Not doing enough? feeling overwhelmed and discouraged

[supastudier2000]

Hey guys,

I just want to ask you guess for your opinions, I look around me and everyone is doing soooooo much and it feels like im not doing anything. I sat down last night and made a plan. If i can get feedback on the plan and some advice of what i can do to improve my chances of getting into medschool that would be great!

Im currently a second year student. My GPA is 3.91 the MCAT score I am shooting for is 520+. I am double majoring in neuroscience and human physiology!

Some plans/ thoughts and concerns i have are:

1) Im currently NOT volunteering because the hospital i reached out to said that they're full! I don't know what to do!
2) I am in the process of becoming a personal trainer and i will work as a personal trainer next year, I am doing this in hopes of developing more interpersonal skills. I think the "trainer-client" dynamics can help with the "doctor-patient" relationship that i will have to develop in the future.
3) I am taking the MCAT this august, I want to start studying now but i really dont have the motivation for it! any tips? I made all of my classes online this semester to make more time for MCAT studying, But I just have'nt got the motivation to start!
4) I landed a lab job where I'm basically a glorified dish washer, they said that there will give me my own project in a semester or two. The PI seems kind of monotone and expressionless, and she's literally never in the lab and i've seen her once. How am i suppose to develop a good relationship with her let's say for my letter of rec
5) when would be a good time to start looking at professors for letters of rec?
6) Should I joined a club next year? Right now im not doing any clubs, Im thinking maybe shooting, fencing, or olympic weight lifting. I think i should do weight lifting, I dont know what medical schools will think of me if I spend my free time shooting, or stabbing people LOL
7) I really want to get EMT certified because I think its super cool to have that set of skills as well work in that environment, The only problem is there's no jobs for EMTs in my area! Should I get the certification anyways and worry about finding a job? There's no point in getting certified if i don't use it! If i were to make the decision to get certified it would have to be this summer!
8) I will be taking 18 semester hours in the fall, thank goodness theres no organic chem, physics, or math courses that require conceptual analytical thinking. Ill be taking all human physiology classes that are route memorization, and i have anki for that! is it advisable to do this while working in the lab, as a personal trainer, and be looking for a job as an EMT... AND volunteering? My friends have taken the class and they are willing to let me borrow their textbooks and power points so i can get a little ahead in the summer before school starts!
9) Im looking at the carver school of medicine, One thing that is unique about there application process is that i've heard that they watch us interact with other students on a group activity and they judge our social skills... What the heck haha. Im pretty introverted and my social skills are eh. I do somethings get nervous/ anxious around "attractive" people. What can i do to improve my social skills in a group setting? Would joining a fencing club help haha?
10) also, I believe that my college offers mock interviews, is this something i should take advantage of?

All of my peers seem to already be doing a lot and it seems like im just getting started, they are all volunteering, researching, minoring is completely difference areas so they are more rounded- like art history and political science or business. I have a friend and He's only a freshmen and he's an EMT, CNA, Firefighter, a certified jujitsu instructor, he's in several clubs and he's working on campus as a security guard and he's volunteering. and he's grades are good, however his classes are kinda of easy (intro to psych, intro to bio, gen chem, etc) he's getting all A's too. Right now i'm just a straight A student who's washing dishes in a lab. And im NOT well rounded, I guess you can say i'm pointy haha because im neuroscience and human physiology.

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[deleted480308]

Calm down

Keep getting As

Training and emt isn’t necessary, don’t let anything get in the way of your grades.

You can volunteer at a free clinic or nursing home, I guarantee one will take you

 

[KnightDoc]

Hey guys,

I just want to ask you guess for your opinions, I look around me and everyone is doing soooooo much and it feels like im not doing anything. I sat down last night and made a plan. If i can get feedback on the plan and some advice of what i can do to improve my chances of getting into medschool that would be great!

Im currently a second year student. My GPA is 3.91 the MCAT score I am shooting for is 520+. I am double majoring in neuroscience and human physiology!

Some plans/ thoughts and concerns i have are:

1) Im currently NOT volunteering because the hospital i reached out to said that they're full! I don't know what to do!
2) I am in the process of becoming a personal trainer and i will work as a personal trainer next year, I am doing this in hopes of developing more interpersonal skills. I think the "trainer-client" dynamics can help with the "doctor-patient" relationship that i will have to develop in the future.
3) I am taking the MCAT this august, I want to start studying now but i really dont have the motivation for it! any tips? I made all of my classes online this semester to make more time for MCAT studying, But I just have'nt got the motivation to start!
4) I landed a lab job where I'm basically a glorified dish washer, they said that there will give me my own project in a semester or two. The PI seems kind of monotone and expressionless, and she's literally never in the lab and i've seen her once. How am i suppose to develop a good relationship with her let's say for my letter of rec
5) when would be a good time to start looking at professors for letters of rec?
6) Should I joined a club next year? Right now im not doing any clubs, Im thinking maybe shooting, fencing, or olympic weight lifting. I think i should do weight lifting, I dont know what medical schools will think of me if I spend my free time shooting, or stabbing people LOL
7) I really want to get EMT certified because I think its super cool to have that set of skills as well work in that environment, The only problem is there's no jobs for EMTs in my area! Should I get the certification anyways and worry about finding a job? There's no point in getting certified if i don't use it! If i were to make the decision to get certified it would have to be this summer!
8) I will be taking 18 semester hours in the fall, thank goodness theres no organic chem, physics, or math courses that require conceptual analytical thinking. Ill be taking all human physiology classes that are route memorization, and i have anki for that! is it advisable to do this while working in the lab, as a personal trainer, and be looking for a job as an EMT... AND volunteering? My friends have taken the class and they are willing to let me borrow their textbooks and power points so i can get a little ahead in the summer before school starts!
9) Im looking at the carver school of medicine, One thing that is unique about there application process is that i've heard that they watch us interact with other students on a group activity and they judge our social skills... What the heck haha. Im pretty introverted and my social skills are eh. I do somethings get nervous/ anxious around "attractive" people. What can i do to improve my social skills in a group setting? Would joining a fencing club help haha?
10) also, I believe that my college offers mock interviews, is this something i should take advantage of?

