How Do I Get Started

[rrosa522]

I am starting university this fall at utsc. I know getting into medical school isn't easy and will require a lot of work. I know I need to volunteer and find research opportunities.  However, as a freshman, I know I will be limited as I have no experience or references. I really want to know what I can do to get started. Also, It would be really helpful if someone can just give me a list of things I should accomplish by the end of my freshman year, in order to build a good foundation for my upper years. 

[Heisenberg_]

First year is a time to discover yourself. Do you even want to pursue a career in medicine? Too many 'premeds' rush into this career without taking the time to mature & find out what makes them happy in life. They immediately try to 'check off' all of the cookie-cutter EC's that would make their parents proud. Your interests may change so take this year to explore. The most important thing in first year is to keep your grades up so you have the 'med school dream' still available if you stay on this route.  

 

Now, let's assume you want to genuinely pursue medicine. Don't create a list of 'cookie cutter' things you need to achieve for med school. Find a few things that you enjoy and do them WELL. Perhaps find a club that interests you & move up the ranks or do something cool like start your own business. Think about organizations you can get involved with that could write you a solid Letter of Recommendation. Look into awards that can objectify your achievements. I wouldn't even bother wasting your time with research in 1st year since you will likely not have the background knowledge to know what is going on. 

 

TlDR; there is no 'list of things' you need to achieve. Explore your interests and do something unique that makes you happy because that will allow you to excel at things you do- which is what med schools are looking for.  

[ralk]

Can't agree with manojinator more. There is no one pathway to medicine and at your stage, medicine might not be the best end-goal anyway.

 

Your first priority should be achieving a good GPA in your first year as you make the difficult transition to university from high school. That might sound simple enough, but it's where most people stumble.

 

Second, look for opportunities to explore your interests, whatever those happen to be. This will help you determine whether medicine is the right career path for you and, if it is, will set you up well to have strong ECs and likely some decent references as well. Don't overload yourself right off the bat - getting the grades and developing good, efficient study habits is the first priority. Still, start to look at potential activities you could participate in that would develop your knowledge and skills moving forward.

 

At some point, it is worth taking a look at the entrance requirements for the medical schools you'd most like to consider, so that you have an idea of what you need to achieve in terms of GPA, MCAT, and ECs. Start by looking at the schools' websites directly, they're the best sources of information. Eventually, you should also take a look at what the MCAT entails. However, if you do nothing in first year but come out of it with a decent GPA and study habits that leave you plenty of time to pursue other activities, you'll be leaps and bounds ahead of most people.

[Bambi]

Welcome to the froum rosa!

 

You are entering a marathon and baby steps are required for now. First off, h.s. grades are meaningless in making academic predictions for university. The most important attribute you can bring with you to university is a strong work ethic!

 

Although social life is important, the one thing you do not need is a needy significant other, rather if you have one, he/she should be a stable and supportive person in your life. First off in freshman year, you need to have your academics under control and do not spread your wings with ECs and volunteering until academics are good. Should you encounter problems, go to Counselling and get the advice and support you need early on. Develop good study habits, keep up with academics, with assignments and do reviews. Do not cram. If you party, do so reasonably and only after you do your readings and assignments.

 

Many roads, many programs can lead to medicine. Not all make it, therefore, it is important that you have at least one Plan B so that upon graduation, you are moving toward employment, be it in teaching, in physio, in occupational therapy, in whatever. Take a program that interests you as you are likely to be motivated, work harder and attain higher grades.

 

I entered undergrad on the basis that I wanted to live with no regrets. I treated my studies as if this were my profession, I worked very hard every semester and was burnt out by the end of each semester. I lost all my party friends as academics were my priority. I had a s.o. whom I saw once a week on Saturday nights, otherwise no phone calls, no emails, no texts.

 

I started my ECs and volunteering during the summer after first year. My peers in these activities became my friends, my social life so to speak. After first year, I became a straight A student, my activities exceeded 20 hours/week and luckily, I got into med school directly upon graduating. I say luckily,  because luck does play a role and it takes on average 3 application cycles to get in.

 

Good luck!

[TabulaRasa]

I am starting university this fall at utsc. I know getting into medical school isn't easy and will require a lot of work. I know I need to volunteer and find research opportunities.  However, as a freshman, I know I will be limited as I have no experience or references. I really want to know what I can do to get started. Also, It would be really helpful if someone can just give me a list of things I should accomplish by the end of my freshman year, in order to build a good foundation for my upper years. 

 

I would also say that it's worthwhile to consider your own objectives and expectations. Are you aiming to apply by 3rd year? 4th? After a MSc (which really isn't a bad idea depending on your goals post-med school)? This will change when you need to meet benchmarks like research and other ECs to be competitive for that cycle.  

[alsdjflks]

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[Mjacob45]

There is really no list of stuff you need to get done by the end of freshman year that anybody can give you. The most important thing you can do is keep your average up. If you are doing well early on, then I would add in ECs based on your interests. i.e. if you like sports, join some intramural teams. If you like working with kids, get involved with volunteering that will allow you to do that. If you are already interested in research, contact profs who's research you are interested in to ask about joining labs. Its really up to you as to what you should do and when-biggest goal for first year is definitely to keep your average up.

[ploughboy]

Focus on your GPA, on managing the transition to university from high-school, and planning your next few years.

 

Your GPA is more permanent than a criminal record, and you're way better keeping a good one from the start rather than trying to rehabilitate a bad GPA because you over-extended yourself in first year.

[coastalslacker]

- Remember that you're there to learn, not to get into medicine. 

- Get good grades.  Treat school like a job.  If you can't get good grades, medicine isn't for you.  If you change your mind about what you want to do, good grades will likely help.   

- If you have paid employment, don't over-do it (unless you need to).  Took me a semester to realize 20 hours/week at the grocery store wasn't leaving me enough time for fun things, and then cut back abit

- Have fun

- Take up one new hobby you've always wanted to try

- Volunteer with one organization where you feel like you can make a difference, or, where you think what they do is important.  Service is important.  This might not be a hospital - I always felt useless volunteering at the hospital (as an MD now, I realize I probably was!), but I did feel like I made a difference when I was teaching ESL to a recent immigrant (although that was harder).

[Leon]

I couldn't agree more with everyone on here. Use the next three years to develop yourself personally and professionally and when the time to apply comes show how your experiences have shaped you as a person. I know this sounds incredibly vague but medicine isn't looking for any specific type of individual but rather for people in good academic standing who demonstrate a variety of traits, available in the OMSAS booklet, and who have selected extra curriculars that helped them grow. Good luck! It's a long and interesting journey