November/December 2015 by PreMedLife Magazine

MEDICAL SCHOOLS JOIN FORCES TO RESHAPE MD TRAINING | ADMISSION OFFICERS WEIGH IN ON NEW MCAT

PREMEDLIFE The Magazine For Pre-Medical Students

November/December 2015

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MEDICAL SCHOOL REJECTION

The Harsh Truth and What It Really Means

HOW TO CONQUER SELF DOUBT THE GREATEST LETTER AROUND Getting quality letters of recommendation

PREMEDLIFE.COM

Advice on how to change negative pre-med thinking

The Hunger Is campaign is a collaboration between The Safeway Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation to raise awareness and improve the health of hungry children. The Safeway Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. Photo by: Nigel Parry

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November/December 2015 “As the only program of its kind in Michigan, Wayne

Med-Direct will offer students a wide range of benefits ”

p. 15

20 THE REJECTION TRUTH

HOW SUCCESSFUL PREMEDS CONQUER SELF DOUBT

MEDICAL SCHOOL REJECTION

YOU’VE INTERVIEWED... NOW WHAT?

THE BEST WAY TO AVOID LETTING SELF-DOUBT OVERTAKE YOUR LIFE IS TO BE CONSCIENTIOUS OF IT

THE HARSH TRUTH ABOUT GETTING REJECTED FROM MED SCHOOL AND WHAT IT MEANS

IF YOU’VE HAD YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL INTERVIEW, HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT

November/December 2015 | PreMedLife Magazine |3

contents

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

Don’t underestimate the

l power of your letters of recommendation.

In The News

Schools join forces to help train future physicians better, a new undergraduate program guarantees admission to medical school, and admissions officers weigh in on the new MCAT.

28 The Goods

Here are some fun items we thought you, our readers would enjoy. From a write on mug to socks on your chair, these items are sure to make you smile.

WHAT’S INSIDE...

Getting Letters of Recommendation Letters of evaluation for medical school can be difficult to elicit because many of the science courses you take have 100+ students in the class and it may be hard to find a way to stand out.

5 Traits Every Premed Should Avoid

While pre-meds often think about traits to portray, here are a few that you should avoid at all cost if you’re thinking about a career in medicine.

4 | PreMedLife Magazine | November/December 2015

March/April 2015 | PreMedLife Magazine |19

istockphoto © maurusone

Digital

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

Ted Talks (Under 5 Minutes) Every Premed Should Watch we’ve complied this list of awesome TEDTalks, which we think every premed should watch. And all of them are under six minutes, so there’s no excuse.

What’s on Premedlife.com? 3 Lessons for Interviews From a Med School Student Interview days can be difficult and tiring and there are a couple of things I have learned about interviews as the time has passed.

Best Medical Schools You Never Hear Much About Ask anyone across the country what are some of the best medical schools are. I bet the majority will respond with Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and so on.

Holiday Premed Happenings - Clinical Shadowing While on break from school over the holidays, consider spending several hours shadowing a physician to gain clinical shadowing experience.

GO BEYOND THE PAGE

You’ll find the icon on selected pages throughout the issue. That’s your signal to grab your smartphone or tablet and go deeper with the content on that page. Here’s how: 1. Download the free Layar app from the Apple or Android store or at layar.com 2. Launch the app and scan any page displaying the icon. 3. Premedlife videos and other bonus content will instantly appear on your device.

6 | PreMedLife Magazine | November/December 2015

From the

Publisher

PREMEDLIFE the lifestyle magazine for premedical students www.premedlife.com

Founder & Publisher | Tasheema Prince Executive Vice President | Monique Terc Contributing Editor | Njeri McKenzie Online Marketing Consultant | Portia Chu

IT’S A WRAP... The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential...these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. -Confucius The year is coming to a close and like every other final issue of the year I like to offer some words of encouragement to close out the year strong.