All of my peers seem to already be doing a lot and it seems like im just getting started, they are all volunteering, researching, minoring is completely difference areas so they are more rounded- like art history and political science or business. I have a friend and He's only a freshmen and he's an EMT, CNA, Firefighter, a certified jujitsu instructor, he's in several clubs and he's working on campus as a security guard and he's volunteering. and he's grades are good, however his classes are kinda of easy (intro to psych, intro to bio, gen chem, etc) he's getting all A's too. Right now i'm just a straight A student who's washing dishes in a lab. And im NOT well rounded, I guess you can say i'm pointy haha because im neuroscience and human physiology.

@sb247 is spot on in telling you to chill. We ALL feel exactly the way you do about having imposter syndrome and feeling like everyone around us is doing so much more and is so much more worthy, talented, etc. than we are. EVERYONE!!!

On the other hand, certain elements of your post sound like you are more concerned about checking boxes than doing things you really enjoy, and that will ultimately come through in an application and won't help you. You need to engage in whatever it is you love rather than first planning on joining a club junior year because you think that might impress an adcom. It won't.

Isn't there a premed advisor at your school? I know lots of them suck, but some of them are pretty good, and all of them can point you in the right direction regarding the types of volunteer activities you are going to need (clinical and non-clinical), as well as, maybe shadowing opportunities as well.

Finally, if you can't get motivated to tackle the MCAT that's going to be a huge stumbling block for you unless you are so brilliant that you can do well with less than a ton of prep and practice. Very few of us are, but I honestly don't know what to say to you to get you motivated. It's a long, grueling haul, and the MCAT is just the very first checkpoint on the journey. The med students here can tell you that, as annoying as the MCAT is, it's nothing compared to many of the hoops they have to jump through (I have no first hand experience in that department but have heard some stories!!). If you're not self-motivated, you might want to look at other, related professions, like PA, that are a lot less intense.

I highly recommend finding a way to push through, assuming this is a calling for you and not just what seems like maybe a cool thing to do. The first step is realize all of us are going through the same thing, regardless of how it might appear from the outside. Good luck!!!

 

[gopher1997]

Take a breath! This is a marathon and not a sprint.... also, do your best NOT to compare yourself to your peers. Trust me, people might be doing great on the "outside", but they may very well not be doing great on the inside. Also, people like to glorify what they are doing. Regarding your friend who is a emt/cna/firefighter/olympian/president of a country/etc., just don't let that get into your head because they very well could be putting on a show. If not, great for them, and I wonder when they have time to pee frankly. Anyway, they are their own person, you are your own person. There is a quote that says: "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken."

So breathe friend.

Regarding all your points...

1. I agree with @sb247. Be persistent and keep looking for opportunities.

2. If you want to be a personal trainer, go for it. Don't do it solely because you can relate it back to medicine.

3. If you can, hash out a study plan for this summer and only focus on the MCAT this summer. You don't need to start right now. Starting in the summer will set you up for a good score.

4. If you don't think this lab will be a good opportunity, don't work there. Find something else. Also people tend to think research is a tad overrated unless you want T20 schools. Patient interaction is more important to a lot of ADCOMs.

5. Start looking for letters of rec the Fall before you apply.

6. Join a club if you want to, not because it will look "good". Most clubs won't help your application anyway. It'll be a neutral thing.

7. You don't need to get an EMT certification. It's a great way to get paid clinical experience, but there are other ways to get clinical experience as well (shadowing, volunteering, etc.)

8. Do not complicate things. Grades first, ECs second. Grades are hard to salvage. ECs are easy to obtain with a few gap years if need be. Also, you can get paid for ECs. You have to spend more money to raise your grades, or prove yourself through an SMP or post-bacc. So grades first.

9. Don't set your sights on one school. Fear you might not be very sociable? Go out to a bar and talk to strangers (easier said than done). Anyway, put yourself out there more to work on those skills.

10. Take advantage of that when the time comes. You haven't applied, and you don't know if you will get any interviews. But yes, use it if you have been awarded an interview.

Focus on the now, not the future. Like I said, this is a marathon and not a sprint.