If you had to do it over again...

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machupichu

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Hi Everyone,

I just finished my first year of pre-med. It was tough burning the night oil, but here I am. I wanted to ask those of you who are soon to be entering Med school, if you have any advice for me. What would you do over again or change about your pre-med years looking back at it now? Thanks to all those who respond with your words of wisdom.

Lowly pre-med student

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Very good question. I wish i had your insight when i was an undergraduate. My suggestions would be to do what you are doing now...burn the midnight oil. Do as well as you can in ALL of your classes. Then you will not be posting "how do i recover from my undergrad disaster" like me! I have been through alot since undergrad, so feel free to PM me if you need any more advice! good luck and enjoy your summer vacation. :D
 
Also, don't forget to take some fun classes mixed in there with the tough stuff. It will make you a more relaxed and well rounded student. Also, don't forget that college is supposed to be fun. Enjoy yourself. After studying, pencil in some time to hang with friends and veg out or read a good book. Join clubs that cater to your interests. It'll help you meet some really great people that you might not have otherwise. Take leadership positions whenever you can to show that you can be a leader of the pack (a person who can compromise and be a team player sort of leader, not a tyrant!). Very important: get to know your professors! Utilize office hours, get a few minutes early/stay a few minutes after class and ask questions about the class, your performance, whatever. If they can remember you as an inquisitive and thoughtful student, you will be more likely to come back in a year or so for the all-important letter of recommendation. Major in something that you are actually interested in, not some major that you think will "help you get into med school". Don't bite off more than you can chew. Pace yourself and your coursework. There is not magic law that you have to graduate in four years and enter med school right from graduating college. Take some time off and LIVE while you can (during or after college or before med school). Travel, have fun. Med school and beyond (being in debt) will leave you with little chance to live it up until you are middle aged. You are only young once. If I can think of anything else, I'll post again later. :wink:
 
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Hi-

Collect LORs as you take the classes. You can never have too much. I did this and am soooo glad I did. Alot of my friends are pulling their hair out trying to get recs from profs who barely remember them, etc. Also, you you don't knw if you'll go to med school right away so the letters will already be there when the time comes.
 
If I had to change anything, I would try to graduate with my B.A. in 4 years instead of the 9 that it took me. :D
 
My advice would be to explore as many different aspects of yourself as you can. When you enter graduate/medical school obviously your entire focus is on medicine, it doesn't leave as much time as one may want to explore other aspects of life. It is these other aspects of life that allow one to become introspective and understand the world around us....
 
Getting LORs as you go is good advice. As for some unconventional advice, find some pre-med buddies that you can share your experiences with. It's kind of nice to have supporting friends that understand what you're going through (good and bad).
 
amen to the premed buddies. when you're going through hell, it's nice to have some people who understand and are along for the ride.
 
Thanks for all of your great advice! I really appreciate all of your thoughtful and prompt responses.

Regarding the issue about collecting LOR. I was curious about the format of the letter. What do I need to tell my professor?I have a few candidates right now but I thought it is a little weird considering the letter will not be addressed to anyone. Please advise.

Thanks so much. You all are WONDERFUL!

======================================
lowly medical student in the making...
 
There should be some premed office at your school that has the forms for the letters of rec. The letters should get sent to the office for safekeeping. Also, I wish I would have known about the many summer enrichment opportunities. Take advantage of one. Also try to do some community service activity that you like and that shows u like people.
 
i think you should wait until you take classes in your second or third year to ask for recommendations.
if you have a premed committee at your school, the letters will go through them. ask about a form that they may have.

as for things i wished i had known...
1. grades are NOT everything; work hard but be sure to have enough time to be HAPPY. college should be fun- challenging, but fun.
2. i wish i had majored in a non science.
3. done more research on individual schools before applying
 
Take classes that you enjoy, and don't attend college for the sake of the A but for the sake of learning- expand your horizons! Meet people that you normally wouldn't hang out with and really spend time with them- it's so refreshing and FUN to be able to interact with a wide variety of individuals- and sometimes, you end up learning just as much or more from your classmates than from your classes. And don't push things off! One of the biggest regrets i have is i didn't take this awesome EMT training course my freshman year when i had the time- now i'm going to graduate without having taken it <img border="0" alt="[Pity]" title="" src="graemlins/pity.gif" /> oh and falling in love during college is always a plus <img border="0" alt="[Lovey]" title="" src="graemlins/lovey.gif" />
 
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