For many pre-meds, or college students in general, it’s one thing to start the semester off on a good foot, but it’s a whole other thing to start what you finish and close out strong. It takes a lot of discipline, motivation, determination, commitment, and more. And for those of you who began the semester with the end in mind, you should be doing pretty good for yourself. If you’re able to look back on the semester and pat yourself on the back for doing what you said you were going to do and put your best effort forth, you’ve done your job. Regardless of whether or not the semester got the best of your or you went forth and conquered, if at the end of the day you can honestly say to yourself that you “did your best” then, yes, you’ve done your job. Everything else after that is either sticking to what worked for you and got you the results you wanted or learning from your mistakes and moving forward with what you now know. In the end, it’s very important to enjoy the process regardless of whether the process is treating you with kindness or taking you through the motions (in a not so nice way). There’s a lot to think about as you get ready to put the year behind you and prepare for 2016. Yes, the new year is right around the corner and it will be here before you know it. And regardless of if 2015 was a “good” year or a “bad” year, the dawn of a new year always marks a time to reflect and make decisions, change bad habits, form new ones. So, with your dreams of becoming a doctor on deck, own that and do what it is you know you are capable of. LET’S DO THIS!

Tasheema Prince Tasheema Prince Publisher @PrinceSheem tprince@premedlife.com

Contributing Writers Marilyn Chu, Seemal Awan Find us on Twitter @premedlife Find us on Facebook.com/premedlife Here’s How to Reach Us: Kisho Media, LLC P.O. Box 7049 New York, NY 10116 Main Office (347) 857-7491 Have a Story Idea? Email us at editor@premedlife.com Want to Subscribe? Visit www.premedlife.com and sign-up to our mailing list to receive an email when the latest issue is available online Want to Join Forces? (a.k.a. Partner With Us) Email us at info@premedlife.com Advertising Inquiries? Email advertise@premedlife.com PreMedLife magazine is published six times per year by Kisho Media, LLC. and copies are provided to select colleges and universities free of charge. The information in PreMedLife magazine is believed to be accurate, but in some instances, may represent opinion or judgment. Consult your pre-medical/pre-health advisor with any questions you may have about the medical school admissions process and related topics. Unless otherwise noted, all articles, photographs, artwork, and images may not be duplicated or reprinted without express written permission from Kisho Media, LLC. PreMedLife magazine and Kisho Media, LLC. are not liable for typographical or production errors or the accuracy of information provided by advertisers. PreMedLife magazine reserves the right to refuse any advertising. All inquires may be sent to: Kisho Media, LLC. P.O. Box 7049 New York, NY 10116 To reach us by phone call (347) 857-7491 or email us at info@premedlife.com.

8 | PreMedLife Magazine | November/December 2015

Premedlife

S T U D E N T A D V I S O RY B O A R D

The PreMedLife Student Advisory Board is an exemplary group of premed students from a variety of backgrounds who have a wide range of accomplishments. They will help keep us informed about what we need to know to make PreMedLife magazine the go-to resource for aspiring doctors.

Tisha Berg UCLA Extension

Viven Chen University of Miami

Samantha Culver University of Vermont

Caitlin Draper University of Arkansas

Jared Eaves The University of Texas at Austin

Austin Greer Indiana Wesleyan University

Charis Guinto Evangel University

Hannah Hoekstra University of Minnesota

Lisa Lachhman Pace University

Austin Newsman Georgia State University

James Rock Slippery Rock University

Tyra Turner Agnes Scott College

10 | PreMedLife Magazine | November/December 2015

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High school graduates will now have the opportunity to receive guaran-

NEWS

teed admission to medical school at no cost. {PAGE 15}

istockphoto / Topp_Yimgrimm

Several Medical Schools Join Initiative to Reshape Future Physician Training

To help create the “medical school of the future,” the American Medical Association (AMA) is awarding a group of schools grants to redesign medical education. The 20 new schools to join the AMA’s Accelerating Changed in Medical Education Consortium, were selected from 170 medical schools through a competitive grant process and will each received $75,000 over a three year period to see their proposed project through. The addition of these new schools increases the number of schools in the consortium to 31. “Our goal throughout this initiative has been to spread the robust work being done by our consortium to accelerate systemic change throughout medical education,” said AMA CEO James L. Madara, M.D. “By tripling the number of schools participating in this effort, we know that we will be able to more quickly disseminate

the Consortium schools’ innovative curriculum models to even more schools—leading to the type of seismic shift that the medical education system needs so that future physicians can better care for their patients.” Originally launched in 2013, the Accelerating Change in Medical Education initiative was designed to address the gaps that exist how students in medical school are trained and how health care is delivered. Among some of the newest projects are the Pathways Curriculum, a project launched at Harvard Medical School, that aims to create “master adaptive learners,” who are self-directed, reflective, curious, cognitively flexible and capably of embracing uncertainty. Another project, led by Morehouse School of Medicine, hopes to expand the school’s social mission and enhance community-engaged training by increasing the medical school class size and the

