2. Not listening to what an admissions officer tells you. Really listening. If they say, "I think you should consider the Carribean", don't waste your time applying there. If they say "I think you need 3 more points on your MCAT", don't apply to THEIR school until you have 3 more points. They aren't lying to you.
3. Asking people for letters of recommendation who suck at writing. Better to have a fabulous letter from some yahoo than 2 generic lines from a Nobel laureate.
4. Not taking full length practice MCATS. Timed. Lots of them.
5. LISTENING to pre-med advisors. Bleh.
6. Spending tons of money on high profile PBPM programs. Go to state school. It's cheap and adequate. Also, don't go to community college unless they have a VERY reputable science/pre-med department. Most admissions committees are not too keen on CC's unless they know their curriculum.
7. Focusing too much on "volunteer" work. No admissions committee gives a crap about you having a billion volunteer hours. They want to see that you are involved and committed to your community, that you are altruistic, and that you have clinical experience. If you are able to demonstrate these things in your application, racking up hundreds of hours of volunteer work is totally unnecessary.
8. Being too passive. American culture tells us that we shouldn't be pushy, that we shouldn't ask for favors, etc. That's fine if you have a stellar application with a 3.8 and a 40 on the MCAT and you've singlehandedly revamped the water system in Djibouti. For the rest of us, get assertive. Note: I am NOT advocating that you be obnoxious, pushy or annoying. But contact the Deans, make appointments, write letters, have a faculty member call on your behalf, etc. I lost out on an entire year because I didn't want to be "pushy" and the Dean simply forgot about me.
9. Stressing. About everything. But you can't avoid it. You're a pre-med.
10.Letting the MCAT and the application process affect your feelings of self-worth. I can honestly say that I do not know even one medical student that breezed through every single aspect of this process. There is a huge disconnect between a pre-meds perception of themselves and their perception of the ease to which everyone else supposedly gets into med school. And if you're going to be in the medical field, get used to going up against adversity. Because now its the MCAT and the application. But in med school you have to beat the USMLE. Then its residency application. Then competition for fellowships. Then competition for faculty, and tenure, and on and on. It will never be over. Get some perspective and enjoy the journey.
GOOD LUCK !!!!
Nice list Ella. I made many of those mistakes too. I would suggest elaborating on a few of them, however.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I think the biggest mistake I made was not understanding the application process enough beforehand. I should have actively pursued letters of recommendation, internships, and advisor relationships early in my undergraduate work. Many schools on my first application round required very specific letters of recommendation. Websites, such as interfolio have made it possible to store letters of recommendation for use in the future. Target your strengths to individual schools by having an arsenal of letters to choose to send them (yes, viewing letters is frowned upon, however, knowing the professor or professional who wrote the letter gives you an idea about what they might say).
It is cliche, but remaining proactive and assertive from day one will make the whole obstacle course much smoother. And if it is too late to start out that way, don't fret. The tools are still available to you if you use them!
Thanks for writing this. I'm bookmarking it! I
ReplyDeleteGreat list. One critique: I subscribe to your blog in Google Reader, which has a white back ground, which makes reading those light colors very difficult! I guess it's one way to get us to visit your blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Awesome list! I may print this for my desk!
ReplyDeletethis really helps actually! I am already stressing about med school, and I'm in grade 12! (But right now it is just APs that make me want to cry!)
ReplyDelete