What is the one thing you wish you'd done differently so far in your pre-med journey?

[stayathomemom]

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[Lifeblood_20]

I wish I never decide to be pre-med to begin with. Now I actually want to follow through this never-ending journey.
Plz send help.

 

[Blazers_33]

Gotten better grades freshman and sophomore year. Didnt know i wanted to do med then and was just kind of floating

 

[907914]

Gone active duty instead of reserves so I could have a GI bill that is actually worth a damn...

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

Got an adderall prescription earlier

 

[acslater99]

I would have to say I would definitely focus on my schooling rather than working so much. I feel like my GPA would be different than it is now.

But then again, I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.

 

[Mad Jack]

Chosen to become a physician assistant instead of a doctor

 

[Etan19197]

Chosen any other major. Biochem sucked.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Gone active duty instead of reserves so I could have a GI bill that is actually worth a damn...

I wish that I joined way earlier. I waited until I was 27 and had accumulated student debt and a bunch of mediocre and crap grades that I needed to overcome.

 

[toedrag]

Chose a popcorn major instead of a dense STEM one

 

[deleted804295]

Taken wise words of advice from an older friend Freshman year to just relax.

 

[deleted804295]

Chosen to become a physician assistant instead of a doctor

Why not an NP? Don't PAs require physician oversight?

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Why not an NP? Don't PAs require physician oversight?

*Dies inside*

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

I wish I’d gotten an English major. Or even a minor. Writing is fun and if you can write well as a doctor it makes many things a lot easier

 

[Ad2b]

I wish I’d gotten an English major. Or even a minor. Writing is fun and if you can write well as a doctor it makes many things a lot easier

How so?

 

[bahdahboom]

wish i had chosen an easier major. Like do psych so i could focus on my BCPM classes

 

[Mad Jack]

Why not an NP? Don't PAs require physician oversight?

Because I already had a bachelor's degree with health care experience and it would have been a much shorter path. I also personally believe PA training to be superior due to it using the medical model and having far more clinical hours.

 

[yobo9345]

Wish I would have sucked it up, accepted I wanted to do medicine, and worked harder in undergrad so that I could have matriculated earlier instead of putzing around for years with an awful I-can't-do-it I'm-not-smart-enough attitude.

I don't exactly regret this because I had an overall really excellent "college experience" but--I attended a college that is notably more rigorous than the state university where I did my post-bacc stuff. My introductory bio and chemistry courses were 100x harder than the 4 and 500 level physiology and bio classes I took at the state U. Maturity is probably a factor but man, after taking classes at stateU I know I could have had a way better gpa if I had just completed my degree at a place like that, could have avoided all the post-bacc stuff completely. It just wasn't even on the same level at all. I guess I am more prepared for having academic challenges now, but this whole process could have been easier.

Also I should have gotten more involved with health-related clubs and volunteering ops while in college. Fitting in mad volunteering hours while working full time hasn't been that easy and I wasted the abundant opportunities I had in college.

Wish I would have done a thesis in my fluff major rather than in my STEM major--I thought having this would help me with jobs and grad school down the line but it made no difference at all! and I really would have enjoyed writing a 100 page research paper in fluff studies much more than in chemistry.

 

[deleted947265]

Switched my major to biology to get my bachelor's. It would've been easier and less stressful.

 

[Rachapkis]

I wish that I could've spent less time worrying about outcomes. Unfortunately, I seem to be constitutionally incapable of approaching a major hurdle, like a significant text, without a large helping of anxiety.

 

[965978]

I wish that I could've spent less time worrying about outcomes. Unfortunately, I seem to be constitutionally incapable of approaching a major hurdle, like a significant text, without a large helping of anxiety.

It’s human nature. Everyone worries about the future. But some more than others.

 

[965978]

I wish I would have done bench research differently. Unfortunately, I ended up in a lab that wasn’t as efficient or as “peaceful” as I would have liked. The weekly screaming matches between the Post-doc and the PI were something I would rather not have dealt with.

 

[deleted804295]

*Dies inside*

I'm not sure why. Perhaps if you explained it I wouldn't be in the dark.

 

[Mad Jack]

How so?

90% of the job is charting, so like... Writing skills sort of help with that

 

[907914]

90% of the job is charting, so like... Writing skills sort of help with that

From what I have observed (and all of the charts I have read) it seems Charting doesn’t really require great writing skills. As long as the notes fit what insurance companies expect for the diagnosis code then the note is satisfactory...(stupid model, but that seems to be enough)

 

[965978]

90% of the job is charting, so like... Writing skills sort of help with that

I’d say more like 25-40%.

 

[doglova]

Not tried to take on too many things at once during undergrad and half a**ing everything instead of whole a**ing a few things

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I’d say more like 25-40%.

He’s a physician. He probably knows how much he and his colleagues chart.

 

[965978]

He’s a physician. He probably knows how much he and his colleagues chart.

Oops, sorry. Didn't see that he was a physicians. So he knows better.

But I think he might have just been exaggerating on purpose. Kind of like how when I say “I drop my phone a million times a week” I don’t literally mean it falls down a million times a week. It’s just a way to exaggerate how often I drop it.

 

[Mad Jack]

I’d say more like 25-40%.

Depends on the field. General IM and psych are pretty charting heavy

 

[Mad Jack]

Oops, sorry. Didn't see that he was a physicians. So he knows better.

But I think he might have just been exaggerating on purpose. Kind of like how when I say “I drop my phone a million times a week” I don’t literally mean it falls down a million times a week. It’s just a way to exaggerate how often I drop it.

For every 5 minutes you spend with a patient, you'll probably spend about 25-45 charting and doing chart review depending on the complexity of the patient on the medical service. So while it is an exaggeration it isn't a huge one. In outpatient med it is closer to 50/50 give or take.