number of community-based sites participating in the education process. “Together, the 31 schools will collectively work to quickly identify and widely share the best models for educational change to ensure future physicians are prepared for a lifetime of learning, to lead a team of professionals in delivering care and to explore innovative ways to care for patients, populations and communities in the evolving health care system,” said Susan E. Skochelak, M.D., M.P.H., AMA Group Vice President for Medical Education. “By working together, we believe that during the next several years this effort will produce physicians who are not just skilled clinicians, but system-based thinkers, change agents, technology champions and inter-professional team players.” The list of selected schools, along with short descriptions of each school’s project, can be found online at www.changemeded.org. ¡

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NEWS

premedlife

istockphoto/ wichai leesawatwong

New Program Offers Guaranteed Detroit Med School Admission High school students in Detroit will now have the opportunity to receive guaranteed admission to medical school, announced Wayne State University in a recent press release. The program, called Wayne Med-Direct, not only assures acceptance into medical school but also covers the cost of both undergrad and medical school tuition. Developed in line with the university’s mission, the program is designed to be a pipeline for high-quality students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds who have an interest in a career in medicine. ““Attracting top-tier students with an interest in health disparities is important to the future of our School of Medicine,” said WSU President M. Roy Wilson. “As we advance toward becoming a national hub for health disparities research, it is crucial for us to get future medical practitioners and clinical scientists committed to Wayne State University as soon as possible.” As the only program of its kind in Michigan, Wayne Med-Direct will offer students a wide

range of benefits, including but not limited to, MCAT prep, access to state-of-the-art research facilities, and summer enrichment programs. “Incoming freshman who are admitted to the program will arrive on campus in the summer to participate in summer enrichment courses focused on chemistry, biology, physics and writing,” said Ambika Mathur, dean of Wayne State’s Graduate School and one of the architects of Wayne Med-Direct. “In addition to their early arrival on campus, Wayne Med-Direct cohorts will participate in seminars, workshops and hands-on research and clinical training in the School of Medicine throughout their undergraduate careers.” Applicants to the program will go through a competitive process and will be evaluated through the a holistic admission process and the program is currently accepting applicants until January 15, 2016. For more information, visit honors.wayne.edu/future/waynemeddirect.php. ¡

premedlife

NEWS

Survey Reveals How Medical Schools Feel About New MCAT

Medical school admissions officers weighed in on their feelings about the new MCAT in a new survey conducted by Kaplan Test Prep. The survey, which involved 68 accredited medical schools, revealed that feelings about the new MCAT are ambiguous. Specifically, only 42% of medical schools surveyed believed that the new MCAT will better prepare pre-meds for medical school compared to the old MCAT. According to the press release announcing the results, this reflects a decrease from 2014, in which over two-thirds of medical schools indicated that they believed the new test was an improvement. However, the shift was due to a greater number of officers responding as “undecided” rather than providing “negative” responses. “The decrease in the percentage of medical schools that believe the new MCAT better

prepares students for medical school than the old exam did can possibly be explained by premature exuberance facing the reality of a complex test change,” said Eric Chiu, executive director of pre-medical programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “As medical schools move through their first application season with new MCAT scores, their increased uncertainty doesn’t necessarily mean they are putting any less emphasis on the MCAT as an admissions factor. In fact, our survey also found that a low MCAT score remains ‘the biggest application dealbreaker.’ As medical schools gather more data on the new MCAT, it’s likely that a greater percentage of them will return to their initial optimism about the improved role the new MCAT will play in the ever-evolving state of medical education.”

Other findings from the survey reveal some significant information, including the following: 1.) Nearly 1 in 10 medical schools stated that due to uncertainty of the new MCAt, they will look at applicants’ SAT and ACT scores to help them make an admissions decision, 2.) Forty-five percent of medical school admissions officers said that the biggest deal breaker for an applicant is a low MCAt score, followed by a low undergraduate GPA, 3.) Several medical schools predict that less than half of this year’s applicants will submit new MCAT scores, and 4.) Eight out of 10 medical schools predict that they will receive more applications in the 20152016 admissions cycle compared to the previous year. ¡

16 | PreMedLife Magazine | November/December 2015

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Premedlife

MIND

How Successful Premeds Conquer Self-Doubt If you’re a premed experiencing self-doubt, you must go forth and conquer. And here’s how to do it.

quering self-doubt is because self-doubt flourishes based on negativity. By thinking of recent accomplishments and large milestones in your life, you can help to keep self-doubt at bay. The way that I think about self-doubt is that it is a little machine that requires constant fuel in order to propel itself. The fuel in the self-doubt machine is constant negative thoughts but by thinking of accomplishments and positive thoughts, the machine will not have the fuel that it needs.

