PreHealth Spotlight: Jeannette Mullins

Class year: 2018
Major: Microbiology

Working in a research lab was the most valuable experience I had at UMass. It pushes your brain to go beyond memorization to apply what you know... 

Vitals

• First year student at Albany Medical College
• Research assistant in the Webley lab (microbiology)
• Volunteered at Amherst Survival Center
• EMT with UMEMS and Action Ambulance in Holyoke
• Gap year at Beth Israel Deaconess in Boston in Post Anesthesia Unit as a PCT
• Studied abroad in Florence, Italy

I started off as a Biology major freshman year because that’s what I was good at in high school. After looking into the majors UMass offered, I learned about Microbiology. My problem with Biology was it was too macro for me, I was not very interested in the botany, ecology, or evolution topics but I loved the immunology, virology and cell biology. I learned that Microbiology also tends to focus more on pathogenesis because most of the microorganisms you study have been studied so much because they are human pathogens. My favorite class and one of the hardest courses I took at UMass was Immunology Laboratory 542 with Dr. Webley, I learned so much in that class that I still use today.

In undergrad, the extra-curriculars I was most involved with were the Amherst Survival Center, research in Dr. Webley’s microbiology research lab, intramural volleyball and I worked at some of the cafes on campus. No, I was not involved in every club, I tried my best my freshman year to join many clubs but as the pre-med courses became more rigorous over the years, you have to manage your time wisely and for me I chose research, the survival center and one personal activity, volleyball. My advice would be make sure your experiences are diverse! Medical schools love to see research, but they also want to see you’re a well rounded person. So I would advise definitely make sure you get research, it can be over the summers. Many students do it during their gap year(s). Make sure you have a CONSISTENT volunteering opportunity that you build a relationship with throughout your undergrad, and lastly do something that you enjoy! Playing music, exercise, book club, outing club whatever it is do something that is not medicine, or science or volunteering and it’s something you enjoy. These experiences are important too.

Working in an undergraduate research lab was probably the most, if not, one of the most valuable experiences I had in my education. Working in a research lab pushes your brain to go beyond the memorization of the basic classroom and to apply what you know. Research helps you to think outside of the box. Research also allows you to appreciate the time, effort, money and innovation that goes into these studies that we read about in the NEJM for example. This experience was essential for my critical thinking skills, my understanding of many basic laboratory techniques, and my appreciation for the work that researchers do. I highly recommend getting involved with research early on, or in your gap year(s).

I studied abroad my junior year spring in Florence, Italy. I think this opportunity helped me stand out in the applications because it was unique. While abroad, I took a variety of classes that were vastly different from my normal science courses at UMass. More importantly, because my classes were less rigorous, I was able to stay involved in two volunteer opportunities. In Italy, I volunteered at a food pantry weekly and I taught English in an elementary school.

I have known I wanted to be a doctor since my senior year of high school. I had two personal experiences where somebody close to me was hurt and needed an ambulance, and it gave me a pit in my stomach knowing I did not have the skills or ability to help them. I could not forget that feeling and I decided early on that I would work towards this goal. Becoming an EMT and working in a clinical setting during undergrad only affirmed that this was my passion. Volunteering over the years has reaffirmed that serving the underserved and helping people in general is a passion of mine.

I took an EMT course in my summer after freshman year at UMass.  I would recommend taking the course over the summer, so that it doesn’t add an extra burden during the school year. I then got a job for a company that involved both stable transfer care along with emergency 911 care. This patient care experience really influenced my journey to becoming a physician. It’s not the lifesaving skills that I did, because honestly, those were only a handful of times. It was more the people that I met and I helped. I got to know many regular dialysis patients, and for some of them they don’t have much family and they looked forward to their ride to dialysis because we were their friends. It’s important to understand that by being a companion, I was helping their health. I also met many different people from various backgrounds, living in various conditions, and I saw them in their most vulnerable moments of life. I acted not only as a medical provider, but a friend, a counselor, somebody they could confide in and trust. I learned more about myself and about what a career in medicine really means, it’s not all about the glamorous procedures, at all.

Following graduation, I chose to take a gap year while I applied. When graduation was approaching, I remember sitting down with Dr. Webley and saying “I don’t know what to do with my year off. Should I work in research, in industry, or should I do something with clinical care?” I loved working in Dr. Webley’s research lab, however he knew that patient care has always been my passion and where I was happiest. So, Dr. Webley gave me some of the best advice he ever has (he usually does) “Jeannette do what makes YOU happy, not what you think medical schools want to see.” So I knew as soon as he said that, the answer is easy. I would work in patient care! I have friends in med school who worked in research during their time off from school and that’s great and they enjoyed it, but I think it is a question of knowing yourself. I chose to work as a Patient Care Technician, which is a nursing assistant job that can be done with either a CNA or EMT certification. I was lucky enough to get a job in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. I helped the nurses reposition patients, clean patients, do EKGs, vitals, transport patients, and many other tasks that relieved the nurse’s workload. I highly recommend getting either an EMT or CNA certification and getting direct hands on patient care because it will help you understand what patient care truly means.

The MCAT was by far my most difficult barrier to overcome in my medical school application. I planned to study 30 hours a week for 4 months during my senior spring semester at UMass. I ideally wanted to take it in early April. I was not ready in April however, so I took two more months and ended up taking it mid June. I would recommend, utilizing your summers instead of the route I went. It was a lot of work between juggling school and MCAT studying. I utilized Next Step exams and UWorld for many of the questions and I heavily used the Khan Academy videos on YouTube, especially for the Psychology and Sociology section. I also chose to use an app to clock my study time. This app allows you to punch in and hit break whenever you aren’t studying or using your phone. This app kept me accountable to how many hours I actually spent studying each day.

The application cycle was long. I submitted primaries June 15th, then secondaries began coming in at the end of July and I finished the secondaries by September. Some secondaries are more specific about getting them back promptly, so I prioritized those and the schools I was very interested in. My first interview was in November, and the last was the third week in February. I did not hear if I got into any of the schools until the end of April. So it is a very long year, but there is hope!

Interviews were all MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) except at one school they did MMI and also a traditional interview. I found the traditional interview more difficult than the MMI because I think it is hard to talk about yourself. The MMIs just come down to practice. I would suggest watching YouTube videos and then practice questions but record yourself and watch it back. This way you will notice your mannerisms, or words that you use too frequently. The MMIs varied in their difficulty as well. Some questions are simpler, like describe a team work experience but I also got questions about the current state of the healthcare system in the United States. So be sure to practice a variety of questions.

Finally, I have a couple reminders to anyone who is applying. I applied to 25 MD schools. All within +/- 5 points of my MCAT score. I got interviews at a small handful of those schools and I was accepted to a few. This is OKAY. It is okay to not get into every school you’re interested in. To be realistic most people don’t get into many unless they are the exception to the rule. “All you need is one acceptance and you will be a doctor.” Something Dr. Webley often had to remind me. Finally, utilize your pre-med advisors! They have been doing this for years and they do know what they are talking about when it comes to this. I chose UMass over another college because they had a pre-med office and I knew it would be a helpful tool in my years of school, and it was.

Good luck and enjoy beautiful Amherst while you live there!

Published September 2019