Are You a Strategic Pre-med?

While attending medical school in Kansas City, I also completed business school. I realized that many business principles can be applied to aspects of life outside of business, like being pre-med!

In business, strategic planning is the process of determining where a company wants to go and how it plans to get there. Sounds pretty logical, right?

So, a pre-med strategic plan is the process by which a pre-med determines where he or she wants to go and how he or she plans to get there. You might be thinking, “Isn’t there a standard application process and isn’t that a strategic plan?”

Don’t confuse knowing the med school application process with having a strategic plan. They are very different things. The application process only outlines the requirements that every pre-med must fulfill in order to apply. It in no way individualizes you as an applicant. As a matter of fact, the application process is designed not to individualize anyone!

Strategy is all about achieving the goal! Sure, you need to complete all the steps of the application, but how will you rise to the top? What experiences will highlight you as an applicant? What’s your “WOW” factor?

Businesses often start their strategic planning process with a SWOT analysis. They identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Then they set SMART goals. These goals are specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely. I’ll talk more about SWOT analysis and SMART goals in later posts, so stay tuned.

The most important point to remember is that getting into medical school is not just about completing a checklist. Strategic execution will determine your success. I’d like to hear your stories! Are you being a strategic pre-med? Share how in the comments!

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