What were some valuable things you did outside of the classroom to prepare you for Medical School?

I learned how to balance my time and stay busy doing the things I enjoyed most. One of the most important things for surviving in medical school is being able to schedule your time and stay happy. It’s crucial that you be yourself and pursue your interests because it makes you a more unique person. In college, I prepared by making sure to be involved with organizations that I really cared about and to keep up with my hobbies. For example, I’ve always loved traveling so I became the president of a club that hosted cultural events and I made time to take a semester off and study abroad. I’ve also been an avid dancer since I was in high school, so I auditioned for productions through the dance department and performed as often as I could.

What were some valuable resources you used both before and during the Medical School application process?

I met with a premed adviser in August of my senior year before starting my application. (This was one year before I would enter medical school) At the meeting, the adviser told me it was late to apply and that my chances of getting accepted were pretty low! I decided to apply anyway and kept coming back when I had questions about the process. Once I had the application underway, there were several resources that I took advantage of. I read books with tips for putting together a good application, I took my personal statements to the writing center for feedback and editing, and I scheduled mock interviews with the career center.

Knowing what you know now, having gone through the application/acceptance process, what tips might you suggest for someone who is new to the process? Is there anyting you would have done differently?

If I could do it over again, I would have met with the advisors much earlier (maybe beginning of my junior year) just to have had an idea about the application timeline. I also thought it would be doable to study for the MCAT, start doing research, and take a summer physiology class at the same time. In the end it worked out for me but it would have been a lot less stressful and I would have done much better on the MCAT if I had dedicated more time to studying for it. So make sure that you don’t spread yourself too thin.

How can I effectively prepare and study for the MCAT? What resources are helpful to utilize?

Some people think it’s helpful to take a prep course because going to a class helps you stay more on track of your studying. If you’re motivated enough to pace yourself, then I don’t think it’s really necessary. I bought a prep book that I used as an outline to guide myself and took a few practice exams.

How has your experience been in Medical school? How does it compare/differ with what you were expecting?

If you’re good at scheduling your time and staying balanced, then medical school won’t be very much different from what you’re used to. Medical school is very rigorous and requires a lot of dedication and effort to stay on top of all the material, but at the same time it’s really fun because we’re learning things that are interesting and even in just a few months you start to feel like you can help people with what you know. One thing that is different from undergraduate study is that there is almost never a break from studying. We have an hour long exam every week, and so we have to keep up. Even with that though, there is still plenty of time to keep up with your hobbies and to have fun.

If involved in research before entering medical school, what was the project and how did you get involved?

During my junior year I applied for a grant through the school to do research. I had never done research before, but I was really curious to see if I would like to do it for my career. In order to qualify for the grant I had to find a faculty sponsor willing to direct me on a project in their lab. I emailed a bunch of professors whose research seemed interesting to me and was accepted to work in a biochemistry lab doing research on enzymes involved in prostate cancer. I worked in the lab for a little over a year and was in charge of my own project. I really enjoyed it, and ended up writing an honors thesis with my results.

What volunteer experiences did you have before applying to medical school? How do you feel these experiences enhanced your application?

I had a few volunteering experiences in my first three years of college, but it wasn’t until my senior year that I volunteered on a regular basis. That’s when I volunteered in the emergency room of the hospital once a week and it really helped me to realize how much I enjoyed the hospital setting. For the purposes of the application, it’s better if you have volunteer experiences that you did consistently, and that you start as early as you can so you have a longer history or volunteering.

In a few words, how would you describe your medical school experience?

It takes a lot of work, but it’s very exciting and totally worth it.

Disclaimer: The University of Utah School of Medicine (including both the Dean’s Office and the Office of Admissions) was not involved with the selection of the medical students featured on this website nor participated in the development of its content.  The presented medical students volunteered to participate on their own accord.  The opinions and views expressed by these medical students do not represent or completely reflect the opinions and views of the entire student body at the University of Utah School of Medicine.  Although these medical students provide useful information, following their advice as displayed on Career Advantage does not guarantee acceptance into any medical school.