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Medical College Admissions - Navigating Through the Process

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UV Gullas Medical College

So, you want to be a doctor? Medicine is one of the most personally rewarding and noble professions you can choose. However, the process of getting into medical college is often unclear and confusing. Do a quick search on Google and you'll find plenty of conflicting reports. Reading pre-med forums can confuse you even further since members often argue over facts and offer misinformation. So how can you successfully navigate the process and enter medical college? We'll go over some of the basics here.

So, what exactly does it take to get in? First and foremost, you'll need to have a strong academic record. Nothing hurts you more than low grades or MCAT scores. Many students are confused about what major they should choose. Here's the good news: It doesn't matter! You can major in anything you want as long as you take a few necessary science courses that every medical college requires. In fact, many medical colleges are now looking to diversify their classes by encouraging students to major in something outside of the normal biology or chemistry. Bottom line, study what you're interested in! You'll enjoy college much more and it may actually help you in the long run.

Okay, so I've got the grades, is there anything else I should be doing? Grades are the most important thing, but they're definitely not the only thing. Medical colleges are looking for well-rounded applicants so you'll need to do a few extra activities to strengthen your application.

The first thing you want to do is make sure medicine is for you. The best way to do that is to shadow doctors to get a glimpse of what it's like. You can approach one of your personal doctors to shadow or walk into an office and ask the doctor. Another great resource for finding doctors to shadow is asking through your college's pre-med organizations. uv gullas college of medicine admission office

Once you're sure you want to be a doctor, you'll need some volunteering experience. It's better to work on long-term volunteering projects to show your commitment, so pick something you genuinely care about. It's also a good idea to get some clinical volunteering experience. Good examples include volunteering in a hospital or nursing home.

Many pre-med students also do research and get leadership experience to strengthen their applications. These are generally less important for every applicant to complete, but they have the potential to look awfully good on an application and they can give you plenty to talk about during an interview. If you do research, see if it's possible for your name to be included on an abstract or if you can present a poster at a conference. For leadership experience, find a student organization that you're passionate about and work your way up to becoming an officer.

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