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Establish good study habits.
Your grades will be one of the most important factors in determining your acceptance to medicalschool. The only way to earn good grades is to establish good study habits, right from thebeginning. If you need some help, contact the Academic Support Center or find a tutor.
Develop a close relationship with your academic advisor.
Your academic advisor is one of your best resources on campus; he or she can help you to outline your academic curriculum, can make course recommendations, can point you to important campusresources and can act as your guide throughout your education at the University of Pittsburgh.Because your advisor is so important, it is crucial that you get to know this person! Be sure to keepregular advising appointments, and feel free to turn to your advisor when you have questions.
Get involved in campus organizations.
Although medical schools first look for applicants with good grades, they also want to see thatcandidates are well-rounded. Getting involved with campus organizations and activities is a greatway to round out your education, get leadership experience and meet new people. Contact theStudent Life office for a complete listing of campus organizations.
Enjoy learning for learning’s sake.
Your undergraduate education should not just be preparation for graduate school – be sure to takeadvantage of all of the learning opportunities available to you, even those that are not related tomedicine. Because you will use almost half of your credits to fulfill general education requirements, you have lots of room to take courses in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Work with youracademic advisor to plan your class schedules around your interests, as well as your requirements.Also, get in touch with the Study Abroad and Semester at Sea offices to explore opportunities togive your education an international perspective.
Get to know your professors.
Your professors are outstanding resources for information in their chosen fields. Many of themare doing cutting-edge research and have years of experience working in the sciences or humanities.Take the time to get to know your professors – stop by their office hours or talk to them afterclass. Developing a relationship with your professors is also important because you will need themto write letters of evaluation for you when you are applying to the Pre-professional HealthCommittee; you will get a much better letter from a faculty member who knows you personally andis enthusiastic about your application than a professor that barely remembers you and can onlywrite about your grade in his/her class.
Participate in pre-med workshops.
The Health Professions Counselor offers several workshops each term for students who areinterested in a career in medicine. There are always a few that are designed especially forfreshmen, so be sure to attend one of these workshops if you get a chance.
Begin to take courses in the required sciences.
Because you will need to complete all of your required math and sciences (biology, chemistry,physics and calculus) before the end of your junior year, it is important to start to take thesecourses in your first year. It is especially important to begin the course sequence in chemistry, as
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