Entering Undergraduate Freshman

[sciencebooks]

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Hello! 🙂

I'm a new member to this site, but I've been lurking around for awhile, trying to gain a bit of insight into the real medical world.

Anyway, I will be attending -- in the fall as a Biomedical Physics major on the pre-ed track. I've noticed on this site that, come time to apply to medical school, many students end up questioning their involvement and credentials so instead of worrying myself sick then, I've made an approximate list of experiences I want to get into prior to applying and made note of some questions I have. Could you guys let me know if I'm on the right track?

Medically related:

• A pre-med research internship at -- - The three I've looked into are paid summer research opportunities. Should I do this at my home institution or is location essentially irrelevant?
• Join a pre-med learning community at -- - On top of the support and exposure to --, there's AMSA membership.
• Volunteer within the DMC - I'm leaning towards Children's Hospital currently. If I am interested in anesthesiology (and yes, I know that this can definitely change throughout the 8 years it will take to get to residency), what unit would I want to volunteer in for some insight?
• Shadow - How long should this be done for?
• Study abroad - --has a program for pre-medical students to study in Belize over spring break.

General experiences

• Experience different activities - I'm interested in the --, --, Delta Zeta Sorority, Honors Society Assocation, and The South End Publication. Would any of these would be more beneficial than others?
• Service and learning - The Honors College usually provides funding for this study abroad opportunity for its students to teach underpriveledged Chinese students English for a month during the summer.

And then, I have some random questions:

• What can you do with a Medical First Responder certificate?
• Is graduating early really worth it? I'm on a full-ride so by cutting of a year, I'd be giving up a year's worth of tuition and end up paying more out of pocket to take more credit hours, summer classes, etc.

I know this is long, but I figured it's better than a bunch of little threads. I just feel a little overwhelmed starting college and I want to be prepared.

THANKS FOR ANY RESPONSE!

 

[adeline]

A pre-med research internship at Wayne State - The three I've looked into are paid summer research opportunities. Should I do this at my home institution or is location essentially irrelevant?

Doesn't matter. Shiny if you can get it.

• Join a pre-med learning community at WS - On top of the support and exposure to WSU-SOM, there's AMSA membership.

No difference.

• Volunteer within the DMC - I'm leaning towards Children's Hospital currently. If I am interested in anesthesiology (and yes, I know that this can definitely change throughout the 8 years it will take to get to residency), what unit would I want to volunteer in for some insight?

Unfortunately, sans credentials, you don't get much choice. With privacy and insurance, it's too dangerous to let people "in". Shadowing, you might be able to do.

• Shadow - How long should this be done for?

40 hours. Spread it out.

• Study abroad - Wayne State has a program for pre-medical students to study in Belize over spring break.

If you want.

• Experience different activities - I'm interested in the Albanian American Student Organization, cheerleading, Delta Zeta Sorority, Honors Society Assocation, and The South End Publication. Would any of these would be more beneficial than others?

Does it make you all omgyay!! about it? Then it's beneficial. Resume padding is douchey.

• Service and learning - The Honors College usually provides funding for this study abroad opportunity for its students to teach underpriveledged Chinese students English for a month during the summer.

Again, if it thrills you, yes.

• What can you do with a Medical First Responder certificate?

Not much.

• Is graduating early really worth it? I'm on a full-ride so by cutting of a year, I'd be giving up a year's worth of tuition and end up paying more out of pocket to take more credit hours, summer classes, etc.

No, take your time. Do something outstanding.

 

[Kaiter]

Medically related:

• A pre-med research internship at Wayne State - The three I've looked into are paid summer research opportunities. Should I do this at my home institution or is location essentially irrelevant? location irrelevant. just make sure you can actually get it and apply early because they are usually hard to get into i think

• Join a pre-med learning community at WS - On top of the support and exposure to WSU-SOM, there's AMSA membership. very little help in my opinion. do it only if you are genuinely interested in it

• Volunteer within the DMC - I'm leaning towards Children's Hospital currently. If I am interested in anesthesiology (and yes, I know that this can definitely change throughout the 8 years it will take to get to residency), what unit would I want to volunteer in for some insight? volunteer in the field that interests you, i don't know much else about it

• Shadow - How long should this be done for? do it on a regular basis. show a pattern. even if its only during the summer or a few hours every couple weekends.
  

