I stumbled across this article from Harvard Medical School called ¨Cultivating a ´Winner´s Brain´¨ which has several applications for pre med students.

When procrastination is a problem, the issue may be that the task at hand seems too big to accomplish. The authors suggest that people first envision or “map” the multiple steps necessary for reaching an ultimate goal, and then concentrate on achieving each step.

How many people have had trouble starting a large task? The key is breaking the project down into steps. Whether it´s a huge lab report or studying for a final, this is how to tackle it.

Multitasking — can take a toll on the brain. In a study of 14 participants who underwent fMRI, researchers at Vanderbilt University found that when people try to juggle two tasks at once, a bottleneck occurs in information processing. The posterior lateral prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain that is involved in decision making, delayed one task until the other was complete.

This backs up Study Hacks´ idea of hard focus.

The article also notes that sleep, nutrition and exercise are all vital to keeping your brain healthy. Do all of these things! You will be happier, plus you´ll do better in college!

It’s a question you need to consider deeply on a regular basis. It’s a question to which you cannot provide a fake answer. It’s a question that may provoke hours of thought and conversation, which may or may not provide an encouraging answer.

It’s easy to dismiss the question. It’s easy to tell yourself that you’ve already thought about it enough.

A physician recently told me that of his graduating class, 50% would have chosen not to go to medical school if they knew what it was going to be like. Of course, that means 50% were very happy they decided to go to medical school. But a 50/50 chance seems like a big risk for such a huge decision. My guess is that many had misconceptions about what medical school or the practice of medicine is really like.

Of course I’m only speaking from limited experience. I’m not a doctor. I’m struggling with the same question. But what I do know is that every physician I speak with stresses the commitment that a life in medicine takes. They stress the need to go into medicine for the “right reasons” (What are the “right reasons?” Do they really exist? That my friends, is a topic for another day.) They encourage a thoughtful analysis of the life you want to live. If you don’t they say, you’ll end up regretting your decisions and unhappy in your work.

Can you know for sure that a life in medicine is right for you?

Nope. How could you? But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t thoughtfully consider why you’re choosing medicine. Explore your options. What plans do you have for your life? What are your goals? Do you want to have a family, write a book, travel, run marathons, etc etc? Will a life in medicine encourage or obstruct these goals?

I don’t have the answers, because I’m sure the answers are different for different people. I’m asking them because I think they are important questions to ponder.

The journey is long. I think it’s wise to examine the path ahead before continuing to stride forward.

If you’re a pre med student, that means you’re at least moderately intelligent and have probably been successful throughout your educational career. That also means you’ve probably learned the art of sucking up (or kissing ass, or brown nosing, or whatever you want to call it). Now, I hate sucking up. I avoid doing it for many reasons, mostly because I can’t stand it when I see other people do it.

In college, you’ve got to be careful sucking up. My advice would be to avoid it altogether. You see, the point of sucking up in high school is to make the teacher like you in the hopes that this will translate into better grades. In college, especially college science courses, the grading is much more objective than in high school. That means that even if a professor loves you, it’s not going to help you if you don’t know the difference between an anion and a cation.

So what’s the point of rubbing shoulders with some professors? For a pre med student, it can be invaluable. Here are just a few of the benefits:

1. Opportunities for research. Most science college professors are working on some research project. Getting to know them, and showing interest in their field is a great way to get your foot in the door helping out with a research project.
2. Advice. Professors are often very interesting people. Some of my best conversations in college were with professors. Don’t miss an opportunity to learn from someone who may have something to teach you beyond the course material.
3. Letters of recommendation. Guess what? You need them to get into medical school. At least one letter full of praise from a professor that knows you very well is almost a necessity for your med school application.
4. Help with course material. Who better to ask questions about your class than your professor? Even if you are bored by their teaching style in lecture, you may find talking with them one on one a great way to better understand what you’re learning. Asking for help is also a great way to start a relationship with a professor.

Don’t wait! Strike up a conversation with one of your professors as soon as possible. For many students, classes start up soon. There’s no better time to start to get to know a professor than at the beginning of the term. Make yourself known!

Any other benefits to getting to know professors that you other pre meds can think of?

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