4 answers
Madeline
Student
Covington
1
Question
Asked
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What makes you stand out for medical school applications?
I will be attending college in the fall, and wanted to know what are some things I can start my Freshmen year. And if it is necessary to start early or not. #Spring26
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4 answers
Perry Zuckerman
Psychiatrist
36
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Perry’s Answer
Hello Madeline,
First, don't let anybody kid you otherwise. For all of the fine and important talk about extracurricular activities, ***of foremost importance are your GRADES throughout college and your MCAT SCORES***. This will always be the case.
So keep on top of your classes throughout, study the material as it comes out in lectures the same day or the next at the latest, keep on top of your lecture notes and learn them well so that you don't have to cram at finals time. You do not want to be confronted with having to cram. Go to discussion groups and if you need, ask your graduate student TAs questions. Do not underestimate the TAs, they will know the material [for the purposes of your undergraduate class] as well as the Professor. You can go to the Professor's office hours. Get plenty of sleep every night. Eat well. Plenty of fluids. Exercise [I recommend at least some cardiovascular].
Now, there will probably be others who will respond here who will give you excellent thorough detailed advice about extracurricular activities, better than mine, so my comments on this aspect will be basically categorical/conceptual. But first, to answer part of your question, no, I advise against doing any extracurricular activities your first semester [if not your first year if you still feel uncomfortable]. You will just be "getting your feet under you"; that is, adjusting to the pace of classes, developing and tuning your study style, getting a sense of how much time you will need to put in studying in an average week, how to ramp up for midterms, finals, etc., etc.
What activities to do? Again, broad categories here: ONE: Volunteering in at least one professor's medical or medically-related research lab or project is a must. The department offices can help guide and direct you. TWO: Volunteering in at least one or more direct patient-care settings such as a clinic setting is a must [or maybe a hospital or related]. THREE: Finally, and I cannot stress this enough: Do some activities, volunteer work and/or clubs or other things, unrelated to medicine, that you PERSONALLY like to do, following your outside passions and interests. Old passions, and you will probably develop some new ones. Things you want to do even if you were not applying to medical school. Do NOT do these things because you think they will look good on a medical school application; admissions committees are smart, they see maybe a thousand applications every year [more?], and there is a good chance that they will "see right through you" if looking good on your application is your real intent in choosing these other activities. Do not underestimate the admissions committees.
Listen to others and consider their thoughts along the way. Coming here was one good idea, but there will be many many others. Whenever someone asks me for advice about anything, I always start out by saying "Whatever else I say now, the first and best advice I can give you is to ask the same question that you are asking me to at least 10 other people [10 being an arbitrary number]."
I'm probably forgetting some other considerations/categories.
Next, as you go through college and see your likes and aptitudes, think about and prepare alternate plans for at least one [and maybe several] other career paths.
And a final word ["last but not least"]: You will be in COLLEGE. A time of hard work, yes, but also one of the best times of your life socially. Do not doubt me that you will have many [not all, but many] social opportunities that you will never have again. Have fun; some fun every week. You will figure out how to balance this in without sacrificing the above things. This is every bit of a must as all of the above things: The fun activities you like that I discussed above. Make friends anywhere, some will become lifelong. Go to parties, dances, dorm events; campus events, maybe sports games or other entertainment events that you like with friends, anything.
Do not make the mistake of looking ahead at what seems like a whole daunting juggernaut ahead of you. Don't put "4 years of this?" in your mind. Plan of course yes, but all you ever have to do, all you can do, all everyone ever could and did do, was take it ONE DAY AT A TIME. The time will pass. Yes, you have work ahead of you, some long hours of studying, but above all it will be a monumental. memorable, wonderful time.
If you put in a sustained effort all along the way, you will be fine.
By all means feel free to ask any questions you have.
Perry
First, don't let anybody kid you otherwise. For all of the fine and important talk about extracurricular activities, ***of foremost importance are your GRADES throughout college and your MCAT SCORES***. This will always be the case.
So keep on top of your classes throughout, study the material as it comes out in lectures the same day or the next at the latest, keep on top of your lecture notes and learn them well so that you don't have to cram at finals time. You do not want to be confronted with having to cram. Go to discussion groups and if you need, ask your graduate student TAs questions. Do not underestimate the TAs, they will know the material [for the purposes of your undergraduate class] as well as the Professor. You can go to the Professor's office hours. Get plenty of sleep every night. Eat well. Plenty of fluids. Exercise [I recommend at least some cardiovascular].
Now, there will probably be others who will respond here who will give you excellent thorough detailed advice about extracurricular activities, better than mine, so my comments on this aspect will be basically categorical/conceptual. But first, to answer part of your question, no, I advise against doing any extracurricular activities your first semester [if not your first year if you still feel uncomfortable]. You will just be "getting your feet under you"; that is, adjusting to the pace of classes, developing and tuning your study style, getting a sense of how much time you will need to put in studying in an average week, how to ramp up for midterms, finals, etc., etc.
What activities to do? Again, broad categories here: ONE: Volunteering in at least one professor's medical or medically-related research lab or project is a must. The department offices can help guide and direct you. TWO: Volunteering in at least one or more direct patient-care settings such as a clinic setting is a must [or maybe a hospital or related]. THREE: Finally, and I cannot stress this enough: Do some activities, volunteer work and/or clubs or other things, unrelated to medicine, that you PERSONALLY like to do, following your outside passions and interests. Old passions, and you will probably develop some new ones. Things you want to do even if you were not applying to medical school. Do NOT do these things because you think they will look good on a medical school application; admissions committees are smart, they see maybe a thousand applications every year [more?], and there is a good chance that they will "see right through you" if looking good on your application is your real intent in choosing these other activities. Do not underestimate the admissions committees.
