that OP is an older version of themselves (not by age, of course), not those who feel that the way OP has done things is a direct shot at people who didn't do things the same way. If you disagree with OP, just leave this thread. There will be people who think that this post is the proper way to look at things.


As for the actual post, the majority of the points are objective, and yes, read off like a checklist. Some of the more subjective items ('don't be a loser', 'frivolous activities') perhaps do not serve any purpose. If you are a high school student who feels overwhelmed by all of the different things needed/suggested to get into med school, and that too many different pieces of information are hitting you from too many different sources, -- this list is about as simplified as it will get. If you want an even simpler version: high grades/mcat, thorough resume, interesting life.


tl;dr : some people will agree with OP, others will not. If you disagree, simply move on from this thread. There is no need to bash and potentially distract someone who may gain something from this thread.

Don't be coy. You are the OP.

 

[Evan Reynolds]

Don't be coy. You are the OP.

Joke?

 

[QuiteAConundrum]

I'm a little saddened at some of the responses on this page, especially some of the initial reactionary posts at the top. It's clear that OP has taken a specific path towards medical school (@fragrancia congratulations on your acceptances). The 29 points are simply a reflection of what worked and didn't work for OP; basically an 'if I knew then what I do now' post. For anyone who took offense to these points, I can understand if it was because of the demanding, unforgiving tone of the post, but I hope everyone is on the same page that this lists off crucial steps on the way to med school.

The thing is, the OP does not make revolutionary points about being a premed -- all of this information can be found elsewhere on sdn, albeit in different threads. However, at the very least, this list is not misinforming anyone, and at best, it provides a concise list of what to think about when considering being a premed in college. I think it helps that the post carries a harsh voice, because it serves as a good reminder that getting into med school isn't easy (though at some points, the harshness becomes unnecessary).

Members of this site should be smart enough to immediately realize that this is one premed's take on how to be a premed -- not the definitive guide. There are obviously many different ways to get to med school. The way that OP writes will click with some people, and not others.

This thread should be commented on by those who feel that OP is an older version of themselves (not by age, of course), not those who feel that the way OP has done things is a direct shot at people who didn't do things the same way. If you disagree with OP, just leave this thread. There will be people who think that this post is the proper way to look at things.


As for the actual post, the majority of the points are objective, and yes, read off like a checklist. Some of the more subjective items ('don't be a loser', 'frivolous activities') perhaps do not serve any purpose. If you are a high school student who feels overwhelmed by all of the different things needed/suggested to get into med school, and that too many different pieces of information are hitting you from too many different sources, -- this list is about as simplified as it will get. If you want an even simpler version: high grades/mcat, thorough resume, interesting life.


tl;dr : some people will agree with OP, others will not. If you disagree, simply move on from this thread. There is no need to bash and potentially distract someone who may gain something from this thread.

As one of the initial respondents, I will say that I only commented FOR the people reading who fit the description you've outlined. Ignoring the thread entirely leaves whatever premed (high school or college freshman) who stumbles upon it with one perspective, and not everyone is objective enough to see that at first glance (I would certainly put myself in this group when I first started stalking SDN).

I was simply trying to say that there are many different paths that are all valid, and that you don't have to, and shouldn't, sacrifice everything to be a viable candidate.

OP has some great suggestions but some that make me

 

[nOchemallday]

My commentary in this thread has been pretty brief, so I'm really not sure how you made all of these inferences about what I'm arguing (actually, I do know: you made them up).

For the sake of closure I shall make my assumptions explicit:

From:

This is everything I dislike about medical school admissions in one convenient thread.

You're tone is at best apathetic and at worst dismissive. From your later commentary it is obvious you dislike the rigidity of the proposed method as a distinct "must-follow" timeline to acceptance. I would agree that this is almost certainly the worst part about the information presented by OP. It is but one (extremely gunner at that) way to get accepted and there are definitely things I would change in it as well. But in your first post's brevity I've inferred a rejection of "everything" listed within the OP, such as a rejection of "steps" (a.k.a. checkboxes) to medical school.

From:

Ikr, what could an orthopedic surgery resident possibly know about commitment to the field that cookie cutter premeds haven't figured out?

Despite its sarcasm, I take there to be 2 reasonable answers to your question:
(a) RueTay did none of these things and gunner pre-meds couldn't be more incorrect; or
(b) RueTay has gone above and beyond this list (more than gunner pre-meds could possibly comprehend) en route to his ortho residency.


Option (a) has already been reconciled and denied by us both:

Chances are @RueTay did a lot of these things to get to where he is today whether he knows it or not

I never said otherwise, nor did I even say that many of the things in the original post were totally off base or unnecessary... I have no issue with the recognition that there are checkboxes for medical school admission; to deny that would be stupid.

From option (b) it would follow that RueTay was a bigger gunner than those who followed this checklist. If RueTay were a bigger gunner than gunners, why would he be not fond of gunners? or rather, gunner zombies? If it was simply that he was not fond of zombies, I think there is plenty of evidence within the OP to suggest non-zombie pre-meds: #4 in particular would differentiate an applicant from the 52% of bio major applicants, #10 has a variety of different volunteer opportunities as well as club activities. Not to mention each person has a different personality and different reason for pursuing medicine. There aren't many other things that differentiate traditional applicants short of mission trips/study abroad/life-altering experiences.

Perhaps the worst information, second only to the general timeline, is #12 which is perhaps the root of zombie-ness. As I read it though, it didn't say 'don't have friends/hobbies/etc.,' it said 'don't be distracted by them.' If you have a final the next morning, don't go out on the town with friends/spend all night watching the entire lord of the rings trilogy; but at the same time if you have nothing going on, don't be a loser and ditch your friends to study.


My only other consideration is that those students interested in pursuing medicine at a ripe high school age are unlikely to plan a non-traditional path to medicine. #2 is certainly no requirement. I wasn't truly able to answer "why medicine" until I sat down to write my personal statement. But even as a traditional applicant, (I will make another assumption in saying that @mcloaf would likely agree) the path to medicine should be a timeline of one's own.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

Joke?

Nah, no joke. Your/fragnancia's posting history suggests that may actually be the same user and your previous post vehemently defending the "OP" makes it even more suspicious.

 

[Evan Reynolds]

Nah, no joke. Your/fragnancia's posting history suggests that may actually be the same user and your previous post vehemently defending the "OP" makes it even more suspicious.

lolz.

Well, all I can say is that in my previous post, the point I was trying to make was that this thread should be viewed by current high school students. After reading it however, I felt that the focus was creeping towards something less productive, so I felt compelled to say something. My 'previous post vehemently defending the OP' was anything but. I happen to disagree with all of the non-objective matter in it. In any case, I'm not sure why someone would create two accounts on an anonymous forum? Or if that's even possible -- these are linked to your email address (if I remember correctly).

 

[EvenStevens]

I am also a little suspicious! those last two questions man, those last two.

 

[papi89]

While this is seemingly written as sarcasm, it is far too long to read

 

[swolebrah]

Agree with most's of the posts. So far I'm exactly on par with this schedule.

If your going to do something, you do right the first time. Obsessed is a word the lazy to describe the dedicated.

I plan on finish undergrad as soon as possible, unlike most premeds I'm paying for college out of my own pocket. College is suppose to be viewed as an investment, not some kind of "experience" . If you have the luxury of viewing it as an experience, good for you, but don't **** on others for viewing college very seriously. Every gap year you take, know your interests rates and loans are piling up.