Tips for Parents of Med School Applicants

You always receive an amusing answer when you ask a child, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” 

You will often hear things like a cowboy, princess, or basketball player. But alongside these positions of grandeur, a doctor is another dream job for some young students.  

While the ambition begins in adolescence for some, those who aspire to become a medical professional find their desire as they progress through their education. Once these ambitious students begin to shape their career path in high school, parents will have a bevy of incoming questions. Though encouraging a student to study hard is fundamental advice, unless a parent knows the ins and outs of carving out a medical career, they may have a difficult time answering them.  

Here are five tips to help you guide your child on the path to becoming a professional in the medical field: 

• Emphasize the Importance of Teachers and Advisors 

• Help Them Mitigate Procrastination 

• Teach Them How to Overcome Adversity 

• Get Them Involved in Activities Geared Towards the Medical Field 

• Encourage a Balanced Lifestyle 

Emphasize the Importance of Teachers and Advisors 

You may not always have all the answers or insights you need to help your child as they prepare for med school. And for them, the process of forging a career path can be overwhelming at times. Fortunately, their school teachers and advisors are excellent resources. Not only do they know first-hand the strengths and habits of your child, but these educators can also guide them toward the school or program that best suits your child’s goals.  

While school prestige may look good on paper, finding the right school boils down to how comfortable your child feels in their school environment and whether or not they like the curriculum. Your child’s premed teachers and advisors can assist them in devising a suitable course schedule and layout a plan that includes crucial activities that enhance med school applications, such as volunteer work, job shadowing, and supplemental research. 

Help Them Mitigate Procrastination 

You would be hard-pressed to find someone who has never procrastinated a day in their life. And for your child, who is diligently working towards getting into med school, it’s going to happen at some point. Even though one time isn't the end of the world, it can serve as a teaching tool. As a person of influence in their life, you can help them avoid procrastination. 

First, find out the reasoning behind your child’s procrastination. Some common culprits of procrastination are mental exhaustion, lack of inspiration, fear of failure, and external distractions, among others. In any case, take time to sit down with your child and develop short-term goals that help get them back on track and moving forward towards their long-term goals. Sometimes taking a step back and looking at the big picture is all it takes to refocus.  

Helping mitigate procrastination is a parent’s time to shine.  

Teach Them How to Overcome Adversity 

This section relates directly to the previous one. Procrastination can be a precursor to adversity — particularly failure. While the idea of failure can be daunting, it’s pertinent your child understands that failure is important — even necessary. When they fail, they’re forced to learn how to overcome adversity. In the medical field, facing adversity is unavoidable.  

Teaching your child how to handle and persevere through adversity helps them develop strong mental fortitude, which is necessary for someone planning to attend medical school. While it isn’t your job to solve problems for your child, coaching them to be patient, resilient, strong-willed, confident, and better problem-solvers prepares them for a future in a challenging, but rewarding profession. 

Get Them Involved in Activities Geared Towards the Medical Field 

As we mentioned in the previous section, relevant activities are key to your child developing a robust med school application. Typically, med school admission committees take into serious consideration how a student's time is spent outside the classroom. Along with volunteering, shadowing physicians, and research, committees will look for leadership roles undertaken, the amount of patient exposure they’ve experienced, hobbies, etc. They want to see how well your child manages their time and gauge how committed they are to becoming a medical professional.  

As you can imagine, the sheer volume of applications an admissions committee regularly analyzes is considerable. Standing out among the competition requires years of building a resume. Committees are impressed when they find a prospective candidate’s application shows they have already spent significant time volunteering, shadowing, etc. And the longer your child has been serving others through the aforementioned activities, the better their chances are of being admitted.  

Encourage a Balanced Lifestyle 

As important as it is to stay diligent and committed to studies and extracurricular activities, there comes a time when your child needs a break. Dealing with the challenges of balancing schoolwork, relationships, exercise, and free time can be taxing. Getting into med school takes hard work, dedication, and sacrifice, but without setting time aside to clear the mind, your child could experience a degree of burnout.  

Instilling the value of practicing self-care is crucial to the growth of your child as they begin their journey toward becoming a physician. One way to help them find a healthy school/life balance is to encourage them to set “technology-free” times. This will give them the chance to separate themselves from the effort they have been putting in and allow them to recharge their proverbial batteries. In addition, encourage them to set aside time for things, such as exercise, healthy eating, indulging in their favorite pastime, seeing friends, or any other activity that gives them a mental break.  

Witnessing the growth of your child comes with unparalleled pride. But as they begin to shape their career path, you may have as many questions as they do. So to get you and your child started, check out the AUC Parent’s Guide! There you will find information on what to expect when considering med schools and why AUC may be the right choice for your child. 

If you have any questions, feel free to request more information. Or if you’re ready, apply today!  

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