PreHealth Spotlight: Joseph Homsi

Class year: 2014
Major: Microbiology

Focus on your next round of exams, extracurriculars, getting to know your professors, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Surround yourself with others who share similar goals. Medical school is much more possible than you think.

Vitals

• Second year at UMass Medical School
• Worked in Barbara Osbourne's lab
• Volunteered at local and international hospitals and clinics, including burn therapy in Florence, Italy
• RA
• Organic chemistry SI
• Got into medical school "by utilizing the endless resources, extraordinary professors, and outstanding education available at UMass Amherst"

In medical school I've cofounded “LGBTA Health Education,” a new elective that teaches medical students how to provide appropriate and sensitive care to LGBTA patients. I co-lead Sidekicks, which pairs medical students with children who have chronic or terminal illnesses, and QMass, an organization focused on LGBTA initiatives and programming. I have treated pediatric patients in clinics in Costa Rica and conducted research in inflammatory bowel disease in Worcester.
 
How can you get into medical school? The answer is always a long laundry list: a strong GPA, a wide range of extracurricular activities, extensive medical volunteering, research in your field of interest, an impeccably written personal statement, positive letters of recommendation, and a solid MCAT score. While this can be stressful and overwhelming, here’s the reality: It is entirely achievable. Don’t stress about things like the MCAT or your personal statement years in advance. Focus on scoring high on your next round of exams, becoming involved in extracurriculars, getting to know your professors, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Surround yourself with others who share similar goals. Medical school is much more possible than you think.

Published September 2015