s tu d e nt s pot l i ght by Sarah Robinson
So You Want to Be a Medical Student
The ins and outs of what it takes to apply to med school Everybody knows that medical school is no joke, but the application process itself is almost as strenuous as the four-plus years of study.
“I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was a little girl, but even I was a little daunted by the MCAT and the application process,” says Calsey Graham, 2016 graduate of Dublin Jerome High School and current med school applicant. “It’s not for the faint of heart.” If you’ve got an aspiring anesthesiologist, a potential pediatrician or soon-to-be surgeon at home, or if you’re just curious
about the process, Dublin Life Magazine has you covered with the top tips, tricks and insider knowledge for the medical school application process. Pre-med preparation Before starting on medical school applications, typically during a student’s junior and senior years of undergraduate study, there are some important boxes to check. The biggest piece of advice all college freshmen receive is, “Get involved!” Nothing is truer for med school applicants. “Any student that’s thinking about pursuing medicine in the future should plan out their four years of college in advance,” says Graham. “Since there
Graham’s dog Sage reports MCAT studying materials are “ruff” 34 • February/March 2021
are so many different categories of involvement medical schools are looking for, like volunteering in both clinical and non-clinical settings, research, shadowing, leadership, etc., you have to make sure you can fit it all in.” Assistant Director of Admissions & Outreach for the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic MedicineDublin (OU-HCOM) Terry Porter says in addition to academic metrics and the MCAT, there are many other aspects of a student’s application that can stand out. “We also strongly consider each candidate’s extracurricular activities, health care experiences, community volunteering hours, research exposure, leadership opportunities and why they want to practice medicine,” Porter says. “We look at all facets of the candidate through a holistic evaluation.” It’s important for med school hopefuls to seek opportunities where they can develop skills relevant to their future, but also to get involved in things they genuinely enjoy. “My biggest advice is to not worry about trying to be the ideal pre-med student, but to find something that you’re truly passionate about,” says Graham. “For me, since dogs have been a huge part of my life, one of my involvements on campus was raising two service dogs with 4 Paws for Ability at Ohio State.” Of course, one of the most important and well-known aspects of a medical school application is the formidable MCAT exam. Just like the SAT or ACT, when applying for your undergraduate education, each individual medical school has a range of scores they tend to accept. www.dublinlifemagazine.com