RECOGNIZE THAT SELF-DOUBT IS A NATURAL RESPONSE The way that feelings of anxiety are able to overtake our lives is by convincing us that the anxiety is unique to ourselves and that the situation is unable to be resolved. By telling yourself that everyone around you also experiences self-doubt is a good way of allowing yourself to experience the feelings but realizing they are not unique to you. Also, discussing with other premed students is another great way of dealing with these feelings. When you talk to other students, you realize ways that they are dealing with self-doubt that you may not have thought of. This helps to give you ideas of overcoming self-doubt. Being able to discuss and relate your feelings with other people is a great way to recognize the commonality of self-doubt. REMIND YOURSELF OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS Self-doubt usually requires an impetus to occur. It may be a bad test grade, lack of interview offers, MCAT test, or talking to a fellow classmate. Most of us are usually on the edge and sometimes a statement can push us over and prompt self-doubt to occur. It is always good to have some accomplishments in your back pocket to remind yourself. The reason reminding yourself of accomplishments is a good way of con-

DISTRACT YOURSELF We all have a little bit of ADHD in ourselves and sometimes a distraction can go a really long way. I know that when I have self-doubt and my regular techniques do not work, a distraction is the way to go. Whether the distraction is going to the

gym, watching a TV show, hanging out with my friends, or anything else that helps to distract you. There are times when self-doubt just nags and nags and you cannot get rid of it. During these times, I would delve into studying more and learn some information in order to remind myself that I am learning and I am progressing towards my goal. We all have our own techniques and there is not one technique that is better, it is just which one works better for you. SEEK HELP IF NEEDED As high functioning people in society trying to pursue a covetous career, it is hard to believe that we ourselves may need help from someone. I will be the first to admit that it is not easy to accept that you may need to seek help if your feelings of selfdoubt are overtaking your life. Self-doubt can perpetuate anxiety which can perpetuate inability to study and get your work done. This is a hard situation to be in because you may feel helpless since feelings of anxiety and self-doubt can be difficult to regulate but this may be a sign that you could benefit from talking to someone. I remember starting medical school and feeling completely out of my element and not really knowing how to maneuver my new life as a medical student. After many months of really struggling to find my way, I decided to seek help from those around me and services the school provides. It was one of the best decisions and I have continued to use the service throughout all of medical school. I think most of us go through school and learn about how to study and what to study but we do not receive a lot of instruction on how to deal with the way we feel. Your feelings can get in the way of your future and can cause that small bit of self-doubt to become a monster that is hard to control. A small step such as seeking help could be the solution and help you pursue your dream of medicine.

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istockphoto © Jrcasas

here are many types of premed students that you encounter: the anxious premed, naturally smart premed, confident premed, negative Nancy premed, etc. The list goes on and on but one trait that exists amongst almost every premed is self-doubt. It is easy for you to experience doubt in your dreams especially when you hit a road bump. The best way to avoid letting self-doubt overtake your life is to be conscientious of it and have some ways to keep the feeling under control.

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istockphoto ÂŠ sSplajn

Premedlife

F E AT U R E A RT I C L E

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MEDICAL SCHOOL REJECTION: The Harsh Truth and What It Really Means Every pre-med studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest nightmare is to have worked really hard for years and then still receive a rejection letter or no interview invites at the end of interview season. If you are someone in this position, read ahead based on the category that fits you best: >>>

