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I was wondering what best piece of advice you guys have for a freshman who wants to go to med school?? Narrow it down to your best one or two points. Any response would be great!
Pete
Pete
BEST piece of advice for freshmen??
- Thread starter piotr13
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Do your best, try to have a life and outside activities, and don't ever feel like one or two grades will keep you out of med school.
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Major in something you want to major in; don't be a science major just because some pre-med advisor says you have to be to go to med school. That simply isn't true.
Make sure you like the college you are attending.
Make sure you like the college you are attending.
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A good piece of advice to freshmen....
Don't try and do too much. Leave enough time to have to focus and relax. If you try and do everything your grades may slip.
Also, party but not too much. Pick like two nights a week to go out. Go out no more than that. SOOOO many of my friends freshmen year ended up with like 1.5 GPA's due to too much partying.
Also, GO TO CLASS!!!
Don't try and do too much. Leave enough time to have to focus and relax. If you try and do everything your grades may slip.
Also, party but not too much. Pick like two nights a week to go out. Go out no more than that. SOOOO many of my friends freshmen year ended up with like 1.5 GPA's due to too much partying.
Also, GO TO CLASS!!!
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Take every course seriously no matter what it is. Hold onto the syllabus given out in each class that first day, and always keep a little ahead of the class chapter wise.
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When you go to labs, take them seriously. Don't rush out of them and try to be the first one done. The stuff you do in there might be silly, but the things you can learn will help you, especially if it can at all correlate to what you are learning in class.
Build relationships with your fellow pre-meds (but not exclusively) and also with your advisor and professors both in and out of the sciences. Talk to them about your interests in medicine and in life in general. Make friends with some of them! Go to their houses, volunteer to babysit their kids, meet their spouses. Not only can they be great references for med school or later, they can make fabulous mentors and friends, believe it or not!
Build relationships with your fellow pre-meds (but not exclusively) and also with your advisor and professors both in and out of the sciences. Talk to them about your interests in medicine and in life in general. Make friends with some of them! Go to their houses, volunteer to babysit their kids, meet their spouses. Not only can they be great references for med school or later, they can make fabulous mentors and friends, believe it or not!
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Talk to upperclass students about which professors are whack - if they say that some prof. doesn't teach you anything and the tests are basically straight from the book, feel free to skip lecture - just make sure to study the book!!!
Also, try not to have more than 2 or 3 pre-med friends - hanging out with a bunch of obsessive, crazy, super-studious to the point of insanity friends will drive you nuts!!! But also remember that you're not just another student - keep your competitiveness, but try to hang out with an english major or something once in a while.
Oh, and one more thing: major in something you enjoy, BUT leave room for at least a science minor. Taking philosophy and art classes is great, but try to get at least a few upper-level science classes under your belt (genetics, biochem, physiology). They'll help you on the MCAT (even though they're not "necessary") and they'll give you a heads up in med school (or so I hear)
Good luck, and wait at least until end of sophmore year to start obsessing on SDN.... get out now, before you become a statistic!!!!
- Quid
Also, try not to have more than 2 or 3 pre-med friends - hanging out with a bunch of obsessive, crazy, super-studious to the point of insanity friends will drive you nuts!!! But also remember that you're not just another student - keep your competitiveness, but try to hang out with an english major or something once in a while.
Oh, and one more thing: major in something you enjoy, BUT leave room for at least a science minor. Taking philosophy and art classes is great, but try to get at least a few upper-level science classes under your belt (genetics, biochem, physiology). They'll help you on the MCAT (even though they're not "necessary") and they'll give you a heads up in med school (or so I hear)
Good luck, and wait at least until end of sophmore year to start obsessing on SDN.... get out now, before you become a statistic!!!!
- Quid
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never, under any circumstances, stick your privates in a hot apple pie!
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Get in the habit of sitting up front in classes and meeting profs during office hours
I never went to office hours until this past quarter. It was kind of awkward for me. If i had been in the habit of doing so, it probably would not have been a big deal. ALso, you may end up having the same professor for another class, so if he or she knows you prior, then it may be easier to get an lor from them later.
