<p>[Wouldn’t</a> You Like to Know? An Interview with Brenda Armstrong, Director of Admissions, Duke Medical School. | Vault.com ](<a href=“http://www.vault.com/wps/portal/usa/vcm/detail/Career-Advice/Education-Advice/Wouldnt-You-Like-to-Know--An-Interview-with-Brenda-Armstrong,-Director-of-Admissions,-Duke-Medical-School.?id=5584]Wouldn’t ”>http://www.vault.com/wps/portal/usa/vcm/detail/Career-Advice/Education-Advice/Wouldnt-You-Like-to-Know--An-Interview-with-Brenda-Armstrong,-Director-of-Admissions,-Duke-Medical-School.?id=5584 )</p>
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What advice would you give to undergraduates who want to apply to medical school? </p>
<p>A: They have to realize that the process of applying to medical school starts in the first year and they should see it as a four year process. They should seek out good advice and find out who their pre-med advisors are and identify themselves early as being pre-med. They should not only take the prerequisites but take difficult courses in everything, not just science. Take difficult courses in the things that they are interested in, their majors, which may be in humanities. They should also take the time to explore a diversity of classes because it will be the last time they will be able to do that. They have to time manage very well in undergraduate school in order to be able to not only put appropriate priorities to their academics but also to have time to do something else. I would encourage students to really take the time to see medicine up close so they can decide whether or not medicine is something they really want to do.
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<p>Lots of other wonderful stuff in this interview. Things that get asked by pre meds on this board all the time. </p>
<p>About the effect of one bad grade, about taking pre-reqs away from your home school, about the relative importance of GPA/MCAT vs. ECs, about research, about older applicants.</p>