freshmen start

These are pre-meds who followed their non-pre-med passions. They weren't born with these qualities (perhaps except for the fashion model). Instead, they chose to spend their time differently from the blue crayons.

The three capstone project examples we’re about to share come from students who managed to find that sweet spot of overlap between their available resources, the needs of their community, and an innovative solution

It’s easy to feel inferior as a pre-med. You look around your classes and see people who are smarter than you, work harder than you, who have overcome unbelievable obstacles to get where they are today.

Do any of the following sound like you?You’re volunteering every week in the hospital to get enough hours to put on your medical school application.You’re pushing through your research internship even though you don’t like it much - because you know medical schools want students with research experience.You’re volunteering your time at a homeless shelter or attending blood drives to get your hours above the threshold most medical schools seek in their applicants (roughly 200 hours if you’re curious).

Quit your research?! What pre-med in their right mind would question their coveted research position, let alone actually quit? The word ‘quit’ is not typically part of a pre-med’s vocabulary, and the last thing you want is to be viewed as weak or non-committal.

When people hear the word ‘valedictorian,’ they might think of a hustling overachiever who participates in every possible organization or activity. Others might picture the opposite--the highly gifted coaster who gets by on nothing but his or her natural ability.

This unusual tidbit was the first of many surprises when The Savvy Premed sat down for an interview with MCAT instructor Levonti Ohanisian. In addition to scoring well himself, Levonti serves as an MCAT teacher at UCSD Extension. While he teaches all subjects, some of his best advice is how to approach the test as a whole.

Thanks to MCAT instructor Levonti Ohanisian, The Savvy Premed recently analyzed the biggest mistakes that students make when approaching the test.But now that you know what not to do, perhaps we can equip you with tools and advice for what you should do when preparing for the MCAT.

Although the information has been altered slightly, this list contains real activities from real former students--all of whom were accepted into medical school. Even though the entries are quite diverse, they all have one thing in common: they’re all unexpected pastimes that deviate from the pre-med norm.

Imagine a pot filled with cold water, with a frog peacefully swimming in it. A fire is lit under the pot and the water becomes lukewarm. The frog finds this rather pleasant and keeps swimming, but then the temperature keeps rising. As the water turns hotter, the frog grows uncomfortable, but it also becomes weak, so it stands the heat as long as it can and does nothing.

Community service should only feel obligatory when it’s court-mandated. If your service in college feels like the metaphorical equivalent of picking up trash on the freeway, then you’re doing something wrong.