What do you wish you would have done differently?

[the organator]

From a brand-new soon-to-be pre-med (I just got my early acceptance letter) looking to learn from his elders...

Now that you've gone through so much of the process, what do you wish you would have done differently?

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[Spankete87]

What do I wish I had done differently? - Tried harder in my science classes my first two years - it's really hard to pull up your GPA after two years of less than great grades.

The best peice of advice that I can give you is to major in something you TRULY enjoy. So many pre-meds major in bio or chem or biochem because they think it is what adcoms want. I wish I could have taken more psychology classes (added it as my second major my junior year) while I was in college because my true love is in neuroscience/neuropsychology. And take a few classes that you just enjoy - don't take everything to fill a perspective. Go out and have a life - get involved in things both medically related and non-medically related if you want. Every experience you have will give the adcoms a new piece of information about you. The next four (or 4.5 if you're like me) years will be some of the best years of your life. Enjoy it. You don't have to get a 4.0 to get into med school.

 

[KAR]

I wish that I had chosen a major where I could have studied abroad. I did biomedical engineering. Although, I am good at it, it was probably overkill for applying to medical school. I wish I had done something like economics and just don't the pre-med courses.

And like the person above me said, come out swinging. It's better to get a groove down studying at the beginning of your college career to get A's then to try to pull yourself together later.

Finally, one thing that I never figured out how to do was getting great letters of recommendation. I guess you just have to not be afraid to approach people for them, but I was never comfortable. I hardly ever asked questions in class or went to office hours.

 

[sdnstud]

What would I do differently? Spend less time on volunteering and more time on studying. I know many of you will disagree with me, but after going through the app cycle twice, I realize that getting into med school is mostly about a decent gpa and mcat. If you have a 3.3gpa, 27mcat, I don't care if you have 50K hours of volunteer work, you just don't compare to someone who has a 3.9gpa, 37mcat and 100hr of volunteer work. Granted, some volunteer work is needed so every applicant should do some kind of volunteer/EC. But if I were to choose between the two situations I mentioned above, I'd choose to be the second applicant in a heartbeat.

 

[Medikit]

What would I do differently? Spend less time on volunteering and more time on studying.

But your GPA and MCAT are great

 

[Uegis]

But your GPA and MCAT are great

I thought so too. Maybe August MCAT really did hurt you a bit, but its not over yet. Those other schools will come around soon.

 

[Spankete87]

One more thing: about letters of rec - make sure you get to know at least two of your science professors (that you do well in their class) and at least one non-science prof as well (if you don't have a premed committee at your school that writes one composite letter for you). Most med schools require two science and some require a non-science professor. Keep in touch with these people once you get to know them - letters of rec can go far in the application process. Letters from bosses (like if you do research) and from doctors and nurses that you volunteer with also are good. Having all of these shows the adcoms that you can not only get good grades but can also interact well with individuals and will be well suited for med school.

 

[Jeffy]

Taking the MCATs more seriously and in general not being such an ass in undergrad: late nights, procrastination, not reading as much I should have, etc.

 

[DianaLynne]

I would have gotten my letter writers to have sent their stuff in much sooner. I tried waiting until I had all of my secondaries in and ended up waiting so long I might as well have been an August MCATer. All the benefits of taking it in April were lost.

Plus, if I had known someday that I would be doing this, I never would have blown off semesters. Twice in my college career I didn't take grades seriously and I got C's and D's. Those grades took what would have been a spectacular GPA and took me down a notch. The anti-Emeril. (Please forgive me, I know I still have a good GPA, I'm just frustrated cuz it easily could have been sky-high. I even get asked in interviews what was going on.)

 

[45408]

I'd study more often for shorter amounts of time. Piling it on at the end can work, but it's stressful.

Overall though, I'm in pretty good shape. I do wish I could travel abroad, but with my job and income, that's not likely.

 

[uclabruin2003]

What would I do differently? Spend less time on volunteering and more time on studying. I know many of you will disagree with me, but after going through the app cycle twice, I realize that getting into med school is mostly about a decent gpa and mcat. If you have a 3.3gpa, 27mcat, I don't care if you have 50K hours of volunteer work, you just don't compare to someone who has a 3.9gpa, 37mcat and 100hr of volunteer work. Granted, some volunteer work is needed so every applicant should do some kind of volunteer/EC. But if I were to choose between the two situations I mentioned above, I'd choose to be the second applicant in a heartbeat.

i sound more like the first applicant and i already got a great acceptance. but yes being the second applicant would be nice but again its not a guarantee. perhaps if i was the second applicant i would have a shot at columbia, hopkins or harvard?

