Mentor of the Month
Behind Giving a Boost lies the invaluable contribution of our outstanding mentors. Learn more about some of our exceptional mentors below:
Noah Lampl
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA School: T.H. Chan School of Medicine Year: MS1 |
What made you interested in joining GAB as a mentor?
I realized I wanted to become a physician during my first year of college. Initially I dismissed the idea because neither of my parents had gone to college and I was intimidated of the process, which is costly, and competitive. I quickly found pre-med advice to be inconsistent and long-term mentorship unavailable. Many applicants can have successful cycles but need help from current medical students who have recently gone through the process. I am very fortunate to have found a couple of phenomenal mentors during my gap years who helped me apply. There are a lot of applicants that may need more resources, mentorship, and support, and I hope to help them. What's one thing you wish you knew before applying to medical school? I wish I knew that applying to medical school is a process that may take much more time than we'd like to realize. I've gone through the application cycle twice. The first time, I was underprepared: I had a lackluster MCAT score, unbalanced extracurricular hours, and lacked understanding to the application process. I felt that I should still apply since all my friends were ready. It was the wrong choice for me. While taking three gap years was not the original plan, it has really helped me better understand the medical field and myself. Everyone will be ready at a different time, whether applying as a Junior in college or several years later. Everyone who graduates medical school is a doctor. What helped you most during the application process? Continuing to volunteer and continuing any clinical activities was incredibly motivating throughout the application process. There were many times when I was anxious about applying, submitting, or interviewing, and my time with other physicians/medical students was a calming reminder that everyone has had the same or similar feelings. What's a tip you'd like to share with applicants? Changing your MCAT date, applying a year later, and majoring in something other than Biology is okay. There are many resources online that will give you a plethora of opinions, but considering each opinion can be very anxiety-provoking, I recommend checking online resources infrequently or avoiding them altogether. Any additional words of wisdom? There is a lot out of our control during the application process. Our friends that submitted after us may receive interviews before us and that is okay. Everyone has a different application, and it is hard for us to compare ourselves to each other. There are a lot of small victories that we should celebrate: Taking the MCAT, finding the right mentors, submitting your primary/secondary, and receiving your first interview. This is a long journey. |
