Freshman Year
Evaluate yourself: This is the year that you want to sit down
and determine your goals and objectives. You want to be able to answer the questions:
Why do I want to become a doctor?
Does the lifestyle of a physician parallel with my goals for my personal life?
If money was not a factor, would I still consider medicine as my career choice?
What kind of doctor do I want to become?
Prepare yourself: After you've decided that medicine is the career
choice for you, research the prerequisites for the application process. Just because a course is not required to obtain a
degree in Chemistry pre-med does not mean that it is not required by a particular school. Also strongly consider
taking suggested courses by medical schools.
Involve yourself: It is imperative that you involve
yourself with on-campus activities. There is a reason why these are appealing on you application. Activity participation
indicates well-roundedness, interpersonal skills, and a desire to learn. Join MAPPS, the chemistry club, beta kappa
chi, and SNMA. Work for the Digest, run for senate, become an RA. Play a sport, volunteer, start your
OWN club!
Educate yourself: Learn about summer programs
(pre-med and research) that you can do as a freshman. Also learn about the ones you want to do every summer
thereafter. Its good to review the pre-reqs for summer programs you know you are interested in, so you can make sure you take
the necesssary coursework, or meet the GPA criteria. Also, buy a book to help prepare you for the Medical
College Admissions Test (MCAT). It is very important to get an idea about how questions are asked,
as well as what kind of questions are asked. Believe me, it is NEVER too early to start studying for that thing. I am in dental
school, but I started out pre-med. I bought a Barron's MCAT prep book and started reviewing my freshman year.
JuniorYear:
This is application year: Continue to do your research
on schools you are interested in. When medical school representatives come to Southern, make sure to attend. These opportunities
are valuable: you can learn more about the school, ask questions about admissions and other aspects that are of interest,
and open the doors to networking. They are more than willing to help you. Apply through AMCAS
(see link below). Some schools may have seperate applications that aren't through AMCAS.
Prepare to get that application READY!! Hopefully
you have attended summer programs, volunteered at a hospital and/or shadowed a physician. These experiences allow you
to effectively choose a "theme" for your personal statement. You also should have taken (August) or should be
preparing to take (April) the dreaded MCAT!
SAVE yourself! If you have a job or get refunds from school,
or even get money from your parents, it may be a good idea to save some of your money. When you get ready
to fly out on those interviews, buy business attire, or even MOVE when medical school begins and buy furniture, you will need
money. Most schools require that you pay a deposit once you have been accepted to "hold your spot." You also need money
to take care of yourself, because loan checks may not arrive at the school when you do!
