So you have decided on the major you want to pursue, now what? Klustur hosted a webinar on Sunday to answer that very question for prospective pre-med and bio majors. We had three very special guests–Alina M. (UCLA, ‘20), Josie F. (Cornell, ‘22), and Janice Z. (Stanford, ‘19)– to share their personal experiences on how they approached their college applications. From the very insightful webinar, we gathered some key information that will help you to not only craft a winning college application but also how to talk about your passion for the major you want to pursue.
Tip 1: Choosing your College for Pre-Med: Look for Ones with Network
If medicine is the path for you, it is important to choose a college that is affiliated to a medical school or a robust science program. Having that association fosters more opportunities for research, volunteer programs, or just networking with the medical faculty. Doing so will give you a huge head start in applying to medical school and set you up for your career.
“I do recommend seeking out schools with robust science programs because that’s where you’ll see the most opportunity for research,” says Josie.
Tip 2: Approaching the Common App Essay: Remember that you are applying undergraduate, not med school just yet
One common factor that all three guests said regarding their future aspirations and their applications essay was that they used the Common App essay to express themselves and their current situations and embedded their passion for medicine and biology into their supplemental essays.
The common app essay is a place to show how you have grown as a person or describe a personal experience. In your essay, you want to show that you have multifaceted interests that will make you successful in the undergraduate college you are applying to. The supplementary essays is where you want to focus on your passions for medicine and your aspirations regarding your field of study or career path.
Josie had one valuable tip to share: “It’s important for undergrads to remember that you are applying to undergrad. You are not applying to medical school yet.”
In terms of approaching the essays, you do not want to make the college think that they are just a stepping stone for you to get into medical school. You want to focus on the specific undergraduate school and show how you will fit into their program. Although you can talk about your aspirations after college, it is important to also focus on what you will do in college.
Tip 3: Show a definite interest
Everyone, to some extent, is unsure of where they want to be in the next four years. However, even if you feel hazy about your interests or aspirations, your essays should show that you have a specific path or interest you want to pursue. Find a way to connect your personal/past experiences with your aspirations. For example, Josie mentioned how she became interested in the medical field after creating a prosthetic hand for a two year old in need. Doing so will show your college that you are committed and focused.
Although you may want to change your major or path in the future, for now, you should define your interests and even include specific programs from the college that you plan to participate in (even if you may not end up actually participating).
Alina added, “It’s not like they’re going to check up in four years and rescind the degree because you’re not where you said you’ll be.”
Tip 4: Building your Resume: Do what interests you
During high school, although it is important to participate in medicine-related programs and activities to bolster your resume, you should also do things that interest you. All the guests had an activity that they did, whether it be cheerleading or swimming, which do not align with medicine but still played an important role in their college applications. You can have a job during high school, which shows that you have strong time-management skills and productivity. All these activities, although not related to medicine, can impress college admissions officers and show them that you have many interests and skills.
Janice added, “The good thing about medicine is that a lot of things relate to medicine –education, policy, and hard sciences research. So, it’s easy to connect back to medicine. I think you should focus on things that interest you.”
Tip 5: Research, research, research
The good news is that if you are reading this blog, it is because you have been researching. Look into the colleges you will be applying to, the programs they offer, and the type of students they look for. You should also research the possible career paths you would want to take in medicine to better understand if it is the right fit for you. One thing that the guests recommended is that you should try shadowing a physician or a professional in the medical field to get a better understanding of their workplace and daily life.
Josie added, “You might see an operation or see some blood and realize, oh, I don’t like this.”
A great way to start is through Klustur, by booking a call with one of our coaches who have succeeded in their college applications. You can personally chat with our guests for the webinar– Alina, Josie, and Janice — or you can browse through our esteemed list of coaches.
This article was written by May Zin, a freshman studying business at USC. The webinar was held from which this blog can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByaC07vbkOc
