Session 23 In today's episode, Ryan talks with Dr. Greg Polites, a physician, an educator, and a mentor at Washington University in St. Louis where he teaches the MedPrep program. Greg is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Wash.U and he is also on the admissions committee as well as the course master for the Practice of Medicine course for 1st and 3rd year medical students there. Today, they discuss topics covering starting undergrad on the right foot, overextending yourself, volunteering, and some pieces of advice related to doing extracurricular activities. He also shares about the MedPrep program that prepares undergrad students for medical school and beyond. Here are the highlights of the conversation with Greg: About MedPrep Seeing the void that needed to be met to give an idea of what medicine is all about A course that lays out the entire education process from the first day of college to the day of becoming a physician Foundational lectures covering topics like the different stressors in medicine, patient care management, medical ethics & dilemmas, and other medical issues An overview of the timeline relating to the curriculum, matching process, residency training, and becoming a board-certified physician Q&A sessions with resident physicians in multiple specialties and Wash. U medical students Greg's advice to Freshmen or Sophomore students in other schools that do not have MedPrep: Having a plan Have a plan as early as possible. Sit down and have a general idea of how you're going to use the next 3 1/2 years and your summers early. Extracurricular activities Don't get overextended early on. Start up slow and set a foundation for success. Come to college and be a bookworm. Don't get too involved in more than one serious extracurricular activity at the same time. Start the process with momentum and ease into college. Resources Make use of the university-provided tutors. Get to know your professors. Interact with your advisors early on since they will most likely be writing your letters of recommendation during the application process. Course correction Overextending and having bad grades: What do you do? Try to improve with each successive semester Move forward and do well in higher level courses in the same discipline Don't take a class over again if you got a C in it unless you don't have foundational knowledge to move onto the next course Grade replacements AMCAS (for allopathic/MD granting schools) application having no grade replacement AACOMAS (for osteopathic/DO schools) applications having grade replacement which allows more leniency Other things to consider: Having an understanding of each component of the application Making your academics a priority above all else Exploring and asking yourself why medicine through shadowing Doing volunteering, shadowing, or research not for checking off the boxes for your application but to figure out if medicine is something that you really like Research as not a mandatory thing for your application Doing something you're passionate about and that you enjoy Choosing what undergrad school to go to: Don't look at it in terms of the name of the school but in terms of the preparation Misconceptions of MedPrep students about medicine they find out during the course: Medicine as all-consuming Finding a specialty that works with your lifestyle Having a realistic expectation of the average lifestyle for a certain specialty The importance of applying early: Not applying early as one of the most common mistakes students make on their application Most schools accept applicants on a rolling basis Holding off delays the whole process and it becomes more competitive Make sure to work on your personal statement Links and Other Resources: Interview with KCOM AACOMAS AMCAS Medical School Timeline MedPrep at WashU Doctors Diaries If you need any help with the medical school interview, go to medschoolinterviewbook.com. Sign up and you will receive parts of the bo