The new year is a great time for students to make new resolutions and strategies to successfully achieve their goals in the grueling months ahead. During the holiday season, students can take a step back to relax and carefully analyze their academic year. For instance, if you are an aspiring medical school student, gaining admission into medical school by May or September should be your new year’s resolution.
This probably feels so far right now; starting the new year with a resolution that is geared toward helping you achieve your goal of becoming a doctor is a great way to ensure that you are on the right path. Whether you want to enroll in a medical science program, post-baccalaureate program, or broaden your horizons by involving in volunteering work, find time to make yourself a competitive candidate while maintaining your extracurricular activities.
Here are some new year resolutions for medical school hopefuls, you can add a few more as per your academic and personal needs.
- Keep Learning About Medicine
Medicine is a complex and diverse field. Staying passionate about the areas that you are interested and motivated to pursue a career can prepare yourself for a medical school and choose the right path for you. Keep reading books, downloading educational apps, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, watching medical YouTube channels to keep updated about the field.
- Stay Up to date with the Exciting Developments
Medicine is an evolving field. Anyone interested in the field of medicine is advised to keep up with the cutting-edge medical technologies happening every second. Being an aspiring medical student, you should stay up to date with all the latest developments and happenings in the healthcare industry. It will not only prepare you for the medical school interview but will also give you a clear idea about the field. You can subscribe to different websites that provide medical news and follow social media channels to stay up to date with the newest and most relevant developments.
- Get Clinical Experience
Gaining work experience during your undergraduate years will increase your chances of getting into the medical school of your choice. It demonstrates the medical school committee that you have some understanding of the field you are interested in and show your commitment to medicine. Gaining experience in the healthcare industry is the plus point for aspiring medical school students as it is something they can mention in their personal statement and impresses the admission committee.
If you want to build a realistic view of the medical field and decide whether medicine is the perfect choice for your career, find shadowing opportunities. Shadow a physician or surgeon is the best way to learn about the field of medicine and what the profession of doctor entails. Try to get work experience in any health care setting, such as a doctor’s clinic, hospital, community clinic, medical center, or rehabilitation center. It will help you know how it feels to work in a healthcare setting, how to deal with patients, interact with medical and administrative staff.
- Extracurricular Activities
Before applying to medical school, it is important for aspiring students to have a strong academic background and impressive MCAT scores. The admission committee will also assess your problem-solving, leadership, and communication skills. It is a great idea to bolster your resume whenever you get the opportunity. In 2020, try to participate in extracurricular activities that will not only fulfill the extracurricular prerequisites but also improve your personality. Aim to do something for your personal development that will help you feel accomplished. Attend conferences, find a research opportunity, join a rehabilitation center, or do anything important for your personal growth.
- Complete Your Admission Requirements
Getting into medical school is no easy feat. It has a lot of requirements – a stellar personal statement, good MCAT score, letters of recommendation, interview preparation, and other obligations. Make sure you know medical school admission requirements and plan early to avoid last-minute stress. For instance, you can develop a positive relationship with premedical advisors, faculty members, research sponsors, and lab supervisors. At the time of admission, you can ask them for compelling recommendations.
- Eat a Healthy Diet and Get More Sleep
If you are planning to apply to medical school in 2020, it is important to look after your mental and physical health. It is because medical school is tough because of difficult course load, classes, lab work, USMLE Step 1 and 2, clinical rotations, and residency. It will become a little bit tough to manage medical classes, extracurricular activities, family, and social life.
You can only be able to stay on top of your medical school when your physically fit and mentally healthy. When your body gets healthy foods and proper rest, you will be able to complete challenging assignments on time, tests, and lab work. Remember being in medical school takes a lot of mental capacity; following a healthier lifestyle, eating habits, and sleep patterns can help you achieve your educational and professional goals.
These New Year’s resolutions will prepare you for a medical school journey and help you gain admission in medical school in 2020 and help you on your path to medical degree.