November/December 2015 | PreMedLife Magazine |21

>You applied to only competitive programs Many of us would think why would anyone only apply to competitive programs and not apply to a bunch of safety programs? Most of us just want to get in and apply broadly. However, this is not the case for everyone. If you only applied to select programs because you did awesome on your MCATS and your GPA is near perfect, this does not guarantee that you will get into a top-notch medical school. When you are applying to the competitive programs, remember that you are dealing with a completely different situation because most other people applying to these programs also did very well in undergrad and are competing with you for a spot. It is hard to figure out how admissions committee’s decide between these highly qualified applicants but it is always better to not bank on the idea that one of the 20-30 prestigious medical schools will accept you. You should always apply broadly in the sense that you should apply to “safety schools” because you never want it to be the end of interview season and not have received an interview but got a 35+ on your MCAT (not entirely sure how that number would translate on the new MCAT). >You applied to a very limited geographical region By a very limited geographical region, I mean 2-3 hours from your hometown which consists of a maximum of 5-10 schools. As more and more students are trying to get into medical school it is getting more and more difficult. You need to give yourself more opportunities by casting a wider net. It is more than okay to apply just to the East Coast or just to the West Coast. In the East Coast (encompassing New York to Florida), there are at least 40 medical school programs to apply to. The reason it is important to apply to a large geographic region is because there are different types of premed students that apply to different schools based on regions. Your application may look more favorably in a different state or city because people from your state/city do not generally apply to say for example the West Coast. This is not always the case but it is important to think about

this. Also, I have seen students from the West Coast be given an interview because the types of extracurricular activities he/she has participated in are completely different from the types of activities that students participate in on the East Coast. This is bound to attract an admissions officer. Do not get me wrong, if you are from the East Coast and would like to stay on the East Coast, do not feel the need to have to apply to the West Coast. I was born and raised on the East Coast and only applied to medical schools on the East Coast but I was able to grab interviews from the South that I did not expect I would get. >You applied to few programs Applying to medical school can be so expensive and it may be difficult to justify applying to 30+ programs especially when it costs so much. If you believe you are a pretty competitive applicant and your premed adviser agrees, then the best thing to do is close your eyes and just apply to a bunch the next time around. The reason I say this is saving a couple hundred dollars may seem worth it to you when you are initially applying but having to wait a whole year to apply over again to more than you applied the year before does not seem worth it. In order to save some money now, you may end up spending more later if you decide to apply again. INTERVIEW INVITES, NO ACCEPTANCES So you looked good enough on your AMCAS application but something happened during the actual interview that did not convince interviewers you are ready for medical school or that you are a good fit for the school. >You did not prepare prior to the interview I am not one of those people that practice interview responses prior to an interview because I generally am able to come up with responses right on the spot. However, what I mean by this is that you did not really look up information regarding the school prior to your interview. You do need to be prepared for the types of questions that all interviewers ask such as: -Why did you apply here? -What makes this school different? -Why are you interested in medicine?

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istockphoto © wildpixel

NO INTERVIEW INVITES It is very important to take some time to reflect and dissect through why you did not receive any interview invites this season. I will talk through a couple of the most common causes for not receiving interview invites.

-What makes you different? These types of questions are sort of universal to all interviews and it is a great idea to think about the way you may answer to a question like this in preparation for your interview. You do not need to practice per say but you do need to be aware and prepared. If you have not looked up the school then it will be very difficult to tell your interviewer what makes their school different or why you applied to the school. Many students get frustrated by having to answer the “what makes this school different” question because premed students generally apply everywhere and then wherever they get an interview they go there. But still, sometimes you have to accept that there is sort of a ritual and you have to play the game they expect you to. >You did not practice with your premed adviser or someone else to give you feedback I remember my pre-health committee had an interview day where you could come and practice with the premed adviser. I went to the practice interview session and remembered leaving it frustrated because the adviser did not ask me any of the typical med school interview questions. After I had cooled off the next day, I thought about what she said after we finished and I realized the purpose of the practice interview was not just to practice questions that may come up during an actual interview but rather to prepare me for difficult instances that I may become flustered in. I think more and more medical school interviewers are asking difficult questions in order to see how you will respond to the question rather than asking you about yourself which is something they can read about on your application. Even with the new MCAT changes you can see how they are trying to evaluate premed students based on the realm of behavioral and social issues. Practicing interviews with another premed student or anyone that you can get your hands on is a really good way of getting some of the glitches out of the way before you actually interview.