• Study abroad - Wayne State has a program for pre-medical students to study in Belize over spring break. rarely has an edge one way or another. do it only if you want to study abroad...and if you do decide to study abroad do it for a semester it is much more worth it

General experiences

• Experience different activities - I'm interested in the Albanian American Student Organization, cheerleading, Delta Zeta Sorority, Honors Society Assocation, and The South End Publication. Would any of these would be more beneficial than others? frats/sororities rarely influence a school's decisions. Honors associations look good, just keep in mind requirements to get into them. Student organizations look good to if you need leadership qualities to list that you don't gain from volutneering.

• Service and learning - The Honors College usually provides funding for this study abroad opportunity for its students to teach underpriveledged Chinese students English for a month during the summer. you could spend your summer doing other things

And then, I have some random questions:

• What can you do with a Medical First Responder certificate? can't answer
• Is graduating early really worth it? I'm on a full-ride so by cutting of a year, I'd be giving up a year's worth of tuition and end up paying more out of pocket to take more credit hours, summer classes, etc. Its up to you to decide. Some people can't afford to stay too long in school because they have families they need to support. Some people just don't want the debt. Some people (like me) want to extend the college experience quite a bit to enjoy the most of it because after your done, you are essentially busy the rest of your life.

 

[sciencebooks]

Thank you for responding. I'm genuinely interested in the experiences (not just doing it for a resume). Plus, I kind of figure that I'll dabble in a few things at the beginning to see what really interests me and spend my time there.

 

[sciencebooks]

Thanks! I'm kind of getting the vibe that the learning community won't be much help too... I guess I could always try it out and see how it goes. About graduating early, I think you're right about enjoying the experience. Rushing the undergraduate process, especially with the concerns of applying for med school, would probably be more of a stress than anything.

 

[sciencebooks]

Because this is still related, I don't want to start another thread, but I hope somebody sees this and can help me. Should research be done related strictly to medical. I'm majoring in Biomedical Physics so I was wondering if doing research a bit more related to physics (though biomedical) is going to look good to medical advisers?

Also, how did you get involved in a lab? Did you do research online to find opportunities, talk with professors, etc.?

Thanks!

 

[adeline]

Research that you can get a "i just got a shiny sticker omg yay!!!!" face about is what to go for.

Whether or not you fake it is up to you.

Talk to profs, the advising office, department office, etc.

 

[Kaiter]

Because this is still related, I don't want to start another thread, but I hope somebody sees this and can help me. Should research be done related strictly to medical. I'm majoring in Biomedical Physics so I was wondering if doing research a bit more related to physics (though biomedical) is going to look good to medical advisers?

Also, how did you get involved in a lab? Did you do research online to find opportunities, talk with professors, etc.?

Thanks!

research need not be medical, its more about experiencing it and having the mindset and dedication to do it

 

[sciencebooks]

Research that you can get a "i just got a shiny sticker omg yay!!!!" face about is what to go for.

Whether or not you fake it is up to you.

Talk to profs, the advising office, department office, etc.

Thank you again! That actually really helps because there are things that I'm genuinely interested in but I always end up wondering if it will connect to medical school well. But, like you suggested, it's probably far more important to do something that I'm passionate about than something I think will look good because that way. I'm sure it will show in how I talk about the experience.

 

[sciencebooks]

research need not be medical, its more about experiencing it and having the mindset and dedication to do it

Thanks! How many hours would you say I should aim for?

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

I think you're pretty much on track. Someone above said resume padding is douchey. It may be, but it's also necessary -- that's the name of the game. Pad away.

Here's what I would rank for you to focus on during your first semester:
1. Grades.
2. Grades.
3. Grades.

Everything else is insignificant. If you have to do nothing but study and get good grades, do it. In other words, focus on being a successful student first. As time goes on, focus on this stuff:

1. Shadow. Shadow more. Shadow even more. On interviews they really loved this stuff. I didn't do enough. I did lot's of research, and they couldn't have been less interested. They love the shadowing. Don't confuse hospital volunteering/care extending/poop cleaning with shadowing. You want to be assisting/following around a doctor, not a CNA or RN.

2. Develop a mentoring relationship with a professor/doing research. This could overlap with the above if you do clinical research. Clinical research is a great way to get published b/c basic science research takes years and years for each pub. Clinical is exponentially faster. This is a great way to get a LOR lined up and you'll get an awesome one if you stick around for 3-4 years. Asking for LOR's should be easy when the time comes. Develop good relationships early.

3. Join the pre-med mailing list/club/etc. There will be good activities that come up and you might choose to dabble in a few. Don't get stressed out with what others are doing, but it's nice to be in the know.

4. Be yourself. Have fun. Stay healthy. Exercise. Log off SDN every once in a while. Staying well rounded and psychologically healthy can be a challenge and is uber important and should remain a priority. Spending less time in the library and more time on the treadmill can actually improve your grades. It's all about balance.

