When starting your pre-med journey, you will realize you have many decisions to make. These decisions will impact the way you grow as a pre-medical student. You may be asking yourself, ‘what should I actually be doing so that I have a great chance of getting into med school?’ The simple truth is that there isn’t a definite answer because your path to medicine entirely depends on your own interests. Every person is different and you may find yourself seeking opportunities that other pre meds aren’t. This is entirely okay. It’s important to understand this early on because doing what makes you happy is a large part of what med schools like to see on your applications. This should inspire you to do what you love while also being able to relate your experiences back to medicine and how they will make you a good fit for med school.  This should be the basis for nearly everything you do as you embark on your pre-med track.

When considering what med schools look for, a good rule of thumb is to not compare yourself to others because it might do more damage than good. You might feel the urge to do something because others are doing it and while this may feel as a good way to try new things and obtain new opportunities, remember to not push yourself. The one thing that is important to remember is to be able to connect the activities you participate in back to medicine. If you can do that, you should be inspired to pursue any opportunity.

When it comes time for the interviews, you will most likely be asked to talk about your experiences. This is where you mention how the activities you participated in impacted you as a doctor-in-training. This further backs the idea that doing things you enjoy is important because if you don’t have any interest in what you’re doing, you won’t be able to genuinely explain that to admissions committees. The main takeaway of this message is to put your interests first and use that to guide your path during college. Do not be afraid to do something out of the norm by instead focusing on what will enrich your experience as a current pre-med and future physician.