It is a long journey that leads to being a physician. And if you don’t have the right guidance along the way, it can be much harder than it needs to be.
As fresh highschool graduates, many students do not really understand what they should be doing to ensure an admission into the med school of their choice. There are so many myths and false beliefs surrounding what your pre med should be like. Influenced by these beliefs, many capable students end up making the wrong decisions in pre med colleges, which ultimately cost them their chance at getting into med school. Today, we will attempt to clear up some of the confusions that pre med students start with on their first day of college.
Here is the premed 101 that you should know before starting your undergraduate program!
You should not be doing a major in your pre med college that you are not interested in
So many pre med students take up a biotechnology or biochemistry major that they are not interested in thinking that it will practically guarantee them a med school admission. However, because the subject doesn’t really appeal to them, they end up doing really poorly.
While doing a nonscience major will not keep you out of med school, a bad GPA certainly might. When picking your major in pre med, be sure that you are actually interested in the subject and can do well in it.
It’s important that you get to know your professors in pre med colleges!
As a pre med student, you should build a good relationship with your teachers. Approach them to clear your concepts, ask them for tips on studying, and always attempt the past exam questions that they give you. This will not only help you score a better grade in your premed 101 classes, but they will also get to know you personally. Later on, when you need a glowing letter of recommendation, the relationship you have built with your professors can weigh significantly in your favor.
Remember, a letter of recommendation can make or break your med school application.
Med schools will love it if you have research experience
Want to increase your chances of getting into the med school you dream of? Get involved in a research project.
Research experience adds a whole lot to a medical school application. It shows your interest in the subject, the efforts you have made to gain knowledge, and your capabilities as a professional. Just be sure that you are participating actively in the project – you might be questioned about your level of participation in your interviews.
Your extracurriculars in pre-med colleges will not save you if you have a bad GPA
Never assume that you can snag an admission offer based off of your extracurriculars if your grades are not good enough.
Pre-med students are frequently told not to worry too much about a bad GPA as long as they are active outside of the classroom. While extracurriculars do help make a med school application better, they never take precedence over your grades.
If you want to be a good candidate for med school, make sure that you are not consistently getting Bs and below in your pre med 101 classes. Never compromise your performance on a test or skip classes to volunteer at the local hospital.
You need to strike that sweet balance between work and play
Alright, so you must always put your grades first, but does this mean that you give up everything else altogether? No!
Med schools like to see all rounder individuals that are not all about studying all the time. Not to mention that all work and no play doesn’t bode so well for Jack! To maintain your sanity, and to truly impress medical schools, strive to balance your studies with your interests outside of the class.
Many students find their best friends in pre med colleges
There is a general misconception that you cannot make genuine friends in a pre med college. People believe that because things are so competitive there, people will go to any length to emerge at the top. This includes pulling others down and betraying friends for their own benefit.
The reality, however, is quite different. Pre med college is what you make of it. Despite what you may have heard, not all your classmates are self-serving. In fact, having a study buddy at school increases the chances of the both of you getting a good MCAT score.
While being focused in your undergraduate program, keep yourself open to building new relationships. You never know, your pre med college might just give you lifelong friends!
Look for the best affordable colleges for pre med, even if you can afford a more expensive one
When talking of pre med colleges, it is important to realize that the most expensive is not always the best. There are a number of colleges that cost a fraction of what many elite schools cost, and still have a great level of education.
Rather than spending all your savings on your undergraduate degree, look up the best affordable colleges for pre med. If you spend everything you’ve got at this point in your journey, you will be strapped for cash when applying for med school.
Getting into med school is hard
You already know that getting into med school is tough, but do you know exactly how competitive it is? The majority of the students applying at a certain time will not get an admission offer from med schools in the USA. This means that there is a significant chance that you don’t get in on your very first try.
But does this mean that you lose heart and give up? Absolutely not! Even if you have not been accepted into an American medical school, you have got lots of choices left.
For starters, you could broaden your horizon and apply at schools in Aruba. There are a number of quality institutions here, for example Ausoma, that help aspiring physicians earn their degree. You could also go for a post bacc program, and try again next year.