So you want to do Medicine: 6 Tips for High School and Premed Students

When I settled on the idea of doing Medicine in high school, I didn’t really know how to prepare myself. I didn’t know any doctors except for my GP or any medical students. Google was my only source. So here’s a post that I hope will help all you high schoolers who want to do Medicine but want some guidance and tips. It may also help those in Premed to think about their interview.

Don't you sometimes wish life was easy and had direction like this? source: http://www.employmentresolutions.co.nz/uploads/1/0/2/0/10201578/4823133_orig.jpg

I went to Mt Roskill Grammar School in Auckland and took the NCEA Curriculum, but this post will be relevant regardless of what curriculum you do – Cambridge, IB, you name it. In New Zealand, high school is from Year 9 to Year 13. 

In Year 9, I wanted to do electronics

In Year 10, I wanted to be an architect

In Year 11, I wanted to be an engineer

In Year 12, I FINALLY decided that I wanted to be a doctor.

In Year 13, I prepared for Premed.

I’m one of the fortunate ones who were able to decide on a uni degree early-ish. Many get to Year 13 and don’t even know what to enrol in for University. I guess what I want to tell all of you who are still in high school is not to settle so early on. There are a lot of years ahead of you and in each year you’ll grow, find new interests, delve more into the subjects you study and discover your passion and meaning in life. So even if you are 95% certain of what you want you want to do after graduating high school – KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN – I cannot stress this enough. Therefore, if you find out that “hmm, actually, I hate what I’m doing right now and don’t want to do this for the rest of my life”, you have backup plans. Notice the plural. Plans.  

For those of you who have read this, are following it and are still thinking “yup, Med is for me”, then this is what I recommend you do throughout high school to improve your chances of getting into Premed and Med – wherever you want to do this.  

1. 1. Self-reflection and self-discovery – ask yourself, REALLY ask yourself: what are your CORE REASONS for wanting to do medicine. You don’t want a generic ‘I want to help people’ because in any career, you could be helping people. Why medicine in particular?
   
   I made a list, and looked up attributes of a doctor and determine which attributes described me. I also talked about 2 important reasons that led to pick medicine in my post here. Check it out if you’re stuck and you’ll hopefully be able to find personal reasons that make you stand out from the rest of the pack. 
   
   
2. Take Science subjects – this should be a no brainer but the crucial ones to take are Biology and Chemistry… in fact, if you don’t like science, you probably shouldn’t be considering Med. Take these until you graduate and you’ll thank yourself later.
   
   There is some controversy over Physics, some say take it, others say don’t. I did Year 12 Physics but not Year 13 because I dreaded it, however, since there is a Physics paper in Biomed at Auckland Uni (if you do Biomed), you should do at least until Year 12.
   
   
3. Take subjects you enjoy – you don’t want to focus SO much on Medicine that you neglect things that you like. Keep in mind that they want well-rounded people to be doctors, ones who are empathetic and have interests aside from Medicine; this includes art, music, sports and whatever else that you’re into. For me, this was English. Pick something you like and stick to it. 
   
   
4.  Actually find out what a doctor’s life is like – one thing you don’t want is to get into Medicine and think “oh, shit. This is NOT for me.” By then, you’ll have spent a lot of time, effort and sacrifices that you could have put to better use elsewhere.
   
   So do your research.
   
   Talk to doctors, talk to medical students, go to your trusty friend Google, or read some books. Do these to confirm if Medicine is really your thing. This’ll also help for your interview in premed since they’ll like ask you why you think Medicine would suit you and whether you’ve thought about the toll that it’ll take.
   
   
5. Work – again, they like well-rounded people and when they ask you to “tell me about yourself” in the interview, you don’t want your only answer to be: study.
   
   What I did was volunteer at rest homes and through this, I was able to experience first-hand what the healthcare system was REALLY like. It also allowed me to show the interviewer the effort that I’ve gone to, to confirm that Medicine is my passion.
   
   But you don’t have to do something health-related. I had done work as a tutor, been a piano accompanist for singers and worked at a call centre. I was able to discuss all of these as each role brings with it different experiences and skills – skills such as honesty, integrity, empathy and communication – all of which are attributes that doctors should have as listed here.
   
   
6. And the most important thing to do: RELAX – make sure you take the time to look after yourself and to be with family and friends. Don’t stress and work yourself so hard that you burn out and end up feeling down, exhausted and ready to give up. I like to go for a walk, meet up with friends, or binge watch movies/TV shows. Find something that relaxes you and prioritise it.

These are things that I wish I knew about Medicine in high school. I hope they help you and if you have any questions at all, please ask! Also, let me know what relaxes you – binge watching movies and TV series surely can’t be good for me. 

-Diana