13 things premeds need to stop doing!
The Premed community has been known to be somewhat toxic because of the fierce competition to get into the already limited spots available for medical school. More so, the requirements that medical schools look for in their students are quite challenging to accomplish. Thus the need to standout is increasingly important as medical school applications get even more competitive each year. In the process of standing out through grades, extracurriculars etc, premedical students including myself have adopted certain traits and habits as potential coping mechanisms in meeting these requirements.
Focusing on significant shifts in approach to the premed journey, especially ones that enhance both personal and academic growth, can be quite impactful. Here is a list of refined ideas for your consideration.
- Transitioning from Passive Reading to Active Learning with Anki and Spaced Repetition:
Old Approach: Spending hours passively reading textbooks and rewriting notes, which often resulted in quickly forgotten material.
New Approach: Adopting active learning strategies using Anki and other spaced repetition software. This technique involves creating flashcards that force recall of information, thereby improving retention over longer periods. By focusing on this method, the study process becomes more efficient and effective, allowing for deeper understanding and retention of complex concepts. The key realization here is the power of active recall and the spacing effect in dramatically enhancing memory performance, making study sessions shorter yet far more productive.
- Choosing Traditional Volunteering experiences to finding Employment for Clinical Exposure:
Old Approach: Engaging in volunteer opportunities that, while fulfilling, often lacked direct clinical exposure or the depth of experience sought by medical schools.
New Approach: Seeking out paid employment opportunities in clinical settings, such as working as a scribe, emergency medical technician (EMT), or patient care technician. This shift not only provides a source of income but also offers invaluable hands-on experience, direct patient care, and a deeper understanding of the healthcare environment. These roles offer a closer look at the medical field, allowing for more meaningful patient interactions and a clearer insight into the responsibilities and challenges faced by healthcare professionals.
- Solely Following to Collaboratively Engaging with Premed Advisors:
Old Approach: Passively accepting all advice from premed advisors without much thought, which sometimes led to generic paths that didn’t fully align with personal interests or strengths.
New Approach: Actively collaborating with premed advisors by coming prepared to meetings with specific goals, questions, and ideas for discussion. This strategy ensures that the guidance received is tailored more closely to individual needs, aspirations, and circumstances. It’s about building a partnership where both parties contribute to the conversation, leading to more personalized advice and a strategic approach to the premed journey. By doing so, you’re not only making the most of the resources available but also taking charge of your path to medical school.
- From Broad to Targeted Extracurriculars:
Old Approach: Joining a wide array of clubs and organizations simply to pad the resume, which often resulted in shallow experiences that didn’t contribute significantly to personal or professional growth.
New Approach: Carefully selecting extracurricular activities that align with personal interests and career aspirations. This could mean focusing on a few key areas where you can take on leadership roles, initiate projects, or make a tangible impact. The goal is to have a few, deeply engaging activities that demonstrate commitment, leadership, and passion, rather than a long list of superficial involvements. This approach not only makes your application stand out but also ensures that you’re genuinely learning and growing through these experiences.
These ideas reflect a strategic, thoughtful approach to the premed path, highlighting the importance of active engagement, practical experience, and personalized guidance.
- Generalist Shadowing to Specialized Shadowing Experiences:
Old Approach: Participating in shadowing experiences across a broad range of specialties without much focus. While this provides a wide overview, it might not offer deep insight into any particular field.
New Approach: Selectively pursuing shadowing opportunities in specialties of genuine interest or those that align with future career goals. This concentrated approach allows for a deeper understanding of specific medical fields, fostering more meaningful connections with professionals and potentially leading to research opportunities or letters of recommendation. It demonstrates a directed passion and commitment to understanding the nuances of a chosen specialty.
- Surface-Level Research vs. In-depth Research Engagement:
Old Approach: Joining multiple research projects for short periods, mainly to list them on a CV. This results in a superficial engagement that seldom leads to significant learning or contributions.
New Approach: Committing to a single research project or lab over an extended period. This deep dive enables you to become truly involved in the research process, potentially leading to publications or conference presentations. It offers a chance to develop strong mentoring relationships with researchers, who can provide insightful letters of recommendation that highlight your contributions and growth.
