Making the Most of Your Summer

While summer is a great time to relax and recharge, it’s also a great opportunity to think about rounding out your professional school applications. So how do you do that? Here are some ideas to help you make the most of your summer:

Volunteer

Demonstrating a service mindset is an important aspect of any health professional school application—it shows professional schools that you have a desire to serve your fellow humans and communities. As a pre-health student, your volunteer experience does not have to be in a healthcare setting. We recommend identifying causes and missions you genuinely care about and dedicating your time to volunteering for organizations in that area.

Shadow Providers

Shadowing will give you a better understanding of what a typical day is like and may give you good experiences to talk about in your applications and interviews for professional school. It’s also a great way to gain familiarity with the vast number of different health environments and specialties. Learn more about how to find shadowing opportunities in one of our previous blog posts!

If you would like to receive academic credit for gaining shadowing experience, consider enrolling in DAS 240. For the class, students spend forty hours observing a designated practice of the student’s choice (dentistry, medicine, physician assistant, optometry, etc.). Students are responsible for securing their own shadowing opportunities and completing coursework to reflect on their shadowing experience.

Complete Health-Related Training

The most efficient route is training that ends with licensure. Think about CNA courses, EMT training, or other related opportunities. After training, find employment and work directly with patients.

Study Abroad

For future summers, consider whether you would be interested in participating in a study abroad experience. Knowing that professional schools seek out candidates who possess competencies such as cultural awareness, cultural humility, communication, and adaptability, studying abroad is a great opportunity to continue developing into a well-rounded applicant and future healthcare professional.

Find a Mentor

When you’re doing any health-related activity, it’s a good idea to build relationships with knowledgeable people who could be a mentor. A good mentor is a role model who can offer expertise and help you develop your skill set. They can help you make connections, meet people, and find opportunities. Learn more about mentoring programs at K-State through the College of Health and Human Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Read Books

• The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox
• Tuskegee’s Truths: Rethinking the Tuskegee Syphilis Study by Susan Reverby
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
• The Health Gap by Michael Marmot
• The Hate you Give by Angie Thomas
• America’s Bitter Pill by Steven Brill
• The Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer
• Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry
• Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Please know that we are not asking that you agree with the concepts or notions contained in these books; we only ask that you consider the author’s perspectives. “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without necessarily accepting it.”