I never went to office hours until this past quarter. It was kind of awkward for me. If i had been in the habit of doing so, it probably would not have been a big deal. ALso, you may end up having the same professor for another class, so if he or she knows you prior, then it may be easier to get an lor from them later.
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Make sure you keep your grades up all the way through college. Never ever ever slack off. Try to get some early volunteer experience in a hospital or clinic. Especially try to do something unique like an education abroad or a humanitarian visit to another country. Those would really stand out on an application. Mainly do not slack off and fool around during your first year cause it almost screwed me. If you need any other help from me, do not hesitate to ask. Good Luck
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Make sure that you REALLY want this before you get in too far. Do it for yourself, not for anyone else.
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Make sure you get SLEEP, especially in your first few months. There are a lot of freshmen who get sick in the first few months from trying to do too much. Getting mono when you're trying to adjust to classes is not the best way to keep your grades up.
Also, exercise, eat healthy, and stay fit. I know it sounds atypical of the college experience, but it boosts your energy level and makes you feel good.
I second what UCLAstudent says. The road to med school is a long one. Make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. If you are, then don't get discouraged when things get rough. Develop a strong support system, that way you'll have someone to take you out for ice cream after you take the MCAT.
Also, exercise, eat healthy, and stay fit. I know it sounds atypical of the college experience, but it boosts your energy level and makes you feel good.
I second what UCLAstudent says. The road to med school is a long one. Make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. If you are, then don't get discouraged when things get rough. Develop a strong support system, that way you'll have someone to take you out for ice cream after you take the MCAT.
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Don't get nervous.
Make your own opportunities.
Make your own opportunities.
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Take a easy load the first-year and get adjusted to college life.
As you go through the first-year, you will learn a lot about yourself: how fast you learn, what you enjoy doing, how lazy you are, etc. Have fun meeting new people.
Remember, your college years is when you have the most freedom and the least amount of responsibility you will ever have in your life.
As you go through the first-year, you will learn a lot about yourself: how fast you learn, what you enjoy doing, how lazy you are, etc. Have fun meeting new people.
Remember, your college years is when you have the most freedom and the least amount of responsibility you will ever have in your life.
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1) Right off the bat you need to start taking yourself more seriously than 90% of your fellow students, but that doesn't mean you can't ever have any fun. Hearing someone to tell you to balance yourself is cliche, but it is very necessary. Also, never ever hang out with pre-meds except 2-3 cool ones you find. Know as few of them as possible because they can ruin college for you, I've seen it happen too many times.
2) Succeeding in college is easy, just remember three words: "sink or swim!" You'll be totally fine, and you'll know medicine has called you if you stick with your curriculum and take it seriously. Good luck!
2) Succeeding in college is easy, just remember three words: "sink or swim!" You'll be totally fine, and you'll know medicine has called you if you stick with your curriculum and take it seriously. Good luck!
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I say the most useful trick is to learn about the proffesors so you can chose the right one....I had an absotule nazi for vertabrate physiology. He would make the test literaly impossible and then curve the class up by their amount of effort. So he ended up with a normal grade distibution but allowed himself the opporotunity to pick the A's and B's. Bad teachers are common, at least at state schools. find out what they are like before your butt is on the line. www.ratemyprofessor.com is a site for this. if i spelled that right.
Also, dont let others fool you...its better to be a science major...not because med commities like it....but because it makes the mcat easier....Im biochem and the extra classes i took for it reinforced all that i learned....now if you really love something else...well do it....if it means making A's in what you want over a's and b's in somthing you dont like then take the a's. There is no sound argument though which can deny that the more you reinforce what you learn the better you will test on it....
