Hey everyone!

So, this website has been super helpful for me. Here I go again:

Basically, I'm one of those people who wants to end up in Med school, like a million other people :]
My question for you is: how can I prepare myself for university? How does my performance need to be in university? What kind of things as in volunteering, jobs am I looking at?

I know, I know... everyone asks these questions, but what in your opinion do I need realistically??


Please comment! I'm open to all ideas!

oh, and THANK YOU!!!

I don't know much about med school, but I've heard of a lot of ppl who think they want to go but in the end aren't interested. So get exposure! Do research. And try to meet people who have gone through it :-)

Originally Posted by thuks0251

Hey everyone!

So, this website has been super helpful for me. Here I go again:

Basically, I'm one of those people who wants to end up in Med school, like a million other people :]
My question for you is: how can I prepare myself for university? How does my performance need to be in university? What kind of things as in volunteering, jobs am I looking at?

I know, I know... everyone asks these questions, but what in your opinion do I need realistically??


Please comment! I'm open to all ideas!

oh, and THANK YOU!!!

good grades are needed obviously. i imagine youre going into first year science. for those typical classes (chem, bio, math, physics) just attend class and listen very carefully. if you dont do this then you will most likely regret it when exams near (i always do) and also just understand stuff. dont memorize. there are things you will have to memorize and some classes are mostly just memorization, but do your best to understand what is going on.

idk/idc about any of the other med school stuff but in first year focus on grades the most and adjust to uni style classes, tests, etc. get as high grades as possible and dont slack too much. all the volunteer stuff you can easily do after first year and so just really focus on grades in first year.

Originally Posted by Silver

good grades are needed obviously. just really focus on grades in first year.

Sounds like a plan! So how do you recommend I take my notes/study... etc etc?

P.S. sorry about the bombardment!!

Originally Posted by thuks0251

Sounds like a plan! So how do you recommend I take my notes/study... etc etc?

P.S. sorry about the bombardment!!

well the note taking and studying depends on you completely. i've seen profs most full slides for classes but people still go to class and take their own notes since it works for them but other just read the profs slides to study. it all depends on you. its something youll figure out soon, but i've always found the profs slides to be what the tests are usually made of (in first year science at least).

Nobody can tell you how to study or how to take notes, its something you HAVE to figure out on your own... But work hard and I promise you will find your own way to study and learn

Love your emphasis on

Originally Posted by Philipp31

HAVE

How was your first year? Anything out of the ordinary?

One big thing that I started doing too late was the textbook problems the profs recommend. I always studied off of notes and assignments but didn't do the textbook questions, then one of my friends started doing them and realized that they were sometime identical to test questions but with different numbers.

Try many different strategies for everything. I found one the biggest thing I have learned is about myself, not just about any individual class. I found the first semester is a big learning time since you have to figure out the way you study best and how to best balance. I did very little work in high school, so this was a big thing to learn

As for volunteering and jobs, look for thing YOU have an interest in, even if it is only loosely related to your field (more so for volunteering) since then you will work harder at it

Originally Posted by thuks0251

How was your first year? Anything out of the ordinary?

First year was great, I really enjoyed it and am excited to start the second

(I just finished first year Life Sci... if you have specific questions or any questions to be honest just send me a PM!)

Out of the ordinary was I guess that it will be nothing like you expect, but if you make it so, everything will still be awesome... its a really great learning experience and although cliche you will come out of first year, look back, and just really marvel at all the stuff that has happened in the past year... and yes first year flies by so incredibly fast its quite unreal.

It will get better with practice! Lazy college senior meme

The best you can do is to try and be the most well rounded. Do well on your classes and do extracurriculars. When it is med school time and you don't get in the first time, don't fret. Probably a large portion of others didn't either. What I'm hearing from other parents whose children are in med school / aiming for it is they try every year since third year. Once they done their undergrad and didn't get in, they just do a masters then get into med school after that. I only know of one person who got into medschool after 3rd year @ health sciences. How she did that idk.

Edit: landing a summer job as a research assistant might help..?

Originally Posted by Snowman

One big thing that I started doing too late was the textbook problems the profs recommend. I always studied off of notes and assignments but didn't do the textbook questions, then one of my friends started doing them and realized that they were sometime identical to test questions but with different numbers.

So just a question about that: did you find that a lot of the Multiple Choice questions/ other questions on tests were from the books itself? I'm asking because I've heard mixed things

Originally Posted by Snowman

As for volunteering and jobs, look for thing YOU have an interest in, even if it is only loosely related to your field (more so for volunteering) since then you will work harder at it

That makes quite a bit of sense, but I think I'm going to hold off on going overboard and just join Debate Team

Originally Posted by Leeoku

Edit: landing a summer job as a research assistant might help..?

I think I get what you're saying: have fun, but do well and don't go nuts

Sounds just about right