Getting a Strong Start

[triplerox]

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Hi guys, high school is over and college will be starting this fall. I want a strong start in my pursue to get into a med school. I'm sure there are many things out there that i can do during summer for me to get a strong start. I am already planning on volunteering at a local hospital and joining a program at the college that i will be attending, its a 5 week intensive course based on science and math that will help me get a strong start in college. during the period of 5 weeks, i will be able to attend hospital and clinical workshops. But that doesnt start till august. Meanwhile, will anyone be kind enough to help me out? Thanks

 

[baylormed]

Hi guys, high school is over and college will be starting this fall. I want a strong start in my pursue to get into a med school. I'm sure there are many things out there that i can do during summer for me to get a strong start. I am already planning on volunteering at a local hospital and joining a program at the college that i will be attending, its a 5 week intensive course based on science and math that will help me get a strong start in college. during the period of 5 weeks, i will be able to attend hospital and clinical workshops. But that doesnt start till august. Meanwhile, will anyone be kind enough to help me out? Thanks

First of all....SLOW DOWN. Enjoy your last peaceful summer (trust me on that one), and have fun, as all the other 18 year olds are doing. Then go to college, get good grades, and join whatever club INTERESTS you, not the ones you think med schools want you to join. Get some shadowing experience, if possible, some clinical, and do it in between college semesters, or during them.

But for now, relax and enjoy your summer.

 

[dbhvt]

Forget preparing for your first year of college. Are you that shortsighted? You need to start prepping for medical school: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=285039

 

[baylormed]

Forget preparing for your first year of college. Are you that shortsighted? You need to start prepping for medical school: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=285039

😎 Trying to scare a poor kid is a bad bad thing to do. 😉 In that case, you should also tell him if he hasn't found the cure for cancer yet, does not have at least 2000 hrs of volunteering experience, and has not spent every summer since the age of 10 aiding the poor in Africa, he has no chance of getting in.

 

[dbhvt]

Actually, forget my sarcasm above, I think I just realized what this is about. Go to your 5 wk course and study hard. It will make a BIG difference. Every post here is going to tell you to quit being a gunner and just have some fun. While balance is key, don't let anyone dissuade you from doing what you need to to hit the ground running when you start. Good luck. Work hard, believe in yourself, and you'll go far.

 

[baylormed]

Actually, forget the sarcasm above, I think I just realized what this is about. Go to your 5 wk course and study hard. It will make a BIG difference. Every post here is going to tell you to quit being a gunner and just have some fun. While balance is key, don't let anyone dissuade you from doing what you need to to hit the ground running when you start. Good luck. Work hard, believe in yourself, and you'll go far.

I didn't tell him not to go to the course. God knows I would have killed for an opportunity like that before I even started college. But he seems to think it's not enough, and he's doing that AND volunteering. He is already found something useful and helpful to do this summer, and he can go ahead and update his resume now...so he should now relax and enjoy his summer, not everything in this life is medical school.

 

[MrDreamWeaver]

Somtimes less is more. Keep that in mind. A lot of pre-meds simply get burnt out and drop it. Cheeiielll1!

 

[CrazyTulip]

You should try to enjoy your summer, I know this sounds like a pile of bull, but trust me I wish I would have done so. When school starts you are going to have all sorts of things going on and you are going to wish you would have taken time to smell the roses 😛

Have fun 😀

 

[Centinel]

You're no doubt a smart kid. Do you test well? If so, then think about things this way: You'll probably have the grades and scores you need, provided you don't do anything stupid during college. So what you need is to work on the remainder of your app. That means cultivating that interesting person that is hidden within yourself. Or possibly even borrowing an interesting character that is hidden within someone else... At any rate, do something that you think is fun - and if what you think is fun is taking more classes, then that's OK too (just hope I'm not on the ADCOM when you're appling to med school).

 

[deleted50541]

Another pre-frosh

Come back in two years when you can regale us with stories of drunken hook-ups, run-ins with security and the local police, or any other activity involving reckless behavior. That's the college experience my friend.

Or at least my experience anyway. 😉

 

[rajad10]

get ****ed up as much as you can, but don't get any MIP's while you're at it

 

[Callogician]

This kid has a very laudable commitment to excellence.

My advice: The "productive" aspect of your summer sounds well planned. For the rest of your time, exercise and pursue leisure/relationships/hobbies. Instead of doing the volunteering, you might want to get into something that involves more responsiblity (i.e. research or a job). The professionalism that you will develop is far more translatable into success in other aspects of life than mere academic knowledge. As many have pointed out, good volunteering can give you valuable experience and insight into a possible future profession while bad volunteering is only an application padder. Make sure that you know what you are getting into.

Go to the self-help section of the bookstore and scan the titles, looking for areas of life where you would like to improve. Be proactive the summer. Take action to guarantee both personal development and enjoyment.

