<p>Should I start being active as soon as I set foot on campus or should i take it easy and establish a good GPA and THEN be involved with my EC's?</p>
<p>So I don’t know what other people’s experiences are but I am junior in college getting ready to apply this summer and for me things just happened. I think you should look for opportunities, and I don’t just mean the standard premed things but find what you’re interested in and try it out. I really believe opportunities will just come to you and you’ll go after them if you’re interested or pass if you’re not. </p>
<p>If you see a service project on campus you’re interested in, then go join! It does not have to be medically related. Really the only EC that medschools absolutely require from you is that you get clinical experience. For a lot of people this does mean volunteering at a hospital, clinic, etc… but it can also mean shadowing your family physician whenever you go home on break. The added advantage of the latter is that you get a great rec when it comes time to apply. </p>
<p>Go join clubs, do service, and other fun stuff your freshman year. A big huge gigantic (I really can’t emphasize it enough) part of college are the EC"s you’re involved. </p>
<p>Now if you want to do research I suggest you wait till second semester freshman year at the earliest and you’ll probably become a lab slave for the first few months and start doing real research over the summer if you stick around or the year after.</p>
<p>A dean for Baylor Med that came to my school last semester told the freshman in the room, to not get involved in any EC’s their first semester (it was either first semester or first year, I can’t remember). He told them to take it easy and get their grades up first. Once they had a solid gpa, they should slowly start incorporating EC’s into their lives. I didn’t start getting involved in my EC’s until my sophomore year. Freshman year I decided to take it easy and get my grades up. Usually it takes freshman a semester or two to get their study habits and time management skills into line.</p>
<p>I got started early on, but I was also very involved in high school and am one of those crazy organized kids with decently good time management skills. Perhaps I was not subjected to that semester or two it takes to develop study habits that Colleges mentioned, thus allowing me to get involved relatively easily.</p>
<p>I totally agree with ChemFreak’s suggestion to just see where things go. It’s impossible to predict and if you’re trying to game the system then you probably shouldn’t be playing anyway. To illustrate that point that it’s possible to just see where things go:</p>
<p>I wanted to go on a medical mission trip with a physician I knew from back home. He was spinning his wheels, and I mentioned it to an advisor. She told me of another medical mission program…so I signed up for that one. Amazing experience. </p>
<p>The following fall, I had an interview for a really great campus job that I was sure I’d get. Well, I didn’t get it–so I needed to find a class to fill some more time. Remembered my great trip. Decided to take a service learning class. Started working with an incredible agency. Noticed some gaping social problems in my community, decided to take a risk and start a nonprofit with the goal of alleviating some of those problems. Couldn’t be happier with the direction it’s gone, and many have considered it my “hook.”</p>
<p>Looking back, where did it begin? The class? The trip? The meeting with the advisor? The discussion with the physician back home? Hard to tell. So like ChemFreak said, you just have to take opportunities as they arise. I had the conversation–I scheduled the meeting–I went on the trip–I found the class–I started the nonprofit. All were opportunities that I jumped on.</p>
<p>It’ll work out just fine. Don’t think too much about it. Try something out and adjust your plan of attack if necessary. Do things because you’re interested in them. Strive to solve some problems. Eventually, you just might be the applicant lots of schools are clamoring for. Good luck!</p>
<p>It depends on you, but in general I’m a MAJOR fan of getting started the second you step foot on campus. I think there are a large number of successful pre-meds who do better when they’re busy. That was me, and continues to be how I function best (it’s amazing to me how much time I waste when I have gobs of free time - the answer always becomes “I can do it tomorrow”). </p>
<p>I think there is a distinct advantage to starting early. Namely, it builds the resume (not talking about padding in this case). As a sophomore or junior, you have the experiences and social capital in organizations to step into leadership positions (although if you can some sort of leadership position as a frosh, all the better). If you wait a year, then you’ve lost ground to those who didn’t.</p>
<p>Further I think if you want to build your time management skills, then you need something to stress you. Pressure is good, pressure makes you stronger. If you start busy, then that will become the norm and you’ll accomplish way more than you would have if you “slowly incorporated” new things. </p>
<p>Actually, the more I think about it the more I think it’s an absolutely awful idea to wait and “take it easy”.</p>
<p>You need to strive for very high GPA no matter what. You should get engaged with EC’s right away or when opportunity is there.</p>
<p>Not sure what you mean, ECs are the things you enjoy and the things you need to do.</p>
<p>DD was involved immediately in some ECs- competitive sports team, Greek, etc. As she went through the years and was still sure she wanted something health related she did some internships that offered community involvement, semi-medical involvement, a chance to explore PT v MD, etc and she began those steps around junior year, when she was mostly done with the pre-reqs and still feeling MD was an option. She did some summer volunteering, shadowing, etc 2 summers and did her most MD like activities Jr/Sr year.</p>
<p>That being said, take the first term to get your study habits established. #1 piece of advice- never skip class, never.</p>
<p>But she was involved on campus in ECs that would reflect on an app she is an interested & interesting complete person, not a dorm room hermit, not for apps, but for life enjoyment.</p>