If you had to do it all over again

[Mayday]

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What would you have done starting in your freshman year to make it easier on yourself to take the mcats and apply to med schools?

The main reason I'm asking is that I just started my freshman year, and I want to make things as easy on myself as possible in the coming years, and would love to have the advantage of your hindsight 🙂

 

[armybound]

My freshman year is a huge reason why my GPA is so bad.

Basically I took it completely for granted. I thought I could get through college without studying like I did in high school. I skipped class as often as possible. I ended up with a 2.6 GPA my freshman year. .. Yeah.

So in retrospect, I would have gone to class every time, gone to supplemental instruction, gotten tutoring, whatever I needed, especially in chemistry.

 

[FemalesCANTDriv]

try to get lots of clinical experiences that u can write about on AMCAS essays... i have some clinical experience but i focused a lot on research in undergrad... i ball it up on my app when it comes to research but i lack a bit in the clinical experiences and i think that is what is holding me back from interviewing a lot of places

 

[future_dr_house]

i wished i had transferred into business or kinesiology instead of biomed engineering. business majors at our school have a class on powerpoint for pete's sake

 

[BellyDancingDoc]

If feel that you fall "between" two different course options (for example, Algebra-based vs. Calc-based Physics or Intensive vs. Regular Chemistry), don't be afraid to take the lower level course.

Some people may sneer at you and tell you that you should "challenge yourself." I say that trying to get into med school is challenging yourself plenty. By the time you're done with all of this, you'll have jumped through more hoops than a trained poodle! So don't be afraid to just sit back and breathe once in a while.

Also, it should go without saying, but there are lines that you must never, ever cross. Do not cheat. Ever. There is never an excuse for doing so. Even be careful that doing problem sets "with a friend" doesn't devolve into copying his/her problem set. If you are caught doing this with a problem set, you may get a warning... but then, you may not. If you are caught cheating on a test... you're toast.

 

[spicedmanna]

What would you have done starting in your freshman year to make it easier on yourself to take the mcats and apply to med schools?

The main reason I'm asking is that I just started my freshman year, and I want to make things as easy on myself as possible in the coming years, and would love to have the advantage of your hindsight 🙂

• Focus on your classes, as your primary priority, but also have lots of fun in college. Always keep in the back of your mind, why you are where you are, and what your goals are. Let your commitment guide you.
  
• Don't do anything that would jeopardize your grades in the process of having fun.
  
• Stay ahead of your syllabus, and most certainly never fall behind.
  
• Learn to prioritize and triage; make sure to include personal time to just relax, hang out with friends, work out, or do creative projects. Stay focused on and organized around your main goals, however.
  
• Realize that good grades are the result of 90% perspiration. If you put in the time and energy, you set yourself up for success. As a general practice, exceed the required assignments. Know the material well enough to be able to teach the subject to others. Don't rely on your professor or instructor, take 100% responsibility for your own learning. Period.
  
• Major in something fun.
  
• Strive to be a leader in all that you do. Set the example for 100% responsibility and invite others to do the same. Don't wait for others to take action. Have a clear vision for what you want and take the necessary action steps to attain it. Invite collaboration and appreciation; see the potential in yourself and others.
  
• Get lots of practice reading both complex scientific and humanities articles. Make it a habit. Increase your comprehension speed by doing lots of quick paraphrasing and obtaining the jist as you read. Learn how to interpret complex-looking graphs, charts, and data. Get good at researching topics efficiently.
  
• Do community service and volunteer work in areas that inspire you. If I were to do it all over again, I'd be a volunteer EMT at an emergency rescue squad throughout school; I'd do it in a way that didn't compromise my academic work. I'd also volunteer as a peer counselor, since I enjoy helping people work through the psychological traumas they might face. I'd still do research, but this time, I'd place my school work first, not my research.
  
• Obtain clinical experience early. See above.
  
• Shadow a variety of doctors.
  
• Get to know your professors well and see them as your allies. Work with your professors in learning what you most want and need. They are there to help.
  
• Don't be afraid to seek help when you don't understand something. Never settle. The only shame would be missing out on the information. On a similar note, freely give away help to others. You learn as much from offering help, sometimes, as you do from receiving it.
  
• Apply the information that you are learning. Try to use what you are learning in unfamiliar situations. The MCAT is just like that, so the more practice you have doing this, the better.
  