 

[MWillie]

i sound more like the first applicant and i already got a great acceptance. but yes being the second applicant would be nice but again its not a guarantee. perhaps if i was the second applicant i would have a shot at columbia, hopkins or harvard?

You are the exception, not the rule.

A person can't do everything, so don't expect to.

 

[avinash]

get all 4.0 semesters your freshmen year and continue to do well for the rest of college....

 

[jiy76]

First make sure that medicine is the route you want to go into. Make REALLY sure. If the answer is yes work extremely hard. If you love science and want to major in a hard science thats great but make sure you are doing it because you love it and are interested in the science not cause you think its impressive to ADCOMS otherwise it wont work out TRUST me. If you dont major in a science thats great too but make sure you take your pre med sciences dead seriously. You need to ace the classes work as hard as possible and do whatever it takes to get A's and learn the material as thorughly as possible. If you do that it will make studying for the mcat easier. I know this sounds like torture but its not you will have fun in college but please take the science classes as seriously as possible and get A's. I wish I could go back I have made mistakes so i want you to not do the same. Getting off to a good start is extremely important there are tons of people who get off on the wrong foot and end up spending considerable time trying to correct those freshman mistakes. It costs them and makes their college lives a lot less enjoyable. So please know what you are getting into and be ready for the challenge.

I wish you the best of luck and remember to have some fun as well

 

[EMTLizzy]

I would have gotten my letter writers to have sent their stuff in much sooner. I tried waiting until I had all of my secondaries in and ended up waiting so long I might as well have been an August MCATer. All the benefits of taking it in April were lost.

Plus, if I had known someday that I would be doing this, I never would have blown off semesters. Twice in my college career I didn't take grades seriously and I got C's and D's. Those grades took what would have been a spectacular GPA and took me down a notch. The anti-Emeril. (Please forgive me, I know I still have a good GPA, I'm just frustrated cuz it easily could have been sky-high. I even get asked in interviews what was going on.)

Amen sistah!

I think I just overwhelmed myself and reached a point where I said screw it all. Made for a lot of sleepless nights after the initial applications were in.

And the LORs were a pain too. I waited until I started getting secondaries. Should have gotten that lined up much earlier so I wouldn't be reminding people over and over at the last minute.

 

[Shaz]

This question is easy.

What I would have done differently is NOT LISTEN TO OTHER PREMEDS. It seemed like I had a small heart attack everytime I conversed with a fellow premed about the application process. Allright, it's cool to talk about sports, TV, or something un-medical school related, but for the love of god, DON'T TALK ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS WITH OTHER PREMEDS. My general motto is to make friends with people who are completely different than you, that way, you'll have a better understading of other cultures/religions/traditions etc. All but one of my closest friends are non-premeds.

My first and second year, I used to ask other premeds thier schedule to see how I should pace myself. One quarter, this guy told me he was taking four or five hardcore medschool prereq's at the same time. Ofcourse, being the novice, I took that to mean that every other premed except me was doing the same thing (which is not true).

I wish I had done what I did my third and fourth year: not listen to everyone else, and just pace myself. I've ended up doing pretty well in this process (unfortunately, I don't think you can say the same of the person aforementioned).

 

[tinnyfluffy]

What would I do differently? Spend less time on volunteering and more time on studying. I know many of you will disagree with me, but after going through the app cycle twice, I realize that getting into med school is mostly about a decent gpa and mcat. If you have a 3.3gpa, 27mcat, I don't care if you have 50K hours of volunteer work, you just don't compare to someone who has a 3.9gpa, 37mcat and 100hr of volunteer work. Granted, some volunteer work is needed so every applicant should do some kind of volunteer/EC. But if I were to choose between the two situations I mentioned above, I'd choose to be the second applicant in a heartbeat.

hey stud, i agree with you completely. but having come out from berkeley, i would say that 3.3 is definitely pretty good! (mind if i ask about your major? i am MCB-CDB. )

anyhow... on top of second'ing what stud said about the numbers, i would advise the premed to take manageable amount of courseload every semester, and if things don't work out with one class, don't be afraid to call it quits and take it again the next semester.

