Advice for Pre-Med Freshman?

[deleted999444]

Anyone have any advice for an incoming pre-med freshman? College starts in a month and I’m nervous for classes

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[Dr panda]

I can give you 2 advices on how to protect your GPA:
1) don’t take the most hard major/classes just to impress adcoms (nobody cares).
2) find your school grade distribution archive and pick easiest professors (yes, it may be not fair, but we are in the game where grades are everything, no MCAT/ECs will make up for poor grades).

 

[Engrailed]

Anyone have any advice for an incoming pre-med freshman? College starts in a month and I’m nervous for classes

ALso get LORS right after you take classss and not years later

 

[PapaGuava]

First and foremost, remember to experience college and take it all in besides just doing well academically. Get out of your comfort zone, meet people, etc.

Academically, don't be afraid to adjust your study habits for specific classes and reach out for help if you need it whether it be office hours, TAs, etc. Also, do not stack your schedule too much to the point where it takes hits on your grades. I saw too many pre-med peers take on too many difficult courses or extracurriculars and it ended up ruining their semesters.

Good luck with everything moving forward!

 

[Moko]

1) Focus on getting good study habits and grades early on. ECs can wait. A trashed GPA will take years after graduation to correct, whereas ECs can be easily gained during the rest of college.
2) Stay off SDN until you're closer to applying. Neuroticism can be infectious.

 

[hailbate]

Honestly something I hate with the pre-med mentality is the obsession over GPA and wanting to just take the easiest classes. I feel like in wanting to go into medicine there should be an inherent quality of being a learner and enjoying the process of learning.

Im not saying you should take classes blindly, but please take enjoyable classes for the sake of wanting to take them. These 4 years are going to be the only time you'll have the flexibility to take classes in any field you want, and I wish I had learned that as an underclassman as opposed to during my senior year. I got scared of the humanities when I was a lil freshman cause it seemed all foreign and hard, but I ended up taking an art history class my senior year and it ended being one of my favorite classes ever in college. One class isnt going to define your transcript, so dont get scared to take those opportunities to explore.

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

Anyone have any advice for an incoming pre-med freshman? College starts in a month and I’m nervous for classes

Get. Off. SDN.

EDIT: I meant for your own sanity. Not as a gatekeeping thing.

 

[907914]

Get. Off. SDN.

EDIT: I meant for your own sanity. Not as a gatekeeping thing.

Addendum: If you do NOT have a sufficient, proven, and robust premed advisory network at your school, use SDN to it's fullest extent.

*Coming from a current applicant who goes to Podunk U and knew absolutely nothing about what it took to get in to medical school just 2 years ago*

 

[init2020]

@MemeLord , dude, your new avi is disturbing...lol

 

[Catalystik]

Anyone have any advice for an incoming pre-med freshman?

Stay out of legal trouble. Don't get an Institutional Action (IA). Follow laws and University rules.

 

[PA_dud3]

I just will be starting Sophomore year, so I can give some advice.

1) Don't cheat
2) Do your homework/study
3) Find something outside of class you enjoy.
4) Watch out for gunners.
5) Begin formulating a plan to get the necessary EC's you will need to apply.

 

[907914]

4) Watch out for gunners.

Alternatively, don't watch out for gunners - do better than them.

 

[init2020]

Anyone have any advice for an incoming pre-med freshman? College starts in a month and I’m nervous for classes

Take a reasonable course load, like 12 credits to start, with a couple science and humanities. Strive to get the highest scores on all your assessments and homework starting day one. Once you prove you can handle the work load and get all A's, then start adding in volunteering, shadowing, etc.

 

[chemdoctor]

1) Focus on getting good study habits and grades early on. ECs can wait. A trashed GPA will take years after graduation to correct, whereas ECs can be easily gained during the rest of college.
2) Stay off SDN until you're closer to applying. Neuroticism can be infectious.

Strongly concur with the second

 

[chemdoctor]

Avoid burnout, be on point with time management. If you mess up, it’s not the end of the world. Learn from your mistakes and always have the mentality of bettering yourself.

