1 answer
2
Updated 248 views

What are habits that I can start developing now to set myself up for success for medical school?

I am in 12th grade hoping to major in biology next year on a pre-med track. I am interested in helping people, and hopefully traveling the world healing people once I become a doctor. I want to best prepare myself in college, so that I have high chances of being accepted into medical school.

fall25 biology medical-school premed
Answer This
2

1 answer

0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Alyssa’s Answer

I think it's a great idea to major in biology. Although you can theoretically major in anything as an undergrad, I was a biology major and I found it helpful. I did not have anyone in my immediate family who had been a science major in college and/or had worked in nursing or medicine or science, so I think that just having that background, as an undergrad, helped me when I actually got into medical school and helped me for the medical school admissions test (I was in college from 1993-1997 but assuming they still use some version of that test for med school admission purposes). I would say try to take at least 1 year of chemistry and physics in high school (hopefully you did that, but if not it's not that's OK, you can just forge ahead). Once you get into college I would explore what advising help they have (does your college have a premed or pre-health sciences advisor or an office that deals with that?). I personally think it is helpful to go to a college where there are a significant number of premeds and other pre-health science students. I went to a liberal arts college that had no grad students, and only about 350 students/class, but there were quite a few biology majors and there were a few chemistry majors and other people who were also premeds. If you go to a college with very few premeds, and/or very few biology majors, you can still get into med school but I think the schools that have more premeds, or at least some premeds, tend to teach the things you may need to know for med school and they may have more support (for example an advising system). I also found that being surrounded by these other somewhat ambitious people/students, helped me with setting bigger goals. On the other hand, some colleges and universities can be very cut-throat, and for me that would have been not ideal. My school (undergrad) was not like that. I think I might have not done well if I had gone to one of these large private universities where everyone on the premed track was super-intense. I think as a high school student, you don't need to majorly stress about this yet other than making sure you do well in your classes (which does not have to be A+ in everything, by the way - it's good to have goals but don't stress if there is a B+ on your transcript). I had to Google where you live, and it looks like you're in the greater Chicago area, which is excellent. I bet there are lots of opportunities to get exposure to shadowing a doctor(s) , and that would be helpful. I would suggest just cold-calling the Chicago Medical Society,
https://www.cmsdocs.org
tell them you're in 12th grade and ask if there are any doctors who let people shadow them. Also, I found this group - don't know much about them but looks like they are civic-minded doctors in Chicago. https://ccpachicago.org - Cook County Physicians' Association. I would call them up. Ask them if you can shadow someone for a 1/2 day on one of your days off from school, etc.

Alyssa recommends the following next steps:

Also, you asked about habits. I think one is just finishing what you started, showing up consistently, not stay up super late at night. Don't get distracted from your goals by social media scrolling, video games, etc. i was also an athlete- i found that helped me with dedication, goal setting, etc. But you can learn that lots of ways that don't involve sports.
0