How can I set myself up for success in med school and beyond?

[X0001234]

I'm an incoming M1 at a T20, and am tentatively interested in a few hyper-competitive specialties (as well as some less competitive specialties—neurology and psychiatry both seem very attractive). I'm well-aware that my interests may change throughout the course of medical school, but I want to set myself up for success as early as possible if I do decide to apply to really competitive specialties in the future. I have a few questions:

Is there anything I can do over the next few months to create a strong foundation for pre-clinical courses? I've heard the pre-clinical curriculum is like drinking from a firehose, and I'm particularly worried considering I'll have been removed from science coursework for over two years by the time I matriculate (took two gap years).

How are extracurriculars valued in assessing residency applications? I feel my ECs were a huge aspect of my med school application, and I'm wondering if it's even possible to keep up the same level of extracurricular involvement while trying to learn high-volume preclinical content in M1/M2 and trying to honor clerkships in M2/M3.

Thanks in advance!

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[LunaOri]

Learn to prep and cook easy meals, eat healthy foods, develop an exercise regimen, and get in the habit of getting 8 hours of sleep per night. A healthy lifestyle will help you more than pre-studying will.

 

[Sidus1011]

Whatever the most competitive specialty you are thinking of is, try to make connections early on in school to affiliated programs and try to get the ball rolling on research as early as possible. You can always pivot to a less competitive specialty if you find that you lose interest in the more competitive one. It's more difficult to do the inverse.

 

[Present-Row-4056]

If you are interested in competitive specialties, shadow them a bunch early on to see if the life/work is what you envision yourself doing in the future. If it is, build connections and start research as soon as you can.

 

[LunaOri]

The one “academic” thing I would suggest is to look at the format of the multiple choice “board style” questions (if your school uses these for exams). Many students haven’t taken a multiple choice exam (other than SAT and MCAT) since middle school—it’s an adjustment!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

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