ing in the summer time and interview during the Fall and Winter. It may seem like a good idea to only work on applications during your year “off” but remember you want to prove to medical schools that you are an even better applicant than you were last year. So try to plan to do something during your year off and this does not have to necessarily be something Medicine related but it most definitely can be. I know people that pursued post-bacs, did research, volunteered abroad, etc. and were able to get into medical school the next year. I know others who pursued journalism, businesses, and masters. Basically you want to let medical schools know that you will not be wasting the year that you are taking off and you want to work hard. > You are confused as to whether or not you still want to pursue Medicine If this application cycle has left you confused or overwhelmed by your decision to pursue Medicine this would be a really good time to make sure that Medicine is exactly what you want. The reason I say this is because now you have a year before you potentially start medical school and you can use some of that time to make sure that this is what you want. There were a couple of medical students in my class who realized during week one or week nine that medicine was not what they thought it was or not what they wanted anymore. They wished they could go back to before starting medical school to do more shadowing so they could really know what they were getting themselves into. If you know someone in medical school, ask to hang out with them a couple of days (preferably not right after a test because you will get a skewed sense that Medical School is all about partying). > You realize Medicine is not what you want to pursue anymore Medicine are intelligent, caring, hard-working, and so much more and these traits will help you succeed and excel in anything you wish to pursue. There are so many different careers to pick from and those traits that you cultivated in preparation for your future will help you wherever you decide to go. Do not fret over your decision but be happy that you were able to try and pursue a very difficult career.

WAITLISTED, NO ACCEPTANCES This is a really annoying situation to be in because you were so close. You got the coveted interview and were liked enough to be wait listed but eventually you were not accepted. This is one of those instances that it is hard to determine why you were not accepted and I think for the most part it is okay to send an email to the admissions committee asking for reasons why. And you also want to make sure that you put in your email that the reason you are asking is because you would like to apply again next year and continue to remain interested in their medical school. This is a good time to reflect on your interview experience and your application. Maybe make a list of things about your application that are strong and things that are negative. Also at this point you are at a crossroads because you need to decide how much Medicine is worth to you. Is Medicine still the dream that you wish to pursue or after the lack of acceptances you are no longer interested in pursuing Medicine? >You still believe that Medicine is your one and only passion Resilience is a wonderful characteristic to have and will treat you well during your journey in Medicine. Medicine is not for the faint. You will be required to push yourself and prove yourself over and over again. So it means that you will not let something like not being accepted one year stop you from pursuing you dream. Since you have decided to continue to pursue your dream, there are a couple of things to take into account. You will be apply-

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R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S

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Premedlife

The Greatest Letter Around The most important process of your pre-med life is soon approaching and everything counts.

etters of evaluations for medical school can be difficult to elicit because many of the science courses that you take during undergrad have 100+ students in the class so it is hard to find a way to stand out. Some tips when thinking about letters include the following:

IT IS NEVER TOO EARLY TO START ASKING FOR LETTERS

Even during your first year of undergrad, if you did really well in a science course especially, it is better to just ask for the letter. You may be thinking about waiting until your Sophomore or Junior year for a letter but it may be harder then because a lot of other students will be trying to get letters. So actually, if you do well in a class and you feel like the professor knows you well enough, just ask them for a letter. Another thing to keep in mind is even if you do not think you will be asking a professor for a letter, you should still know the professor pretty well so that if you did ask for a letter, he/she would be able to write it on your behalf. The reason I say this is because sometimes you end up doing really well in a class and you may not have expected it and so it could be a great opportunity. Also during Freshman year there are only a handful of students that would even consider asking for a letter of recommendation so if you did well in the class and take the time to get to know the professor, your letter may be even better than you think. During Sophomore year, students get caught up with

24 | PreMedLife Magazine | November/December 2015

taking a bunch of science courses and will forget to ask for letters of evaluation. And then during Junior year everyone will sort of realize they need letters and then will start to freak out and ask all of their professors in hopes of someone saying yes. The best thing to do is to keep it in your mind early and act accordingly.

til the final grade has been submitted is so that your professor can comment on how well you did in the course.

ASKING MONTHS TO YEARS AFTER A CLASS IS OVER

This is tricky because you are really depending on the fact that the professor remembers you from however long ago. If you are at a smaller school and really made a connection with the professor, it is definitely more likely that you will be remember. But do not fret if you are at a larger school because there are still some options. So, look up the most recent email thread you had with a professor and then reply within that email thread because then if the professor does not remember you, he/she can scroll down and read through previous emails which may help to jog their memory. Also, your email will not be as basic as an email written in the situation above. You will need to explain more and remind them more of who you are. These emails require a little more work and thought in order to effectively get your point across but can be done, just take your time when writing them.

