ANy advice for a freshmen pre-med

[FuriousGeorge]

Have any advice for a freshmen @ uiuc? I know this forum is mostly for applicants, mcaters, and what not. But,I would greatly appreciate it if anyone would share any advice, they wish they would have been told when they were freshmen. Thanks

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[Psycho Doctor]

Have any advice for a freshmen @ uiuc? I know this forum is mostly for applicants, mcaters, and what not. But,I would greatly appreciate it if anyone would share any advice, they wish they would have been told when they were freshmen. Thanks

take the necessary pre-med courses and learn the material well; get good grades, but don't just be a student......get involved in lots of activities that you are passionate about; do not use them just to pad an application; try to shadow a doctor and get some volunteer experience in a hospital to make sure this is what you really want. and chill...don't get crazy over the process...enjoy it and enjoy college!

~~~success is a journey, not a destination!~~~

 

[brats800]

have fun. college is fun and so much more than grades. you'll do better if you have fun than if you only study. find some stuff to do outside of the classroom, at least some of which should gain you experience in the medical field (shadowing, volunteering, etc)...but find some non-medical activities, too. enjoy it.

 

[CoverMe]

You know, if I had to do it over again, I would have learned things differently. Just knowing what I know about the MCAT, and how it tests... I know I would do things differently if I were to go back to general chem and general bio. I did well in those classes, but struggled with the MCAT.

I don't know how to change it for you... I think some schools teach in ways that are conducive to carrying info over to the MCAT (and DAT for that matter, according to friends), and some definitely do not.

One of the best things I did, was figure out who the lab instructors were in my Bio classes, then switch into the labs that had TA's that were applying to medical school (I managed to do it twice). So, when there was extra time, or everyone was done early, I could pepper them with questions and get advice.

Hang in there, keep your eyes open to opportunities and don't pass up the chance to explore different things (including career opportunities) that interest you. My good friend was pre-med until last spring, when she shadowed an orthodontist... and she just fell in love with it. Now she's applying to dental school. She's shocked, everyone's shocked... but it's definitely the right road for her.

Hang in there, and best of luck!

 

[Shaz]

Have any advice for a freshmen @ uiuc? I know this forum is mostly for applicants, mcaters, and what not. But,I would greatly appreciate it if anyone would share any advice, they wish they would have been told when they were freshmen. Thanks

There is no secret advice: study your ass off.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

Have any advice for a freshmen @ uiuc? I know this forum is mostly for applicants, mcaters, and what not. But,I would greatly appreciate it if anyone would share any advice, they wish they would have been told when they were freshmen. Thanks

my advice to you is to read this forum..twice..very carefully
the wise words of evodevo, willthatsall, psycho and the oldies will seep into ur brain and make you a better pre med -- trust me i read this 4x a day..ish good for you...

 

[milanrp]

Psycho Doc said what I was going to say and said it very well Ditto.

Really learn actively (MCAT will be a "breeze" if you do), enjoy the journey, get involved, don't get too crazy about the process.

 

[TTSD]

Get offline and STUDY!

 

[americanangel]

I'm only a sophmore but I can tell you what I learned, well really it was my plan going into school!! You really just have to study and get involved. If you want to be a doctor, why not start volunteering. Get in touch with the career resources or volunteer people at your school, they can really help! I know they helped me shadow three docs over the summer and two internships!
I guess the important thing is to try and keep everything balanced. Major in what you like and do well in it....Do well in your pre-med classes....Study and get involved! But don't forget to have fun while you are doing it!!

Best of Luck

 

[neuropower]

try to get a publication. that's something i will always regret not pushing for. i've done a lot of research, but never got my name on anything. it looks really impressive to med schools. besides, research is fun!

 

[IndyZX]

get off SDN for two years.

 

[RaistlinMajere]

Get A's in your classes. This will help a great deal in getting interviews and allows you to get a lower MCAT score. Also, take the MCAT seriously the first time by taking lots of practice tests and reviewing concepts that you have forgotten. Balance yourself though. You can get A's and have fun in college, but it does means working on certain nights or Saturdays when you don't necessarily feel like it. You will need to pick your moments of fun.

Oh and do some volunteering in a hospital too.

 

[45408]

Get A's in your classes. This will help a great deal in getting interviews and allows you to get a lower MCAT score. Also, take the MCAT seriously the first time by taking lots of practice tests and reviewing concepts that you have forgotten. Balance yourself though. You can get A's and have fun in college, but it does means working on certain nights or Saturdays when you don't necessarily feel like it. You will need to pick your moments of fun.

Oh and do some volunteering in a hospital too.

Um, you try to get a lower MCAT score?

I'm with Indy on this one - get away from internet message boards while you still can.

 

[aparecida]

Make sure you get to know your professors, including at least two science faculty, and make sure they get to know you, as they will be writing your recommendation letters and you want them to think well of you.

 

[aspirant]

1. Eat only on days you study. Get used to it, doc.

2. Be humble. Don't go around acting like you're special. Everybody will hate you and rightfully so.

3. Don't ever spend lots of money on a first date. Spend lots of money on the third date.

4. Realize that all of your science fits together, and if you don't see how it fits together, you will hate the MCAT.

5. Join some clubs and meet some girls. But don't spend too much on the first date.

6. From my shadowing, I've learned that the hardest part about being a doc is dealing with the situtations. Like all generalities there is a lot of BS to that... but being around death, suffering, and hopelessness is rough. Do you have what it takes? Find out.

7. If someone asks you what you are studying, tell them what your major is. If someone asks 'what are you going to do with that,' smile and remind them that the value of an education is that it widens one breadth of knowledge, prepares one to be a responsible citizen, and enriches the human experience by providing fuel for contemplation, which was the highest goal of the Greek philosophers. When they roll their eyes at you, change the subject. DON'T SAY 'I'M A PRE-MED.' God, I hate that.

8. Don't listen to anything anyone says.

9. Log off.

10. Don't drink too much.

Good luck.

 

[FuriousGeorge]

Thanks so much for all of the EXCELLANT advice, i really do appreciate it. I was wondering what the formalities are with shadowing? IS there a specific age when u do it? How exactly do you find a doctor to shadow?