Maybe someday, you'll be as cool as uncle Callogician.

 

[Avalanche21]

Why are people reluctant to help the OP out? Just because the OP wants to start well that doesn't mean missing out on the college experience. Anyway, med schools look for things like service, shadowing, research, jobs, etc... There's not minimun requirement, just make sure you get some of each in the next few years. I think it's just important for you to do something, as opposed to just sitting around and doing nothing. Good luck!

 

[Captain Fantastic]

This outline follows a traditional four-year undergraduate program. You may need to modify the timeline to fit your individual plan. Following these suggestions does not guarantee students admission to medical school.


Every Year

• Meet with your health professions advisor to review premedical requirements.
• Take pre-med coursework and strive for academic excellence.
• Develop a balance between your academic and personal goals.
• Develop professional attributes (i.e., teamwork, responsibility, reliability, and time management).
• Participate in the Pre-Med Club.
• Learn about developments in the field of medicine.
• Learn about managed care, medical ethics, medical research and other healthcare issues. Read materials which cover these topics.
• Volunteer or work in a healthcare or patient care facility during the regular academic year.
• Get involved in community service activities.
• Utilize your summers wisely (e.g., volunteer or work in a medical related setting for patient care or observational experience).
• Learn about people different from yourself to enhance appreciation for diversity.

Sophomore Year

• Consider volunteer work or employment in a healthcare or patient care facility during the regular academic year.
• Investigate opportunities for research.
• Begin to think about instructors and professionals who 1) know you well, 2) can write positive and meaningful letters of recommendation and 3) can give you their highest recommendation. Keep these people in mind for next year when it is time to request letters of recommendation.

Junior Year

• Assume active involvement and/or leadership roles in extra-curricular activities you enjoy.
• Meet with your health professions advisor to review application/admissions procedures and to discuss your readiness for application.
• Attend meeting(s) held by the health professions advisors regarding starting your file for your committee interview/composite letter and writing your personal statement.
• Request information from medical schools to which you are interested in applying and consult schools’ web sites.
• Think about MCAT preparation courses or workshops. These courses may assist you in becoming familiar with the exam and help you develop test-taking strategies.
• Develop an MCAT preparation plan.
• (Winter Semester) Start your file with the Pre-Med Committee.
• (Winter Semester) Obtain MCAT practice exams from study guides or those available on the Internet, or check out practice exams available in the Honors College.
• (Winter Semester) Register to take the April MCAT. In rare circumstances, a student may be better served by taking or retaking the August MCAT. Students should consult with their health professions advisor if they have questions regarding test dates.
• (Winter Semester) Carefully prepare, organize and write your personal statement. Ask a few select people to proofread it for you.
  (end of Winter Semester through summer) Complete online AMCAS and/or AACOMAS application.
• (Winter Semester) Request letters from faculty and other professionals.
• (end of Winter Semester) Obtain a copy of your transcript to assist you in completing your application.

Summer After Junior Year and Early Fall of Senior Year

• Apply to medical schools consistent with your medical career goals and other needs.
• Monitor and update your letters of recommendation file.
• Interview with the Pre-Med Committee

Senior

• Consider taking advanced science, medical ethics, and/or healthcare policy courses.
• Be aware of deadlines for AMCAS/AACOMAS and for each school to which you have applied.
• If you receive a secondary application, complete promptly and remember to proofread.
• Utilize campus resources to assist in your preparation for medical school interviews.
• Complete financial aid applications in a timely manner.
• Confirm that schools have received your application and letters of recommendation.
• If denied admission, schedule an appointment with your health professions advisor and contact admissions advisors at the schools to which you applied. Discuss deficiencies in your candidacy and consider whether to reapply.

the above was completely plagiarized by yours truly from a "Pre-Med Preparation Guide" given to me by my pre-med advisor 😎

 

[triplerox]

Thank you guys, all the posts above were great. And dont worry i'm not going to load myself with a ton of work over the summer, i'm going to definitely enjoy my last summer as well 🙂 .

I have tried finding a job or internship related to the med field but it was to no succuess, i can't do much with my high school diploma only; therefore, i resorted to volunteering at the local hospital. Since I live near Stanford Med Center, i was actually going to consider volunteering there, but there are too many procedures that i am unwilling to go through 😳 .

I definitely have great plans for college when it starts but for now I guess this will be what i'm doing. I am just a little worried because the college that i will be attending is not as prestigious. Therefore i worry that it might affect my chance of getting into a med school.

While i'm at it, i guess i'll introduce my goal to you guys. My dream school is of course UCSF, it's been in my mind eversince freshmen year in high school (i'm serious). My second choice would be UCLA. I hope to go into surgery and specialize in brain or spine surgery. At the same time, I also want to take part in finding cure for diseases (inspired by House [the TV show]) Wish me luck 😀

 

[CrazyTulip]

I am just a little worried because the college that i will be attending is not as prestigious. Therefore i worry that it might affect my chance of getting into a med school.