BEFORE STARTING A CLASS, THINK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK FOR A LETTER

It is important to think about whether or not you may be asking your professor for a letter. The reason for this is because you may approach your semester in a different manner if you are thinking about getting a letter. Since it is difficult for the professor to know a lot about you, you will need to work harder to get to know the professor. This would include making use of office hours even if you do not necessarily need help in the subject. This way, the professor gets to see you in a different light that is outside of class. Also, the larger science courses have T.A.’s (teacher assistant’s) and these are great people to use as resources. The T.A. knows the professor and talks to the professor often and in many cases will help with the input when it comes to grading. Working with the T.A. one-on-one is also something you should consider doing because the T.A. is usually only a couple of years older than you and knows what it is like to be in your spot and may even give you tips on how to approach the professor. It is always a great idea to talk to students a year ahead of you that have already gone through the course in order to see what their thoughts are regarding asking a letter from a specific professor. There are some professors that are really awesome at writing letters and others that are just not that great. Knowing beforehand can help to shape how you would like to approach the semester. You do not want to try hard to get a letter from a professor that is generally known to say no to students or who does not write great letters. Nonetheless, do not let this stop you from asking for a letter from someone who you feel you have a strong connection with. There is also a difference in how to approach interviews when asking right after a class is over and then possibly months to years after a class is over.

ASKING RIGHT AFTER A CLASS IS OVER

This option is relatively easier than the second option because the course has just ended the professor remembers you pretty well. The best thing to do in this case is wait until your final grades for that semester have come out before asking because a professor is most likely stressing about grading exams and doing final grades. You do not want to ask a professor when he/she is stressing out because the chances of it being a “no” is more likely. So wait until the final grades are submitted and send an email their way explaining what you need the letter for and if they would be willing to write a letter. Generally most students will hear back within a couple of days to weeks. Another reason for waiting un-

Don’t dismiss the power of good letters from good people

In the end, it is important that you give this part of the process just as much respect that you do to all of the other components. Having strong letters of recommendation can go a long way when there are hundreds and thousands of other students competing for the same spot at a medical school. For another individual to speak highly of you and what you are capable of is a huge plus. Letters of recommendation not only bring to life the numbers and quantitative aspects of your medical school application, but also gives admission officers a peek into who you are from someone else’s point of view. It is also important that you do not make thinking about letters of recommendations as a secondary thought. These letters should be at the forefront of your mind, years before you even begin the application process. You should really approach each class as though you will, at the end of that course, be able to ask for a letter of recommendation. Make yourself seen, make yourself heard, make and leave a great impression on your instructor. Keep it in the front (and back) of your mind that your instructor, this individual, could very well be the source of a valuable letter of recommendation for your medical school application package. Think of your letters of recommendation as your letters of support. When researchers and scientist apply for million dollar grants, some provide letters of support from individuals who are there to speak highly on why this particular person should be the “chosen one” in the end. And remember, these individuals are applying for hundreds of thousands of dollars and even millions. Often, these letters of support are not required documents for applying,, but those who do include such letters know that if they can provide one more positive thing for consideration, they are certainly going to include it. The more positive factors you can present for the case you are presenting that you are a good fit for a school’s incoming medical school class, the better. Staying ahead and on top of the game is key and thinking smart about the process and using it to your advantage will certainly pay off in the end.

November/December 2015 | PreMedLife Magazine |25

Premedlife

THE INTERVIEW

You’ve Already Interviewed...Now What?

Many students are at the point where they have interviewed at a couple of places and are finished with interviews and are just participating in the waiting game. This waiting game can actually be a game of itself so these are just some tips of what you should do after you have interviewed. SEND A THANK YOU LETTER Thank you letters are great ways of letting a medical school know that you really enjoyed the interview experience and are interested in coming to their school. Most of us do not have a preference in which medical school we want to go to as long as we get accepted. But if you do have a preference then this piece of advice is especially for you. You want to make sure the medical school knows your level of interest and the reasons for your interest. Mention what you liked during your interview and also mention something specific that the interviewer and you discussed during the interview. This not only helps remind the interviewer of who you are but also tells them that you remembered the conversation you two had. And lastly, make sure to

thank them for their time because for the most part, the people who are interviewing you are physicians or faculty who have other more important things to do.

your first semester of senior year is actually to your advantage because you can let medical schools know that you are hard working and will not let senioritis get the best of you.

