2 answers
Chloe
Student
Stratford, Connecticut
1
Question
Updated
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How should I set myself up to go to a successful medical school?
Hello! I'm a Senior in high school who will be attending University of Connecticut in the fall. I'm majoring in molecular and cellular biology. What steps should I take that ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL to being successful in college, and how will these steps help me?
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2 answers
Elizabeth Holt
Physician
7
Answers
San Francisco
Updated
Elizabeth’s Answer
Hi Chloe congratulations on going to UConn! I grew up in CT too. UConn is a big school where it might be easy as an undergrad taking big intro science lecture courses to get lost in the shuffle. My main advice would be to be proactive and get to know your molecular bio professors personally - go up and ask questions at the end of a lecture, go to their office hours etc. Check their webpages to see if their research is of interest to you. From there see if you can do research with them during the semester or over the summer. You may want to see if they can connect you w faculty at UConn med for shadowing or research opportunities in the medical setting. Good luck!
Rita Chuang
Physician
307
Answers
Henderson, Nevada
Updated
Rita’s Answer
Congratulations! I was also a molecular biology major.
I felt that medical school was extremely difficult. Other people disagreed with me. I think it was the sheer volume of information that you need to learn that made it difficult. Also, you are now competing with all these bright students. Medical school attendings also liked people who were vocal and spoke up. I was very shy and hated public speaking.
Unfortunately, doing well in college is different from doing well in medical school. I thought college was so much easier. There were only certain classes you were required to take and you had a lot of time to study. It is essential that you get good grades and do well on the MCAT. If you have extra time, then you add research, volunteering, sports, etc.
Unfortunately, although this may get you into medical school, it does not mean you will do well in medical school. In medical school, you are in class all day and need to spend the nights studying. Each day, they give you more information to study and that's why I struggled. In 3rd and 4th year, that's when you are in groups and when your "teachers" will be asking you questions in front of everyone. You will need to "present" you patients. They will ask you questions in front of everyone and they want you to speak up.
Doing well in medical school does not necessarily mean you will be a good doctor. Those are different skills. You need to learn to listen. You need to work quickly but not seem like you are rushing the patient. You need to have good eye contact. You need to learn how to deal with "difficult" and "demanding" patients.
To do well in medical school, I recommend everyone work as a scribe. You learn the language of medicine, you see what doctors do and how they deal with patients. You see common things frequently. So, when you go to medical school, it will be easier. You will be more confident and you will shine.
I felt that medical school was extremely difficult. Other people disagreed with me. I think it was the sheer volume of information that you need to learn that made it difficult. Also, you are now competing with all these bright students. Medical school attendings also liked people who were vocal and spoke up. I was very shy and hated public speaking.
Unfortunately, doing well in college is different from doing well in medical school. I thought college was so much easier. There were only certain classes you were required to take and you had a lot of time to study. It is essential that you get good grades and do well on the MCAT. If you have extra time, then you add research, volunteering, sports, etc.
Unfortunately, although this may get you into medical school, it does not mean you will do well in medical school. In medical school, you are in class all day and need to spend the nights studying. Each day, they give you more information to study and that's why I struggled. In 3rd and 4th year, that's when you are in groups and when your "teachers" will be asking you questions in front of everyone. You will need to "present" you patients. They will ask you questions in front of everyone and they want you to speak up.
Doing well in medical school does not necessarily mean you will be a good doctor. Those are different skills. You need to learn to listen. You need to work quickly but not seem like you are rushing the patient. You need to have good eye contact. You need to learn how to deal with "difficult" and "demanding" patients.
To do well in medical school, I recommend everyone work as a scribe. You learn the language of medicine, you see what doctors do and how they deal with patients. You see common things frequently. So, when you go to medical school, it will be easier. You will be more confident and you will shine.