I just watched Good Will Hunting. What a great movie. Will Hunting is a troubled young genius in need of some direction in his life. Who to turn to in such a time of need? Robin Williams of course!

Maybe some of you can relate to the burden of superior brainpower and the subsequent need for guidance. Maybe you can’t read/memorize books in a few minutes like Will, but hey, you want to be a doctor so you must have something up there. Which brings to the best advice you’ll ever hear from me.

Find a mentor. Find several mentors.

One thing pre meds often lack is humility. It’s harsh but true; sometimes we think we know everything, and I am no exception.

The truth is, most pre med students are young and have not been able to develop the wisdom that time often brings. This is where a mentor comes in. Find someone you trust and respect and set up a time to meet with them regularly.

Ideally this would be someone significantly older than you and who can teach you a little about life.

I had three mentors during my college days. Honestly, it can be so refreshing to sit down and chat with someone who is not a fellow student. In my mentors I found stimulating conversation and guidance for my future. I also learned how to sit down and have a normal conversation with a fellow adult, one who is older and who you respect, but who does not look down on you.

It may take some effort to find someone, but it will be worth it. Trust me.

Ahh… the beginning of the school year. So many mixed feelings. The anticipation, the excitement and yes, the anxiety. Seeing old friends, old aquantances, and some people you’d probably rather not see. Buying books. Meeting professors. It’s a unique time of year, and I will truly miss it.

For those of you heading back to school now, or in a month or so, here are some tips to get your year off to a great start.

1. Set goals. Successful students set goals- and they don’t just think about them, they write them down. Write some goals down you have for this term and for the school year. They can be goals about academics, your social life, your MCAT study habits, anything. Put the list in a place where you can see it often.

2. Wait to buy your books (other than textbooks). Often a book will be listed for a class online and you find out later it’s not necessary for the class. Wait til you see the class syllabus. Textbooks for science classes are the exception- you can almost always count on those to be used. Sometimes I’ve been able to save money on books by checking them out from the school library. Also try textbooksrus.com. They have some great deals- I was able to find international editions of textbooks that were a quarter of the price than at the bookstore. Brand new, and with the exact same content.

3. Set ground rules with your roommate(s) or housemates. You’re pre med. You’re going to need your study time, and more importantly, your sleep time. Have a candid conversation with the people you’ll be living with about expectations concerning quiet hours, having people over, music volume etc. A short conversation now can save you a lot of trouble later.

4. Learn to say “no”. This may be the most important lesson I learned as a student. At the beginning of the school year you are bombarded with opportunities to volunteer, join clubs, lead clubs, work, take extra classes, play intramurals and who knows what else. It’s very easy to say “yes” to everything and find yourself overwhelmed with the amount that you are involved in. Start the beginning of the term out slow and if you end up having some more free time, add something else to your plate.

What are some other tips you would add? Are you excited to start school again?

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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