Tips for HS Students:
1. Take the SAT/ACT as early as you can and study for it. Utilize free prep resources and classes available at high schools or churches. Additional scholarships may be offered at certain colleges based on how high your scores are. The higher the score, the more money you get.
2. Work on your writing skills and improve them! Have an educator or someone that is an expert at writing look at your essays. Go to multiple people. Not just 2 or 3. Have multiple sets of eyes look at your writing, including those who do not know you personally, so they can provide a different perspective.
3. Don’t forget about local scholarships! Yes, there are a ton of big name scholarships posted on every scholarship website you see, but don’t forget about scholarships that are offered through many businesses in your area. You just have to find them. This may increase your chances of being awarded a scholarship which = MORE MONEY and LESS LOANS.
4. Network. Make connections with speakers, doctors or even students that you may come across. Don’t be shy to go up and introduce yourself and briefly (but politely) tell them about your aspirations and how you are looking for guidance. Hold onto their contact information and stay in touch. You never know when you may need them.
5. Talk to current college students and gain a mentor. Find someone who is on the same track as you. They don’t have to be someone with the exact same interests as you (i.e. you both want to be surgeons), but if they are interested in a similar field, they can give you a lot of good advice and access to certain resources that others may not know about.
Tips for college students:
1. Before starting college, the second you get to college, get your schedule and make sure you are placed in the correct courses. You should not be placed in only core classes for the university (unless for some reason it is a requirement). Take a look at your degree plan and make sure you have a few of the lower level Biology or Chemistry classes added to your schedule. Depending on the University there may be a reason that you are not in the courses you should be in. For example your SAT/ACT score may not meet the requirements. Be sure this gets taken care of before starting classes. See if there is an option to take a Placement exam or if you need to retake the SAT/ACT or any university courses in the summer before getting into the correct courses.
2. Make sure you stay on track and avoid retaking courses unless you need to for the sake of your GPA (do not get behind). Medical schools will average out your class grades if you’ve retaken a class. For example, if you took a class the first time and received a B but then got an A the second time. The medical schools will average these two grades out which will be your actual grade. Is it really worth retaking? You have to decide that. Based on the circumstances and your GPA.
3. Do extremely well in the beginning of your college career. Aim for all A’s and stay involved in different organizations that way you can narrow it down to just a few that you are committed to (this is actually a separate point).
4. Quality over Quantity. Medical schools are not as interested in how many organizations you’ve been a part of. Rather, they are more interested in seeing the commitment and leadership you have had in the various organizations. Sure it looks and feels great to say you’ve been a part of x,y,z organizations. What is important is what you actually did and your contributions. What leadership roles did you have and how long have you been active in that organization.
5. Network. Contact and stay in touch with as many people as you can. Whether it be healthcare professionals, admissions committee members or faculty members at certain medical schools. This gives you an opportunity to mention to the schools you are interested in that you’ve taken the time out to see this school and have gotten to know the people there. You want to make sure this place is a good fit for you. Not the other way around.
6. Good Interview skills are ESSENTIAL! This is a very important and critical part in you getting anything. Whether it be a job or admission into a certain program. This gives the school and the interviewer a chance to see you in person and what you are like. You want to leave a good impression and prepare as much as you can. I practiced several times with 5 different people. I looked over their feedback each time and practiced which helped prepare me for the next mock interview before the actual interview. Practice with people you know and don’t know.
7. Gap years before medical school are not bad things. They can be great for you as long as you use that time before applying to medical school wisely (this applies to other healthcare paths). It is now becoming more common for students to delay the process in order to give themselves a reasonable amount of time to study for their MCAT. Don’t stress if you haven’t taken the MCAT your junior or senior year of college. Although this is the typical track students take so they can go straight to medical school, you have to look at your own situation and ask yourself, with the schedule and classes that you have, can you really dedicate enough study hours in the week every day to study for the MCAT? Will working this job and traveling 2 hours a day for school conflict with my study schedule? I am putting too much on my plate? If not, then that’s okay. Create a plan that is reasonable and attainable. Sometimes this route is way better and isn't as stressful.
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