PreHealth Spotlight: Thomas Kania

Class year: 2018
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Through my hands-on healthcare experience, I loved talking to patients. But by getting to know the nurses, CNAs, and therapists...I gained valuable insight and advice as to how I could best help patients now and in the future.

Vitals

• First Year Medical Student at UMass Medical School

While at UMass Amherst...

• Research Assistant in the Arcaro Lab
• Residential Assistant (RA) for UMass Amherst Residential Life
• SI Leader for Chem 111
• ExSEL Leader in the LRC
• Member of 4-H STEM Ambassadors
• Worcester Youth Soccer Assistant Coach
• Volunteer at New England Rehab Center and UMass Memorial 

I was a biochemistry & molecular biology major. I would say that almost every biochem class I took was extremely fascinating to me, it was a perfect fit because it suited my interests and the major allowed me to do things, like research, that furthered my curiosity and gave me skills necessary to succeed in science.

A pretty important aspect of my undergraduate experience was getting involved in research. I was an undergraduate research assistant in the Arcaro lab and completed an honors thesis. It taught me some important skills like critical thinking and problem solving that I’ve had to use more times than I can count in medical school so far. I believe that research is an absolutely crucial aspect of medicine because without it, there would be no innovation, no scientific advances and no improvements of health outcomes for patients. Some of the best advice I can offer is to use the resources UMass Amherst has to gain an appreciation for scientific research, even if it isn’t necessarily medicine related. I’ve always had the thought that in order to be a good doctor, you have to understand the basic principles of the drugs, procedures and treatments you’re doing and all of that comes from scientific research and innovation. Also, if you want to be a leader in your field, you have to be innovative and be a part of research yourself.

Aside from that, I was also an RA, ExSEL-peer leader, and an SI while I was at UMass. These were definitely my favorite parts of my undergraduate experience. I really enjoyed helping other students out in the residence halls or with some complicated chemistry concept. These things also taught me some valuable skills I needed to get into medical school and to be a good doctor, like effective communication, teamwork, and social awareness/cultural competence.

While I was in school, I tried to volunteer to get as much patient contact as possible. I volunteered at New England Rehab Center and got to meet some amazing people there. Also, over the summer I volunteered at UMass Memorial Hospital in the ED, endoscopy, and in-patient services. Another piece of advice I can offer is that it’s not enough just to have patient contact when you’re applying to medical school. You should be taking something away from your experiences. I loved talking to patients, but what I found just as fun was getting to know the nurses, CNAs, and therapists who worked at these places. They offered valuable insight and advice as to how I could best help patients now and in the future.

I had the somewhat unfortunate experience of doing everything to apply twice. I had my mind set on not taking a gap year and going straight to medical school from undergrad. So, I took the MCAT for the first time in May of my junior year. For me, preparation was mainly focused on CARS and a bit of psych/soc. The only issue, based on my results, was that I had a breadth of knowledge but didn’t give myself enough time to acquire the necessary depth of knowledge for the MCAT. I had a borderline, good enough score to apply to medical schools. I applied and was waitlisted, so I had to start thinking about reapplying. I hoped that improving my MCAT would help, so I graduated and decided to dedicate more time to MCAT studying. I drafted a study plan to hit every topic, with emphasis on things I struggled with. I did improve on my second attempt and applied again.

My second application cycle went a lot better than the first. I ended up getting more interviews than previously, all at pretty interesting schools. I had a mix of MMI and traditional interviews, and I have to say that MMIs are so much more fun. For me, I felt like people could get a better understanding of who I was based off my decisions and answers in MMIs compared to the traditional set of interview questions.

Although I didn’t want to have a gap year, it was definitely something I enjoyed and don’t regret at all. I was lucky enough to get a job working as a research technician in a cancer lab at MGH, which was an awesome opportunity and gave me some really good insight for my future career aspirations. I think it also helped my application the second time around.

I hope that my experiences and advice can help someone, and I’m always receptive to answering any questions! Remember it’s O.K to do everything twice, and things might not work out how you initially planned, but it will work out. I wish everyone applying good luck and hope your experience goes well!

Published November 2019