Starting the pre-med track the right way can make all the difference. Pre-med advisors help to guide you through the best options and opportunities your university has to offer. 3 of the most important questions to ask your pre-med advisor are highlighted below.
What To Ask Your Pre-Med Advisor
There are some parts of the pre-med track that are standard for everyone. Learn more about the timeline to medical school here. But pre-med advisors can help guide students through the unique opportunities their specific university has to offer for students that are interested in medical school.
1. Ask About Recommended Electives
The core pre-med courses are the same for everyone. But each university has unique elective courses to offer. Pre-med advisors are usually familiar with which courses are available and which will make you really stand out as a medical school applicant. Some subjects to consider when choosing electives may be courses in psychology, fine arts, or a foreign language. It’s important to choose a subject you’re interested in, even if it’s not related to healthcare. Additional elective courses unrelated to medicine make students more interesting and well-rounded applicants.
For students with particular interest, many schools even offer a number of certificate programs. For example, many schools offer certificate programs in Medical Spanish. Often these programs only require a few additional courses and can be an excellent addition to a medical school application. Pre-med advisors can be a wealth of knowledge when it comes to these options.
2. Ask About the University’s Research Opportunities
Each university has unique research opportunities for undergraduate students. Pre-med advisors are usually intimately familiar with the various departments and their faculty, which faculty have worked with pre-med students in the past, and which departments or labs may be your best opportunity to gain research experience (and hopefully, even a letter of recommendation). Learn more about getting research experience for medical school here.
Not every professor will offer the same kind of research experience. Generally, pre-meds get involved in lab research through the department of biology, department of biomedical sciences, or through the school of medicine (if their university has a school of medicine). But there are also research opportunities outside of the lab. Consider asking about research opportunities within the department of psychology. Or, if your university has a school of public health, consider asking about research opportunities in public health or epidemiology. This research usually involves gathering data on the population level instead.
There are many different areas of research that undergraduate students can get involved in. Your pre-med advisor can help guide you through your options.
3. Ask About Local Shadowing Opportunities
If your university has a school of medicine, your undergraduate pre-med advisor likely has connections with physicians within the university hospital who are open to shadowing opportunities. If your university doesn’t have a school of medicine, most pre-med advisors are still familiar with local physicians to shadow. Some pre-med advisors may even be able to connect you with opportunities for surgery observations.
If you have a department of interest, be sure to tell your pre-med advisor. For example, if you think you may be interested in pediatrics, your pre-med advisor may have connections with local pediatricians you can shadow. If you’re interested in orthopedic surgery, your pre-med advisor may even be able to get you into a local operating room. Regardless of which department you find yourself in, clinical shadowing and other clinical experiences are critical to a medical school application. Learn more about getting clinical experience for medical school here.
Final Thoughts
Pre-med advisors can have a lot of useful information for undergraduates interested in applying to medical school. Each university has unique opportunities to offer, and often the best way to learn about these opportunities is to meet with your advisor one-on-one. Keep a list of your interests, in and outside of medicine, to discuss with your advisor in order to personalize your undergraduate experience and to find out what courses or programs the school may have for you.
If you don’t click with your advisor, ask someone else. Often students have a pre-med advisor, who guides them through the pre-med track, and a department advisor, who guides them through the academic requirements of their chosen major. If you don’t click with your pre-med advisor, your departmental advisor may be able to answer some of your questions (and vice-versa). Most large universities also allow students to request new advisors, if you really feel it’s not the right fit. Don’t be afraid to ask around and until you find the answers you need.
