College can be both an exciting and a confusing time in one’s life. There are so many options and even more opinions out there, and I’m not saying any of them are right or wrong – just different according to each individual’s personal experience. Below are a few things I wish I knew before starting on the road to medicine, but know that above all, college is a time of self discovery and growth.
Enjoy the journey and know that it’s okay to do things differently!
- GPA isn’t everything, but it’s a huge help! It’s better to start college with a good GPA than to start with a bad GPA and try to raise it later on, so try to end freshman year strong! Of course, there is much more to an application than your grades, but try your best (especially in science courses) to enhance your chances of getting accepted into medical school.
- Space out your science classes so that you are only taking one or two difficult courses a semester. If you are weak in Physics and Organic Chemistry, for example, plan to take only one of the two in a single semester and stack the rest of your schedule with another 1-2 science classes that you are strong in and/or another light course.
- The value of extracurricular activities is in the quality, not the quantity. It is better to devote your time and energy to being very involved in a few extracurriculars than to being a little involved in a lot of extracurriculars. Admissions committees see right through filler activities, so my motto is not to list an activity on my resume if I can’t speak extensively on how I contributed to it. The best advice I can give on this is to choose 2-4 leadership opportunities to pursue and get really involved in a project or create your own project that can be continued even after you graduate.
- It is okay to take your time. You don’t have to matriculate immediately after graduating undergrad. In fact, most medical students spent one or more years out of school before returning to obtain a medical education. While I had personal reasons for matriculating directly into medical school from undergrad, I have noticed that the non-traditional students have a deep gratitude for the opportunity to study medicine and are generally highly motivated to study and to learn the material. So whatever you are doing, whether that be working, traveling, researching, or entering medical school directly, know that you are doing what you are meant to be doing. Enjoy the journey and know that medical school will be there when you are ready.
- Both DO and MD degrees will get you to the same end goal. There is a lot of bias among premeds against going to an osteopathic vs. an allopathic school. If you look on Student Doctor Network or go to your pre-med advisor, you are likely to believe that the bias still exists in medicine, but from my personal experience, the bias ONLY exists in pre-meds nowadays. Among practicing physicians, there is virtually no differentiation. I have observed and worked with both MDs and DOs, and I have yet to experience any discrimination from an allopathic mentor or peer for being an osteopathic student. More on this topic in a later blog post 😉
I hope you pre-meds found these tips helpful! Let me know in the comments what you think and if there’s anything else you’d like me to comment on.
Good luck on your journey to pursuing medicine. I’m rooting for you!
xo, Mad
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Hi, this is my first year of undergrad, but i was curious as to what I should major in that would help better prepare me for medical school. I’m starting off at a community college and they recommended biology, but I’m not 100% sure if I’m on the right path with that.
Also, you have become such a role model to me. You have such a desire and passion for what you do and you are such an inspiration to me!! Your hard work has/will most definitely pay off!! 💗
Hi! I would recommend to major in something you really want to learn more about and will motivate you to study up on, then just do medical school pre-requisites. I majored in business and just did my pre-reqs and it was the best decision I made bc I learned something completely different and am bringing that diverse knowledge and skill set into the medical field!
I’m majoring in chemistry and I want to go to medical school after I’m done with my bachelors. What kind of extra curricular activities should I do that will help me with medical school interviews?
Just do any extracurricular that you’re passionate about! Med schools prefer you be really passionate and really involved with a single extracurricular than be minimally involved with a ton of different ones. Find something that you can make a meaningful impact in and that you can care about – that’s the one interviewers will want to talk to you about.
I’m a pharmacy’s student and I absolutely love your blog 💕 You inspire me to follow my dreams and never give up. I’d really be so thankful if you can follow me back!
With love, kate 🎈💕
MCAT study tips! What were your resources? And when should you start studying? I liked this blogpost and am excited for more!
Also, this is more on a personal level that you can answer or not, but did you graduate with a high gpa?
Hi Cindy! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post 🙂
I mainly used Princeton books and practice questions/exams. Everyone has a different timeline, but most of my friends spent about 5-6 months studying for the MCAT. Some of my friends took it twice, and that’s perfectly okay as well!
I was a very traditional student in the sense that I had all of the typical boxes checked (high GPA, good extracurriculars, etc), but that’s precisely why I wrote this blog post the way that I did. I wanted people to know that even if you don’t have all of the boxes checked, you can still make it to med school. It may just take a bit more time and effort, but that’s okay and it’s worth it if medicine is what you believe you were called to do. Hope this helps ❤️
MCAT study tips! What were your resources? And when should you start studying? I liked this blogpost and am excited for more!
Also, this is more on a personal level that you can answer or not, but did you graduate with a high gpa?