Need some advice!

[confusedfuturedoc]

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Hi! So I’m about to begin my sophomore year as an undergrad and I just want to make sure I’m on the right track. Lately, I’ve been comparing myself to others a little bit too much and it’s been making me doubt myself quite a bit which is why I wanted to get some advice about my personal situation.

So here is some information about myself. I am a student in my state university’s honors college with a full ride. After my first year of undergrad I have a cumulative GPA of 3.855 and a science GPA of 4.0 (if this information is useful, I took 15 credits my fall semester and 17 credits my spring semester). In terms of ECs, I’m really actively involved in a dance club (I was a group leader) and I was also involved in my university’s HOSA chapter (I won an award in my state HOSA competition). I have also tried to be involved in my university’s Red Cross Club, but they just aren’t very active. This summer, I was in a program where I worked full time for about 2 months in a lab in my university’s medical school and I presented my research at a symposium.

My plans for this semester are that I will be taking 17 credits (including Honors Organic Chemistry RIP), I will be volunteering at the lab I researched at this summer, I’m going to start volunteering again at a religious/cultural school that I volunteered at all 4 years of high school, I will be a mentor for freshmen entering the honors college, I will continue being involved in the clubs I was last year (other than Red Cross probably), and I will probably find another volunteering club I can be involved in (hopefully one more related to medicine). Also something I want to add is that as of now I plan on declaring a major in Psychology and a minor in Biology. I guess my concern is that I haven’t been able to get any shadowing or clinical experience in yet. I’m hoping to get a bit of shadowing done during winter break and I’m also planning to devote time to clinical volunteering and shadowing next summer since this summer I was pretty busy with research. I would start this semester, but I feel like my schedule is pretty booked already for the semester so I don’t know how much more I want to add to it before I feel like I have no life outside of preparing for medical school. I also want to add that I’m really not looking to get into a top tier medical school. I would actually preferably want to stay in-state so I can be close to home and my top choice at the moment is probably my university’s medical school (which is prob more considered mid to low tier). I’m also highly considering taking a gap year.

I guess what I wanted to ask is that am I on the right path? Is there anything you guys can recommend that I do different? I’ve just had a bad mindset and for some reason am starting to lose confidence in my abilities, so I guess I just wanted some reassurance. I have a couple of friends who are pre-med who just seem like they’re doing so much more than me and spending their life away preparing for med school apps. I don’t really want to be doing the same, but at the same time I don’t want to not get into medical school. No one in my family is a doctor either, so I don’t really have the guidance that some other people have who do have doctors in their families.

Overall, I’m just concerned and confused lol. Any advice is much much appreciated!! Sorry if I rambled a bit but being pre-med is STRESSFUL!!

 

[FatherTime-PhD]

You're fine.
Just get shadowing in before you apply, nothing crazy. I honestly think 50+ hours is something to shoot for.
Just keep doing well in school and putting time into things you care about -- it'll be more important down the road.

You'll find that you'll always be comparing yourself to others... just try to tune them out and stay in your own lane!

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Your club activities are nice, but aren’t going to be as beneficial for a medical school application as volunteering with disadvantaged members of your community. “Get off campus and outside your comfort zone” is what the adcoms say. If I were you, I’d start trying to find opportunities like: tutoring low SES children, serving at a soup kitchen, homeless outreach, Best Buddies, etc.

 

[Cornfed101]

I’ve been comparing myself to others a little bit too much and it’s been making me doubt myself quite a bit

First of all, just don't. There will always be people more intelligent, more talented, more attractive, more *add adjective here* than you. You will learn along your journey that there are lots of people that have nothing and will likely have nothing, or very little, for their entire lives. Don't look down on these people. When you start comparing yourself to others, it is inevitable that it will go both ways. You don't know what goes on behind the scenes with your premed friends. We all put on a facade to make ourselves look a little better. Just work on making you the best you can be.

Why are you taking so many credits? I might recommend dropping 1 class and doing some clinical volunteering a few hours a month. Doing something for an extended period of time is better than doing something for a lot of hours, but if you can do both it's even better! just my 2 cents. Things I would have done had I been a traditional student.

 

[confusedfuturedoc]

You're fine.
Just get shadowing in before you apply, nothing crazy. I honestly think 50+ hours is something to shoot for.
Just keep doing well in school and putting time into things you care about -- it'll be more important down the road.

You'll find that you'll always be comparing yourself to others... just try to tune them out and stay in your own lane!

