What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...
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What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...
Discuss training, careers, and education
Student BMJ and BMJ are constructing an e-book for prospective medical students. As thousands of applicants find out if they have a place or not at medical school later this month, we thought they mig
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What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...
posted at 5/1/2012 4:14 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 39
First: 10/5/2010 Last: 25/5/2012 |
Student BMJ and BMJ are constructing an e-book for prospective medical students. As thousands of applicants find out if they have a place or not at medical school later this month, we thought they might like to hear from YOU - qualified doctors and students. As a medical school applicant, I found there were a few things that I just had no idea about: interview technique, arranging work experience, how to write a good essay/statement to convey my interest in medicine. What advice can you impart on those wishing to study medicine? What should every person know before applying to medical school? |
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Re: What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...
posted at 5/1/2012 4:38 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1360
First: 25/1/2009 Last: 14/6/2013 |
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Re: What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...
posted at 5/1/2012 6:53 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 341
First: 12/7/2010 Last: 8/6/2013 |
Know this: · When it comes to brains vs. hard work, the latter will take you a long way. You don’t need to be a genius to survive medical school, but you definitely have to be a hard worker (in other words, if you happen to be a Burke and not a Yang, you are going to do just fine). So the question is: Are you ready to work like a rented mule for 4 years? · If you love A and B, one of which is Medicine, you need to find a way to combine them both if you simply cannot live without them. This was the case for me; I wanted to be a writer (matters of the chordae tendineae) but I also wanted to be a doctor (matters of the prefrontal cortex). I then looked at it objectively and realized that I can be a doctor and a writer and not vice versa, to get into that sweet spot of living in both worlds. If you think it is possible for you, then it probably is. This is what you’ll be doing for the rest of your life; so you should choose carefully. It’s more important in Medicine than anywhere else because this really isn’t about you once you commit yourself; it is about the lives that pass through your hands. Nothing is worse than seeing a doctor who practices because s/he was forced into it. It’s unacceptable if you continue to remain conflicted. It’s admirable if you manage to choose squarely with confidence. · Don’t choose medicine only for that pseudo-ka-ching factor. You’ll be waiting a long time, and missing out on: life. Also, if you are too picky, then you’ll suffer. In the preclinical years, you’ll be fed really interesting subjects with intermittent rubbish that are seemingly about as relevant to medicine as your neighbor’s overweight hamster. You need to devise methods to get past the boredom so that you can live to see the other side. It “ain’t all rainbows and sunshine”! Now, you have been warned! |
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Re: What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...
posted at 5/1/2012 6:58 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 341
First: 12/7/2010 Last: 8/6/2013 |
· Gather attitudes prior to medical school: do your research online (Student BMJ, doc2doc, The Lancet Student, The Student Doctor network, Medscape Students, the works), interview doctors while you shadow them, talk to medical students/interns. Of course, their word isn’t final but if you ask a lot, you’ll probably get a rough picture of the truth. Use your senses; do you see yourself in the ward? Can you handle the sight of blood or the smell of the sputum from a patient with bronchiectasis? Try the A&E if you need a quick rethink; that place is highly specific and sensitive in deciding whether you can brave it or not (many a medic have been traumatized senseless because they skipped this part. We have a few zombies here in medical school, and you will too). · Tell yourself that your grades and the general extra-curricular will have you lost amidst the pile of applicants who are just as qualified. You need to do something more to stand out. Perhaps an interesting hobby that could potentially extrapolate into the medical field? Start early though. · I’ve recently realized that one’s overall experience in medical school is either like an ejection systolic murmur with its crescendo and decrescendo over the 4 years, or an early diastolic. The mid-diastolic kinds are a little rare (the hard worker I mentioned above is the obvious pansystolic!). It’s great to be all revved up like an energizer bunny for medical school but you need to accept certain f-a-c-t-s: that there will be times when things don’t go your way; socially, academically and personally. Acknowledging the possibility makes the actual event less traumatizing but does not make things easier. Medicine is not only about books and clinical skills; there’s this whole other psychological dimension that nobody is ever really prepared for: the medical personalities, the emotional toll, the friends, the pressure to be a certain way because that’s how you saw yourself for a long time. The earlier you step away from your perceptual blind spot, the better! |
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Re: What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...