• Take MCAT practice tests in real conditions until you absolutely can't stand them anymore.
  
• Listen for feedback from your peers and those in the know. Stay open to learning.
  
• Don't buy into all the fear and hype that surrounds you. Remember that premedicine is a personal journey; it has little to do with others. Let them have their own experience. Realize that you are only competing against yourself, not others.
  
• Get letters of recommendation early and from professors and PI's who know you well.
  
• Don't forget to have fun.

 

[SemperJeff]

Well as I read the OP's post I was thinking of all the thing I could say. Then I saw spicedmanna's quote. It much easier to just second it...

Great advice in the quote above. Assuming you'll get the grades, I'll just go ahead and emphasize extracurriculars, leadership opportunities, and volunteering. My premed adviser always emphasized that we need to make ourselves stand out. There are plenty of applicants with amazing GPAs and MCAT scores.

As far as MCAT preparation, take practice exams. Whether or not you take a review course like Kaplan or Princeton, its my opinion that full length practice exams are crucial so that you will be able to pace yourself and build your stamina for the big day.

• Focus on your classes, as your primary priority, but also have lots of fun in college. Always keep in the back of your mind, why you are where you are, and what your goals are. Let your commitment guide you.
  
• Don't do anything that would jeopardize your grades in the process of having fun.
  
• Stay ahead of your syllabus, and most certainly never fall behind.
  
• Learn to prioritize and triage; make sure to include personal time to just relax, hang out with friends, work out, or do creative projects.
  
• Realize that good grades are the result of 90% perspiration. If you put in the time and energy, you set yourself up for success. As a general practice, exceed the required assignments. Know the material well enough to be able to teach the subject to others. Don't rely on your professor or instructor, take 100% responsibility for your own learning. Period.
  
• Major in something fun.
  
• Strive to be a leader in all that you do. Set the example for 100% responsibility and invite others to do the same. Don't wait for others to take action. Have a clear vision for what you want and take the necessary action steps to attain it. Invite collaboration and appreciation; see the potential in yourself and others.
  
• Get lots of practice reading both complex scientific and humanties articles. Make it a habit. Increase my comprehension speed by doing lots of paraphrasing and obtaining the jist as I read. Learn how to interpret complex-looking graphs, charts, and data. Get good at researching topics efficiently.
  
• Do community service and volunteer work in areas that inspire me. If I were to do it all over again, I'd be a volunteer EMT at an emergency rescue squad throughout school; I'd do it in a way that didn't compromise my academic work. I'd also volunteer as a peer counselor, since I enjoy helping people work through the psychological traumas they might face. I'd still do research, but this time, I'd place my school work first, not my research.
  
• Obtain clinical experience early. See above.
  
• Shadow a variety of doctors.
  
• Get to know my professors well and see them as my allies. Work with your professors in learning what you most want and need. They are there to help.
  
• Don't be afraid to seek help when you don't understand something. Never settle. The only shame would be missing out on the information. On a similar note, freely give away help to others. You learn as much from offering help, sometimes, as you do from receiving it.
  
• Apply the information that I am learning. Try to use what you are learning in unfamiliar situations. The MCAT is just like that, so the more practice you have doing this, the better.
  
• Take MCAT practice tests in real conditions until I can't stand them anymore.
  
• Listen to feedback from my peers and those in the know. Stay open to learning.
  
• Don't buy into the fear and hype that surrounds you. Remember that premedicine is a personal journey; it has little to do with others. Let them have their own experience. Realize that you are only competing against yourself, not others.
  
• Get letters of recommendation early and from professors and PI's who know you well.
  
• Don't forget to have fun.

 

[Davjc2009]

Second the other posts.

Here's my 2 cents:

I think your first semester of freshman year is crucial for establishing good grades and study techniques.

I partied a little too hard(man do I love beer pong) and while I still got an OK GPA (3.58)...

I could look at all my grades and pick out one instance where "if I hadn't have done X, I would have an A for sure"

X=drinking during the week/skipping class/playing on my laptop while in class/not studying cuz a class was "too easy" or I already had a high grade and Y assignment wouldn't pull me down if I didn't do stellar/a combination of the aforementioned.

Just don't be the stereotypical bookworm(i.e. studying every friday night) ... go and have some fun. have a beer and chill out every once in a while.

 

[123567]

1) Don't let anyone tell you something is too difficult.

2) Don't let anyone tell you something is too difficult.

