Preparation for Medical School

During your first year, your main focus should be your coursework. The first term in college is often very difficult because of the adjustment from high school, and you should work on developing the study skills that will help you be successful both at Centre and later in your professional school. 

While gaining knowledge and skills is the most important outcome for your classes, the reality is that grades matter for entrance to medical schools and other programs in the health professions. Poor grades in one term are not impossible to overcome, but it may be very difficult to raise your GPA. 

Be choosy about your extracurricular activities. Your experiences outside the classroom are important places to demonstrate leadership skills, service orientation, resilience, and more, but you need to be careful not to let your activities detract from getting the knowledge, skills, and grades you need from your coursework. Perhaps pick one or maybe two activities that are really important to you for the first year.

Plan to attend pre-health advising and information sessions, Pre-Health Society meetings, and events from the Health & Medicine Career Exploration Community. Many students start out focused on medicine, but learn later that there are other professions that are more aligned with their goals and values. These events will provide more information about the health profession that might be right for you and advice on how to get there (see also the Additional Pre-Health Profession Information). Take the time to get acquainted with the HPAC member in your area(s) of interest. Try to consult with that advisor about scheduling or other concerns—friends or upperclass students are not always the best source of information. If you are planning to study abroad for a long term, it is essential to start planning your course schedule for the next few years. 

You should get into the habit of getting to know your professors. At some point, seven of them are going to be evaluating you for medical school (fewer for other professions). They will be evaluating more than your academic abilities; personal characteristics and professional promise are the other big areas. 

The summer between your first and second years is an excellent time to start getting some experience in your chosen health care field. Try to shadow a physician or get a job in a hospital. If you do, keep a journal in which you jot down your thoughts or experiences. These will become fodder for your personal statement. You also need to learn about the direction medicine is heading. Keep up with the current health care debates by reading newspapers, magazines and books. Follow the healthcare platforms of the current presidential candidates. Many students applying to medical school often struggle to answer the question “What challenges are facing healthcare in the U.S.?”. You should not be one of those students. 

Be thinking about what you're passionate about and how healthcare helps you pursue that passion. One way to reflect on your reasons for wanting to go to medical school is to write for yourself a two-page, single-spaced personal statement about why you want to become a physician. Revise it every year.

Third year is the time when many students begin the application process to medical school. One of the first things you will have to decide is whether you are ready to apply in the coming cycle. You should be honest with yourself and your advisors about how you can submit the strongest possible application. For medical schools in particular, it is not advisable to take the MCAT or submit an application "just to see how it goes" because the requirements essentially escalate each time you retake or reapply.

Familiarize yourself with the application timeline and required components. See Application Process for Medical School. The journal you have been keeping and the personal statements you have been writing for yourself will give you a leg up on the process. You will also be contacting your current or former professors to ask some of them to write evaluation letters on your behalf.

Many of you will also be taking the MCAT sometime near the end of your third year or the summer after it. See MCAT Prep (coming soon).

The summer after your third year is an excellent time to get research experience at a large research university. Many summer research programs are offered specifically for students finishing their second or third year. One excellent site for finding summer research positions is the NSF-REU webpage which is updated every November. Deadlines for these programs are usually in early February. View a huge listing of medical summer internships on the Rochester Institute of Technology website.

Studying abroad is one of the best opportunities you can have at Centre. Many students who apply to medical school have studied abroad. If you plan to study abroad in a long term, scheduling classes, the MCAT, and interviews can be tricky. Do NOT plan to take the MCAT abroad since it is a hassle and you will be having too much fun traveling. Quite a few students over the years have delayed their application to medical school in order to participate in a long term study abroad experience (or some other opportunity). None of them regretted their decision. You may have enough time to study for the MCAT after you return in the spring since it is offered in May, June, and July. Taking the MCAT in August is an option, but you will be behind in interview scheduling. Most medical schools will try to schedule interviews when you will be in the country, so a fall or spring term abroad in your senior year is no problem. Be sure to work with the pre-med advisors if you plan to study abroad. Some of your terms may be difficult, but if you plan carefully, you should not have to resort to summer classes to get all of your medical school prerequisites completed on time.