Just starting out, What should I do to help me get into med school?

[stupperman]

Hey, I'm a currently a freshmen college going for a biology major with a pre-med emphasis. What should I do outside of getting good grades and MCAT scores to help me get in? I'm a good student but I want to make sure I have more then just good grades to help me get in school. I'm going to be volunteering at the local hospital this summer and hopefully getting a job there by the fall at the latest.

But is there anything else or ideas you guys have that will increase my chances of getting into med school? Any words of advice are appreciated!! For instance I've been thinking about doing Research with my micro-biology instructor, is that worth my time? Or should I focus more on the hospital and volunteering?

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[bostonpmed]

Research is great, especially if your aiming for a top or research medical school. My best advice is do something you love! Undergrad is so much fun, get good grades and make your EC's ones you enjoy and feel passionate about.

Mkdone.

 

[stupperman]

Well the two schools I am currently interested in are: University of MN, St. Paul and University of WI Madison. I'm not sure if these two are considered top or research medical schools.

 

[emaj1n]

Hey, I'm a currently a freshmen college going for a biology major with a pre-med emphasis. What should I do outside of getting good grades and MCAT scores to help me get in? I'm a good student but I want to make sure I have more then just good grades to help me get in school. I'm going to be volunteering at the local hospital this summer and hopefully getting a job there by the fall at the latest.

But is there anything else or ideas you guys have that will increase my chances of getting into med school? Any words of advice are appreciated!! For instance I've been thinking about doing Research with my micro-biology instructor, is that worth my time? Or should I focus more on the hospital and volunteering?

Best advice I could give: Have a good time at undergrad. Don't let pre-medicine consume you. Hang out. Play Halo or Mario Kart, whichever you fancy, with buds until the wee hours. Go out for cheap wings and beer. Keep one or two times a week to play basketball or soccer with a few people. In other words, keep a social life because it will make everything else easier.

 

[UMP]

volunteer at a hospital... have fun, but try not to get arrested more than once

 

[spospo]

try to stay volunteering at one location for an extended period of time. i know a lot of hospitals require 6 months, but if you are doing something else, try to stick with it. this shows that you aren't just volunteering somewhere to improve your app.

 

[stupperman]

alrighty, yeah i plan on staying there and volunteering until well, i go to med school. I currently have a job at Menards, it's a hardware store, and i get paid pretty well for being a college student and my question is; should i apply for a job at the hospital that pays less to help me get into med school ( experience with patients ) or should i just focus on school and volunteer?

 

[AnthonyNY]

For instance I've been thinking about doing Research with my micro-biology instructor, is that worth my time? Or should I focus more on the hospital and volunteering?

i'd say both.. just manage your time so you can stay focused on your grades - the grades/mcat open the door, the ECs may help you to get accepted and also give you something to talk about in interviews/in your primary and secondary apps etc..

when working in a hospital/shadowing - make good impressions and have fun, because you're going to want to get some solid LORs later on from MDs. Having some research under your belt will help when applying as well, so you want to try to get that done too - but again, make sure its something you enjoy, learn from, and can talk about while interviewing without sounding like you cleaned test tubes the whole time.

if you're going into soph year than you still have alot of time to get all this done, so dont feel like you have to do it all at once. if you want to volunteer at the hospital every other weekend and work w/ your micro prof during the week.. fine. if you want to leave your research for the summer and get it done by applying to some SURFs (summer undergraduate reseacrh fellowships) thats cool too, and may help you get an LOR from a PhD or MD researcher at whatever medical school you did the research.

to be asking this so early on give me the impression that you're driven and want to succeed, but keep in mind that you're not just doing these things to "get in", but to inform you as to whether or not this is the field that is right for you..

 

[OwnageMobile]

Have fun--possibly a better way to put this would be to say don't sacrifice your social life for medical school. Pick/find ECs that you actually enjoy and stick with them for at least a year or two. Anthony brings up a good point: make sure/find out if you are going to truly enjoy being a doctor or else you will waste many years of your life.