So you survived freshman year… Now what?

1. So you survived freshman year… Now what? Brought to you by your 2013-2014 officers 

2. Everything you learned last year… it still matters! • Time Management • Use your smartphones for more than Facebook… • Add all HPO meetings to your calendar • Lifestyle Choices • Your health is priority number one! • Utilize available resources and contribute your own • Tutor a subject in which you did well • Step up your presence and contributions to at least one organization • Practice Professionalism • Personal presentation • Electronic presence • Community involvement • Choice of activities

3. Organic chemistry Lecture • CTLE • Get a tutor and make friends with your tutor, but don’t consider him/her a crutch to lean on. Prepare thoroughly for every tutoring appointment. • Be a tutor in Chem 112-113 if you enjoyed it and/or understood it well. • Study groups • Keep them small and keep them quiet! It’s not a pity party! • Think ahead to the ACS exam… I know it’s scary • Tailor your study tools towards simplification to make end of the semester preparations as quick as possible

4. Organic chemistry lab • Prelab preparations • CRC • Procedures… read them, read them, and read them again. Visualizing the procedure before lab will make everything run smoothly and quickly. • Don’t plagiarize anyone’s work!! There are SOOO many reasons not to do this. Orgo lab is hard enough without taking a zero for one lab. More importantly, you want to know what you know—and, you will need to report any “institutional action” on your professional school applications. • Observations • Anything you notice, even if it seems insignificant, should be written in your notebook. As long as you keep your notes neat and organized, it can only help your grade. • Data sheets • Relax. You won’t know the answer to everything.

5. Choosing electives • Do NOT overload your schedule with upper-level science courses • Don’t forget to account for laboratory credit hours (2 credit labs are incredibly time consuming; DON’T underestimate them!) • Schedule courses that you want to take for enjoyment outside of professional school prerequisites • Do not move past prerequisites you struggled with and continue with upper level courses (i.e. Don’t move onto Organic if you barely made it out of Gen Chem). • Take professors you know and like, but don’t avoid professors you don’t know yet!

6. Campus involvement • Professional schools want to see that you do more than succeed in a classroom! • Networking on campus • Working within team dynamics • Time management skills • Tutoring

7. Professionalism • Social media posting should be kept to a minimum • Keep your resumes/CV current. If an area seems to be lacking in depth, work on it. • Start preparing your wardrobe for interview years. • Consider the choices you make when socializing. • Become familiar with the websites relevant to your future field. • Read a national-level newspaper daily. • Seek out shadowing/internship opportunities and observe professional behavior.

8. Honors programs • The Honors Program • Research-based, independent studies • Dr. Joseph Kraus • MFE will tell you not to do it if you think it will “get you into med school.” Do it because you love research and independent study. • Special Jesuit Liberal Arts • Philosophy-based liberal arts program focused on Ignatian ideals and principles- if you survived first year, you’re ready for everything SJLA will ask of you. • Dr. Daniel Haggerty and Fr. Ron McKinney, S.J. • Deciding which (if any) program is for you—or if you want to apply to the Business leadership Program. . .

9. Research opportunities • On-campus research and summer opportunities • FSRP - get involved early • President’s Fellowship • Steven R. Sawyer Memorial Research Award (only available to active HPO members) • Numerous Summer REU and SURP opportunities throughout the country • Attend HPO meeting on research – September 11th • Attend Panel Discussion on applying for Summer research programs on Saturday, September 28th • Let Danielle Salvadeo know if you would like to participate in an all-day American Physician Scientists Association meeting at Temple Medical School on November 2nd. • The Commonwealth Medical College

10. Summer plans • Shadowing • Maintain a log of your hours and reflections on your experiences. Keeping a journal like this will be useful when it comes time to write a personal statement and prepare your professional school application. • Internships • Read widely • Continue reading a national newspaper. • Read as many books as possible. • Become familiar with the professional school exam you will take. • Service • If you belong to a faith community, see what you can contribute to its outreach programs. • If your community has an organization that serves those in need, contribute your talents.

11. Mentorship program • Come say “Hello!” • The officers are here to help. We don’t like to be lonely, so come keep us company! • We are hear to answer any and all questions! If we don’t know the answer, we’ll help find out who does. • Most of us have taken the exam you are facing—some more than once. We can share what did and didn’t work.