As long as you take the necessary steps I don't think this will matter much, so just try to do your best and I'm sure you'll get in. Good Luck 🙂

 

[biobossx99]

There is no cookie cutter formula for getting into med school. Plus all the knowledge that you will need to apply to med school will not magically show up all at once. It's a summation of your efforts to read up, ask around and research.

Some general Tips:
-Take your time, it's better to get through college of 5 years with a few summers, with tons of As than 3 years of mixed grades. There is no rush through this.
-Taking your time will allow you to explore things that you want to do that YOU think will make you a better doctor. Does that make sense? Do activity X because you think, wow this is going to help me grow as a person. There is no such thing as a wasted time, so long as you're doing something.
-Do things that you would do anyways: What I mean by this is, if you tell yourself "I would've done X even if I wasn't premed" That means u need to do whatever that is. For me it was crew.
-make sure to prioritize yo ****. Parties, classes friends want you to take but you don't, etc. Remeber, just because it's urgent doesn't mean it's important.
-when prioritizing, always stick to your grades. Remeber, school is important. Learn to learn the material. It should be interesting and stimulating. Sure there are hard classes but there are hard interesting classes too.
-Develop keen study\student habits yourself. Keep learning about yourself. Do you study well in cafes? When during the day do you study? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you overwhelmed? Constantly refine yourself so that you are performing with great efficiency. Eventually, you'll get a knack at being a certain way that allows you to study really well. Also you'll develop time management skills (WHICH ARE VERY IMPORTANT)
-At my college, we go by semesters. Your first semester, TAKE IT EASY. Get straight A's get your confidence up, explore clubs, FIND YOURSELF!
My general rule is, 2 premed reqs, 1 breadth, 1 fun (around 13-15units).

Anyways, good luck and I'm sure you'll get into a great med school! And when u do, tell us about it!

Allen

Hi guys, high school is over and college will be starting this fall. I want a strong start in my pursue to get into a med school. I'm sure there are many things out there that i can do during summer for me to get a strong start. I am already planning on volunteering at a local hospital and joining a program at the college that i will be attending, its a 5 week intensive course based on science and math that will help me get a strong start in college. during the period of 5 weeks, i will be able to attend hospital and clinical workshops. But that doesnt start till august. Meanwhile, will anyone be kind enough to help me out? Thanks

 

[toolstarjm]

what i'm curious of is how did you hear of sdn? as a senior in high school i knew i wanted to go into medicine but had no clue of this site. i only just found out about it like a year and a half ago.

 

[triplerox]

what i'm curious of is how did you hear of sdn? as a senior in high school i knew i wanted to go into medicine but had no clue of this site. i only just found out about it like a year and a half ago.

i do a lot of searching 🙂 i know that forums are the best place to receive help from.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Lots of good advice already posted. Just keep up the GPA so you don't have to post one of those "2.8 - do I have a chance?" threads in 3 years.

The other thing - do your own thing. Med schools like that. As long as you demonstrate an interest in science (maybe a little bit of research) and an exposure to medicine (shadow a doc or two) you've got your "required" ECs covered. Aside from that, just live well.

If you like music, join a group. If you play sports, play for a club. If you paint, paint. If you like working with kids, be a camp counselor (a very fun way to spend a summer in college I might add). You do not need to become a stereotypical pre-med to get into med school and becoming a stereotypical pre-med is not a guarantee of success (the last data that I saw said that humanities majors have the acceptance rate as biology).

 

[hellodoc]

I did the same thing you are thinking about doing, I already volunteered at a hospital wheelchairing patients, medical records,SICU, and distribution room.
You should find a doctor and ask if you can shadow him or her. Also you should just ask if you can volunteer in the ER room because in the SICU room I did nothing but answer phones🙂

 

[monami]

It is crucial that you get a strong start while you are undergrad, but remeber college is about the experience, so good luck.

 

[triplerox]

Lots of good advice already posted. Just keep up the GPA so you don't have to post one of those "2.8 - do I have a chance?" threads in 3 years.

The other thing - do your own thing. Med schools like that. As long as you demonstrate an interest in science (maybe a little bit of research) and an exposure to medicine (shadow a doc or two) you've got your "required" ECs covered. Aside from that, just live well.

If you like music, join a group. If you play sports, play for a club. If you paint, paint. If you like working with kids, be a camp counselor (a very fun way to spend a summer in college I might add). You do not need to become a stereotypical pre-med to get into med school and becoming a stereotypical pre-med is not a guarantee of success (the last data that I saw said that humanities majors have the acceptance rate as biology).

well..i do LOVE mechanical engineering and cars...