Also, dont screw yourself out of your potential. I came from some rural county crap highschool and i thought success meant not working at McDonalds when I was 30. My dreams were just to be a doctor, and i made grades that were only good enough to do just that. A 3.4 in biochem...A's in the toughies like organic and then id slack of in language classes of whatever because i knew id get in somewhere with a 3.4. Then I take the MCAT and make a 35...my dreams changed to going to a top school very fast and now my past is written and my gpa is well below the top ten school averages. The point is that doing the bare minimium may get you where you want to be now, but you dont know what could happen in the future that could make you wish you could go back and work hard. So make A's! If you want to have fun follow the crowd into unemployment. Every roomate i ever had at FSU who graduated is now unemployed living at home....
Also, dont let others fool you...its better to be a science major...not because med commities like it....but because it makes the mcat easier....Im biochem and the extra classes i took for it reinforced all that i learned....now if you really love something else...well do it....if it means making A's in what you want over a's and b's in somthing you dont like then take the a's. There is no sound argument though which can deny that the more you reinforce what you learn the better you will test on it....
Also, dont screw yourself out of your potential. I came from some rural county crap highschool and i thought success meant not working at McDonalds when I was 30. My dreams were just to be a doctor, and i made grades that were only good enough to do just that. A 3.4 in biochem...A's in the toughies like organic and then id slack of in language classes of whatever because i knew id get in somewhere with a 3.4. Then I take the MCAT and make a 35...my dreams changed to going to a top school very fast and now my past is written and my gpa is well below the top ten school averages. The point is that doing the bare minimium may get you where you want to be now, but you dont know what could happen in the future that could make you wish you could go back and work hard. So make A's! If you want to have fun follow the crowd into unemployment. Every roomate i ever had at FSU who graduated is now unemployed living at home....
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Best piece of advice for incoming freshmen
1) Be careful of the courses you take: try and figure out in the beginning if the course is a weed-out. Sometimes they are. You just want to make sure your gpa is okay. Consider taking lab courses in the summer instead of during the year.
2) Get two years of volunteer experience in the hospital/clinic.
Basically you just want 1) decent gpa 2) hospital experience 3)decent/okay MCAT test. These are the basics. You here medical school is a crapshoot but basically if you have those three things, you can't go wrong with getting in somewhere.
1) Be careful of the courses you take: try and figure out in the beginning if the course is a weed-out. Sometimes they are. You just want to make sure your gpa is okay. Consider taking lab courses in the summer instead of during the year.
2) Get two years of volunteer experience in the hospital/clinic.
Basically you just want 1) decent gpa 2) hospital experience 3)decent/okay MCAT test. These are the basics. You here medical school is a crapshoot but basically if you have those three things, you can't go wrong with getting in somewhere.
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1. don't major in science if you don't want to. i was a jazz performance major in college -- all my interviewers went nuts over that.
2. go to your science teachers office hours.
3. like people have said -- have a life outside of school. admission committees really really like to see that you've had experiences outside of science and school.
Good luck!
GP
2. go to your science teachers office hours.
3. like people have said -- have a life outside of school. admission committees really really like to see that you've had experiences outside of science and school.
Good luck!
GP
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Hey!! You stole the point I was going to offer. LOL!
However, I will suggest that you cool the pie for at least one hour first! Also, don't store the KY in the same drawer as the super glue!!
Seriously though, many people try the premed route and do not make it. I can't remember the exact stats, but something like 20% of all incoming freshmen identify themselves as premed. Only about 1/10 of one percent of freshmen will wind up applying to med school. Of that fraction, less than half will be admitted. I'm pointing this out for two reasons. First, you must maintain good grades in difficult courses while competing amongst and against many other highly motivated and highly intelligent people. That isn't to say that you must get an "A" in every class, but you can't screw off either. Second, as you can see from the statistics I posted above, if science isn't for you for what ever reason (i.e., you decide you like something else or you just are no good at it) you are not alone. So, as you begin your studies, keep an open mind and always have a backup plan just in case you are one of the 750,000 freshmen that change their mind about medicine as a career.
One last thing, don't ever sacrifice your morals or honor in pursuit of your career goals. Lots of students wind up having to make a choice about cheating at some point in their academic career. I hope you make the right choice. Just keep in mind that, if you are ever in this situation, you have to live with your decision and its consequences for the rest of your life. There are not many things in this world worth that kind of risk, especially not your career choice.
