What are some of the best decisions you made as a pre-med?

[ct303]

There is that thread about the dumbest decisions you made as a pre-med- so it got me thinking. What are some of the best decisions you made as a pre-med?

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[aich]

not listening to other premeds at school

 

[Essee]

Not voiding my MCAT despite some pretty bad test day experiences

 

[Gregor Wiesmann]

Asking for Starbuck's giftcards for Christmas.

 

[ct303]

@Essee really? That sounds brutal- that bad huh?

 

[Person0715]

Not making friends with other premeds at my school.

 

[mrh125]

Not giving up on my goal. I had to commute between five community colleges that were severely impacted and was hardly able to take a premed course because of how impacted the courses were. I stuck with it, transferred to a great school, and took the premed courses I needed, and was actually to pursue a biology major. Had I given up I would have missed so many great opportunities and experiences. Even though I had to pack an entire four years of science education into 2.5 years it was worth it.

 

[EMDO2018]

Not getting that girl pregnant

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

Transferring from my state school to a smaller school

 

[justAstudent]

Not trying to one-up other pre-meds and be happy with my own accomplishments.

 

[ct303]

Not trying to one-up other pre-meds and be happy with my own accomplishments.

I can see how that would be detrimental. I think that is a good one for a lot of pre-med to understand.

 

[sh0rtstop34]

enjoying my friday and saturday nights instead of studying

 

[Doudline]

Following Warren Buffett's advice:

"I think you are out of your mind if you keep taking jobs that you don't like because you think it will look good on your resume. Isn't that a little like saving up sex for your old age?"

(Not applying only to jobs, ofc.)

 

[WillburCobb]

Break up with my bitchy, insecure, marshmallow and Vienna sausage devouring, manatee of an ex.

 

[jm192]

Break up with bitchy, insecure, marshmallow and Vienna sausage devouring, manatee of an ex.

She likes little wieners, you see.

 

[snowflakes]

Approaching my undergraduate experience as much more than becoming the perfect med school applicant.

Majoring in a non-science field.

 

[quicheduty]

Taking a language!
It's opened so many doors.

 

[Tappinfool66]

Hitting the books and studying hard
Majoring in Spanish
Taking other languages (Portuguese, Italian, Arabic)
Studying abroad
Studying for the MCAT when the time was right and not rushing to take it
Taking my time in general with the whole process instead of rushing things
Taking time off after graduating to work in a clinical setting and confirm my decision to pursue medicine
Working on my application early enough that I could submit the morning AMCAS opened

 

[timeturner]

Taking a gap year and retaking my MCAT. My first score wasn't bad, but it was definitely worth it to wait one year and get an awesome score

 

[Kochanie]

Taking a language!
It's opened so many doors.

+1
I wouldn't have my clinical position if I didn't speak 2.5 languages.

 

[Kochanie]

Not listening to my adviser. If I did, I would be on my way to having a major and career I didn't like because I got an A in one of the classes.

 

[thegypsyqueen]

Pushing my MCAT back when I wasn't ready. I only had to take it once and I was so excited when my score came back.

 

[deleted407021]

Finding good grades to be enough of a positive reinforcer for good study habits.
Starting out volunteering early on and really putting time into it. Over 300 hours at a clinic in less than a year.
Changing my major from biology to psychology.
Looking to SDN for help and advisement.
Being patient.

 

[rolliespring]

Studied hard like a nerd, played hard like a nerd.

 

[mrh125]

I got another although i'm just glad it's over now: Working on my AMCAS application early and submitting it the second it opened.

 

[kthxbai]

I made sure that I really wanted to be in medicine. I didn't bother applying until I could concisely and convincingly put my reasons down in writing.

 

[MathewsMD]

There is that thread about the dumbest decisions you made as a pre-med- so it got me thinking. What are some of the best decisions you made as a pre-med?

Not joining a premed society.

 

[Abstractions]

Not joining a premed society.

I agree with you, but that's because most people view them as a reliable source of info/way to get ahead when in reality its just a social group/networking with other premeds.

 

[TheBossDoctor]

Not eating that poop hotdog to get into my top choice medical school.