 

[Catalystik]

Don't tell friends and most family you're premed. Only 40% get accepted. Have a backup plan.

 

[PA_dud3]

Alternatively, don't watch out for gunners - do better than them.

I was kind of a gunner at my first school but its chill now, hahaha

 

[907914]

I was kind of a gunner at my first school but its chill now, hahaha

After rereading, I realize how much of a gunner I sound like in that quote....but, like....it isn't a competition. Do the best that you can academically, OP, while still maintaining ECs and a social life. So long as you have a 3.7 and like 4 hours of volunteering a week, your number 1 focus in undergrad should be FUN.

 

[penpenclown]

Don't overload yourself until you get a handle on the rigors of college. Do stuff you want to do, don't just focus on tailoring your life to med school, it's a good way to burn out and/or look like a weirdo. (I like bio and all, but my favorite classes have been my weird lib eds.) Don't rush everything. If you have to wait a bit to apply, it's not the end of the world. If you're struggling in a class go get help from teachers/TAs/tutors immediately. A few mediocre grades aren't the end of the world, but it's a lot easier to do well at the beginning and not have to take a million classes to boost your GPA (rip me). If you're like me and didn't study much as a high schooler, learn how to study. Study ahead of time, don't cram. If you can't figure it out your school should have some sort of center to help you figure it out. Try to get involved with research early. Actually go to office hours so you can have a good relationship with your teachers. If you're struggling mentally, go see a counselor. Explore clubs/activities but try to find ones to stick with. There are probably plenty of more interesting clubs than the premed ones at your school. Getting some work experience is good but don't overwork yourself on top of everything else. Don't compare yourself to others, there will always be someone smarter than you and/or does better than you. Don't worry about them, just focus on yourself.

tl;dr: do literally the opposite of what I did lol. I'm going into senior year and I'm finally figuring this stuff out.

Also, don't feel like a failure if you decide to quit pre-med. It's really not for everybody and there are plenty of people who keep going on long after they should have due to pride or whatever (i.e. me probably). You'd be far from the first to drop it. It's always a trip to be in a premed club where the first week the whole auditorium is full and by the last few weeks it's about 1/3 full.

On the other hand, don't feel too discouraged by a few setbacks. Some Bs and Cs won't sink your chances of med school. Just make sure to work harder in the future.

 

[Cornfed101]

4) Watch out for gunners.

Understand that you are not competing for the same spot with anybody else. Work together and build friendships with people who are also Premed. Get good grades and also help them get good grades.

The fact that you are on here asking questions means you are way ahead of the curve. You’ll be fine. Way above a 40% acceptance (as long as you don’t screw everything up or kill someone)

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

Ease into your classes. It’s tempting to try to knock out your prereqs are quickly as possible but loading up on hard science classes is an easy way to overextend yourself. College is not like high school, it’s easy to get all As in HS without cracking a book. It’s much harder to coast in college so, take freshman year to get your feet under you

 

[Phoebus Apollo]

Good advice so far.

Only two things to add:

- try to meet with your school’s premed advisor early on. Does your school have one? Some of these advisors are excellent. Some are not. Either way, it’s good to meet them early

- I disagree w the notion that you shouldn’t get involved with any extracurriculars to start. Ask yourself: what really makes you happy? Sports? Music? Do SOMETHING to get away from homework and make friends.

**also, I’d like to reiterate two pieces of advice
- the ppl in your science classes can be amazing friends and study buddies. Make friends with them, build each other up and make studying fun together
- DO stay off SDN if your advisor is okay. This site gets v helpful for application season, but if I saw this stuff four years ago I’dve gotten stressed as hell

 

[CaptainWEMT]

Just to echo what has already been said:
1. First semester focus on making the transition to college (homesickness, getting good grades, making friends, learning to be independent...)
2. Once you have started making the transition, start getting involved with activities/clubs that you enjoy
3. Once you have successfully made the transition first semester, begin to look for clinical and research opportunities
4. Make some time to have fun- in the grand scheme of things this is probably the easiest year you will have.

