COACHING PROGRAMS

For Highly Motivated, Action-oriented Non-traditional Pre-meds!

Become a confident and competitive med school applicant!

MENTOR STRATEGIST COACH

Dr. RV Darko

Obstetrician-Gynecologist

Founder, Pre-med Strategies, Inc.

I'm Dr. Renée Volny Darko. If you are a non-traditional pre-med wanting to make the right moves towards getting into medical school, you've come to the right place! My programs are designed to prepare you to successfully apply to medical school through support, confidence building, goal-setting, and strategy. I work with you to follow a system that keeps you accountable, helps you make strategic moves, and transforms you into a desirable medical school applicant!

BENEFITS OF COACHING

support

Every pre-med needs support and accountability to succeed. We will discuss your challenges, solutions to address them, and workable strategies to keep you accountable.I provide support by phone, email, message board, and webinar. You will have access to recordings of your phone and video strategy sessions for your use in the future. I help you stay accountable for completing the tasks throughout the program, so that you are nothing short of prepared when the time comes to hit the "submit" button on your medical school applications.

confidence

When asked what is their biggest challenge about pursuing medical school, most pre-meds that I have encountered say "lack of confidence". My programs are specifically designed to help you build your confidence through a series of exercises. A confident pre-med is a strategic pre-med. A strategic pre-med is a prepared pre-med and a prepared pre-med gets accepted. We will confront your fears and doubts head on and work to knock them down one by one until you gain the confidence you need to become a competitive applicant!

goals

Your goal of getting into medical school will be broken down into smaller objectives that you can achieve along the way. The programs include a module series to help set goals that address academic improvement, MCAT score, shadowing and clinical experiences, as well as the entire application process. I will be your accountability partner in assuring that you reach each objective towards your larger goal of getting into medical school. My goal is to take you from pre-med to prepared and applied to accepted!

Strategy

The best way to avoid making mistakes is to be strategic. Getting into med school, as they say, "This ain't checkers; this is chess." With applications on the rise and with less than 40% of applicants being accepted in some years, only those with a solid strategy will receive a letter starting with "Congratulations..." During the course of the program, you will develop a solid written personalized Pre-med Strategic Plan to follow. Using this plan will help you make the right moves towards an acceptance to medical school!

COACHING IS FOR YOU IF...

You are a non-traditional pre-med

You are making moves, but don't know if you're on the right track

You want to apply to medical school in 1-3 years

You want to boost your confidence about getting into medical school

You realize that doing it on your own has not gotten you where you want to be

You are ready to overcome any academic or other challenges holding you back

You are highly motivated and action-oriented

PRE-MED TO PREPARED PROGRAM

Accountability Coaching

Accountability Coaching is for those who simply need an accountability partner to check-in and provide support in a private space. You will have personalized one-on-one coaching. This program includes a detailed coaching intake form and transcript review.

We will meet for a 2-hr intake session followed by 50 minute strategy sessions monthly for 6 months to set goals and build your confidence. You can reach me by email twice monthly between sessions.

You will complete my Pre-med to Prepared course modules to prepare you for the medical school application process, including the personal statement and interview process..

At the end of the program, we will have developed a written pre-med strategic plan for approaching your medical school application. Becoming more strategic will make you more prepared for submitting a top notch medical school application!

This program includes 3 and 6 month follow up sessions after the initial 6 month coaching period to assure that you stay on track.

Group Mastermind

The Group Mastermind is a facilitated 4-6 person peer support group. This program is for those who thrive in a group setting with others who are also trying to attain the same goal of going into medical school.

Each member will go through the detailed coaching intake form and transcript review. The group will meet over 6 months in monthly 2-hour group strategy sessions. The group will communicate through a designated message board. where I will be actively involved in answering questions.

As a group, you will complete the Pre-med to Prepared course modules, confidence-building exercises, and goal setting tasks. Each member will cretae a written pre-med strategic plan by the end of the program

This program includes 3 and 6 month follow up group sessions after the initial 6 month coaching period to assure that you stay on track.

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APPLIED TO ACCEPTED PROGRAM

Self-directed Coaching is for those who are self motivated and disciplined. Over the course of the program, you will complete a series of exercises that will help to keep you accountable to transforming into a prepared medical school applicant.

The program is self-paced and includes activities for confidence-building , transcript assessment, and development of a written pre-med strategic plan. You will have access to me via message board and quarterly question and answer sessions.

You can go through the Pre-med to Prepared course modules at your own pace to prepare for the medical school application process. You will have access to the coaching program for 12 months.

One-on-One Coaching

Intensive Coaching is for an applicant who needs hands-on intensive support and prefers a private setting. You will receive personalized one-on-one coaching. You will complete a detailed coaching intake form and I will review your transcripts to better understand where you stand academically.

We will do with a 2-hour intake session. Because of the intensive nature of this program, we will meet every 2 weeks by phone for 50 minute strategy sessions over 6 months to address your challenges by setting goals and building your confidence with specific exercises. You will also have unlimited email access to me.

