Making The Transition to Medical School

Making the transition to medical school can be hard, but students like Theunis De Boer of Northeast Ohio Medical University’s Traditional Admission Student Club are working to make that transition a little easier for their peers.

Earlier this week, the Traditional Admission Student Club hosted a Direct Entry Boot Camp as a way for traditional admission medicine students to meet other students who made their way to the College of Medicine at NEOMED through similar routes and struggles. Traditional admission medicine students apply to medical school after obtaining their undergraduate or graduate degree; or applying to medical school in their last year prior to completing their bachelor’s degree.

During the evening event, held Monday, Aug. 12 in Meshel Hall, the Traditional Admission Student Club offered suggestions and resources for studying, tuition and more.

De Boer wrote the following after the event:

Traditional admission students often come from very interesting backgrounds, such as finance, health or other previous lives. The road for these students, including myself, is very hard and competitive. Additionally, traditional entry students are often a bit older.

Culture shock is something I personally experienced and it surely helped being able to talk to people that have struggled with similar things.

Joshua Engle, a fellow second-year College of Medicine student, played an important role in helping me integrate with the student body here at school. Now, I want to do the same for others. My goal is to jumpstart the support for the newest cohort of students.

From one student to another

• Do not doubt whether or not you belong here — you do!
• Go all out for your first exam. It will set the tone for the year.
• Help each other out. Medical school is hard, but we are all in this together.
• Take advice with a grain of salt. Advice from upperclassmen is valuable, but every year and every person is different.
• Take care of yourself. This means your mental health, academic health and personal health. If you need help, get it ASAP. Do not wait.

 

—Theunis (Otte) De Boer, a second-year College of Medicine student contributed this article.