5. Practice saying "no" to people. In other words, don't confuse the needs/requests of those around you with "staying balanced." Want to go to the party? No. Come to the movie! No. Lets do some crack! No. There are a lot of bad influences in college, whether it's serious stuff or just little distracting things. People will tell you not to regret those 4 years, it's all about the social experience, connections, making friends, etc. It's all bull. In 4 years you'll be a med student. Not being one is the only thing you'll really regret.

6. Buckle down for the MCAT when the time comes. You'll be glad you got such good grades, and you're not learning everything for the first time.

7. Always remember your #1 priority above all else: grades.

Everything else is not important.

 

[tennisball80]

5. Practice saying "no" to people. In other words, don't confuse the needs/requests of those around you with "staying balanced." Want to go to the party? No. Come to the movie! No. Lets do some crack! No. There are a lot of bad influences in college, whether it's serious stuff or just little distracting things. People will tell you not to regret those 4 years, it's all about the social experience, connections, making friends, etc. It's all bull. In 4 years you'll be a med student. Not being one is the only thing you'll really regret. /QUOTE]

Good advice. 👍

 

[sciencebooks]

I think you're pretty much on track. Someone above said resume padding is douchey. It may be, but it's also necessary -- that's the name of the game. Pad away.

Here's what I would rank for you to focus on during your first semester:
1. Grades.
2. Grades.
3. Grades.

Everything else is insignificant. If you have to do nothing but study and get good grades, do it. In other words, focus on being a successful student first. As time goes on, focus on this stuff:

1. Shadow. Shadow more. Shadow even more. On interviews they really loved this stuff. I didn't do enough. I did lot's of research, and they couldn't have been less interested. They love the shadowing. Don't confuse hospital volunteering/care extending/poop cleaning with shadowing. You want to be assisting/following around a doctor, not a CNA or RN.

2. Develop a mentoring relationship with a professor/doing research. This could overlap with the above if you do clinical research. Clinical research is a great way to get published b/c basic science research takes years and years for each pub. Clinical is exponentially faster. This is a great way to get a LOR lined up and you'll get an awesome one if you stick around for 3-4 years. Asking for LOR's should be easy when the time comes. Develop good relationships early.

3. Join the pre-med mailing list/club/etc. There will be good activities that come up and you might choose to dabble in a few. Don't get stressed out with what others are doing, but it's nice to be in the know.

4. Be yourself. Have fun. Stay healthy. Exercise. Log off SDN every once in a while. Staying well rounded and psychologically healthy can be a challenge and is uber important and should remain a priority. Spending less time in the library and more time on the treadmill can actually improve your grades. It's all about balance.

5. Practice saying "no" to people. In other words, don't confuse the needs/requests of those around you with "staying balanced." Want to go to the party? No. Come to the movie! No. Lets do some crack! No. There are a lot of bad influences in college, whether it's serious stuff or just little distracting things. People will tell you not to regret those 4 years, it's all about the social experience, connections, making friends, etc. It's all bull. In 4 years you'll be a med student. Not being one is the only thing you'll really regret.

6. Buckle down for the MCAT when the time comes. You'll be glad you got such good grades, and you're not learning everything for the first time.

7. Always remember your #1 priority above all else: grades.

Everything else is not important.

Thank you for your advice about the grades (actually, alllll of your advice!). I'll really focus on my grades first semester. I've already told myself that if I feel like I'm falling even into the B-range, I'll at least first the tutors at the university. Hey, they're free so why not?

Also, you mentioned maintaining relationships with my professors... I know this is necessary and I've always utilized the knowledge of my teachers throughout high school, but I'm from a small town (~2,000) and I know myself... I tend to feel really self-conscious starting conversations with superiors. Like I'm a burden or something... How can I easily go about forming these relationships?

THANKS.

 

[adeline]

Also, you mentioned maintaining relationships with my professors... I know this is necessary and I've always utilized the knowledge of my teachers throughout high school, but I'm from a small town (~2,000) and I know myself... I tend to feel really self-conscious starting conversations with superiors. Like I'm a burden or something... How can I easily go about forming these relationships?

THANKS.

Hang after class/ go to office hours/ email.

Hi, Dr Bob! I'm sciencebooks. [for email/office:I'm in your 540 AM Bio OMG!!! class.] I'm really looking forward to your class. I have a question about how tacos and enchiladas are different.* Can you help me figure it out?

Thanks.
Love, Sciencebooks
see you in class! 😀

*where this is a question pertaining to the subject matter at hand.