Advice for Freshman in College

[ee1025]

Hi, I am a freshman, planning on applying to med school after my junior year so that I do not take a gap year, ideally. Right now, I am involved with several volunteer-based clubs at my university, but looking forward, I would like to get any advice on how/when to gain clinical experience such as volunteering in a hospital setting, research, and shadowing. I am taking a prerequisite over the summer, so I do not have much time for a heavy commitment then. I am currently exploring the opportunity to shadow a neurologist this semester, and I will be taking a class that will give me 25 hours of shadowing in the fall of my sophomore year.

My current clubs are:
-making arts and crafts with children in the hospital weekly
-babysitting children with autism monthly
-eating dinner with developmentally handicapped individuals weekly
-I just joined a sorority (philanthropy involves interacting with children)
-minor involvement with my religious group

I plan on starting research for credit in the spring of my sophomore year, which would leave me with around 400 hours of research by time of application.

Mainly, I am struggling to find opportunities for clinical volunteering. The main hospital associated with my university is full currently for student volunteers. I have been looking into summer opportunities in my city at home as well as other hospitals near my university, but I am struggling to find options that are clinical. Is just playing with young patients or transporting patients around the hospital considered clinical? Could I still put that down as medical related volunteering?

Any advice is helpful! I just want to see what I can do early on to boost my resume so I maximize my chances at success when I apply in 2.5 years. Thank you in advance!

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[reluctantoptimism]

Remember to enjoy your time in college! I have about a year left and the stress/worry of adulthood are slowly creeping up and I wished I'd just relaxed more in undergrad.

 

[nRomaleos]

• Think you're studying enough? Probably not.
• Go to office hours to meet your professors both so they know who you are and to improve your grades
• Don't take your MCAT, while you're in school with a full courseload.
• Although aiming to apply as a junior is a good goal, it may not be as realistic as it once was. You are more likely to reach great heights in your extracurriculars if you dedicate an entire year focusing on them.

I would tell you to have fun, but enjoying college is easy. Tough part is balancing the fun with the classes, grades, and pressure.

EDIT:

• For clinical experience, consider convalescent/nursing homes or hospices as an alternative to hospitals. There is no rush to start clinical-specific volunteering at this very moment. I spent my first 3-years in non-clinical and final 2-years in clinical.

 

[drdevil52]

For clinical experience, a large hospital near the university may not end up being the best place to look. It is possible that you might get a better chance at patient contact at a local nursing home, but if there are no other opportunities for clinical experience, look for a spot at the hospital. While trying to have fun with extracurriculars, don't forget about your GPA. As for taking the MCAT junior year, since the new MCAT was released, there is more coursework you need to take. I am also planning on taking the MCAT junior year, and my advice to you would be to plan ahead and try and have a rather light courseload during your second semester of junior year to free up time for MCAT prep course/ independent studying. Good luck!

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

get good grades (3.7+) and have a good MCAT score (>/=512) if you want to get into MD schools. Med schools are getting unprecedented numbers of apps in the past years and they all make cuts somewhere. The GPA and MCAT get you in the door, everything else is usually talking points in an interview (roughly). We no longer live in a world where medical schools care about who you are. It's 90% about what you are. Some will debate this, but I've been rejected enough to know that grades and MCAT reign supreme.

That being said, don't neglect your personality and extracurriculars in undergrad. You still need to relax, have some fun, shadow, and learn something about who you are. All these things are excellent preparation for getting into medical school, but I can't stress enough the importance of GPA/MCAT. Best of luck to you, friend. SDN is a teeming fountain of information if you're willing to look for it, and usually take a few grains of salt with it all...

 

[McSpicy]

To keep it brief,

get good grades (3.7+) and have a good MCAT score (>/=512) if you want to get into MD schools. It sucks but that's the way the world is. Med schools are getting unprecedented numbers of apps in the past years and they all make cuts somewhere. The GPA and MCAT get you in the door, everything else is usually talking points in an interview (roughly).

Those numbers are solid if you're a Cali or NC resident. If you live in Texas or Ohio you'll be good with a 3.6+/508+.

Clinical experience shouldn't be too much of a problem to get, but it's good that you're thinking about it now. Try filling out an application for your local hospital and entering yourself for a waitlist position. You're a freshman and one of their volunteers are bound to graduate/quit in the near future. Also look into volunteering at a private practice which is also sufficient clinical exposure.

 

[prehealthadvisor55]

If you have a med school at your undergrad university it's going to be tough to get clinical/hospital hours. This is the case at my school. I recommend students set up shadowing in particular over breaks back home where they already have established connections/relationships. Or at least know someone who knows someone.

As for volunteering, a big thing for our students is hospice. It may not be most students' first choice, but it gives you a lot of exposure. And they're always looking for volunteers.

Also consider getting your CNA or MA certification to help land a position in a hospital. But like others have said, all the volunteering & clinical experience in the world won't necessarily overcome a poor GPA, so make sure you're not taking on too much, especially at this point.