Listen to others and consider their thoughts along the way. Coming here was one good idea, but there will be many many others. Whenever someone asks me for advice about anything, I always start out by saying "Whatever else I say now, the first and best advice I can give you is to ask the same question that you are asking me to at least 10 other people [10 being an arbitrary number]."
I'm probably forgetting some other considerations/categories.
Next, as you go through college and see your likes and aptitudes, think about and prepare alternate plans for at least one [and maybe several] other career paths.
And a final word ["last but not least"]: You will be in COLLEGE. A time of hard work, yes, but also one of the best times of your life socially. Do not doubt me that you will have many [not all, but many] social opportunities that you will never have again. Have fun; some fun every week. You will figure out how to balance this in without sacrificing the above things. This is every bit of a must as all of the above things: The fun activities you like that I discussed above. Make friends anywhere, some will become lifelong. Go to parties, dances, dorm events; campus events, maybe sports games or other entertainment events that you like with friends, anything.
Do not make the mistake of looking ahead at what seems like a whole daunting juggernaut ahead of you. Don't put "4 years of this?" in your mind. Plan of course yes, but all you ever have to do, all you can do, all everyone ever could and did do, was take it ONE DAY AT A TIME. The time will pass. Yes, you have work ahead of you, some long hours of studying, but above all it will be a monumental. memorable, wonderful time.
If you put in a sustained effort all along the way, you will be fine.
By all means feel free to ask any questions you have.
Perry
Thank you for taking the time to help.
Madeline
Vanessa Mandal
Medical Director
25
Answers
Rocklin
Updated
Vanessa’s Answer
Medicine is a calling and requires attunement to the suffering of others. I grew up in a third world country, daughter of parents who were teachers. Our life was rooted in spiritual principles of serving the greater good. Poverty was a part of our life and we had opportunity on a daily basis to help the less fortunate in our community. I found avenues to serve through the local churches and their outreach programs. My mother taught at a school where the children had physical disabilities. I would spend many after school and vacation hours shadowing and watching her care for this vulnerable population. I learned without knowing it concepts of cultural humility and cultural awareness. These are the building blocks of behaviors and competencies medical schools are looking for in future students. Avail yourself of opportunities that build awareness of yourself and awareness of others. People skills are the key to building a relationship of trust. People skills are critical to the doctor patient relationship. You are unique as far as your many identities, become familiar with areas where you are privileged and areas where you felt marginalized. I have attached some links
https://students-residents.aamc.org/real-stories-demonstrating-premed-competencies/premed-competencies-entering-medical-students
https://www.eduavenues.com/blog/what-med-schools-look-for
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/lab-real-world/202007/check-your-privilege-important-self-assessment?msockid=0451cd9f21bc69f21e66db0c20c96898
Vanessa recommends the following next steps:
James Hanson
Pediatric Intensive Care Physician; Consultant
266
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
James’s Answer
I think Perry is fairly complete in his answer. I would only disagree with not doing any extracurricular activities the first year. I loved my college years, as you should. I loved them because while I was learning an amazing amount of diverse subjects from and with brilliant people, I was in choral groups, playing intramural sports, and RSVPing "yes" to most social gatherings. Had I not enjoyed these, I probably would have had a far less pleasant time. I definitely would not have met the person I ended up marrying. I also think the medical schools did appreciate that I got excellent grades while doing that.
Grades must be a priority, so learning as the material is presented, and keeping up with it all is paramount. The pace of education and the volume of material is a lot higher than in high school, so do expect to put in hard work. As with most things, you will do better if you do not procrastinate. Always ask yourself the "why" behind the assignments. When you understand why something is important it is easier to focus and learn and remember that which is presented. Take advantage of office hours so you are certain you understand the material and the why. Even watching for subtle clues from your teachers will help you identify what they deem most important. This will certainly be on the tests.
Do not rely on AI. I am not going to suggest it can't add value, but the moment you abdicate your role in writing in your own words, you risk sounding like everyone else, and you reduce the chance you will have actually learned something.
Grades must be a priority, so learning as the material is presented, and keeping up with it all is paramount. The pace of education and the volume of material is a lot higher than in high school, so do expect to put in hard work. As with most things, you will do better if you do not procrastinate. Always ask yourself the "why" behind the assignments. When you understand why something is important it is easier to focus and learn and remember that which is presented. Take advantage of office hours so you are certain you understand the material and the why. Even watching for subtle clues from your teachers will help you identify what they deem most important. This will certainly be on the tests.
Do not rely on AI. I am not going to suggest it can't add value, but the moment you abdicate your role in writing in your own words, you risk sounding like everyone else, and you reduce the chance you will have actually learned something.
Nathalye Lopez
40
Answers
Updated
Nathalye’s Answer
Hi Madeline,
Medical schools prefer well-rounded applicants. I suggest finding volunteer work you enjoy and staying with the same organization over time to show your commitment. Also, remember to maintain good grades and do well on the MCAT.
Medical schools prefer well-rounded applicants. I suggest finding volunteer work you enjoy and staying with the same organization over time to show your commitment. Also, remember to maintain good grades and do well on the MCAT.
Thanks for the advice.
Madeline