during my second semester, i actually took ochem, physics, calc, and english all together, and that was a BAD idea. i spent 10+ hours doing english outside that class every week. at first, i was doing great in both physics and calc, until i realized that i really needed to spend more time studying for ochem. then i shifted pretty much all of my attention to ochem, and ended up getting low grades in all my science courses. that semester alone ruined my GPA, bringing it down by 0.6 point. i spent the rest of my college years trying to save that, and was only able to pull it up by a little bit more than 0.15 or so.

other than that... i'd say, go out and have more fun when there's the time! most premeds work too hard and forget to take breaks. i think having some good fun from time to time really does help one to focus more on the study when the exams come around! learned those lessons the hard way...

 

[shivalrous]

I would have applied to all the combined medical programs out there. I knew from the outset that I wanted to be a doctor, but I was afraid that I would not be able to enjoy the collegiate experience going through a combined medical program. Needless to say I was proven wrong, I have friends at prominent programs who are head deep in the collegiate party scene coasting on their pre-accepted way into medical school. I'm not jealous of them, they deserve it every bit. But I kick myself for not taking their route.

 

[Shredder]

From a brand-new soon-to-be pre-med (I just got my early acceptance letter) looking to learn from his elders...

Now that you've gone through so much of the process, what do you wish you would have done differently?

If you're going to do any research, find something you're interested in fast and get into a lab as soon as possible with the intention of staying there for a long time. This will make publications, both first-authored and co-authored, much more likely to happen, and you would also be likely to receive pay after perhaps a year (maybe less) of experience. For anything prior to pay, you may be eligible to receive course credit which would amount to free As to help your GPA. Though only a young'n with little or no research experience, if you show dedication, interest, and long term commitment there is a good chance profs would take you in. Early lab experience will also help a lot in getting into summer programs and internships.

You may also want to find one or two organizations that you feel passionate about and stick with those throughout college. If you make your name and reputation well known within these, it is not improbable that you could end up president by your junior year, and this is the type of thing that looks great for leadership on applications. Joining organizations as just a member hardly helps, and for good reason since it requires little time or effort compared to officership and gives you little influence in the direction of the organization.

If I had to give one line of advice, it would be this, which becomes more and more true in life as you go on: It's not what you know, it's who you know. So, make connections with the right people, and they will put you in the right places. I hope that was helpful in some way.

 

[boardchic]

From a brand-new soon-to-be pre-med (I just got my early acceptance letter) looking to learn from his elders...

Now that you've gone through so much of the process, what do you wish you would have done differently?

I wasn't a science major (although Human Biology sounds like science, it's an interdisciplinary concentration and I focused on the social sciences aspects of gender and sexuality...), so most of the professors I was closest with were in non-BCPM courses. I always thought it was lame how pre-med kids went in to talk to science profs every time they had office hours just to secure good reccomendations. However, if I could do it again, I guess I would have done just that, since you definitely have to have two science recs. I was really close to my P.I., so I'm hoping that will make up for slightly impersonal science recs.

That being said, I'm really happy that I majored in what mattered to me, and got to know professors who were in academic fields that interested me, rather than just doing what was needed for med school. My biggest piece of advice:
ENJOY YOURSELF
This whole thread, although, good advice for you, is sort of masturbatory for the rest of us, because we can't do it again, you only get one shot... don't waste it being an anal premed only focused on getting into med school.

 

[boilerbeast]

Get a job this summer, work your ass off, and save your money. You will be poor quite quickly any any savings you have will help you tremendously. Summer before your junior year, do the same. The application process is ungodly expensive, expect to drop at least $1000 with MCAT, AMCAS, secondary fees and interview travel.

Have a fantastic time. I'm jealous that you're just beginning...my undergrad years have been some of my absolute favorite and I'm really sentimental to graduate. Enjoy yourself. Go out on Friday nights. Get crazy. Don't be so obsessed with getting a 4.0 that you miss out on all the other important stuff you should be doing. YEs, the point of college is to learn, but there is much more to that than academia. My only undergrad regret is that I didn't have more fun. When else are you going to live with thousands of other kids your own age and only have to "officially" work for 3 or 4 hours a day? It's an ideal situation. Make the most of it.

Go to class...study hard...but find the balance. It goes by fast.

