Volunteering
Volunteer as early as possible. Make sure you have plenty of meaningful volunteering experience you can talk about in your admission essays and during interviews. Colleges do not want to hear about how fast you were able to file a patient's charts rather the relationships you were able to form and how volunteering helped affirm your passion to become a physician. Most of the time, applicants use volunteering as a major reason for wanting to pursue a career in medicine. So when you initially begin volunteering, sign up for a unit that will give you worthwhile experiences to discuss in your essays and interviews.
Start in your freshman year of high school -- tenth grade at the latest. 99% of the time, the quality of your hours is more important than the quantity of your hours. Some programs specifically want to see that you've had extensive experience in the hospital environment. Such programs may look for applicants with 300 - 400 hours! Its important that when you start, be consistent. Set aside a few hours every week for volunteering. Try to volunteer at one or two hospitals without changing around too much; consistency and commitment are important. Make sure to document your volunteering history on your resume or curriculum vitae (CV).
Start in your freshman year of high school -- tenth grade at the latest. 99% of the time, the quality of your hours is more important than the quantity of your hours. Some programs specifically want to see that you've had extensive experience in the hospital environment. Such programs may look for applicants with 300 - 400 hours! Its important that when you start, be consistent. Set aside a few hours every week for volunteering. Try to volunteer at one or two hospitals without changing around too much; consistency and commitment are important. Make sure to document your volunteering history on your resume or curriculum vitae (CV).
Shadowing
Shadowing is an important piece you do not want to neglect. Along the same lines of volunteering, colleges want to see that you have experience in the hospital environment and know what the job of a physician entails. Having direct shadowing experience will not only help you with your admission essays and interview but it will show that you have directly experienced the health care field and the patient-doctor relationship. Even for yourself, it may help you narrow which field of medicine you are interested in. A well-written essay could convey how this experience made you want to become a physician.
You can include the physicians you've shadowed on your résumé as well. Make sure to create relationships with these physicians since they may be a good source for a recommendation letter.
You can include the physicians you've shadowed on your résumé as well. Make sure to create relationships with these physicians since they may be a good source for a recommendation letter.
Research
While programs do not generally require candidates to have done research, some successful candidates have some sort of research under their belt. Research helps students develop critical reasoning skills that help science majors in their pursuit for higher education. Some students research throughout their high school career while others apply for summer programs through a research facility or college university. More students are increasingly conducting research so its important to do it as well. Document your research history on your résumé with a short description of what you did. If you can get your research published in high school, you may have just caught a golden ticket.
Create Relationships
The BS/MD applications will request multiples letters of recommendation. Thus, it is important that you forge relationships with teachers, community leaders, doctors, or research mentors so that they could write about traits that cannot be seen from your resume. Every letter should talk about a different aspect of your character so that colleges can know you on a personal and professional level. Some recommenders could address how personable and empathetic you are while others could discuss your curiosity and perseverance. When selecting who will write your letters, make sure that they will address different aspects of who you are. Family should not write letters for you.
Get the best grades & SAT scores
It's needless to say but successful candidates do have the very best scores. The less competitive programs may require an SAT score as low as 1900 but the more competitive ones historically accept those with a 2200+. Some programs look at ACT scores as well depending on what part of the country you are from. Your GPA should be very competitive as many students will apply with a 90+ average. SATIIs should be taken in Math and Science and those scores should ideally be over 650+ (different programs want different SAT subject tests to be taken - if the information was provided by the college, then it is included in the next few pages that list all the current BS/MD programs). Consider enrolling in an SAT Preparation Company.
Real-time advice
Check out my blog where I reveal some information that can help guide you even more. I usually post concurrent to the admissions cycle so it is relevant to you! If you have any specific questions or concerns, drop me a line below and I can help answer them! Best of luck!