<p>Those of us who've hung around this place long enough know that at this time of the year, we get a rash of threads fretting about first semester grades and other such topics. I thought we could compile advice that'd be relevant to a wide range of advice seekers.</p>
<p>Here's my 11-cents' worth:</p>
<p>If you're satisfied with your first semester grades:</p>
<p>1) Great job! Seems like you've avoided a lot of the pitfalls of freshmen year. Keep up the good work. You've got at least another 5 semesters to get under your belt before you start working on your ERAS, so stay motivated and continue working smart.</p>
<p>If you're not satisfied with your first semester grades:</p>
<p>1) Take advantage of the holiday break to be honest with yourself and seriously think about why you didn't earn the grades you wanted. Did you get distracted by social activities? Did you procrastinate and try to cram before finals? Did you study hard but not study smart? In order to improve your performance, you've got to figure this out, and the sooner the better.</p>
<p>2) If you think you earned a grade lower than the one you deserved, politely ask your professors or TAs for a second look or a regrade of that last test. But don't be that premed. You know what I mean - the person who argues over every last half-point even if it won't change the overall outcome or demands to have their score rounded up even when it didn't make the cutoff. (Face it - sometimes you just won't make the cut for that higher grade.) The last thing you want is to develop a reputation for being difficult or unreasonable. It will make folks less inclined to help you out when you really need it.</p>
<p>For everyone, regardless of grades:</p>
<p>1) Take a break. Really. Have fun with family and friends, eat some yummy food, catch up on sleep. Taking well-timed rests will keep you fresh and sharp and reduce the chances that you'll burn out. You've got another semester coming up soon, and you'll want to do as well as possible.</p>
<p>2) Do you have plans for this summer? If you don't, now's the time to start thinking about what you'll be doing. </p>
<p>3) If you haven't started getting some clinical experience, you may want to start planning how you'll get this crucial part of your application to medical school squared away. You'll want a longitudinal experience that puts you in contact with both patients and healthcare providers, including MDs. </p>
<p>4) If you haven't started getting some volunteer experience, you may want to start planning how you'll get this crucial part of your application to medical school squared away. You'll want a longitudinal experience that allows you to give back to those around you, whether that be your college environment or the community at large.</p>
<p>Observant freshmen will realize that I'm not advocating you begin studying for the MCAT, which would be a waste of time at this point in your education, or that you quit pre-med in despair over your grades, since there's still time to stage a comeback.</p>