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?

One of the best places to find information about a topic quickly are internet forums. These forums can also be a place where community is built between people with common interests.

Several good pre med forums exist, and are a great resource for anyone trying to get into medical school. Here are the best pre med forums on the web, check them out and I think you’ll find they will be invaluable for your journey.

1. The Studentdoctor.net (SDN) Forums

These are by far the most active pre med forums, and that is one of the reasons Studentdoctor.net is probably the best pre med site out there. Thousands of pre meds use the site each day. It can actually be a little overwhelming at first because there are so many different forums to read. Here is a quick guide to the most useful parts of the site for pre med students:

A. The Pre Allopathic (MD) and Pre Osteopathic (DO) forums
These are the most active forums on the site. Looking through this forum you will find topics with dozens or even hundreds of posts. The topics range from “Official 2008-2009 REJECTION Thread!” to “What is your most significant vulnerability?” Pretty much any type of pre med question is asked here.
B. The MCAT Discussions Forum
One of the most important aspects of the application to medical school, the MCAT is a cause for much consternation among pre med students. In this forum you’ll find endless amounts of info about the MCAT, including study tips and MCAT course reviews. If you just want an overview of the MCAT, check out this great thread.
C. Aspire- The high school and pre-college forum for pre health related matters
This is a new forum on the site, and it’s not as active as the others. However it has some great discussions for those younger students who are exploring pre med and other pre health fields.

The site also has forums for med school students and for physicians of all specialties. These will give you a good idea of what medical school and the physician practice is actually like.

2. The Studentdoc.com Forums
These forums aren’t nearly as active as the SDN site, but can still be very useful. Posting here might be a good idea if you are overwhelmed at the prospect of posting at SDN, knowing your post may be viewed by hundreds of people. Studentdoc has an MCAT forum, a pre med forum, and a forum for non-traditional pre med students as well.

3. The pre med forums at Collegeconfidential.com
Collegeconfidential.com has forums for all types of college issues, but one of their more active forums is the pre med forum. In addition to the pre med discussion, they also have a “Careers in Medicine” forum to talk about other options in the medical field.

Know any other good forums?