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What
Every Pre-Med Student Should Know About Getting
Into Medical School
By:
A. Kenitra Henderson, 4th Year
Medical Student, University of Cincinnati (USA)
It goes without saying that you enjoy
helping others and that is the reason you have
chosen to pursue a career in medicine. Medicine
is a very demanding field, yet it is also very
rewarding; and as health disparities increase
within minority populations, more and more
minority physicians will be needed to address
this problem.
The process of getting into medical
school can be broken down into three (3) parts:
academic, research and professional exposure,
and community involvement. The first step is to
find an undergraduate college that is right for
you. Attend an institution that will be
supportive both academically and emotionally
because the road to medical school can be a hard
one. Please keep in mind that historically black
colleges and universities (HBCUs) are continuing
to produce successful medical school graduates,
as I am one of them.
There are a few required core
classes needed to gain entrance into medical school; they include
general biology, general chemistry, organic
chemistry, physics, and calculus. Other
undergraduate classes that may be helpful once
in medical school include biochemistry,
physiology, embryology, histology, microbiology,
and any foreign language. You should strive for
an overall GPA of 3.5 or better. The entrance
exam into medical school is called the MCAT
(medical college admissions test) and scores of at
least 27-30 out of a total 45 points
makes you very competitive. Both Kaplan and
Princeton Review provide review courses to aid
in studying for the MCAT. Key point: You can
never do too many practice questions.
Exposure to research is very important. Research is what creates the therapies
with which you will treat your patients. Whether
you chose to participate in the on-going
research of one your college professors or
attend a summer research program (which are
usually associated with stipends), be an active
participant. Research opportunities,
specifically targeting minority pre-med high
school and college students, are available every
summer at the University of Cincinnati College
of Medicine.
Shadowing
a physician or volunteering at a hospital or
nursing home provides an inside look into the
profession and may help you chose a specialty.
Who knows, depending on the experience you
choose to have, you might be able to learn such
skills as blood pressure measurement, suture
(stitches) placement or removal, and/or patient
history taking skills, just to name a few.
Participation in community service is expected. There are several organizations
including battered women’s shelters, homeless
shelters, free clinics, walks or marathons for
various health-related causes, and mentoring or
tutoring programs in local public schools, that
need plenty of volunteers. Be creative with
efforts to raise money for such organizations.
An affiliation with service oriented
fraternities and sororities may help you
accomplish this goal.
Lastly, stay focused on your goal. Stay away from drugs and excessive
drinking. Don’t start smoking. Avoid single
parenthood. Stay healthy – eat right and
exercise. I know you can be successful if you
only try.
A.
Kenitra Henderson is currently a fourth year
medical student at the University of Cincinnati
College of Medicine. She graduated from
Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN. She
will be pursuing a career in Internal Medicine
in her home state of Michigan. She can be
reached at kenitrahenderson@hotmail.com
with any questions or comment |