The program also includes my Pre-med to Prepared course modules which take you through preparation for the medical school application process, including the personal statement and interview process.

Over the course of the program, we will create a personalized written pre-med strategic plan which you can use as time approaches to submit your medical school application. You will have the tools you need to succeed!

This program includes 3 and 6 month follow up sessions after the initial 6 month coaching period to assure that you stay on track.

Support Group Coaching

We will meet for a 2-hr intake session followed by 50 minute strategy sessions monthly for 6 months to set goals and build your confidence. You can reach me by email twice monthly between sessions.

You will complete my Pre-med to Prepared course modules to prepare you for the medical school application process, including the personal statement and interview process..

This program includes 3 and 6 month follow up sessions after the initial 6 month coaching period to assure that you stay on track.

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DOES COACHING WORK?

A map only tells you it's possible to get there, not how to navigate the bumps in the road.

Studies show that coaching programs are effective in facilitating goal achievement, especially for those seeking to develop their careers. Coaching can even be effective for those who already have mentors. Like a sports coach or personal trainer, a coach pushes you to your fullest potential by helping you to identify your challenges, offering solutions, then holding you accountable for executing actions towards your success.

I'M INTERESTED, BUT...

Isn't applying to medical school like applying to college?

Nooooo! That is one of the biggest myths and mistakes that pre-meds make - approaching medical school like college. Chances are that if you apply to enough colleges, you will get in somewhere. This is not the case with medical schools. Less than 40% of applicants have been accepted to medical school in some years, and the number of medical school applications is on the rise. It is becoming more difficult to get into medical school, so having a solid strategy, especially as a non-traditional pre-med, is essential.

Is it affordable?

Absolutely! I remember being a pre-med with lots of financial responsibilities and a limited income. Applying to medical school can be expensive. An investment in my programs helps you to get it right the first time. I also offer payment plans where possible and have made the investment in my programs comparable to those of an MCAT review course.

Why only non-traditional pre-meds?

These programs are targeted to non-trad pre-meds because this particular method works well to get that subset of students the best results. Simply put... Because it works!

What if I don't get into medical school?

This is a real concern. Just like no MCAT course can guarantee that you will get a perfect score, no program can guarantee you an acceptance into medical school. I can't do the work for you, but you should not have to do this alone. If after successful completion of every part of my program from start to finish, you don't get in, I will meet with you to review your case and formulate a new strategy.

I have a mentor.

I actually encourage all the students that I work with to have mentors. I have been and continue to be a mentor, but my mentoring relationships require a set of skills, time commitment, and responsibilities which are very different from my coaching interactions. Studies have shown that coaching is beneficial even for people who are already in mentoring relationships.

I'm applying this year.

The Pre-med to Prepared programs are designed to help those who are at least 2 years away from applying to medical school. If you plan to apply this year, you might be interested in my Applied to Accepted program.

I'm not sure if I'm ready.

I work with pre-meds who are truly motivated and ready to take action. You must be someone who is proactive in your pursuit of a medical career and willing to get critical, but constructive feedback. If this is you, then you are ready to pursue your dream.

My spouse is not on board.

Spousal support will be incredibly important now and throughout your medical career due to the enormous sacrifice of time and money it takes to become a doctor. It can be difficult for a spouse to see the benefits of this type of program or even an MCAT review course at first. But, when you become a more confident and prepared applicant, it actually increases your chances of getting into medical school.

I'm way too busy!

As a non-traditional pre-med, I worked 4 part-time jobs while taking post-bac courses and studying for the MCAT. I was always busy! Being busy made me more conscious of how I spent my time and that's when I developed my strategies to get into medical school. With limited time and resources, I became more efficient. My program will help you to use your time and other resources more wisely.

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SELECTIVE AND LIMITED

Enrollment is by invitation after your free strategy session. My coaching programs require that participants are actively working towards improving themselves as medical school applicants and plan to apply within 1-3 years. I work with pre-meds who have academic blemishes and other obstacles that make getting into medical school seem daunting. So, you don't have to be perfect, just motivated, and ready to take action!

So that you get my undivided attention, space is limited in the one-on-one and group programs. If you are a good fit for any of these programs, I will invite you to work with me.

My ultimate goal is to transform you into a truly prepared applicant that will successfully apply to medical school. Making sure that you are ready and that I have adequate time to devote is the key to successful coaching!

OK! HOW DO I GET STARTED?

You can get started in 3 simple steps:

Book a free 30-minute strategy session with me.
Click the link sent to your email.
Complete the Pre-med Intake form.

You are under no obligation to enroll in the program. On the call, we will discuss your journey to this point and the challenges you are currently facing. At the end of the call, if it makes sense, I will invite you to work with me. Either way, we will talk through your issues and discuss your next steps. I look forward to hearing from you!

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