Should I TA a class to "pre-study" for medical school?

[plshelpmelol]

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Hi all, I'm currently waiting to hear back from two IIs for the 2021-2022 cycle. I believe one will definitely be a waitlist and the other one is a toss-up between an A and a waitlist.

I was recently given the opportunity to TA a physiology course that I did well in during undergrad for this upcoming Spring semester. This course is known for being extremely in-depth and somewhat on par with medical school curriculum. I was therefore wondering if it would be a good idea to accept this TA position when considering that I am currently working full time and would have to brush up on the material. I have heard that it isn't a good idea to pre-study for medical school, but I also feel that this experience would be helpful to include in a post-II letter of intent or to add to my application should I need to reapply. Any input is appreciated!

 

[21Rush12]

The answer to the question “Should I ____ to pre-study for med school” is universally no. You do not need to do this or anything to pre-study and about a month after you’ve started you’ll look back and laugh at the notion.

 

[BeMoConsulting]

Hi there,

I would suggest thinking about this in terms of what you can learn from the experience (not content-wise but in terms of soft skills) and what you think you have to offer. It is true that you could add it to your letter of update, which will showcase your continued passion and may help your position on the waitlists. However, I would suggest thinking about how much time commitment this will be and if you actually have the time necessary to put towards it. Likely many of the students in the class will be pre-meds; they deserve a TA who is present and helpful. You may find it to be a very rewarding experience and you can gain some teaching experience, which is helpful for any future physician. I suggest using a calendar to see if this is something doable time wise and then consider how much you are actually intrinsically motivated to be a TA.

Best of luck

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

Might be worth it for other reasons but truly can't think of a scenario where medical school pre study is worth it, for the following reasons:

- Even if the course is on par with some medical schools in terms of depth and scope, you don't know the particulars of your medical school and could be wasting time trying to learn things that you'll never be tested. Some medical schools have a majority of PhD professors who teach more in-depth than other more clinically oriented MD/DO professors. Some medical schools focus on board prep more than others. High yield for boards can be arbitrary and include things that are rarely seen clinically.

- You won't remember things from 6+ months before medical school unless you use some kind of spaced repetition program like anki. But at that point you would be acting as a full time medical student despite not being one which carries a risk of burn out.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

It is worth it. Despite not being a “most significant activity” on my app, my tutoring experience came up in many interviews, maybe even more so than the significant experiences

 

[Mr.Smile12]

in my opinion, it totally depends on your time. You don't have an A yet so it is hard to say your prestudy strategy will work out as you hope. It also depend on the curriculum... I've been told anatomy is more challenging than physiology but it's not a consistent message I hear.