How can I find internship opportunities as a freshman?
How can I find internship opportunities as a freshman?
Medicine
The field of medicine is a deeply rewarding and essential profession dedicated to the health and well-being of individuals and communities. It encompasses a wide range of careers, from doctors and nurses to researchers and public health officials, each playing a crucial role in diagnosing, treating, and preventing illness. Medical professionals work across various specialties—such as pediatrics, surgery, psychiatry, and oncology—requiring extensive education, training, and a commitment to lifelong learning.
Timeline
1
Freshman through Sophomore Year
Arrive at Harvard. Begin taking classes in the life and physical sciences that may satisfy medical school requirements. Explore your interests and, when necessary, declare your concentration. By the end of your sophomore year, begin studying for standardized medical school examinations and begin to request letters of recommendation for medical school.
Though you must continue to take medical school course requirements, your concentration must not necessarily be in the life and physical sciences. Medical school applicants may possess any concentration, in any field, provided they meet application requirements.
2
Junior Year
early application time
December — April: Inform your House Premedical Committee, composed of tutors with expertise in guiding students through medical school admissions, of your intent to apply to medical school. Continue to request letters of recommendation from past mentors and professors. Begin drafting medical school application essays
January — April: The latest period within which to take the MCAT, the standard examination for entry to medical school in the United States.
May: The AMCAS, the primary, centralized application portal for medical schools in the United States, opens. Applicants are required to submit biographical information, academic transcripts, standardized test scores, information on extracurricular, research, or work activities, and letters of recommendation. Primary submissions to the AMCAS close in June.
3
Senior Year
regular application time
June — September: Secondary applications — school-specific applications sent to applicants after the AMCAS is completed — are sent out by school, to be submitted within several weeks.
August — February: Interviews are conducted.
February — April: Decisions are released.
April 30: Deadline to confirm attendance at a medical school. Student onboarding commences throughout the late spring and early summer, and matriculation often occurs throughout June, July, or August.
Industry Description
While there exist numerous applications of medical degrees, the process to apply and matriculate to medical school in the United States remains fairly centralized. Beginning from the first year of undergraduate study, applicants must remain consistently aware of broad course and extracurricular requirements for medical schools, and prepare to study early and intensely for standardized examinations such as the MCAT.
Course requirements for individual medical schools vary, and applicants should consult school-specific websites for further information. However, broadly speaking, medical schools require one year each of coursework in inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, and biology, often all with a laboratory component. Many medical schools also require courses that contain a substantial expository writing component. Some medical schools contain extended coursework requirements or recommendations, including biochemistry, behavioral science, mathematics, or statistics.
Extracurricular activities that may benefit a student applying to medical school also vary. Successful applicants often come from a wide and diverse array of backgrounds, and participate in both science- and non-science- based extracurricular activities. However, it is important to demonstrate a strong interest in medicine and a deep familiarity with the work that will be required of you as a physician: above all, an admissions committee wants to know that an applicant fully understands, and strongly wishes to undergo, the enormous commitment that is a medical education and practice. As such, activities that enable physician shadowing, exposure to clinical patients, and involvement in scientific research, are all highly recommended for applicants to medical school.
Applying to medical school is an intensive process. Those who commit to pursue medicine must be secure in their passion for and commitment to the field. In advance of applying, it is strongly recommended that students conduct their due diligence: speak to mentors, advisers, medical professionals, and medical students about their experiences and motivations. Engage guardians, family, and friends in your thinking to ensure that they remain looped into your future planning. Read testimonials from present students and research future specialties and career opportunities.