 

[LauraMac]

ADVICE:
take the easiest major you can, something you like and something with little work. i was in engineering, and all that did was cause me more work and give me a worse gpa. i have a good excuse, though - i didn't know i wanted to be pre-med when i started. also, don't take any classes to impress the admissions committee. just take what you like.

start studying for the mcat a good few months before and be sure to take many practice exams... if you can afford it, take a prep class. i waited too long to start studying. and i just blew off studying a couple times to go out drinking instead, so be sure to stay on top of things if you don't have a class keeping you in line.

get involved in volunteering/research early so it isn't obvious that you are doing it just cause you're premed. i just decided to do the med school thing like a year and a half ago, and coincidentally that is also when i started volunteering at the hospital. it is prolly soooo obvious to the admissions committee!

believe in yourself. i am constantly assuming everyone else is smarter than i am, but that's just not the case. if you are getting good grades, even if you don't understand everything, you are probably doing just fine. remember your competition is higher than it was in high school, and there is more work. when you apply be sure to apply to top-tier schools. you might be surprised at all the schools who give you interviews. i was! i just wish i would have applied to some more of those kind of schools.

take the mcat in august after your sophomore year. then if you have to retake it, you can do it april your junior year and still apply early. if you end up taking the august mcat after your junior year you will regret it. you will never have a chance at schools with rolling admissions. i had the option of april without a prereq or august with all the prereqs. i chose april, and it was the best decision i could have made. applying early is key!

good luck to you!

 

[sdnstud]

I majored in biochemistry within the MCB department. I think there are 2 kinds of premeds. I call the first kind the "grade oriented" premeds and the second kind the "interest oriented" premeds. The first type (grade oriented) are premeds who major in "easier" majors so that he or she can earn a good GPA. This type of premed starts out the semester with 5 classes, takes the first midterms, and then drops 2 classes in which he or she did not do well in. For example, my ex-roommate used to drop classes in which he got a "B" on his first midterms, saying that he desired to retake the class next semester so that he is ensure an "A".

The second type of premed (interested oriented) major in majors he or she is interested in, no matter how difficult the majors. In fact, I consider myself this type of premed. Biochem at Berkeley is considered one of the harder majors and it shows on my transcript as most of my non-A grades showed up in my advanced Biochem classes. I never dropped a class because i f'ed up on the first midterm. In several of my classes, I f'ed up on the first midterms so bad, I knew the highest possible grade I could get was B but I stuck through these classes and sucked in those Bs.

Anyways...my point is...I was very stupid. I have "grade-oriented" friends who end up with 3.95gpa and get into schools like columbia, yale and ucla. I am now on my second application cycle and I am still not accepted anywhere. Bottom line: All med schools care about is your gpa. If you f'ed up on a midterm, drop that class. No one cares about your courage and how you stuck through the class.

hey stud, i agree with you completely. but having come out from berkeley, i would say that 3.3 is definitely pretty good! (mind if i ask about your major? i am MCB-CDB. )

anyhow... on top of second'ing what stud said about the numbers, i would advise the premed to take manageable amount of courseload every semester, and if things don't work out with one class, don't be afraid to call it quits and take it again the next semester.

during my second semester, i actually took ochem, physics, calc, and english all together, and that was a BAD idea. i spent 10+ hours doing english outside that class every week. at first, i was doing great in both physics and calc, until i realized that i really needed to spend more time studying for ochem. then i shifted pretty much all of my attention to ochem, and ended up getting low grades in all my science courses. that semester alone ruined my GPA, bringing it down by 0.6 point. i spent the rest of my college years trying to save that, and was only able to pull it up by a little bit more than 0.15 or so.

other than that... i'd say, go out and have more fun when there's the time! most premeds work too hard and forget to take breaks. i think having some good fun from time to time really does help one to focus more on the study when the exams come around! learned those lessons the hard way...

 

[liverotcod]

If I could do it over again, I wouldn't have started drinking. It's fine for many people, but for me it led to alcoholism. So now I'm delayed 14 years in starting my career, and it's been a very hard road. I'm proud and happy with the where I am, but I could have made it a lot easier on myself.

Then again, who knows. But remember there is a very real danger in college binge-style drinking, that is very difficult to see when college aged.

