It’s the end of February, and evening passers-by might notice the distant glow from Gordon Hall’s Grete Bibring Room. Inside, students and faculty members of the HMS Admissions Committee toil over stacks of American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) applications that cover the oaken table like political memos in a campaign war room. In the near future, hours of interviews, discussions, presentations, and more discussions will culminate in a flock of thin envelopes fanning out across the country and abroad.

One of the most impressive parts of the admissions process—besides the Herculean efforts of the staff—is the full-fledged inclusion of current HMS students. First-year students host applicants in Vanderbilt Hall or off campus and give lunchtime tours of the TMEC. Sixteen second-year students are elected by their peers to interview applicants and serve on subcommittees. Four fourth- and fifth-year students return to interview applicants while serving on the main committee. Students receive guidance from faculty committee members and, at the same time, make highly valued contributions. They offer unique perspectives by their proximity to undergraduate and postgraduate activities, as well as by experiences in tutorials and on the wards. Their voices and votes at the table are a testament to HMS’s significant investment in training leaders in medicine.

Be True to Your School

The privilege of serving on the Admissions Committee brings with it responsibility not only for reaching out to this year’s candidates but also to rising premedical students. Such initiative is alive and well at HMS, with outreach programs to local high school students and underrepresented minorities alongside the machine of formalized tutoring at Harvard College. It’s critical that this tradition continue, and I would suggest undergraduate alma maters as a primary point of contact, especially for those HMS students who hail from outside the Hub.

Medical students have more to offer premeds at their former institutions than they might realize. Organizations like the American Medical Student Association provide a conduit for communication, but otherwise medical students tend to congregate among themselves, and in fact, most medical schools are physically separated from their undergraduate colleges. The solution is to stay in touch with college underclassmen, professors, and advisers, not to disappear at the end of cap-and-gown. And communication should not just be by phone or e-mail, but in person through various opportunities such as returning as a guest speaker or regular mentor.

Three Suggestions

Medical students have the largest impact when they meet advisees early, when they understand the advisees’ context and goals, and when they guide gently rather than push explicitly.

  • Hot summers. Planning summer jobs or projects can be challenging if not anxiety-provoking for undergraduates, especially when they must apply for programs months in advance. And the playing field of opportunities also is not exactly a level one. Medical students can help by sharing resources and projects that they hear about, but which might not percolate to every college—see the HMS Office of Enrichment Programs/Division of Service Learning update, for example.

  • Beyond shadowing. Clinical experience is essential for making an informed decision about medicine, but shadowing opportunities can be scarce or low yield, particularly for people without health care professionals in the family. One-off clinical afternoons are the minimum, but why not work with residents and attendings to help coordinate some sort of structured internship that provides for meaningful patient interaction and reflection?

  • Let’s have a conversation. Despite debates about the value of personal statements, the important point is that the essay sets up the interview. Walking an advisee through a mock interview helps him to reflect on his experiences and to experiment with ideas. The aim after all is not rehearsing, but rather enabling, encouraging, and empowering.

Jason Sanders is a fourth-year medical student at HMS.

The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Harvard Medical School, its affiliated institutions, or Harvard University.