 

[deleted999444]

Good advice so far.

Only two things to add:

- try to meet with your school’s premed advisor early on. Does your school have one? Some of these advisors are excellent. Some are not. Either way, it’s good to meet them early

- I disagree w the notion that you shouldn’t get involved with any extracurriculars to start. Ask yourself: what really makes you happy? Sports? Music? Do SOMETHING to get away from homework and make friends.

**also, I’d like to reiterate two pieces of advice
- the ppl in your science classes can be amazing friends and study buddies. Make friends with them, build each other up and make studying fun together
- DO stay off SDN if your advisor is okay. This site gets v helpful for application season, but if I saw this stuff four years ago I’dve gotten stressed as hell

I’m actually meeting with a pre-med advisor today! If she’s helpful then I will stay off SDN until closer to application time.

 

[LizzyM]

Don't take organic chemistry as a freshman, even if you qualify due to AP credit.
Don't cheat, don't 'help" others by sharing your work, don't carry a fake ID.
Build good health habits in your new environment: physical activity, healthy supportive friendships, good nutrition.

 

[honeybee87]

Anyone have any advice for an incoming pre-med freshman? College starts in a month and I’m nervous for classes

Get off this site until junior year

 

[907914]

but if I saw this stuff four years ago I’dve gotten stressed as hell

IDK this stuff all motivated me to get and keep a timeline in place so I knew exactly what I was doing and when....

 

[CaptainWEMT]

IDK this stuff all motivated me to get and keep a timeline in place so I knew exactly what I was doing and when....

Its useful but at least in my case it made me extremely neurotic/stressed when in all reality I was actually exactly where I needed to be.

If you want to go on SDN during your early years of school, do not go on more than once/twice a week. Otherwise you will start to get unnecessarily stressed.

Edit-fixed typo

 

[lull]

get enough sleep, do things that interest you

 

[sophop]

get enough sleep, do things that interest you

Not sure I was so good about the first, but totally 110% agree with the second. My major, my thesis, post-bacc research, at least half of my secondaries and almost all of my interviews flowed directly from doing things that I thought were interesting (even changing bedpans gave me a chance to hear patients tell their stories - which, in part, led to my thesis). Yeah, definitely keep up the grades, attend pre-med meetings, and don't get an IA, but UG is a chance to explore things and meet people in ways that might never happen again. Don't blow it.

 

[harvard_of_the_west]

Don't rush through your years of undergrad, and in general, try to SLOW DOWN. I feel like so many people feel a lot of pressure to take MCAT asap, apply junior year, and go straight into med school immediately following 4 jam-packed years of undergrad. Live a little! There's absolutely no rush to get in. What is 1-2 years of an enjoyable lifestyle after undergrad going to do for you? Probably make you a more successful and happier doctor because you've actually gained life experience, and have hopefully found passions outside of school/career. I took 5 years of undergrad to finish all of my NCAA student-athlete eligibility. After I graduated, I took the MCAT and have been working really awesome seasonal jobs (how many applicants got to be ski patrollers?) since then. This fall, I'll start a post-bac with a guaranteed acceptance to my in-state MD school as long as I hit the GPA benchmarks. Bottom line: I'm happy. Sure, I might still get eaten alive in my first year like most everyone else, but I had a dang good time and learned so much about myself these past two years. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

 

[Catalystik]

Anyone have any advice for an incoming pre-med freshman?

Speaking of life experience: It's likely that your new campus will have student representation from places unfamiliar to you . Embrace this opportunity to learn about folks who are unlike the family in which you were raised. Attend cultural celebrations. Eat food you've never heard of. Make friends with people different from yourself. Gain knowledge of other religions and lifestyles. Maybe join an ethnic dance group. Your future patients will come from all walks of life; it would be good for you to know you can be comfortable with everyone.

