Back to School

My 12-year old niece is my favorite person. I get to love and spoil her and when that 12-year old pubertal attitude kicks in, I can send her right back to her momma to deal with that! It’s the best! Right now, we’re gearing up for 7th grade which starts in 2 weeks. I’m preparing myself to relearn math and history that I’ve long forgotten (or never learned) and she’s finishing up her Summer Reading assignment and having hours-long phone conversations with her “best friends” about next year.

For the past couple days, we’ve been going through the Back to School list and collecting items she needs. Whyyyyy there are so many things on this list is beyond me! And am I the only one who has to look up what Ticonderoga pencils are?! Who knew they had a name?! I was yesterday years old when I found out what a locker kit is, but now I know that apparently “ the “best ones” cost up to $60. If you ever change your mind about being a physician (please don’t, we need you!) consider creating school supplies and charging 20 times more than they’re worth and watch suckers like me buy them for the kids they love.

But she’s excited for the next school year and now, hundreds of dollars later, she’s pretty much ready for it. In helping her prepare, it made me wonder about my pre-med students and what your “back to school” plans look like and how you should be preparing for the upcoming school year. 

As a pre-med student, planning ahead for the upcoming school year is important, whether you’re just entering college as a Freshman or returning to campus as an upperclassman, your best bet to get the most out of the year is to start off prepared. 

Plan

Get a planner asap. In my opinion, having a physical planner that you can write in and hold in your hand is important to helping you stay on task. If you don’t want to buy one, then each month you can download and print a few copies of this planner sheet that I created. Include exams, projects, papers, volunteering, work, everything! As you may have already learned in college, one of the keys to success is learning to efficiently manage your time. While you may be used to only planning for the day ahead, I encourage you to also plan for the week and even the month. And look ahead often to make sure you are on task and things aren’t sneaking up on you. You may choose to have separate planners for separate activities or you may be someone who lives by a color-coded system. Whatever it takes, develop a system that works for you so you don’t miss important tasks. 

Pre-med checklist

New year, time for a new section of the pre-med checklist. Take a look at it again and start mapping out how you’re going to get each of these things accomplished this school year. The earlier you start to plan for clinical experience, research, service, etc, the better!

Get involved! 

At the beginning of a new school year, most colleges will hold campus fairs where you can see every club, organization, and team that is available for you to join. You should plan to attend this! In your med school application, you need to be able to show that you can work as part of a team and that you’re a well-rounded candidate. Being a part of student orgs as an undergraduate is a great way to do this. It’s also an opportunity to gain and show leadership. Join whatever groups interest you, but make sure you join the pre-med organization on your campus. Specifically, if your school has a MAPS chapter, join it and start making those connections with other minority pre-med students. 

Meet with your advisor.

Make a plan to meet your advisor within the first month of classes starting. This is imperative. You can literally email your advisor today to set up this meeting; it can be virtual or in person. Keeping this constant contact with your advisor is key. They can help make sure your schedule is right and can make you aware of opportunities available on and around campus. If you’re showing initiative and interest, you’re much more likely to come to their mind when opportunities pop up for pre-med experiences-as hard as shadowing can be to come by some times, having your advisor looking out for you can be clutch. Check out this previous post for other things to discuss with your advisor. 

Ask upperclassmen 

Surely you have your schedule already and know which classes and which professors you’ll have. You can, and should, read the course syllabi to know what to expect, but also consider asking friends who have taken the class already. I was good for asking my pre-med roommate, sorority sisters, or other friends ahead of me what to expect in a class I was about to take. Who better to give you the scoop on the professor than someone who recently took it…Now, you’re not asking for copies of the exams (you’re better than that- and God doesn’t like cheaters.) but it could be helpful to know what the professor’s tendencies are, which portions of the class and lecture deserve special attention, etc.

Plan financially

Do you need to be looking into a work-study job or off-campus job this school year? If so, try to get a jump on the search instead of waiting for all the other students to get back and be looking for jobs at the same time as you. If you could find a job in a research lab or in healthcare, as a scribe, receptionist, etc, that’s great and would be a bonus. But if not, that’s okay too! Do what you have to do (within reason, of course!) to pay your bills. In looking for a job though, make sure your work schedule allows you time to study. Don’t sacrifice your grades!

Are there some last-minute scholarships that you can apply to that would help you pay for books, supplies, or even tuition? Look for them. As I’ve said before, be careful of how much you take out in student loans unless you absolutely need it. It takes a whole lot longer to pay that money back than it does to spend it. 

Take a quick break

I have somehow allowed the fully-vaccinated 12-year old who pulls my strings to talk me into a trip to DC next week so she can “get her mind right before 7th grade.” Apparently that’s what we do these days. Do you need a quick break? Maybe you can get away for a little bit for a short trip (if so, be COVID and money-aware!) Maybe you can go home and see your family if you’ve been away for the Summer. If you live near a beach, maybe you can take a day trip. Or maybe you can just spend a day with your (vaccinated) friends by the pool and not thinking about school or anything important. Whatever you choose to do, I beg you to take some time to relax before beginning the next school year. 

Set goals

Set some goals for the next school year and get yourself as prepared as possible to go into this fall semester. Write down what you hope to accomplish this year and I stand with you in knowing that you can and will make it happen. 

—

Do you have any other suggestions of how to prepare for the upcoming pre-med school year? If so, you can share them in the comments section below. If you have private or personal questions, feel free to email me at info@melaninmentormd.com. I love hearing from you all and am so excited to be on this journey with you as you work towards that white coat!