Thank you so much for the advice! I will definitely keep it in mind!

 

[confusedfuturedoc]

Your club activities are nice, but aren’t going to be as beneficial for a medical school application as volunteering with disadvantaged members of your community. “Get off campus and outside your comfort zone” is what the adcoms say. If I were you, I’d start trying to find opportunities like: tutoring low SES children, serving at a soup kitchen, homeless outreach, Best Buddies, etc.

I agree! I wanted to be active in my college’s Red Cross Club since I was really active in the organization in high school, but unfortunately they just are not very active. I’m hoping to find a club in which I can do as such. One club I’m currently considering joining is called North American Disease Intervention which focuses more on spreading awareness of hypertension and diabetes to the community. They host many blood screenings which I hope I can help with.

 

[confusedfuturedoc]

First of all, just don't. There will always be people more intelligent, more talented, more attractive, more *add adjective here* than you. You will learn along your journey that there are lots of people that have nothing and will likely have nothing, or very little, for their entire lives. Don't look down on these people. When you start comparing yourself to others, it is inevitable that it will go both ways. You don't know what goes on behind the scenes with your premed friends. We all put on a facade to make ourselves look a little better. Just work on making you the best you can be.

Why are you taking so many credits? I might recommend dropping 1 class and doing some clinical volunteering a few hours a month. Doing something for an extended period of time is better than doing something for a lot of hours, but if you can do both it's even better! just my 2 cents. Things I would have done had I been a traditional student.

Thank you for your kind advice! Unfortunately, there are just many classes I need to take to fulfill my core requirements for the school, Honors College requirements, pre-med requirements, along with my major and minor requirements which is why I kind of need to push myself a bit if I’m aiming not to spend extra money on summer classes. If it gets to be too much though, I will think about dropping a class. I understand that long-term commitments are better, but I guess I just don’t want to overload myself. There’s also nothing around my school that allows not that heavy of a time commitment. Is it ok if I start doing clinical volunteering in the summer time worst comes worst? If I do find something in which I can participate a few hours a month, then I will be sure to keep your advice in mind and see if I can participate in it! Again, thank you for your response!

 

[Cornfed101]

Thank you for your kind advice! Unfortunately, there are just many classes I need to take to fulfill my core requirements for the school, Honors College requirements, pre-med requirements, along with my major and minor requirements which is why I kind of need to push myself a bit if I’m aiming not to spend extra money on summer classes. If it gets to be too much though, I will think about dropping a class. I understand that long-term commitments are better, but I guess I just don’t want to overload myself. There’s also nothing around my school that allows not that heavy of a time commitment. Is it ok if I start doing clinical volunteering in the summer time worst comes worst? If I do find something in which I can participate a few hours a month, then I will be sure to keep your advice in mind and see if I can participate in it! Again, thank you for your response!

That's understandable. Just recognize that academics are just a part of your application. Med schools are looking for well-rounded people. I am not saying you don't do well in your classes, but that you don't necessarily need to minor, take honor's classes, etc. unless you want to.

As far as clinical and non-clinical volunteering goes. Don't look for opportunities through the school (as has been suggested earlier). Reach out to local organizations, hospitals, and clinics directly and say that you want something that is just a few hours a week or month. I don't recommend just saving things for the Summer because it almost seems like you are checking a box instead of making an effort to become involved in something you care about long term. You have time. Don't stress too much about it now, but start poking around and try to find something you can make a difference in.

 

[confusedfuturedoc]

That's understandable. Just recognize that academics are just a part of your application. Med schools are looking for well-rounded people. I am not saying you don't do well in your classes, but that you don't necessarily need to minor, take honor's classes, etc. unless you want to.

As far as clinical and non-clinical volunteering goes. Don't look for opportunities through the school (as has been suggested earlier). Reach out to local organizations, hospitals, and clinics directly and say that you want something that is just a few hours a week or month. I don't recommend just saving things for the Summer because it almost seems like you are checking a box instead of making an effort to become involved in something you care about long term. You have time. Don't stress too much about it now, but start poking around and try to find something you can make a difference in.

I totally understand that, but in order to keep my scholarship I have to take honors classes and complete other requirements, so I unfortunately don’t have too much of an option 🙁. However, I will take your advice and will try to not spend way too much time on solely my classes! I will also take your advice and see if I can find something with a lighter time commitment for now. Thank you for your guidance! I really really appreciate it!