 

[UlahSnackbar]

Well studying for the MCAT and blowing off my upper level bio classes worked out because I ended up with a 31! That was my best decision

 

[URHere]

Gaining actual work experience.
Exploring plenty of non-medical things.
Occasionally staying out with my friends until 3am and working/studying when I came home in the morning.
Taking an extra year to figure out if I really knew what I wanted to do with my life.

 

[Copernicium]

Honesty? Joining SDN. I'd be so clueless and uncompetitive if I didn't discover this place early on...

 

[persumas]

Hitting the books in my pre-med classes (Definitely paid off when it came to studying for the MCATs)
Not comparing myself to other premeds, or joining clubs/student organizations just because all the other premeds were doing it.
Surprisingly, majoring in Information Systems during undergrad.

 

[blubearzangel]

.

 

[Lya]

Research/study abroad

 

[lobo.solo]

Not having premed friends. Not talk to premed advisors.

 

[Papa Doc]

Participating in summer enrichment experiences such as SMDEP and UPenns summer premed enrichment program.

 

[nellbot2000]

Finding amazing mentors in unlikely places that continue to support and advise over the long term.

 

[Planes2Doc]

Volunteering in a hospital. I dreaded the experience when I was a pre-med, but looking back, I realized that volunteering in the hospital is seriously the best thing you can do as a pre-med. It's a very small time commitment, and counts for both clinical experience and volunteer experience. You can also use time during volunteering to do your own thing, whether it's studying, reading for personal pleasure, playing games, or even double-dipping and getting some shadowing hours in at the same time.

Too many pre-meds pick up too many activities, and waste the best years of their lives away. Sure it might suck in general, and sucks more not to get paid, but it has been getting pre-meds into medical school since the dawn of time. Don't discount it!

 

[mvenus929]

Finding SDN. Our pre-med advisor didn't know what he was talking about.
Taking a gap year. I didn't do it intentionally, but it allowed me to really figure out what I wanted to do with my life. The money I got from working during that time was nice too.
Minoring in history. It was a nice excuse to break from the traditional science classes of my degree.

 

[Kochanie]

Not giving up! I was very close, but this quarter I think I'm going to make Dean's List.

 

[Spinach Dip]

Never going to my pre-med adviser.

 

[civic4982]

Realizing early on that most PreMeds will never go to medical school for one reason or another.

As others have stated, that allows you to avoid the group think where we all end up in the same experiences to polish off the resume. After a few meetings at the Pre Med on campus club I said to hell with this and joined the sailing club and later the sailing team instead.

Allowing myself a second chance to take the MCAT and booking it hard the summer after graduation before taking a year to work.

The year to work definitely allowed a nice breather before heading to back to school and I appreciated the opportunity to go to med school after it.


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[Zelda840]

Not dropping organic after that first test came back. I'd never gotten a D on anything and my first instinct was to drop the class and try again later, but I'm really glad I stuck it out.

 

[BoxVersionAce]

Putting in the time needed to study for the MCAT. It was a hard decision because it took away from other activities important to me, but in the end it was worth it because of the importance of the test and my lack of test taking skills.

 

[DielsAlder]

Not making the library a part of my social life as many premeds at my school do. Only using it to study, get work done, and do well in my courses. So much more time for friends, family, and EC's that way.

 

[NP545]

Working out 4-5 days per week.

 

[allantois]

I could retake my Gen. Chem 1 first semester in the Fall but I decided not to (due to AP credit) and I am very glad I did. I ended up with the best professor for Organic 1 who only teaches in the Spring.

 

[drcrispmd]

Spending a semester studying abroad in Australia.
working part-time (~15 hours/week) as a pharmacy technician
Regret: turning down the acceptance to one of their undergrad 6 year medical program.

 

[alpinism]

My top 10:

Transferring to a better undergrad.
Using rate my professor to find out which professors to avoid.
Taking at least 16 credits every semester.
Trying out research for a year.
Spending at least a couple hrs volunteering every week during undergrad.
Taking summer school classes at Berkeley and Harvard.
Studying for a full summer before taking the MCAT.
Not listening to our pre-med advisors and using SDN instead.
Applying early and finishing secondaries by August.
Writing quality personalized secondary essays for each school.