Premedical Advising: Character Development
Beyond courses, grades and test scores, admissions committee members want to accept candidates who've demonstrated personal qualities which are important for any medical profession. These include:
- Sincerity, honesty and integrity
- A well-informed passion for the profession
- The ability to actively listen
- The ability to communicate clearly, through writing, talking and non-verbal cues
- Warmth, compassion and genuine concern for people
- Problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
- Thoughtfulness, balanced by the ability to make difficult decisions
- Confidence, but not arrogance
- A positive and enthusiastic outlook
- Awareness of current events and social issues
- An appreciation for cultural diversity, and a desire to work with people from different backgrounds
- A desire to work hard
- Enthusiasm for learning
- Appreciation for science, both the process and the value of tested knowledge
- Comfort with uncertainty
- A realization that one will make some mistakes that harm patients
- Maturity
- Professionalism
- Gratitude for the help, opportunities and priviledges one has received
- A sense of social responsibility
- A commitment service
How does one develop personal qualities? Well, like most characteristics, there
probably are some genetic contributions, less-selfish genes, perhaps. Our parents,
teachers, mentors and peers have modeled, taught and reinforced the development
of some qualities. And, to some extent, we can choose to become the kind of
person we want to become. It's not just our attitudes which affect our behavior;
Our behavior influences our attitudes! So, for example, to become a more caring
person, you can engage in more caring activities.
top