Life can suck as a pre-med student. We sacrifice endless hours of our social life, mental health, and physical health to the world of science and medicine. Thankfully enough though, plenty of people have been through what pre-meds are going through now, and they can tell you what they wish they knew when they were in your position! I recently completed the entire process and want to be one of the people who can advise future medical students! Here are the things I’ve learned in the past year.
Start studying for the MCAT’s E-A-R-L-Y.
I started studying roughly one year before my exam date, but I only really started studying heavily 3 months before my exam. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t enough time. I would have taken more work hours off to study for the MCAT’s if I knew what a big difference it would’ve made, but then again, I had to work to make money! If you have the opportunity, definitely start studying as soon as possible! It’s never too early.
Get close to at least 2 professors.
In order to apply to medical school, you generally need 2 science professors’ letters of recommendation. I had no trouble finding the first professor; I had been in classes with him for over two years. However, finding the second one was a struggle. I ended up asking an Anatomy professor that I only knew for about 3 months at that time. Needless to say, I would’ve gotten a lot closer to at least one more professor if I was able to go back in time. A professor really has to get to know you in order to write a LOR good enough to stand out to a medical school admissions committee.
Save up your money!
You’ll need money to take MCAT classes, register for the exam, apply to medical school, send in your secondary applications, and secure your seat at a school after your first acceptance. All of these processes cost me at least a grand total of $4,000!
Don’t let too many people read your personal statement.
Unless these people are professionally trained in editing medical school personal statements, I genuinely would not recommend more than 3 or 4 pairs of eyes looking through your personal statement. Different people think in different ways, and chances are, if too many people read what you write, they might give you contradicting advice. It’ll only stress you out more, and you’d be lost when it comes to who you think you should listen to. My advice? Write what comes to your mind, put it away for a day or two, come back to it and see if you still like it, have 2-3 people read it, and then decide where you want to go from there.
CHECK YOUR EMAILS!
This is the main way schools will communicate with you! Make sure you check your emails multiple times a day. It’s crucial to keep tabs on who sends you information, especially if you’ve applied to a lot of schools. If you slack for even a few days, you might miss your only shot at becoming a doctor!
With all of this being said and done, if you are considering applying to medical school, I hope you keep these tips in mind! If you have a friend or family member looking into the process as well, you could end up being their hero if you share this information with them. Good luck!