- Checklist Extracurriculars vs. Passion-Driven Projects:
Old Approach: Engaging in extracurricular activities that are commonly pursued by premed students, treating them as checkboxes to be ticked off. This often results in a lack of genuine interest and engagement.
New Approach: Initiating or leading projects that stem from personal passions, whether they’re directly related to medicine or not. This could be starting a health-related nonprofit, developing a public health initiative, or even creating an educational YouTube channel. Such endeavors demonstrate leadership, creativity, and the ability to impact communities, qualities that are highly valued in future physicians.
- Broad Study Abroad Experiences vs. Focused Global Health Immersions:
Old Approach: Participating in general study abroad programs that offer more of a cultural experience than one deeply rooted in health care learning or service.
New Approach: Seeking out global health immersion programs that provide firsthand experience with healthcare systems in different countries, especially those focusing on underserved communities. This exposure not only broadens your perspective on global health challenges but also demonstrates a commitment to understanding and addressing health disparities.
9. Passive Participation in Clubs vs. Leadership and Impact:
Old Approach: Joining multiple student organizations without taking on any significant roles, resulting in a minimal impact and a lack of personal development.
New Approach: Strategically choosing a few organizations to deeply involve yourself in, eventually taking on leadership roles. The focus is on the quality of involvement and the impact of your contributions, whether through organizing events, leading initiatives, or contributing to the organization’s growth. Leadership roles offer tangible evidence of your ability to manage, innovate, and work in a team, all crucial skills for a career in medicine.
- Random Community Service vs. Targeted Volunteer Work:
Old Approach: Volunteering at various community service events or organizations without a clear focus, mainly to fulfill a perceived requirement for medical school applications.
New Approach: Selectively volunteering for causes you are passionate about, especially those that align with your interests in medicine. This could mean long-term involvement with health clinics, mental health initiatives, or public health education. Such targeted volunteer work not only demonstrates a genuine commitment to serving communities but also provides relevant experiences that enrich your understanding of patient care and public health.
- General Letters of Recommendation vs. Personalized Advocacy:
Old Approach: Gathering letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors based on limited interactions, resulting in generic endorsements that don’t capture your unique strengths or contributions.
New Approach: Building meaningful relationships with mentors, professors, and healthcare professionals over time, so they can provide detailed, personalized letters of recommendation. These letters offer a deeper insight into your character, work ethic, and potential as a medical student, far beyond what grades and test scores can show.
- Rote Learning vs. Integrative Understanding:
Old Approach: Relying heavily on memorization for exams and coursework, a strategy that may yield short-term results but often leads to gaps in understanding and retention.
New Approach: Employing integrative learning techniques, such as concept mapping and interdisciplinary study groups, to understand how different areas of knowledge connect and apply to real-world scenarios. This deeper level of understanding not only prepares you better for the MCAT but also for the complex problem-solving required in medical school and beyond.
- Isolated Test Prep vs. Collaborative Learning for the MCAT:
Old Approach: Studying for the MCAT in isolation, using primarily self-study methods and standardized test prep materials.
New Approach: Forming or joining MCAT study groups to leverage diverse knowledge bases, test-taking strategies, and moral support. This collaborative approach not only enhances understanding of challenging concepts but also fosters a sense of community and shared purpose among pre-med students. Furthermore, teaching and explaining concepts to peers is one of the most effective ways to solidify your own knowledge.
- Undirected Medical Reading vs. Focused Learning through Literature:
Old Approach: Reading medical journals or books without a specific focus, which can be overwhelming and less productive due to the vast amount of information available.
New Approach: Selectively reading literature that aligns with your specific medical interests or current learning goals. This might include focusing on landmark studies, reviewing articles in your areas of interest, or literature that bridges medicine with other fields such as ethics, policy, or technology. This focused approach not only deepens your knowledge in areas you’re passionate about but also helps you develop a nuanced understanding of medicine’s role in society.
Adopting these new approaches can significantly enhance the pre-med experience, leading to personal growth, deeper learning, and a more compelling medical school application.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!