[/soapbox]

 

[salfrankador]

don't listen to all these people advising you to take the easiest major or easiest classes

Major in something that you are truly interested in. and if you don't know what that is, take a bunch of classes (aside from your premed reqs, of course) to figure it out. you don't have to declare a major right away. I switched mine at least three times before really deciding real late sophomore year. take classes that you think are cool, subjects that you are curious about. Don’t take underwater basket weaving just cuz you hear it’s an easy A. if you hate swimming and you don’t own a single basket, what good would learing that do for you?, how well could you possibly do in that class? Would you even want to go to that class? If you really, truly enjoy the material, acing the class will be no problem.

college is wholly a learning experience. by pursuing your own interests, you will learn more about yourself. Maybe you’ll find that you really enjoy history or english or economics. Or maybe you will find that you love science and math and that biology and chemistry are fascinating. Do what you enjoy. I had a few friends that did the premed thing all the way through school, and they ended up hating it. But by the time they realized how much they hated it, it was too far into school, too late to switch majors and go a different route. It sucks cuz they sort of wasted all that time and money doing this med school thing when they could have been pursuing something they truly enjoy and would have further pursued once they graduated. It seems like such a waste, ya know?

Also have fun. Lots of fun. Party. Hard. But study just as hard. Like a previous poster said, its all about the balance. Find yours. Get involved with clubs, meet a wide range of people. One of my biggest regrets was not being deeply involved with a school club/organization. College is a unique experience. And you can only do it once. So have fun and keep an open mind.

Sure, great mcats and gpas will get you that interview. But once you are there, med schools are looking for mature, intelligent individuals. They want people who are 100% confident in their decision to pursue medicine; people who know who they are, why they are there, and how they got there. You don’t necessarily learn these things in class. You can’t all of a sudden gain that kind of knowledge You gradually learn that through experience, by making mistakes, by recovering from those mistakes. By taking risks and exploring your options. To sum up my advice: find what it is you enjoy and pursue that. And at least until you start applying, stay away from SDN…

Good luck. And, oh yea… APPLY EARLY

 

[the organator]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

 

[2badr]

From a brand-new soon-to-be pre-med (I just got my early acceptance letter) looking to learn from his elders...

Now that you've gone through so much of the process, what do you wish you would have done differently?

Although I consider myself a little early in the process as a junior next year....

Not stress so much about every single solitary thing. I don't have to be perfect or find a cure for all cancers to be accepted into medical school. At some point you have to realize that you are getting into medical school where you will learn how to do all of those things you thought you should have had perfected just to apply.

I will have debt, sick parents, less than stellar stats, limited income and possibly a few additional family members to support. The only thing I can change right now is my MCAT (I have yet to take it). I plan to apply anyway and I'm going to try to not have any regrets. I did the best that I could with what I had. No more regrets or shoulda-wouldas for me.

Just my Sunday ranting and .25.

PS (Get back to me after I take the MCAT.) Now back to your regularly scheduled programming....

 

[45408]

I would have applied to all the combined medical programs out there. I knew from the outset that I wanted to be a doctor, but I was afraid that I would not be able to enjoy the collegiate experience going through a combined medical program. Needless to say I was proven wrong, I have friends at prominent programs who are head deep in the collegiate party scene coasting on their pre-accepted way into medical school. I'm not jealous of them, they deserve it every bit. But I kick myself for not taking their route.

Yeah, to be honest, I should've worked harder in HIGH SCHOOL so I could get into one of those programs. My undergrad career has been pretty by-the-book, but in HS, I just got relatively good grades and a relatively good ACT score. I knew from the beginning of HS that I was going to be a doctor, and I still feel the same.

However, in a lot of ways, I'm glad I didn't get into one of those, because this route challenged me more. Whatever.

 

[45408]

Oh, and I would recommend getting all six MCAT pre-req courses done immediately, so that you can take the MCAT in August after your sophomore year. I did that, and it's an ENORMOUS burden lifted from my shoulders. All you need is two of the sciences each semester (or three, if you haven't started), and then you can kick back and relax about the MCAT during your junior year. Or, if you didn't do well, you still have enough time to re-take it twice and still apply in time for matriculation after your senior year.

 

[myodana]

i'd have applied to stonybrook. but oh well. and maybe some volunteering. and maybe taking the mcat in april... oh what the hell, i could go on for hours. but no regrets, eh?

 

[swifteagle43]

I wish I wouldn't have gotten caught sleep with my roomates girlfriend in our room.....