 

[965978]

For every 5 minutes you spend with a patient, you'll probably spend about 25-45 charting and doing chart review depending on the complexity of the patient on the medical service. So while it is an exaggeration it isn't a huge one. In outpatient med it is closer to 50/50 give or take.

Oh ok, that makes sense!

Also, sorry if I came off as rude That was not my intention at all. In no way shape or form do I think I know more about being a physician than you.

 

[Ms Procrastinator]

Focus more on school rather than job

I would have to say I would definitely focus on my schooling rather than working so much. I feel like my GPA would be different than it is now.

But then again, I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.

Same. I spent way too much time focusing on my job instead of school. I always thought about going to med school but my job took over and soon I was scheduling courses around my job schedule instead of the other way around. I was actually thinking about staying at the job waaaaay longer than I had originally intended.

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

Here's a major regret which has haunted me for years...
It was a quite saturday morning, my roomate had left for the weekend and my parents were coming to pick me up around lunchtime as well. That exact saturday was the last day to use up the swipes on my dining hall card. I planned on getting up early to use the swipe for breakfast. I was so tired. I just slept through the breakfast hours. The swipe never got used.

 

[Mad Jack]

Oh ok, that makes sense!

Also, sorry if I came off as rude That was not my intention at all. In no way shape or form do I think I know more about being a physician than you.

It's fiiiine don't worry

 

[Boola Boy]

I got into my dream medical school, so despite all the choices that I currently regret, I can't really say that I would do anything differently. I wouldn't be where I am now!

 

[chemdoctor]

wish I hadn't made an SDN account

JK!!

Umm probably wish I would've done better in Orgo... I underestimated the class to be honest. I barely scraped a C in Orgo I and now having to learn all the material again for the MCAT has become a lot harder... On the bright side, all the gen chem on the MCAT is going really well for me so...

 

[deleted804295]

Here's a major regret which has haunted me for years...
It was a quite saturday morning, my roomate had left for the weekend and my parents were coming to pick me up around lunchtime as well. That exact saturday was the last day to use up the swipes on my dining hall card. I planned on getting up early to use the swipe for breakfast. I was so tired. I just slept through the breakfast hours. The swipe never got used.

I missed your posts

 

[FutureDPM123]

Wish I started hard science classes a semester later instead of trying to rush and get all the classes done so I could take the MCAT "on time". Also wish I had known about podiatry school and how the application process is separate. Wish my advisers would have pushed me to apply for DO school and taken time to explain it as a good alternative to MD.

 

[drtribbiani]

Wish I would've gotten a bit more involved earlier on. In terms of grades and MCAT, I'm doing great, but damn do I feel like I'm behind on the EC's..

 

[boundlesscorpuscle]

On occasion I actually wish I would have taken things a little easier in college. I could have spent more time with friends, and sometimes I feel like I missed out on "the college experience."

But if that were the case, I may not be where I am now, so I guess I'm grateful. And although I'll probably never again have as few responsibilities as I did in undergrad, I know better than to assume the "best years of my life" are behind me. I'm trying to be optimistic about the future.

 

[chemdoctor]

Wish I would've gotten a bit more involved earlier on. In terms of grades and MCAT, I'm doing great, but damn do I feel like I'm behind on the EC's..

Same here... The only real EC I feel like I have is research and hospice volunteering... It's hard fitting everything in while keeping 16 credits of upper divisions...

I definitely feel like I am severely lacking in ECs...

 

[907914]

Same here... The only real EC I feel like I have is research and hospice volunteering... It's hard fitting everything in while keeping 16 credits of upper divisions...

I definitely feel like I am severely lacking in ECs...

Best thing I ever did from an EC perspective was not go directly in to college...

 

[chemdoctor]

Best thing I ever did from an EC perspective was not go directly in to college...

From HS you mean?

 

[Gilakend]

I wish I would've started volunteering earlier and started research later.

 

[907914]

From HS you mean?

Correct. I took 4 years off. Even just being in the Army reserves as opposed to Active duty, the number of volunteer positions, paid clinical and non-clinical, leadership positions available....the overall acceptance rate for veterans is something like 68%, almost 90% for those above a 3.6/508. While there probably is a component of just Americans love their vets, I think the opportunities provided are the real reason as just a few years in the military is enough to fill your Work and Activities section to the brim with every category except an artistic endevour. For clinical experience, at least in the army, we all get CLS certified and routinely practice and partake in combat/field medical training.

 

[ciestar]

I wish i would have gotten my act together and not taken three gap years just because i didnt want to study for the mcat..

 

[drtribbiani]

Same here... The only real EC I feel like I have is research and hospice volunteering... It's hard fitting everything in while keeping 16 credits of upper divisions...

I definitely feel like I am severely lacking in ECs...

Yeah exactly.. I feel like my EC's pale in comparison to what some people here on SDN, reddit, and even some of my friends have, and it always makes me feel inadequate. I do what I love, but I feel like it isn't enough just because I prioritized my academic metrics during my first couple years in college.

 

[chemdoctor]

Yeah exactly.. I feel like my EC's pale in comparison to what some people here on SDN, reddit, and even some of my friends have, and it always makes me feel inadequate. I do what I love, but I feel like it isn't enough just because I prioritized my academic metrics during my first couple years in college.

Yeah but then again... SDN is filled with incredible applicants that maintained a 4.0/524 with 1000s if hours of volunteering

 

[drtribbiani]

Yeah but then again... SDN is filled with incredible applicants that maintained a 4.0/524 with 1000s if hours of volunteering

Lmfao I stumbled upon this post right when you replied to my comment:
Could you calm my fear and tell me if you think I will get in?

Not a 4.0, but everything else is so perfect... rip us