LETTER OR EMAIL TO UPDATE THEM Unless a medical school said they absolutely do not want letters to update them on what you have been doing, it is okay to send a medical school an update letter. You can do this one of two times during the application season. You can send this when you have not heard back for an interview and are waiting to hear back from a school. This can let the medical school know that you are still interested and will go out of your way to let them know you are interested. And then the other time you can do this is after your interview when you have not heard back a response (accepted, waitlisted, rejected). I remember sending this out to my top medical school after I had interviewed (about 1 month after). I updated them on any activities I had participated in that were not on my application and also told them about my grades from that semester. Doing well

WAIT PATIENTLY This is by far the hardest thing to do and causes the most amount of anxiety. If you have already done #’s 1 and 2 as listed above, then all you can do is enjoy your senior year of college. But something that someone once said to me that really stuck was to make sure that I have a back up plan even if I have received interview offers. Interviews unfortunately are not a guarantee for medical school acceptance. Do not wait until May of your senior year in order to figure out your back up plan. Having a back up plan in place will help to alleviate some of your anxiety and can actually be a distraction for when you are thinking about medical school and if you will get accepted. So the next time you are having trouble waiting, just use that time and energy to focus on figuring out what you will do if you do not get in to medical school this year.

26 | PreMedLife Magazine | November/December 2015

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THE GOODS

I Will Survive Plant Pot

Don’t let your plants vegetate by their lonesome. This outspoken plant pot will remind you to pay some attention to every leaf, sprout, and tendril performing photosynthesis in your home.

Write On Mug

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Table Topics

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Mood Mugs

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u Fold and Play Recycled Speakers

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Chair Socks

Sometimes it’s fun to imagine our furniture to have their own personalities based on the their style or purpose… the lazy armchair, the prissy fainting couch… but what about your dining chairs?

AVOID BECOMING CYNICAL I remember thinking that Organic Chemistry was such a waste of time because I was never going to use it or need it in my future in medical school. Just recently, I heard a physician say something regarding this that really hit home for me. He said to me, “It is not that you are expected to memorize huge amounts of information and remember it all for decades to come. It is that you had the ability at one point to understand and apply the information that was presented to you. And if you did need the information, you would know where to go to look it up.” He is completely right even though it took me years to understand this. Always remember that sometimes it is the journey that you must go through in order to reach the goals that you hope to reach. It would be very easy to say that you do not need to take any of the general education classes that you take in undergrad because they will not help you in your future career as a physician. It is the whole process that you have to overcome to get to the next step which is medical school.

5 Traits Every Premed Should Avoid If you don’t already know, getting into medical schools is not just about your test scores and your undergraduate GPA. It’s about you - all of you. And there are some things about being a medical school candidate that are just not cool. Here are a few: AVOID ARROGANCE Premed is one of the harder majors in college and we are known to most of the rest of the college community as the hard-workers who many times give up doing more fun things in order to succeed in our courses. So naturally it is easy to feel as if we are better than other students. This is something that needs to be avoided because arrogance is a disabling trait that will not help you get far in your life. Arrogance can muddy the goggles through which we see ourselves and an inaccurate view of yourself can inhibit your progression. Just remember that allowing yourself to become arrogant so

early on in your career will not help you. It is really easy for interviewers to sense the arrogance in your character even if you try to cover it up. Remain humble because this is not a field you go into in order to become arrogant, you go into this field because you care. AVOID THINKING YOUR TIME IS WORTH MORE THAN OTHERS Always having to study all the time and feeling as if there is never enough time can make you feel like your time may be worth more than others. I remember many times, specifically in the library,

AVOID SELF-DOUBT AND NEGATIVE THOUGHTS The path to medical school is hard enough itself without any of the negative thoughts that come in our minds. It is easy to get sucked into feeling as if you cannot do something and it is important to keep in mind that you are your biggest advocate. If you let yourself be your worst advocate then who will be your cheerleader and help motivate you when you need it? Work hard, have self-confidence, and think positively. AVOID GIVING UP Premed is hard. There are other things that people pursue that are both harder and easier but Premed is one of those things that definitely get placed into the difficult category. There will be many times when you do not think you can possibly continue or you do not think it is worth it to continue. This is a time to have faith in yourself and remember this is a part of the pathway you have chosen. Anything that you do that is difficult to do, you will always think that giving up is an option. But just remember that perseverance can go a really long way and to continue pushing even when you do no think you can do it.

30 | PreMedLife Magazine | November/December 2015

when I saw premed students because obnoxious and rude to others for many reasons including use of computers, books, and printers. You do not know what is going on in someone’s life and just automatically thinking that your time is more precious will set a tone in your life that will worsen with time. This goes along with being arrogant and comes back to being humble.

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