posted at 7/1/2012 1:41 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 39
First: 10/5/2010 Last: 25/5/2012 |
Some brilliant tips so far. Can any prospective medical students post some questions or topics that they'd like to know more about prior to applying for medical school. Similarly, can any qualified doctors or medical students provide any more tips or advice for these prospective students? Potential topics: Stress control, which university to apply to, filling out the many forms, personal statement advice, interview technique, etc The best posts/pieces of advice will get printed in the ebook and distributed to thousands of prospective medical students.
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Re: What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...
posted at 7/1/2012 7:32 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 29
First: 6/4/2011 Last: 13/11/2012 |
Well, first u dont need to be like Dr. House to be a Dr. What u shud do is be willing to learn from what you do everyday. And u need to do somethin frequently, in other words, "practice makes perfect". The more u do, the more u know. While you're getting perfect, get to understand what you're doing. One thing i never got to know abt medicine is the paperwork. I had always thaught abt examining patinets, diagnosing them and treating them. I got to find out there's so much PAPER WORK in between  !And don't be too sure of yourself. Medicine is not like physics or math. Here, 2 + 2 is not always equal to 4. Good luck! |
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Re: What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...
posted at 8/1/2012 1:31 AM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 335
First: 23/12/2011 Last: 19/6/2013 |
Im a second year medic currently and the best advice I can give is that you be realistic when applying for medical school. While you may think you are the big cheese in your school and think that the likes of oxford would take you in a heartbeat- this is not the reality, WHen filling out the old UCAS form, remember to spread your choices not only across unis you like but the unis you realistically feel you could get into. I made the probably poor choice to choose 4 unis that were all pretty high up the league tables and renowned to be hard to get into. In the end I got the all important offer but that wasnt without shelling out a lot of money to get to interviews that in the end rejected me. But good luck to anyone going for it. I know how hard it can be to wait but it is worth it definitely in the end. |
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Re: What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...
posted at 8/1/2012 4:57 AM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 3008
First: 10/3/2009 Last: 20/6/2013 |
I had no illusions. My father was a solo GP initially in the country. Our lounge room was a casualty clearing station ( army term), our carpet fortuitously dark cherry, our front steps was where people sat when the waiting room was full, my bed was the spill-over stretcher and the patient always came first. I am sure my experience was not unique. I had a reasonable medical vocab when I was in primary school, looked at bones on X-rays and helped my father develop X-rays in the eerie orange of the dark room at the hospital. I still remember the smell of hypo and developing solutions and can see the wet films hanging from stainless steel pegs. Yes, I had no illusions and nothing came as an ambush of my preconceptions. Maybe I am different. I certainly was no privileged materially; just in the experience of an invaded but interesting childhood. |
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Re: What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...
posted at 13/1/2012 6:00 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 2
First: 8/1/2012 Last: 13/1/2012 |
Hi, l'm in yr12. l would like to know how you went about finding the right work experience. l'm new to this country and not yet very familiar with the system. |
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Re: What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...
posted at 13/1/2012 8:49 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 17
First: 20/3/2011 Last: 23/10/2012 |
In response to "Re: What I wish I knew before applying to medical school...": Hi, l'm in yr12. l would like to know how you went about finding the right work experience. l'm new to this country and not yet very familiar with the system. Posted by FaithMazani Just send out a letter to literally every health centre, care home, hospice, special school and hospital in the area (use google). Explain that you're in year 12 and want to be a doctor and then give the dates of the most appropriate weeks for you. Don't expect many replies- I sent 50 letters and emails and got about 6 replies, 3 of which told me that they don't allow students on work experience. In the end I got 2 week long placements at health centres and 4 days at a local hospital - if you can get to it Sheffield children's hospital do quite a few placements. I'm applying for 2012 entry so if you want any help I'll try my best! Good luck! |
