Pre-Health

Articles applicable to all pre-health students, including extracurricular planning, general study tips, and interview prep.

Gain a Deeper Understanding with the Power of Test-Enhanced Learning

by

Welcome to part two of our blog series in which we share proven learning strategies behind the Osmosis platform that help students learn medicine more effectively. (Read about spaced repetition and memory palaces in parts 1 and 3 of the series!)

Today, we’re going to explore test-enhanced learning, the act of testing yourself to improve your knowledge of a given subject. This study technique is discussed throughout our new textbook, How to Learn in the Health Professions, as well as in our video series on the science of learning.

Read more

What Do I Wear? Basic Interview Attire for Men

by
interview attire for men

Fall is in the air, and you wait patiently as the medical school application cycle continues. Several weeks have passed since you have completed your AMCAS and AACOMAS experience prompts, proof-read your personal statement, entered your transcript grades one “A” after another, and finally mustered up the courage to click that oh-so-final submit button. You eagerly press refresh on your internet browser hoping that just one of the numerous medical schools you applied to will reward you for all your arduous work. “Congratulations, you’re invited!” reads the subject line; you finally receive the email you have been waiting so anxiously to read. You schedule your interview for the next date available and your boundless excitement immediately turns to panic. Will my interview be formal or MMI? Which of my experiences will be brought up? What will I wear to this oh-so-important event? While the former questions may generate some anxiety, choosing your outfit should be an easy, stress-free task.

Read more

How Spaced Repetition Enhances Learning

by
spaced repetition

One of the biggest challenges of learning medicine is the sheer amount of information students are expected to process and understand. By the time most students take the USMLE Step 1 exam, they will have attempted to memorize the contents of huge books like First Aid—an 800-page behemoth of high-yield pathology—as well as endless information from their course slides and other lecture notes.

(Don’t miss parts 2 and 3 in the series to learn about test-enhanced learning and memory palaces.)

Read more

How To Manage A Cross-Country Move

by
Medical Spouse

The medical journey offers many opportunities to make some big moves, whether it’s to start medical school, residency, fellowship, or for that first “real” job. A move, especially one across the country, requires a good deal of planning. You will undoubtedly have many questions. How do I move my stuff? How do I find a place to live? What about my cars? The list goes on and on.

Read more

Getting In: The Undergraduate’s Guide to Research Experience

by
getting in

Undergraduate students do not need told, again, how important it is to be involved in numerous activities: academics, extracurriculars, employment, research, job shadowing, internships, and social life. Students who are pursuing a career in a science or healthcare field (particularly those with aspirations for graduate school) may find even more intense pressure than their peers. This pressure – to check a box in each “category” above and to succeed at all of them – can be quite overwhelming, especially for students who don’t have any experience in one area or another. One of the most common areas with which students struggle is research. Many prehealth students understand that research should be part of their application, but do not know how to get started, or even what “research experience” means. If this sounds like you, check out Getting In: The Undergraduate’s Guide to Research Experience by David Oppenheimer and Paris Grey.

Read more

Rabbit, Rabbit

by


Reposted with permission from here.
The Americans gave each family two rabbits, which we were to care for over the summer and eventually cook. Well, as you might imagine, Tante Ingrid and I got quite attached to the little critters. When the time came for rabbit stew, we were despondent. We begged Mutti to please save them. And somehow — despite having had no meat for God knows how long — she agreed. She must have been so exasperated with us, but she agreed.  

Read more