It is the trend in college that the most things you do, the more qualified you become to do anything else. I will use pre-med students as an example, because I am extremely familiar with this model. One assumption has to be made though, when it all started many years ago, everything was much simpler. Medical school is known for its low acceptance rate and the struggles of many people to get in, going through perfect 4.0’s, volunteering, honor societies, leadership experiences, committees, research, publications, patient contact situations, physician shadowing, conferences, MCAT scores, jobs, interviews and a multitude of other things.
At first the criteria must have been straightforward, many people want to get in, they take those who have the highest grades. Then someone probably decided he could so some volunteering and still have pretty good grades, and a few others copied this idea; next thing we know? Having a job and great GPA is the new standard for med school admissions. Having a job and getting good grades may have been too easy for a small amount of students, so they threw in some research in their spare time. It didn’t take very long for admission committees to expect good grades, volunteering and research in every application. By now you should see where I’m going with all of this.
As a freshman I attended a conference designed to help you plan your way into med school, but I should say it was designed to terrify you and show you all the possible reasons you would not be accepted. The profile described above is just what fits the expectations nowadays, but does it really predict your success? More than once I have seen people who fulfilled this long list of requirements, graduate without a job, a life plan, an acceptance into any graduate program or and idea of what to do next. Does your ability to organize a concert, win a volleyball tournament, become queen in a university pageant and maintain a job all during the same semester predict your passion for medicine? Does doing research predict your empathy with other people and your willingness to help them? Does a great MCAT score tell you how you will react in an emergency situation?
Lets talk about all those people that are left out. Maybe they are not good at politics, not getting enough leadership positions, or they liked volunteering better than research and did not get enough data to publish a paper. There is no correlation that establishes that because of this, they will not be good doctors. If everyone who has made a breakthrough in the past 50 years had to go through these loopholes to do what they liked, what they wanted, most discoveries would not have happened. Having just one talent, and one interest doesn’t get anyone very far anymore. It’s like asking all pre-med students to be athletes, wizards and musicians, trying to make them do something that does not always come naturally and does not lead directly to their dreams. Maybe letting students focus on what they love will allow them to shine and conquer more challenges.
Instead of trying to do all these things, focusing on one that really matters could make a great difference. Doing so many things at the same time can only lower the standard of each of them; but sure, a few overachievers, our heroes here, can do it, and do it well. For the rest of us, it can lead to a breakdown, never been satisfied with what we do. The more we do, the higher the expectations in general to get admitted into a program. Is it all worth it? It starts with college, but the same signs are visible in high school, or even middle school. Can a single mistake while you were 10 years old prevent you from being a doctor? It won’t be long before this becomes a common occurrence.
ever yours,
DM
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