MD & DO Medical School Essentials 2018

[RockMcat520]

I will be starting med school this fall in a different state. I noticed there are many threads on this topic, but nothing yet for 2018 It will be my first time living away from my family.

Things to buy before med school? (Please don't tell me Alcohol )
living alone vs. roommates? (Never lived alone or w/ roommates, I think I would like to save few bucks and live with roommates)
Books to buy before med school?
Car vs. Bike vs NONE? (I think I might get a bike since I would also like to save money)
Clubs to join from day 1?
start volunteering from day 1?
research during 1st year?
When should one move? a month before school starts?

Thankssss

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[AnatomyGrey12]

Clubs to join from day 1?
start volunteering from day 1?

The free clubs that give out the best SWAG, or the club that does the coolest stuff. The more free clubs you join just means more free food.

In all seriousness though neither of these matter. This isn't pre-med, only volunteer if you want to because it won't help you come residency time. As for everything else just start the Zanki anki deck from day 1, do research in the summer between MS1 and MS2, and don't fall behind.

 

[Oso]

... because 2018 is very different from 2017

People need to chill

 

[mybluedog]

The free clubs that give out the best SWAG, or the club that does the coolest stuff. The more free clubs you join just means more free food.

In all seriousness though neither of these matter. This isn't pre-med, only volunteer if you want to because it won't help you come residency time. As for everything else just start the Zanki anki deck from day 1, do research in the summer between MS1 and MS2, and don't fall behind.

What do you put on your residency apps besides grades and board scores? What makes an applicant stand out if you said volunteering doesn’t matter? Is it solely just research and LORs?

 

[raiderette]

The only reason to do a club is if you like the goals. SIGs for a specialty are fine because you can learn about the specialty. I am in a group that advocates for reproductive choice because I have always cared about that. A friend from college helped put on the second year show because she wanted a chance to sing and dance. Use your free time in ways that matter to you. Do research when you can if you want something competitive or you are interested in a topic.

 

[Chelsea FC]

I will be starting med school this fall in a different state. I noticed there are many threads on this topic, but nothing yet for 2018 It will be my first time living away from my family.

Things to buy before med school? (Please don't tell me Alcohol )
living alone vs. roommates? (Never lived alone or w/ roommates, I think I would like to save few bucks and live with roommates)
Books to buy before med school?
Car vs. Bike vs NONE? (I think I might get a bike since I would also like to save money)
Clubs to join from day 1?
start volunteering from day 1?
research during 1st year?
When should one move? a month before school starts?

Thankssss

Stop making repetitive useless threads. Also welcome to the MD/DO forums.

 

[Osteoth]

I will be starting med school this fall in a different state. I noticed there are many threads on this topic, but nothing yet for 2018 It will be my first time living away from my family.

Things to buy before med school? (Please don't tell me Alcohol )
living alone vs. roommates? (Never lived alone or w/ roommates, I think I would like to save few bucks and live with roommates)
Books to buy before med school?
Car vs. Bike vs NONE? (I think I might get a bike since I would also like to save money)
Clubs to join from day 1?
start volunteering from day 1?
research during 1st year?
When should one move? a month before school starts?

Thankssss

You don't need to buy anything specific, they'll tell you when the time comes.
Depends, if you're in a new city you might benefit from the support system of having room mates, but if not maybe solo is the better way to go.
Don't buy any books, ever. You can find digital copies and save yourself thousands of dollars.
Public transit <3
Join your specialty interest group.
Don't start volunteering/heavy work in extracurriculars until after your first block or 2 to see how you handle the workload.
A month would be good. Get yourself acclimated.

What do you put on your residency apps besides grades and board scores? What makes an applicant stand out if you said volunteering doesn’t matter? Is it solely just research and LORs?

Letters of recommendation are very important. Nothing really makes you stand out, which is the problem. Especially if you're applying to a competitive specialty, everyone has good grades, board scores, and letters, so thats why the process can seem so random. That's also the point where networking becomes essential. These are the people physicians are going to be working with for 5+ years, and everyone's always looking for the next generation to pass the torch to. These things can make up for a lack of other "standardized" components of your application.

 

[salmonellaisafish]

A thread that might answer a few of your Qs

Things to buy before MS1: A Guide

 

[idkididk]

The free clubs that give out the best SWAG, or the club that does the coolest stuff. The more free clubs you join just means more free food.

In all seriousness though neither of these matter. This isn't pre-med, only volunteer if you want to because it won't help you come residency time. As for everything else just start the Zanki anki deck from day 1, do research in the summer between MS1 and MS2, and don't fall behind.

I think this really needs to be emphasized. Being on the board of a club is only beneficial if you make strong connections with the club advisor doctors. Volunteering is a nice thing to do but you'll only impress your grandma.

Having hobbies / being well-rounded is probably just as important for talking points come residency interviews

 

[curbsideconsult]

living alone vs. roommates? (Never lived alone or w/ roommates, I think I would like to save few bucks and live with roommates)

Depends on how much you can tolerate other non-family human beings in your personal space. But I would venture to guess that no matter how much of a people person you are, med school is probably not the best time to find out how you like living with other people.

Books to buy before med school?

Everyone says don't buy books. I like books (but I'm also a million years older than most of you). Sometimes reading a textbook on the computer, even it's on a Kindle or an iPad is just too hard for me and my aging eyes.

Car vs. Bike vs NONE? (I think I might get a bike since I would also like to save money)

Are you going to be living in the city? Are you going to get groceries on your bike? Get groceries delivered? What if you want to get away for the weekend? Do you want to depend on people for rides?

Clubs to join from day 1?

If you want. How club-y are you? What @AnatomyGrey12 said.

start volunteering from day 1?

If you want. Are you a super service-oriented person? Is this something you'd like to do?

research during 1st year?

During first year? Do you mean during the summer? Probably a good idea, but not necessary, unless you're going for competitive specialties, then it's more or a less a must.

When should one move? a month before school starts?

You probably need like 3 days, 5 days maximum to get settled in and explore the area. I moved about 8 or 9 days before orientation and I ended up with too much time on my hands.

 

[Atom612]

Everyone says don't buy books. I like books (but I'm also a million years older than most of you). Sometimes reading a textbook on the computer, even it's on a Kindle or an iPad is just too hard for me and my aging eyes.

It's really weird, I'll read ebooks/pdf versions when I have to, but something about reading from a physical book helps me retain the information better.

 

[curbsideconsult]

It's really weird, I'll read ebooks/pdf versions when I have to, but something about reading from a physical book helps me retain the information better.

Right?!