Pre-Med and Medical School Advice

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

I am currently a high school student and will be attending a UC university in the fall. I know that in order to get into Medical School you need good grades (3.5+) and at least pass the MCAT or score very high on it. Besides that, I understand you need a well-rounded application that includes community service, extracurricular activities, research and maybe clinical experience. I have always known that I have wanted to go to Medical School and I understand, and have been told over and over and over again, that it is a very rigorous process and will not be easy.

I will be a bio major (because I am interested in that subject not just because I think I need to major in bio to get into med school) and I am very prepared for the workload. I will also be on the crew team which is 6 days a week and has practice at 6AM every morning (again, I love doing crew and I am not doing it just for looks on my application). I am also currently a medical research assistant for a hospital nearby the campus. I am planning on gaining service hours here and there throughout my first two years at that hospital and have been told that I will be able to get into the SCRIBE program at the same hospital as a junior. I plan on either doing research at other universities over the summers or maybe volunteering at free clinics abroad… Not sure which one yet. I am not currently enlisted in the honors program, but will be applying for that too. I am planning on keeping my grades as high as I can and doing my best on the MCAT.

I was wondering if anyone has any advice for other extra curriculars I should be doing? Or any opinions on what I shouldn’t be doing? Or just any advice at all would be a great help!

2

The best advice is do very well first year. It’s not going to get easier and the last thing you want is to be trying to bring up your GPA when having very difficult courses. Also, sure 3.5 is nice, but ideally you should aim for a 3.7. For top notch, you should aim for a 3.8+.

For ECs, you want
Research
Shadowing
Clinical Experience
General Volunteering

See if you can get a publication in there, and get 2+ research positions. Start volunteering early, maybe after the first year of pre-med. However, this is key. DO NOT LET YOUR ECs GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR GRADES, unless you really love your EC. The year you take Organic Chemistry, try to ease up on your ECs. You want to spend a lot of time on Orgo. I wouldn’t recommend anymore than 10+ hours during the school year if you’re taking hard classes.

Try to get out of your box. Sure volunteering at a hospital is nice, but also volunteer with the poor and get to know other communities more. Research is nice, but don’t lax on general volunteering. SCRIBE should be good for clinical experience, and you could easily count that as shadowing too, but see if you can get some connections to shadow 5+ doctors in different specialities.

To be competitive anywhere get a 3.85, 520 MCAT, extensive research experience with maybe 1 publication, 75-100 hours of shadowing under different specialities, 100-150 hours of clinical experience, and 100-150 hours of general volunteering in vulnerable populations.

3

If you see your future in patient care, skip the research and focus more on ECs that put you in contact with patients (eg nursing homes, hospice, etc)