Things I wish I knew earlier in my journey to medical school

medical school admissions premed strategy

Looking back on my time as a premed, I realize how many missteps I took along the way, and how many assumptions that I'd entered school with but didn't even recognize until months, sometimes years later. I don't blame my younger self – after all, hindsight is always 20/20 – but you don't have to make the same mistakes I made. Here are the things I wish I knew earlier in my journey to medical school:

1. The premed community doesn't have to be cutthroat

Going into undergrad, I feared that the premed community (especially at a large institution) would be extremely competitive. To the best of your ability, go into your premed courses with an open and trusting mind. Don't let this myth of hyper-competitive premeds hold you back from forming friendships with others in your classes, as these are the people you'll lean on during hard times. Having friends to go through the premed journey with makes the whole process so much easier and happier!

2. There's no standard path towards medical school

It might feel like there's a set list of what to major in, which extracurriculars to do, and which clinical experiences to have, but your classmates will reveal the sheer variety of paths there are to medicine. Medical schools really appreciate students with varied interests who can show their commitment to what they're passionate about, so lean into whatever that is for you.

3. Choose a medical school that you can actually see yourself being happy at

Fear of not getting into medical school can cause you to apply to schools you know you wouldn't be a good fit for (or that wouldn't be a good fit for you). This was definitely a trap I fell into - I applied to many schools I wasn't particularly interested, creating a lot of unnecessary stress and wasting time that I could've used to better applications I really cared about. Everyone has different priorities for what they're looking for in a school (location, finances, dual degree programs, social support, etc) so think about what those are for you and go off of that when applying and committing to a school. Medical school is hard and tiring, and you want to be at a place where you feel supported and happy.

4. Start your application early 

Since the application is long, it's important to try and start early (even 6 months or more out). Expect to go through a lot of drafts for your personal statement, activities section, and more. Share your drafts with people both close and not so close to you to get a variety of opinions. Be open to making both big and small changes - this is how you'll end up with the versions that you like the best! 

5. It's okay to take time off

I definitely felt the pressure to always be doing something medicine-related and to go straight from undergrad into med school. Candidly, I regret missing out on time where I could have pursued passion projects or traveled. Your grades/test scores/clinical experience are only one part of your application, and it's okay to devote time to completely unrelated activities or relaxing (those passions/hobbies also make you interesting to admissions committees!). Most importantly, take care of yourself and your mental health.

Sanjana graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan with a major in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and minors in Music and the Sociology of Health & Medicine. She is now pursuing her MD at the University of Michigan.

Comments

topicTopics
academics study skills MCAT medical school admissions SAT college admissions expository writing English MD/PhD admissions writing LSAT GMAT strategy GRE physics chemistry math biology graduate admissions ACT law school admissions interview prep test anxiety language learning academic advice MBA admissions premed personal statements homework help career advice AP exams creative writing MD study schedules Common Application summer activities test prep history computer science philosophy organic chemistry secondary applications supplements economics PSAT admissions coaching grammar mathematics research law statistics & probability psychology 1L ESL CARS SSAT covid-19 dental admissions legal studies logic games reading comprehension USMLE engineering Spanish calculus parents Latin verbal reasoning DAT PhD admissions case coaching excel mentorship political science AMCAS French Linguistics MBA coursework Tutoring Approaches academic integrity chinese medical school Anki DO English literature Social Advocacy admissions advice algebra astrophysics biochemistry business classics diversity statement genetics geometry kinematics mental health presentations quantitative reasoning skills study abroad time management work and activities IB exams ISEE MD/PhD programs STEM adjusting to college algorithms art history artificial intelligence athletics business skills careers cold emails data science functions gap year international students internships letters of recommendation logic mechanical engineering poetry resume revising science social sciences software engineering tech industry technical interviews trigonometry 2L 3L AAMC Academic Interest DMD EMT FlexMed Fourier Series Greek Health Professional Shortage Area Italian Lagrange multipliers London MD vs PhD MMI Montessori National Health Service Corps Pythagorean Theorem Python Sentence Correction Step 2 TMDSAS Taylor Series Zoom acids and bases amino acids analysis essay architecture argumentative writing art art and design schools art portfolios biomedicine brain teaser campus visits cantonese capacitors capital markets cell biology central limit theorem centrifugal force chemical engineering chess chromatography class participation climate change clinical experience community service constitutional law consulting cover letters curriculum dementia demonstrated interest dental school dimensional analysis distance learning electric engineering electricity and magnetism enrichment escape velocity european history executive function finance first generation student freewriting fun facts genomics graphing harmonics health policy history of medicine history of science hybrid vehicles hydrophobic effect ideal gas law induction infinite information sessions institutional actions integrated reasoning intern investing investment banking lab reports linear algebra linear maps mandarin chinese matrices mba medical physics meiosis microeconomics mitosis music music theory neurology neuroscience office hours operating systems organization pedagogy phrase structure rules plagiarism potential energy pre-dental proofs pseudocode psych/soc qualifying exams quantum mechanics