<p>I'm going to start applying to undergrad schools by this fall and I was wondering what I should do during the undergrad years (other than get good grades & good mcat scores) to get into a top med school.
any tips?</p>
<p>Have an active interest in medicine, be involved in ECs, and do research.</p>
<p>What kind of ec’s? I was told by others that med schools don’t care too much about the generic clubs or related things as ec’s.
When do most colleges allow for research? Case western offers it for freshmen from first semester. I’m not sure if this is the norm.</p>
<p>Any EC is worth doing if you’re interested in it, whether you’re going to put it on an application or not. It isn’t that they don’t care about them, they just don’t care what you do as long as you get actively involved and aren’t in it for the wrong reasons (like “looking good”).</p>
<p>Read the stickies on the forum before asking, that will give you a good start on understanding</p>
<p>Just get involved. You want to do as much as you can. This does’t mean that you do 5 different things right after another. Medical schools, just like any school, like seeing commitment. You can’t just join one club, and then drop it for another. Get enrolled in a club or two. Do some volunteer work. Be an active student. </p>
<p>Remember, you want both health and non-health ECs</p>
<p>Top Med. School spot is not guaranteed to anyone, it is a lottery. If you connections, URM or saved humanity from cancer - these might do, other than that nobody can tell.
However, most pre-meds have a goal of getting into ANY Med School, going to Top school is unrealistic goal for vast majority.</p>
<p>The students I see in DDs starting med school class seem to be mainly passionate interesting people who are interested and involved in life. I am sure there will be some uninvolved grade grubbers, but she has not mentioned their stories!</p>