 

[45408]

I wish I wouldn't have gotten caught sleep with my roomates girlfriend in our room.....

you took pictures, I hope

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

you took pictures, I hope

rotten

 

[ajnak182]

What would I do differently? Spend less time on volunteering and more time on studying. I know many of you will disagree with me, but after going through the app cycle twice, I realize that getting into med school is mostly about a decent gpa and mcat. If you have a 3.3gpa, 27mcat, I don't care if you have 50K hours of volunteer work, you just don't compare to someone who has a 3.9gpa, 37mcat and 100hr of volunteer work. Granted, some volunteer work is needed so every applicant should do some kind of volunteer/EC. But if I were to choose between the two situations I mentioned above, I'd choose to be the second applicant in a heartbeat.

I second this. I spent a lot of time volunteering and working on various community projects, which caused me to slack in my classes. In the end, those activities fail to make my 3.5 comparable to a 3.8, a gpa I'm certain I could have attained had I focused primarily on school. In the end, however, I really don't regret it. My college experience couldn't have been better, and though my gpa suffered, I will become a doctor because I want it badly enough. Get a high gpa, but don't sacrifice your college days for a 4.0 if attaining that 4.0 makes your college days miserable. Just my $.02

AJ

 

[Mr. Darcy]

working for a month or two in some 3-rd world country will likely get you into medical school. seems sad but the application process really wants to know that you are going to be a good doctor. for my part I never did this, but have noticed it would have made the application process easier.

 

[Mr. Seeds]

Don't do what I did and apply to so many schools that you dump upwards of 6 grand on the application process.

 

[newbiedoc]

I would have kissed some major asses and get good letters of recommendation. Go to office hours, even if you know what you're doing. I don't know what goes on at office hours, but if no one is there, just ask life questions like how did you decide to become a professor?...and then pretend to act suprised and go "WOW, THAT'S GREAT. BOY, am i glad you became a profess." Then continually drop by his office every now and then for the next couple of years. By the time you apply, you'll get kick-ass letters unlike mine.

Whatever you do, don't drop that pants or pull his finger if he asks you to do so.

 

[Wiggy73]

I would have committed to be premed earlier than, um, about this time last year.

 

[MoosePilot]

From a brand-new soon-to-be pre-med (I just got my early acceptance letter) looking to learn from his elders...

Now that you've gone through so much of the process, what do you wish you would have done differently?

Worked harder on GPA.

 

[Jeffy]

working for a month or two in some 3-rd world country will likely get you into medical school. seems sad but the application process really wants to know that you are going to be a good doctor. for my part I never did this, but have noticed it would have made the application process easier.

In my case I think it helped a huge amount. Overseas experiences can do a lot for you application . . . like make up for a less than stellar GPA

 

[ishaninatte]

Do schools really provide underwater basket weaving? I missed the boat on that one.

 

[ishaninatte]

Get it? "missed the boat"

Because boats probably take the students to their underwater basket weaving class.

It DOES NOT get better than that.

Booyah.

 

[blebl34]

Oh, and I would recommend getting all six MCAT pre-req courses done immediately, so that you can take the MCAT in August after your sophomore year. I did that, and it's an ENORMOUS burden lifted from my shoulders. All you need is two of the sciences each semester (or three, if you haven't started), and then you can kick back and relax about the MCAT during your junior year. Or, if you didn't do well, you still have enough time to re-take it twice and still apply in time for matriculation after your senior year.

Did the same and highly recommend it. Now that the spring semester has started, all my friends are stressing out being full time student and having the MCAT, while I'm gonna be cruising through the semester and boosting my ECs. Plus, you can focus just on the MCAT over the summer without worrying about taking classes/maintaining GPA.

 

[2badr]

Did the same and highly recommend it. Now that the spring semester has started, all my friends are stressing out being full time student and having the MCAT, while I'm gonna be cruising through the semester and boosting my ECs. Plus, you can focus just on the MCAT over the summer without worrying about taking classes/maintaining GPA.

Thanx...but you're late with that info for some of us. I would have arranged my classes differently to take it. I am considering taking it in August of this year. Hmmmm, we'll see.

 

[Premedalltheway]

just wanted to resurrect this thread cause it had great advice

Any students that have been just been accepted this cycle, any other advice you want to share?