3) Double major in your favorite humanity (english, history, art history, religion, etc) and your favorite hard science (physics, chemistry, biology).

4) Summers are not for coursework, summers are for summer programs (NIH undergrad, Foreign language immersion programs, Tropical medicine in costa rica, interning in Washington D.C. etc.)

5) Work in the most famous lab on campus. People may tell you that name doesn't matter, they are wrong. Being around a lab for a few years will allow the PI to write you a solid letter.

6) Show leadership in something (greek social chair/president/etc doesn't count) service clubs are great, community organizations are also great, human rights organizations are great.

7) Clinical experience - free medical clinics are probably the best experience b/c they are usually small and you can hang out with physicians. This can usually be combined with good summer programs!

8) Don't be afraid to take a year or two or three off after college before applying to med school to do something you love. Peace corps will get you into a lot of great schools if your grades are competitive, but it's a huge commitment.

9) If you have the motivation and desire to be a doctor, you can disregard everything I've said except points 1 and 2 because you will find a way!

 

[Mayday]

1) 8) Don't be afraid to take a year or two or three off after college before applying to med school to do something you love. Peace corps will get you into a lot of great schools if your grades are competitive, but it's a huge commitment.

I'm non-trad, so that won't work for me, but that will be great advice for someone else I'm sure 🙂

 

[Eric Lindros]

I wish I would have known how worthless Kaplan's classroom was.

Note: This is not to say it's worthless for everyone, but it was for me. I felt the pressure of having to take it because everyone else does. By all means make sure you will actualy benefit (or do your best to determine) from these prep courses.

 

[remo]

Get as high a GPA and MCAT as possible. Getting the EC's is not that hard. If you can find ones that you actually like it will be a breeze. This is mostly a numbers game (although there are always exceptions but you don't want to hope to be one of those). High numbers will open doors for research and other things too. PI's like to have smart people in their labs.

 

[SemperJeff]

I wish I would have known how worthless Kaplan's classroom was.

Note: This is not to say it's worthless for everyone, but it was for me. I felt the pressure of having to take it because everyone else does. By all means make sure you will actualy benefit (or do your best to determine) from these prep courses.

You're right; I think the value of a review course such as Kaplan or Princeton review is different for each individual. Some need the discipline provided by attending a course to cover all the material. But then again, some people do very well studying on their own.

Personally, I think the value of the course lies in the full-length MCAT exams in pretty-close-to-actual conditions. I can't imagine how I would've scored if I had not done any practice exams. Although there are cheaper ways to take practice exams than the $1400 review courses...

 

[GALPRI]

I wish that I would of read this earlier in my first year. I would definitely agree with not letting anyone tell you that a course is tough. I remember that someone told me that organic chem I was hard and I believed it. I let it get to me and as a result I scored a B when I could of scored an A. This also happened to me in Physics I. I remember thinking when does the hard part come in? It gets a little challenging towards the end but if you did great before I could of pulled through.

Also be careful not to get overinvolved. It's like a professor told me the first thing that medical schools look at is your GPA and MCAT score and if they like you they'll look at the rest. I am not saying that this is completely true put it is for the most part.

Also don't be afraid to ask for help, form study groups, and be polite to your fellow pre-med peers so they can help you. Especially ask the professor questions.👍

In addition the best way to get a better grade is to read the text before lecture, go to lecture, and ask questions. Then read it again, it works, real well. Also try to know an upper classman so they can offer you advice on anything.

Wish me luck for this next coming semester I'll be taking Orgo II and Physics II in addition to other courses.🙂

 

[alwaysaangel]

If I could do it all over again I would go back to my Freshman year of high school. I would volunteer in a free clinic instead of tutoring. I would have then applied to one of the UC combined BS/MD programs. If I had done that I would have just needed a minimum score on my MCAT and I would be halfway through my M2 instead of waiting for August to start my M1. Also I would have gotten into a UC med school.

Sounds good to me.

 

[arcin]

I would have to agree with everyone especially spiced. My only thing would be:

Find what you love to do and can't imagine doing anything else and give your everything to it.

Don't let anyone tell you can't do something.

 

[americanangel]

The only thing I would have done differently was try to get involved in more research. I did a summer internship doing research, but I should have talked to my profs more as a freshman and seen if they would have worked with me, instead of going off campus for a project. But no big deal, it all worked out in the end! Anyway, this is what they call wisdom!