DALA
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pete, as others have noted, don't buy the premed culture... i barely knew any premeds in college, and i didn't feel a fraction of the competitiveness, neuroticism, and sheer lunacy that others have made me believe encompasses the prototypical premed mentality... for whatever it's worth, find type-b personalities, work hard, and meditate on death to keep your life in perspective... and good luck!
A really nice alternative option is to enter a combined medical program. Work really hard w/o stress of the upcoming future. Most people who do it start out reluctantly but end up loving the program when their friends at Johns Hopkins, Cornell, or any other college is working their butt off keeping up w/ cut throat, severe competition and doing all the junk stuff like MCAT, apps, recs, essays, interviews, etc. Try and apply to the programs. If you get it, consider it. If you don't get it, then you didn't get it. Some of the excellent med programs: Brown Univ.'s Program in Lib., Med. Edu, NW Hon. Prog. in Med. Edu., Rochester's program, Case's program, Rensselaer's Physician Scientist Program, UMiami's, Rice's, BU's. This list above includes the best and most prestigious group of combined med. programs out there. ALL are very tough, but worth a shot cause they can make your future a lot more relaxed and stress-free.
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Things I wish I would've done as a Freshman:
Start volunteering now, you will gain invaluable experience and insight, not to mention it looks good.
Meet with your professors outside of class. They can provide great advice and write awesome letters of rec.
Starting in January of Freshman year, start looking into and applying to various summer internship programs, for example, with your local health department.
Get research experience if possible.
Do something fun and worthwhile, such as getting involved with the student government at your school. It teaches great student leadership and builds confidence.
Most importantly, DON"T STRESS OUT!!! Work hard, play hard. Don't lose your ambition/motivation. Sophomore year sucks and can suck alot out of you.
Good luck
Start volunteering now, you will gain invaluable experience and insight, not to mention it looks good.
Meet with your professors outside of class. They can provide great advice and write awesome letters of rec.
Starting in January of Freshman year, start looking into and applying to various summer internship programs, for example, with your local health department.
Get research experience if possible.
Do something fun and worthwhile, such as getting involved with the student government at your school. It teaches great student leadership and builds confidence.
Most importantly, DON"T STRESS OUT!!! Work hard, play hard. Don't lose your ambition/motivation. Sophomore year sucks and can suck alot out of you.
Good luck
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1. Balance your courseload. Don't take three hard science classes at once; unless you're superhuman your grades will suffer. Med schools will not be sympathetic to the arguement that you got bad grades because you were taking 23 credits at the time and were overloaded. They want to see good grades. Balance your courseload, don't overload yourself, and you will get better grades.
2. Ask for help when you need it. From professors, friends, the university tutors, whatever. Don't wait to ask for help until you're failing a course--ask at the first sign of trouble.
3. Don't obsess over medical school. You're only a freshman; you have a long road ahead of you and you don't want to burn out. It is a long, stressful process already, so don't start stressing before you have to. Enjoy where you are right now, enjoy college, get good grades in the pre-med classes, do some volunteering or activities you enjoy, then come back to SDN when you're preparing to take the MCAT. Try not to think too much about med school in the meantime. Instead, enjoy your life.
4. Remember your interests may change. Don't feel as if you have to stick to medicine, or that you're a failure if you don't. Find where your true passions and interests lie and follow them!
2. Ask for help when you need it. From professors, friends, the university tutors, whatever. Don't wait to ask for help until you're failing a course--ask at the first sign of trouble.
3. Don't obsess over medical school. You're only a freshman; you have a long road ahead of you and you don't want to burn out. It is a long, stressful process already, so don't start stressing before you have to. Enjoy where you are right now, enjoy college, get good grades in the pre-med classes, do some volunteering or activities you enjoy, then come back to SDN when you're preparing to take the MCAT. Try not to think too much about med school in the meantime. Instead, enjoy your life.
4. Remember your interests may change. Don't feel as if you have to stick to medicine, or that you're a failure if you don't. Find where your true passions and interests lie and follow them!
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