 

[45408]

Did the same and highly recommend it. Now that the spring semester has started, all my friends are stressing out being full time student and having the MCAT, while I'm gonna be cruising through the semester and boosting my ECs.

Boy am I REALLY glad now that I already took the MCAT. I've been working quite a bit and will be even more, and I've been busy in my research lab, and the MCAT would just NOT fit in here now!

 

[UT_mikie]

I love this thread. Perhaps its minor thing, but I discovered this website AFTER I got accepted into med school (DOH!) I wish I would have known about this website before hand as I can see where the bar is (and what the applicant pool is really like. I thought a 3.75 / 29 was alright until I saw what the average SDNer has got). So good god you found this great resource early and take the advice that these people give you (some with a grain of salt of course).

And its not a regret but a plea. If you get a chance and you have the desire GO STUDY ABROAD!!! Even if it sets you back a year. You'll have the next 60 years to devote to medicine, so while you are young and have the energy, go broaden your perspective a little. It was the best decision I ever made and the adcoms tend to like it too.

 

[Old_Mil]

From a brand-new soon-to-be pre-med (I just got my early acceptance letter) looking to learn from his elders...

Now that you've gone through so much of the process, what do you wish you would have done differently?

I chose my undergraduate school based on it's "reputation." If I had to do it again, I would have completely disregarded "reputation" in chosing my undergraduate school and focused solely on (1) size (completely ruling out any school with over roughly 5000 students to maximize my ability as an individual to access the school's resources) and (2) social & extracurricular opportunities (in addition to going to class and doing homework when you go to college, you do actually have to live there).

I picked an undergraduate major that seemed practical (Economics/Computer Science). In reality, it was an impractical combination. A Bachelors in Economics that isn't supported by at least a Masters, and typically a PhD, is pretty much a useless degree. Computer Science ages so quickly that if you aren't active and working in the field, it is also a useless degree. If I was shooting for practical, I should have gone for something like a double major in Accounting and a foreign language. Hindsight being 20/20, I would have actually studied something that I really cared about - like history, or archeology - resulting in better academic karma and a higher nonscience GPA.

Good luck!

 

[lorelei]

I'm actually happy with most of my decisions. I originally wanted to be an engineer, so I studied something I liked and was good at (computer engineering) in addition to something I liked and wasn't that great at (German). And I enjoyed my undergrad career and didn't get sucked into the premed thing, because I wasn't premed.

I wish I'd gotten into research during undergrad, though. I thought about going to grad school in engineering or CS, but eventually scrapped it because I had no research experience and didn't think I'd like it - but who knows, I might have.

After college, I took two years off (I had to, because I needed to finish prereqs and take the MCAT). I'm really, really happy I did that. It's been an awesome experience for me. However, I think it might have been better to take more time to get more experience (like shadowing), make sure of what I wanted before I started applying, and think hard about where I wanted to be.

Since I started applying shortly after I'd moved far away from home for the first time, I wasted a bunch of money applying to all the state schools in my parents' state (of which I'm no longer a resident) before realizing that I like my new city much better, and might like trying a new city too.

 

[superdevil]

so many regrets....

1) as many have said, i would have taken the august MCAT after my sophomore year (at the time, i didn't even know you could do that).

2) would have applied to more prestigious undergrad schools. i only applied to one school (the one i graduated from) because it was cheap and close to home. imagine that: i managed to pick a university without giving academics a moment's thought. not that i'm a prestige *****, but the opportunites at my school (research and otherwise) just aren't what i'd hoped for.

3) would not have majored in bio. i had no idea what to expect from college (no older siblings/family members had experience with being science majors, etc), so i picked bio by default. don't get me wrong, i love biology, but i only picked it because i didn't think i was smart enough to do biomed engineering. turns out college was much easier than i expected. oops.

4) would not have spent so much time working. money is great and all, but i should have had more fun. period.

5) given my current situation, i would have applied to fewer schools. with my stats and being an ohio resident, there was no reason for me to waste so much money applying to 13 schools. AMCAS + secondaries + interviews = broke-ass superdevil. there goes all that money i worked for! i should have applied to fewer (like maybe 3-4) reach schools, but out of ignorance/insecurity, i figured i should apply to twice as many reach schools for a reasonable shot at acceptance. oops.


all in all, i can't complain with how i've done, but this certainly wasn't 'the plan'!