When to first meet with your pre-med advisor?

[jtimmer1]

So next week is when I finally make the big move into college. However, I have already contacted the pre-med adviser during registration. When should I meet with my advisor face-to-face for the first time? Should I keep a personal relationship with this person for when I need LORs and such?

This also brings me to my next question. How do I tell if my pre-med advisor actually knows what she is talking about, or if she is basically doesn't know what she is talking about? I know SDN is by-far the best pre-med source avalible, but it is always nice to have someone in person to talk to.

Any advice/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

-Jacob

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[QuaerensIntelle]

Ummm this is just my schtick, but I think it largely depends on how self motivated you are. Usually advisors aren't the best resource (at least none of mine have been very good). However, if you have a committee letter at you school you may want to start brown nosing now. Also, don't forget to brown nose your professors. I didn't do either of these things and regret it to some degree. Most importantly, choose some really good extra curriculars now and stick with them all 4 years!! You are a blank slate. I am so jealous.

 

[nonesuchgirl]

However, I have already contacted the pre-med adviser during registration. When should I meet with my advisor face-to-face for the first time? Should I keep a personal relationship with this person for when I need LORs and such?

This also brings me to my next question. How do I tell if my pre-med advisor actually knows what she is talking about, or if she is basically doesn't know what she is talking about? I know SDN is by-far the best pre-med source avalible, but it is always nice to have someone in person to talk to.

Do you have an academic advisor? Meet with them in September, pre-med in October. They can't write you LORs. If you have a committee, the committee will. If not, you'll be responsible for tracking down the LORs. You shouldn't be a total stranger, but you don't need to be their best bud.

If she tells you that you don't have to take the MCAT, she doesn't know anything. 😛 Otherwise, does what she tells you jibe with other resources, or is she totally out in left field?

 

[jtimmer1]

sorry, I forgot about this thread.

Thank you for the suggestions. I was hoping that my pre-med advisor could help with internships and shadowing, maybe even volunteering positions.

By the way, what is the best way to "brown-nose" a professor? I understand that it must be much different than high school. Just sit in the front? ask questions after class? Comment on how you like their beard? just kidding.

-Jacob

 

[scarletgirl777]

sorry, I forgot about this thread.

Thank you for the suggestions. I was hoping that my pre-med advisor could help with internships and shadowing, maybe even volunteering positions.

By the way, what is the best way to "brown-nose" a professor? I understand that it must be much different than high school. Just sit in the front? ask questions after class? Comment on how you like their beard? just kidding.

-Jacob

I think that your premed advisor could help with all those things, especially in terms of local opportunities. The sooner you meet with him or her, the better.

 

[veaselhaufen]

My application would be much poorer had I heeded the advice of my premed advisor

One vote for never bothering to meet him/her (unless you have a committee)

 

[Nemethyst]

Do you just have one advisor for the whole school? or are they assigned to you specifically?

At our schools career center we have like 5 pre-med advisors. I went to two of them and they were both bad. I was about to give up on the whole thing, then I met the advisor I'm using now. She's pretty awesome, and really helpful.

Just look/ask around to see who's the best. There's nothing better than an advisor that would go to bat for you.

as to professors for letters of rec - the best ones come from those courses you have a natural interest in. If you come to office hours just to make a good impression, its pretty obvious you're just there for a letter of rec.

One word of advice - Get those LORs EARLY. don't wait till senior year to get them, you should already have some in the bank.

 

[schismal]

By the way, what is the best way to "brown-nose" a professor? I understand that it must be much different than high school. Just sit in the front? ask questions after class? Comment on how you like their beard? just kidding.

Christ.

 

[MiraCheskis]

As soon as possible. You want to be as effective as possible in your class choices.

At my current school, they recommend once a year. I'm thinking of meeting once a major semester.

 

[linguini]

I think it depends on your school. My school, which is heavily science-oriented, has a pretty craptastic premedical committee. They didn't really tell me anything that I didn't know already - my advisor "you're going to need good grades and good MCAT scores"...umm duh? I learned much more from upperclassmen going through the premedical curriculum and application process. Ask your TA's, use SDN, etc. etc.

As for getting in with professors, that's important. If you have big pre-med classes, you may want to consider TA-ing if you have the opportunity as you get more face time with the professors...plus it looks good on a CV. I also introduced myself to a professor in a smaller class sophomore year - I kept up communication with him throughout the next 2 years and I got a strong recommendation out of him. But please please please don't be that one kid in the big class that asks a million questions and keeps everyone from getting out on time. Frankly, I don't think it will impress your peers or your professor.

Good luck!

 

[Struggles]

The sooner the better. Find out what EC's he/she can recommend and try to figure out if he or she is competent. Establish some sort of relationship, then go from there. My advisor is great, she helps me figure out everything with my schedule as well as hooking me up with cool groups and research opportunities at school.

 

[atomi]

Never, if possible. The pre-med office is designed to do nothing but scare away applicants and discourage you every step of the way in order to minimize their workload. You don't need 'advice' to get into medical school - it's an incredibly documented and easy-to-follow process -- their jobs shouldn't exist and they know it. Go it on your own and ignore the committee letter and the few schools that require it.

 

[linguini]

Never, if possible. The pre-med office is designed to do nothing but scare away applicants and discourage you every step of the way in order to minimize their workload. You don't need 'advice' to get into medical school - it's an incredibly documented and easy-to-follow process -- their jobs shouldn't exist and they know it. Go it on your own and ignore the committee letter and the few schools that require it.

I disagree about the committee letter. It's definitely worth getting...even if it is a form letter essentially. Though few schools require it, I think most schools want it. Of course get more than just the committee letter!

 

[amakhosidlo]

When should I meet with my advisor face-to-face for the first time?

-Jacob

Never. Unless this person writes your committee letter, is on the committee, or personally knows the dean of your med school, these people aren't usually worth their salt. When I met with my pred-med advisor, she gave me my school's stats, printed out a schedule from a website and sent me on my merry way.
Useless.

Join the pre-med club first chance you get, and talk to all the upperclassmen. Tell them you're a freshman and ask for advice. These people are running the same rat race that you're about to start, only they've personally encountered all of the hurdles that you're enlikely to run into along the way. The best part is, unlike SDN it's specific to your school. Profs, classes, clubs, volunteering, you name it. Their advice, at least in my experience, has been worth its weight in gold.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't meet with advisers at all, just stay away from the "pre-med" advisers that give the same lines to however many thousand "pre-med freshmen" he or she sees every day.

Separate yourself from the heard at all costs...