Stay Involved
“For any Pre-Optometry students, make sure to take the OAT after completing physics! Stay involved. Being well-rounded counts a lot, especially at the interview!”
— Jessica Grimes (UA School of Optometry, Class of 2019)
Seek Out Opportunities
“Don’t be afraid to cold call offices and ask for opportunities! I called a dozen dental offices in St. Louis offering to work unpaid, and it led me to valuable shadowing hours, a fantastic mentor, and eventually a full-time (paid!) position working in infection control, insurance, and dental assisting!”
— Abby Tadros (UAB School of Dentistry, Class of 2019)
Find Your Passion
“When considering service projects and extracurricular involvement, be sure to find something you’re passionate about. It’s easy and incredibly rewarding to stay committed to a cause you truly believe in.”
— Kimberly Tripplet (University of Florida College of Medicine, Class of 2019)
Learn, Don’t Memorize
“As for my advice to the pre-med students, I would advise them to strive to actually learn the concepts from the science courses they are taking instead of just memorizing. Learning the material rather than just memorizing for the tests makes preparing for the MCAT easier. I would also suggest for them to become involved on campus in organizations and causes about which they are passionate. If you go into volunteering with that mindset, it will show in your applications and interviews.”
— Sarah Cox (Medical Colleges of Georgia, Class of 2019)
Make It Happen
“As pre-health students, I know what you are doing is difficult, and I wish I could tell you that it’s going to get easier. You don’t need it to though. You are doing this because this is what you want, and you are more than capable of reaching your goals. Desire is a huge part of medicine, whether you want an MD, DO, NP, DMD, or PA. You want it? Good. Now make it happen. Oh, and take Histology if you can, that class is wicked hard to pick up your first year of medical school.”
— Adam Beg (UAB School of Medicine, Class of 2018)