Newbie (at best) seeking knowledge/advice..

[poppie910]

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Hello all,
I am a 26 yr old male who will be entering my FRESHMAN year in spring of 2012. I am tremendously motivated to start taking steps towards pre-med. However, I must crawl before I walk, so I will just be obtaining my associate of arts (most likely majoring in biology, w a foreign language minor) from the local community college. Then I intend on transferring to a four year university to finish all my premed prereqs. I live 25 driving minutes from WashU-STL and Saint Louis U, so I will be concentrating on those.
My questions are relatively simple. First, is it too soon to start seeking shadowing opportunities, as well as overall clinical volunteering? If so, when is the ideal time to do so? Secondly, the whole research topic has me stumped. What is this exactly? Just studying a medical topic that is of interest to you, writing a paper about it and getting it published? How does one know what topics are "in demand"? Obviously I have ample time to learn more about this, considering I haven't really even delved into the world of medicine yet.
Lastly, do you guys think my strategy is ok? Coming in from a comm college I mean? Any input is appreciated, and thank you in advance. Sidenote: this website is the best site in existence. 🙂

 

[JESSFALLING]

Hello all,
I am a 26 yr old male who will be entering my FRESHMAN year in spring of 2012. I am tremendously motivated to start taking steps towards pre-med. However, I must crawl before I walk, so I will just be obtaining my associate of arts (most likely majoring in biology, w a foreign language minor) from the local community college. Then I intend on transferring to a four year university to finish all my premed prereqs. I live 25 driving minutes from WashU-STL and Saint Louis U, so I will be concentrating on those.
My questions are relatively simple. First, is it too soon to start seeking shadowing opportunities, as well as overall clinical volunteering? If so, when is the ideal time to do so? Secondly, the whole research topic has me stumped. What is this exactly? Just studying a medical topic that is of interest to you, writing a paper about it and getting it published? How does one know what topics are "in demand"? Obviously I have ample time to learn more about this, considering I haven't really even delved into the world of medicine yet.
Lastly, do you guys think my strategy is ok? Coming in from a comm college I mean? Any input is appreciated, and thank you in advance. Sidenote: this website is the best site in existence. 🙂

Honestly, my best advice is to run an independent search on here for each of your questions. I suggest this because there are countless threads for you to read which will help you become quite knowledgeable about all of these topics in just a few hours of reading. You'll honestly get a much better foundation in the subject this way.

Good luck.

 

[poppie910]

Fair enough. Thank you very much. 🙂

 

[deleted357625]

Hello all,
I am a 26 yr old male who will be entering my FRESHMAN year in spring of 2012. I am tremendously motivated to start taking steps towards pre-med. However, I must crawl before I walk, so I will just be obtaining my associate of arts (most likely majoring in biology, w a foreign language minor) from the local community college. Then I intend on transferring to a four year university to finish all my premed prereqs. I live 25 driving minutes from WashU-STL and Saint Louis U, so I will be concentrating on those.
My questions are relatively simple. First, is it too soon to start seeking shadowing opportunities, as well as overall clinical volunteering? If so, when is the ideal time to do so? Secondly, the whole research topic has me stumped. What is this exactly? Just studying a medical topic that is of interest to you, writing a paper about it and getting it published? How does one know what topics are "in demand"? Obviously I have ample time to learn more about this, considering I haven't really even delved into the world of medicine yet.
Lastly, do you guys think my strategy is ok? Coming in from a comm college I mean? Any input is appreciated, and thank you in advance. Sidenote: this website is the best site in existence. 🙂

do volunteer work all in the beginning, it's easier to do this when taking intro courses.
Research; not necessary, but basically all you do is when you go to a university, email ANY professor in ANY department that INTERESTS you and just help them in their lab etc...

yes your fine, many people get their associates first then move on, your not the only one.

 

[poppie910]

Ok thank you torshi. That's what I assumed concerning the volunteer work. I just didn't know if it would serve as a drawback on my application if they saw that the volunteering slowed down as I approached the interview process.

 

[deleted357625]

Ok thank you torshi. That's what I assumed concerning the volunteer work. I just didn't know if it would serve as a drawback on my application if they saw that the volunteering slowed down as I approached the interview process.

No prob.

-Non-medical volunteer work is recommended as well.

 

[FloridaMedicine]

do volunteer work all in the beginning, it's easier to do this when taking intro courses.
Research; not necessary, but basically all you do is when you go to a university, email ANY professor in ANY department that INTERESTS you and just help them in their lab etc...

yes your fine, many people get their associates first then move on, your not the only one.

This is sound advice. Follow this and get good grades. Get that GPA as high as possible from the start. Good luck.

 

[poppie910]

Thanks guys. God I love this site. It just feeds the fire burning within to succeed and provide a good life for me, my wife and 6 month old son.. the opportunity of serving the public and potentially saving their lives is an enormous factor as well. ( I plan on pursuing surgery or EM.)

 

[ShoTyme]

Definitely use the search feature if you are just starting out. There is so much to this that you don't know yet. The main thing I can say is crush whatever classes you take. That's it. Settle for nothing less than an A. The premed classes are obviously extremely important for the MCAT, so do well in those; also do well in electives. Take classes you are interested in so you don't lose your focus. It's an extremely long and intense road ahead of you. The best advice I can give is to eat well, sleep well, and exercise.

Also, you may want to peruse the non-traditional forum if you have a family or kids. There are many older students who post questions and advice that may be more suited to your needs. Maybe not though. Every situation is different. Good luck!

 

[poppie910]

Duly noted showtime. As for the electives, yes. Another passion of mine is the Spanish language, so that will definitely embody much of my elective courses. I want to do this right, and I know I have the capability to do so. Im so excited, I can barely sit still! My course schedule for freshman year spring semester is gen bio w lab, honors english comp 1, beginning algebra and sociology 1. Just gonna do 12 hours this semester and yes, its a very introductory level schedule, but its a start! 🙂

 

[ShoTyme]

Good deal. Sounds like you're getting your **** together. That's good. Like I said though, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Stay hydrated. Realize tremendous obstacles will come your way. I can only guess at what they might be, but when they come, just remember that you have most likely experienced difficulties. Hopefully you have good coping mechanisms. This is something that many younger students, myself included when I was of that age, are incapable of doing, dealing with the stresses and roadblocks that life offers. Good luck on your journey. I know how excited you are! Isn't it a good feeling knowing what you want to do and then going after it? 😀

 

[poppie910]

A good feeling is an understatement. Im absolutely ecstatic! And yes, im fully aware that this will be the hardest decade (plus some) of my life. But accomplishing it will bring great reward. Pros outweighing the cons, I cannot wait to reap the benefits of such an exciting career! The only thing that can stop me, is me. Just gotta make sure to take it one step at a time, and it'll be golden. 😉

 

[UpwardTrend]

Are you planning on attendingn Meremac? Will you be working while attending school? A job with patient contact could really help your application.

 

[poppie910]

No im gonna be going to jefferson college in Hillsboro. I wish I could get in at a hospital for a job or a clinic or ANYWHERE, but I have no prior experience. And they all look down on that it seems like.