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Medical School Preparation

Meena Elanchenny, Religion major, Biology minor

Meena Elanchenny, Senior
Religion major, Biology minor
West Chester, Pa.

"When I came to Swarthmore, I knew that I wanted to take pre-medical courses, but I did not know how to approach them. For instance, I was not sure if I should take two laboratory sciences my first semester here. However, after attending the introductory meeting for potential pre-medical students, I easily planned my pre-medical course load for my four years at Swarthmore."

"During sophomore year, I periodically checked in with Gigi (the health sciences adviser) to update her about my plans for summer volunteering opportunities. Thanks to the pre-med advising office, I found a summer internship at the University of Pennsylvania that allowed me to explore clinical research, reinforcing my passion for medicine."

"The pre-med advising office also introduced me to a volunteering opportunity at Taylor Hospital, a community hospital near Swarthmore. I have been volunteering at Taylor for almost two years now, and I plan to continue to volunteer there until I start medical school this fall. Without the pre-med advising office, I would have missed the opportunity to be a part of the wonderful community at Taylor."

"During the medical school application process, the pre-med advising office was my lifeline to completing my primary and secondary applications. I had no idea how to start the arduous task of applying to medical school, but the advising staff took me through the process step-by-step. When I doubted myself, they encouraged me, and when I felt overwhelmed, they comforted me. The pre-med advising office required me to fill out an information form and personal essay six months before the AMCAS (primary) medical school application was released, allowing me to think about my application prior to filling it out. Furthermore, the pre-med advising office walked me through each step of the AMCAS application, and promptly responded to any questions I had."

"Finally, during the medical school interview season, the pre-med advising office provided me with "interview reports" from previous Swarthmore students who interviewed at the same schools. I was relieved to know something about the schools where I was interviewing, and I feel that this information helped me to succeed at all of my interviews."