Hey y’all! I hope you guys are enjoying the nice fall weather! One of the most common questions I get asked by prospective students is my experience with being pre-med at Hopkins. It’s no secret that Hopkins attracts a LOT of students who are interested in working in the healthcare field.
To be completely honest, this was one of the biggest reasons why I chose Hopkins. I’ve always known that I wanted to take a path of being a doctor, and I knew that Hopkins offers so many opportunities for pre-med students. After being here for almost a year and a half, I can definitely say that this is true. But, I thought it would be a good idea to share a bit about my experience with both the ups and the downs of being a pre-med student at Hopkins.
To begin, pre-med opportunities are super easy to access. I currently work in a clinical medicine lab. More specifically, a pediatric emergency medicine lab that looks at special needs children and how they respond to stimuli in the hospital setting. I’ve truly enjoyed my experience here, as the research area is something I’m very passionate about. A lot of my friends are also actively involved in research at the med campus across various subject areas. Furthermore, I also volunteer at the Children’s Hospital, and this is one of my favorite experiences. I’ve always had a strong desire to go into pediatrics, so it’s amazing to be able to spend time with children in a clinical setting. Also, a few of my friends spent intersession shadowing physicians at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and they felt like they learned a lot and took away a lot from the experience.
So…what’s the downside you ask?
Well first off, it is common knowledge that Hopkins is a tough and very challenging school. Pre-med requirements can sometimes be notoriously difficult. As a result, your experience as a pre-med student can be difficult, but with this also comes a lot of resources. Professors are usually super helpful, and Hopkins also offers a plethora of other resources such as Pre-Health advising, the PILOT peer led tutoring program, etc. Also in the end, the difficulty of the courses end up preparing you well for the MCAT.
Furthermore, there are a LOT of pre-meds at Hopkins, so you will be surrounded by some of the brightest people you’ve ever met. While this is great to motivate you and promote the exchange of ideas, it can also be exhausting and you may often feel an immense amount of pressure.
For this, my advice is to not let being pre-med define your college experience. Sure, I do clinical research, volunteer at the med campus, and write for the campus Med Review. But, also be sure to get involved in other things that you are passionate about. I love being able to give tours and meet families, write this blog, plan cultural and religious events with Hindu Student Council, bond with my sorority sisters, and I especially love tutoring children every week through the Johns Hopkins Tutorial Project. And while I do have a lot of friends who are pre-med, pre-nursing, and pre-dental, a lot of my friends are studying the humanities, engineering, or basically anything else that Hopkins has to offer. This diversity really helps me to find balance at a school like Hopkins!
Thanks for tuning in to hear about my experience!
Until Next Time,
Neha
