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Connect With College Professors Before Medical School

By U.S. News & World Report

College professors are an incredible resource that undergraduate students — especially those in relatively large undergraduate science classes — often overlook. For prospective medical school students, it is important to establish and sustain relationships with undergraduate professors, since they can play a key role in helping these students pursue their medical dreams.

Here are three ways undergraduate professors can play a critical role for prospective medical students and advice on developing lasting relationships with them.

[Learn more about applying to medical school.]

Letters of Reference

Strong, personable letters of reference — especially from instructors who taught your challenging science classes — are an essential component of a successful medical school application. Many undergraduates mistakenly believe that excelling in a science class is sufficient for obtaining a strong letter of reference from that course’s instructor. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

While a professor you don’t know well may be able to write you a factual letter describing the course he or she taught and noting your performance, the professor will not be able to include the type of interpersonal details that distinguish you from the multitudes of other prospective medical students who have succeeded in challenging premedical classes.

Are you naturally inquisitive? Do you ask thoughtful questions? Do you have a gift for explaining complicated concepts in an easily understandable way? These details will be lacking in letters from professors who don’t know you well — and those details won’t be lost on medical school admissions committees.

Avoid this pitfall by asking questions in class and — most importantly — by regularly attending a professor’s office hours. Office hours allow you build a relationship and make an impression on faculty members in a setting that is more intimate than a large undergraduate science class. It is important to attend these sessions well-prepared, with a familiarity of the material covered as well as several questions, especially ahout any material that you are struggling with.

[Read seven tips for nailing medical school recommendation letters.]

Alternate Career Opportunities

Faculty members often have a wider and more informed perspective of the career opportunities that are available in many fields than do most career development offices at undergraduate institutions. Given that medical school represents a substantial financial and time commitment, it is important for prospective medical students to explore all of their career opportunities to ensure that medicine is the best fit for them.

To that end, professors are often happy to impart the wisdom and observations they have acquired over the years. For example, my general chemistry professor taught undergraduates part time and worked full time for a pharmaceutical company. By sharing his professional journey — as well as the benefits and drawbacks to working in academia versus industry — he helped me make a more informed decision about whether to pursue medical school.

In the course of these discussions with professors, ask for candid feedback regarding the pros and cons of particular fields. Even if you decide to continue pursuing medical school, these interactions can provide you with a more comprehensive perspective of the varied career opportunities available to physicians.

For example, physicians with a particular focus on research, advocacy and public policy, and public health combine the skill sets developed in medical school with other fields of study to advance patient care. Undergraduate professors in these fields are often keenly aware of those positions and are happy to help facilitate your exploration of these areas.

[Discover six red flags medical school isn’t the right choice.]

Lifelong Mentors

One of the intangible benefits of building strong relationships with professors is that these individuals can serve as lifelong mentors for future career and life decisions. This is perhaps the most valuable and enduring benefit and requires a specific set of actions.

In addition to building a relationship with a given professor while taking his or her course, you need to periodically keep in contact the course is complete to develop the relationship into a long-term mentorship.

For example, establish a recurring coffee meeting with the faculty member every few weeks, or seek the professor’s advice about which courses you should take, which job or volunteer opportunities to pursue, or what books to read. These individuals represent a particularly valuable resource because they can often provide you with advice that is more informed and objective than the advice you will receive from your parents and friends.

This advice is especially valuable with regards to professors of liberal arts courses, since few things are more impressive and memorable to medical school admissions officers as when applicants draw well-informed parallels from other disciplines during medical school interviews. Moreover, these interactions with professors represent a form of networking that is vital for success in medicine, whether you ultimately choose to pursue a career in academia, industry or private practice.

Strong networking skills are essential for success in each setting, and the relationships fostered with undergraduate professors are an excellent opportunity to begin learning how to network effectively. In fact, being chosen as a medical student to participate in competitive research projects, volunteer opportunities or even residency positions is partially based on your ability to foster and build connections with your peers and superiors.

Working on building professional relationships with undergraduate professors will put you in a strong position to achieve success as you begin to advance through your professional career. This is also a critical skill to develop as an undergraduate, since it will yield dividends both in the short and long term as you progress through your education and make key decisions regarding your future.

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Connect With College Professors Before Medical School originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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