Советы студентам-медикам: как избежать выгорания и успешно пройти программу UNL

This summer, I finished up my first undergraduate degree, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences on the pre-med track. Over four years, I watched myself, along with many of my peers, make some preventable mistakes. Pre-medicine students take some of the most daunting coursework at UNL, and it can be difficult to navigate, especially for a new student. How do you best set yourself up for success in each class? How do you optimize your class schedule? Which ACE classes would make sense for your academic journey? How do you avoid getting burned out? Here, I will provide some tips for new pre-med students to answer all of those questions and more. 1) Find ACE credits that support your academic plan Many students complain about ACE classes or their general credits. They wonder why they have to take classes that don’t relate to their major or future career. However, there are many courses offered for most ACE learning outcomes that can help support a pre-med’s learning. Every student taking the MCAT should have basic knowledge of statistics, so try to take a class like Statistical Methods or Introduction to Statistics, to fulfill your ACE 3 requirements. For your ACE 5, History of Medicine and Introduction to Medical Humanities are good options. You could also take Medical Ethics, which would also fulfill your ACE 8 requirements. For your ACE 6, most pre-meds should consider Introduction to Psychology. Basic psychology is a major part of the MCAT, so a basic understanding of psychology is critical. Future pediatricians might also be interested in Children’s Mental Health and Mental Illness. Global Health is about the only class about medicine that gives you ACE 9 credit. Finally, for your ACE 10, you will have many options based on your major, so try to pick a class that synergizes with your future career goals. Future oncologists should consider Cancer Biology. Future infectious disease experts would enjoy Field Epidemiology. Evolutionary Medicine is a great option for any pre-med student. 2) Cedar Point Biological Station At some point, probably during one of your LIFE 120 lectures, students will come into your class to tell you about a place called Cedar Point. Don’t tune out what they have to say, as Cedar Point is one of the best opportunities for pre-med students. Short, 3-week summer classes are offered at Cedar Point, and many of these courses can help you fulfill your degree requirements. LIFE 121, a class every pre-med student is required to take, is offered every summer. Students working towards a Bachelor of Science degree need at least 60 hours of science credits, and biology students need a certain number of 300- and 400-level courses. Cedar Point offers many classes that help students meet these requirements, including Avian Biology, Field Epidemiology and Field Parasitology. Taking classes at Cedar Point was one of the greatest opportunities I’ve had during college, and you should consider taking advantage of the classes offered there. 3) Be smart about Anatomy and Physiology Perhaps no other classes on the pre-med track have quite as bad a reputation as Anatomy and Physiology. Whenever I was struggling in my first few semesters of college, there would always be some senior biology major present to say: “Just wait until you’re in Anatomy lab.” Anatomy and Physiology were probably the most difficult classes I’ve taken. Many students fear them so much that they wait until their final semester of college to take them. They do this to prevent tanking their GPA until after they’ve been accepted into medical school. I advise against this. Instead, try taking both in your junior year. Taking them early offers a couple of advantages. If you have to retake either, you still have another year to do so, and if you don’t have to retake them, your senior year just became less stressful. Additionally, taking Anatomy and Physiology before you take the MCAT, which most people do the summer before their senior year, can give you a massive leg up. Physiology is a major part of the MCAT material. 4) Keep your notes between classes I think the single biggest mistake in my first year of college was throwing away all my notes after I finished my classes. Obviously, I knew that each subsequent class would build on the previous ones, but I was not prepared for the number of concepts that were rehashed word-for-word across multiple classes. For example, I remember having to label the different parts of a neuron’s action potential in at least five different classes: LIFE 121, Introduction to Psychology, Physiology, Anatomy and Physics. There are a dozen other concepts you will revisit continuously throughout your undergraduate career. So save yourself the time, notebook paper and flashcards, and keep your notes handy. 5) Cut yourself some slack As a pre-med student, it can be very easy to become overwhelmed by your classes. Most students have a tough time in General and Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Genetics, Physiology and Anatomy. I remember watching half my lab group drop Anatomy before the end of the semester, and they were most certainly not outliers. My biggest struggle came when I got a C in CHEM 110, which I spun out over for most of winter break. Over the next four years, you should remind yourself that everybody finds this sequence hard. There is no shame in the struggle or in taking a little longer if you need to. Your future won’t entirely hinge on one lab grade. When you finally get to where you want to be in life, whether it’s medical school or something else, it won’t matter if it took you a few extra semesters or if you struggled more than the people around you; it will only matter that you persevered despite that.