Hi, does anyone have any advice on great options for premed incoming freshman to do during the summer?
So far I’ve considered:
IMO, it’s better to get a job than volunteer or do an unpaid program – it’s not like you need it for college apps anymore, plus you could earn some spending money for school.
Also, this is really your last summer to be a kid and spend time with family & friends – I already have a job and considered getting a second one, but my parents put the kibosh on it for that reason. So that’s what I’m doing. Save your strength for later!! 
Lastly, depending on the school, you might be too busy with orientation, move-in, dorm shopping, etc to really get anything done. Maybe you could try to “study” a little and refresh on some math/science topics too (I’ll probably go back and review some calc stuff just so my brain isn’t totally mush by August).
Good luck & HAGS lol!!
Yea, a job is a great way to spend time over the summer. I’ll definitely keep the ‘fun’ aspect in mind, but since I’m considering applying for transfers, I’ll still have to worry about college apps. 
Thanks for the advice, I hope you HAGS too.
You are. HS senior…haven’t started college yet…and are already planning to transfer? Why?
Aww that’s sad, more college apps! I didn’t even know you could do that – where are you going/transferring?
Still, a job counts as an extracurricular too & apparently it looks great to work at, say, McDonald’s because it demonstrates work ethic. But working in a lab/hospital is also a very valid activity, and you could try out the field at the same time. Tough choices!
I’m one of the thousands of freshman who feel like they haven’t represented themselves fully in college admissions. I personally just feel like ‘I could have done so much better’, and I intend to transfer to a more ‘prestigious’ college in order to better my chances of getting in a ‘prestigious’ med school. This is just one reason I want to transfer. I also wish to access the abundant resources in the other school (Rice).
I would suggest you get a job, and find a doctor or two to shadow this summer.
Going to a “more prestigious” college will NOT “better your chances of getting in a more prestigious Med school”.
Your chances of getting into Med school …Any Med school are based on your undergrad GPA, MCAT score, LOR, ECs related to this, and your ability to interview well.
In fact, you might be better staying at TAMU and excelling GPA wise.
Who is paying your college bills? If you are an instate Texas resident, TAMU is less costly than Rice. Or are you low income and counting on need based aid.
Med school is very costly…so if you are paying yourself…save your money.
I won’t even go into the statistics about how many premed students never even apply to medical school…and how many who do apply don’t get accepted anywhere.
And lastly…medical school is medical school is medical school. No matter which one you attend, if youneven are accepted, you will graduate as a doctor.
Where you do your residency really matters.
@WayOutWestMom what have I missed?
I also suggest you get a job over the summer. Service industry jobs actually teach you valuable people skills that are useful to potential medical students, residents and physicians. Medicine is actually a customer-oriented service profession. (Look up Press Ganey scores.)
{Funny and true story-- D1 waitressed all through college at high end restaurant. When she was interviewing for med school, not a single interviewer asked her about her research project, but almost all of them commiserated with her about working as waitstaff. BTW, being a waitperson requires a lot of the same people-oriented skills as being a physician–like being able to establish a rapport with an individual in a few seconds or eliciting sometimes complicated information from a person you don’t know). )
Additionally, a job–even if it’s at McDonalds–is something to put on your resumé. Previous job experience is always desirable when applying for thing like research positions and summer internships.
A job will also allow you to earn some spending money for college–for a new wardrobe, fraternity or sorority dues, for lattes while studying at the library, for a spring break trip to Jamaica, or whatever. It’s nice to have some discretionary money in your pocket.
One last consideration–activities done before the start of college typically are NOT included on a med school application unless those same activities have been continued during college.
I’m actually planning on working, but restaurants are pretty intense and I’m not sure I’ll have the time for that. I’m also applying to volunteer at a hospital. Jobs are definitely vital for a solid foundation in adult life.
@thumper1
I’ve shadowed 2 doctors in the past, definitely inspiring and made me more fascinated in medicine.
Actually, I don’t even know if I chose the right major at TAMU to excel: Bioengineering, which can be a pretty dumb decision considering the GPA requirements for a solid med school profile.
My parents are helping financially, and I definitely agree that saving money now is a good thing. However, once someone told me that ‘money comes and goes, but your education stays with you forever’. This is definitely something I think about when making the decision between Rice and TAMU.
I understand that medical school will be much more important than undergrad, but at the same time, I want the best educational experience I can get. I’m not saying that TAMU isn’t a good school, but rather that the premed resources tech and connections offered ar Rice are sometimes better. I honestly have no clue about Residency, but I plan wholeheartedly to become a Doctor, and a great one at that.
I met a TAMU undergrad who interviewed the same day as me at WashU’s med school this past application cycle. I myself am about to graduate from a state flagship like TAMU, and am headed to a top 20 med school program.
The moral of my little blurb is that there are plenty of premeds from public universities who end up at the “prestigious” med schools, and that the quality of premed opportunities offered at large, well-funded/connected, research powerhouse state flagships are honestly not significantly different from privates. Good, ambitious students rise to their potential regardless of school prestige.
At the very least, premed prestige is the wrong reason to select Rice over TAMU, because adcoms care far more about a good GPA/MCAT than they do about school prestige. The only time it’ll matter is if you’re comparing Grad from Harvard with Grad from Podunk School, and TAMU is definitely not a podunk school.
Also, money is SUCH a big deal. I feel incredibly glad that attending my state university is going to allow me to graduate undergrad debt-free, and that the savings I was able to make as a result are a big part of why I’m going to get through the 1st year of med school without taking out loans. It is easy as a young, idealistic teenager to dismiss finances, but when you’re in your twenties and faced the reality that you’re going to spend multiple years paying back loans+interest, it’s a lot harder to dismiss the advantages of be money-smart.
I really encourage you to see how you like TAMU before rushing into a transfer to Rice—make a real, open-minded effort to get to know the school, the community, and the opportunities in your first year. You might end up loving it.
Also, if you don’t like bioengineering when school starts, then just switch your major lol.
Find a job.
You will be amazed at how much money you can go through in school!! All those incidentals, from shampoo to a slice or two of pizza NOT at the dining hall, can really add up!