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(1) Resume padding. Starting earlier in the pre-professional training has also led to the “checkbox effect.” Have you taken all the courses? Check. Have you shadowed doctors? Check. Have you started a club or joined a club about health care? Did you start doing research? Have you volunteered? Check, check, check. More often than not, the reason for engaging in activities can trace its way back to looking good for an application. Yes, it is paramount to have a good understanding of a career in medicine and to pursue extracurriculars that reflect your interest. By the same token, being passionate about what you do, trying new things for the sake of interest and not a means to an end, invariably makes you a more remarkable person and candidate. Dr. Sanford adds: “Be careful and selective what you choose to be involved in. You want to be passionate about these things so they don’t end up as checklist items on your list...it’s so transparent to schools [admissions committees].” It’s time to stop thinking like a pre-student of medicine and more like a college student interested in medicine. (2) Numbers game. A large culprit for the PMM is certainly the numbers game that the admissions process uses. There is no escaping it. However, organizations and institutions have recognized this problem and—believe it or not —have been trying to address it for years. Holistic admissions is the process of looking at an entire person’s application package and taking the whole rather than the sum of its parts into consideration. Since the early 2000’s, several programs have adopted an “early assurance” track allow undergraduate students direct admission into affiliated medical schools, some even scrubbing the MCAT requirement altogether and pushing students to pursue a liberal education. A look at some top ranked schools will also show that the median MCAT scores and GPAs for an incoming class are rarely at the 99th percentile. That is to say, medical schools are looking for more than knowledge gurus who can test well. They are looking for interesting students who have done meaningful things. There is no set pathway or heuristic to get into medical school; what works for one student does not guarantee success for another. Move away from this mindset of “there’s no way I can possibly get in and do this,” says Dr. Sanford. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.” In a process full of numbers, excelling in other areas you’re passionate about will help you stand above the crowd.Becoming a physician is exceedingly difficult now more than ever before. More students are flocking to the industry that continues to make strides in technology, research, and outcomes. We should be excited about these advancements, but not let the ends justify the means of maximizing our American higher education. The Pre-Med Mentality is a symptom of a gasping liberal arts education, and it’s preventing us from becoming the best professionals possible. If we can understand that healthcare is a team effort, that learning about more than just science builds a broader skill base, that devoting our time and effort to passion projects will enable us to connect with our patients more effectively, then we stand to serve as better thinkers, leaders, and practitioners. With luck, we might shed the PMM and along the way also become better people. But hey, what do I know—I’m just a “gunner.” Matthew Lin is a Biological Science major in his senior year. He will be heading to medical school next year.
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