 

[feather125]

Choose your friends wisely! There are people are college who do not necessarily have the same work ethic as you. That's OK it's no big deal to want different things, but keep in mind your paths will be different. A lot of pre-meds get into trouble (from my own experience) with grades and IAs because of hanging out with people who put them on the wrong track, and it will effect you disproportionately because of your career goals.

You'll meet plenty of genuinely kind people; stick to them and be a real friend back

 

[Medic741]

Get good grades it makes life easier later on.

Most importantly find something you love totally unrelated to science/medicine. Do it and make it an important part of your life — build friendships outside of school around it. Been invaluable to have friends in the community that I can relax with over my hobbies after an exam.

Plus... there are way too many boring med students and premed out there. Don’t be like them

 

[Dr. MD/MBA]

ALso get LORS right after you take classss and not years later

GREAT advice! I tell this to my mentees all the time!

 

[Doc Gray]

listen to the Premed Years podcast? ;-)

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

If I could go back to my freshman year self and give him advice for how to better prepare for a stellar medical school application I would say: Get involved with research early (freshman year), get involved with a meaningful volunteer organization early (preferably something non-medically related), get a clinically related job early, (EMT, ER TECH, PCA, MA, Scribe) Etc. , and learn the information in class not for memorization, but for understanding. Grades are important yes, which requires memorization, but understanding the concepts is what will get you a great MCAT score. If you get involved in research, volunteering, and clinical work (10-20 hours a week in undergrad), you will certainly show that you are qualified and a right fit for medicine. I began my volunteering my senior year, my clinical job my junior year, and research my senior year. I am still receiving interviews, but I don't believe my application is as good as it COULD'VE been now that I have time to look back and reflect.

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

Also, a great piece of advice that I can give you is that when you have a professor willing to write you a letter of recommendation hound them to write it shortly after finishing their class and begin collecting letters of rec in your interfolio account. This will eliminate the professor having to write a letter 3-4 years later after meeting you when they can hardly remember why they said they would write you a letter in the first place. Saving the letters of recommendation is a great idea and I wish I would have done this because I had many professors flake on me due to the length of time between taking their class and needing the letter of recommendation.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

GREAT advice! I tell this to my mentees all the time!

I thought LOR should be written recently i.e. within one year of application time.

 

[ihoop24]

I thought LOR should be written recently i.e. within one year of application time.

You can contact the writer and have them change the date before applying.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

You can contact the writer and have them change the date before applying.

Didn't think of that. My son asked faculty at the end of the semester that he would need LOR when he applies but didn't ask them to actually write it and keep it.

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

I wouldn't count on them keeping a letter of recommendation for more than a year in their computer. Get an interfolio account which allows for letters to remain confidential and then your son can send it back to be updated if the professor doesn't have the orginial version that they wrote.

 

[Select All That Apply]

Anyone have any advice for an incoming pre-med freshman? College starts in a month and I’m nervous for classes

What type of advice do you want?

People are more than willing to give you advice on what you should be doing. But it doesn't matter, especially when you don't understand who you are in the scope of college and where you're lacking. I don't believe that throwing random advice at you when you haven't even started to fail is going to stick. Very few people want advice in order to enact a tangible change, it's only when people get desperate that they begin to ask for advice to implement and by then it's already too late e.g. "Help guys I'm in junior year with a 2.2 GPA and I have no money for rent and my parents just got a divorce and I'm literally at the end of my rope here."

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

What type of advice do you want?

People are more than willing to give you advice on what you should be doing. But it doesn't matter, especially when you don't understand who you are in the scope of college and where you're lacking. I don't believe that throwing random advice at you when you haven't even started to fail is going to stick. Very few people want advice in order to enact a tangible change, it's only when people get desperate that they begin to ask for advice to implement and by then it's already too late e.g. "Help guys I'm in junior year with a 2.2 GPA and I have no money for rent and my parents just got a divorce and I'm literally at the end of my rope here."

Way to be a Debbie downer.

 

[blockrudder1]

Nearly fail out your freshman year, then 4.0 it from there. Shows you had the capacity to grow. + it would be fun