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Aside from working towards medical school and law school, what are essential life skills I need to pick up during and before college?
I'm in high school hoping to go into either a health or law profession after college. I am currently undecided about which university I want to go to and what my major will be. #college #medicine
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8 answers
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Joshua’s Answer
There are some great answers in this thread so I would take the time to internalize them.
I'm going to add networking to the mix. Get to know people in positions that you are interested in, and ask a lot of questions. Take advantage of your situation in being early in your career to show interest in people's work and learning as much as you can. You'll be shocked to learn how many positions are filled simply by the small connections you make with people. The advice they give you will also empower you to make educated decisions at this very pivotal moment in your life.
Building your network takes time, and now's the perfect time to begin! You may think you don't know anyone in the fields your interested in, but you'd be surprised. The amount of second connections you have are vast! Also, take advantage of LinkedIn and resources like college advisors and your career services office to help get you started.
I'm going to add networking to the mix. Get to know people in positions that you are interested in, and ask a lot of questions. Take advantage of your situation in being early in your career to show interest in people's work and learning as much as you can. You'll be shocked to learn how many positions are filled simply by the small connections you make with people. The advice they give you will also empower you to make educated decisions at this very pivotal moment in your life.
Building your network takes time, and now's the perfect time to begin! You may think you don't know anyone in the fields your interested in, but you'd be surprised. The amount of second connections you have are vast! Also, take advantage of LinkedIn and resources like college advisors and your career services office to help get you started.
Updated
Simeon’s Answer
Great answers from the commenters above. I'd say focus on developing soft skills and empathy. If you work in the field of medicine, it would be a good idea to volunteer at the hospital at some point and spend some time listening to patients talk about their feelings. It can be easy to turn off empathy with patients when there are so many of them, but it's important to have experiences that will allow you to see things from their perspective. It'll enable you to offer better care and develop your bedside manner.
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B’s Answer
Basic stuff will help you succeed in life just as much as educational degrees:
Learn basic cooking.
Learn how to shop for groceries using coupons.
Learn how to manage your email account by creating folders to store important emails so you can easily find them again or remember to respond.
Learn how to use a calendar app on your phone and set reminders to yourself to do important things.
Learn how to pay rent and other bills whether online or with a paper check or money order.
Do some volunteering with populations of people who are underserved such as minorities, the homeless, and elderly. You will learn more from them than anybody, you'll develop a deeper understanding of life, you'll develop more compassion, and the experiences will make you a better professional once you are a practicing doctor or lawyer.
Best of luck!
Learn basic cooking.
Learn how to shop for groceries using coupons.
Learn how to manage your email account by creating folders to store important emails so you can easily find them again or remember to respond.
Learn how to use a calendar app on your phone and set reminders to yourself to do important things.
Learn how to pay rent and other bills whether online or with a paper check or money order.
Do some volunteering with populations of people who are underserved such as minorities, the homeless, and elderly. You will learn more from them than anybody, you'll develop a deeper understanding of life, you'll develop more compassion, and the experiences will make you a better professional once you are a practicing doctor or lawyer.
Best of luck!
Updated
Richard’s Answer
Personal Finance. Whatever your career you will need to understand money and be able to make a budget. Consider opening a low-limit credit card to teach yourself financial discipline and build your credit score. Now is the perfect time to read about personal finance and investing. Once you start your career you will have other demands on your attention.
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Maria’s Answer
Hi Harry,
Some things to consider before choosing a college are:
1) You family’s financial/home situation. Don’t choose a college that your parents or you will struggle to pay for. I lived at home with my parents and went to a state college. I do not have any loans
2) Think of subjects that you like or that are of interest to you. I love science and I’m a nurse.
3) Think about your skills. Are you organized? Do you communicate well? Can you argue your case? Are you a people person?
4) Be realistic about your interest. You cannot do both law and medical school
Some things to consider before choosing a college are:
1) You family’s financial/home situation. Don’t choose a college that your parents or you will struggle to pay for. I lived at home with my parents and went to a state college. I do not have any loans
2) Think of subjects that you like or that are of interest to you. I love science and I’m a nurse.
3) Think about your skills. Are you organized? Do you communicate well? Can you argue your case? Are you a people person?
4) Be realistic about your interest. You cannot do both law and medical school
Updated
Eugenia’s Answer
The skill you need to pick before the college (preferably) is to make educated choices. Health and law are great areas to work to but is quite infrequently that someone equally wants to work in both if this someone understands what each job entails. We can of course say that both doctors and lawyers are smart guys telling other folks what to do, however this is pretty superficial, the essence of work will be really different. When you are a lawyer, you are following the rules and you normally know that if you found a rule saying you are right - you have won. In medicine it is quite different, because you are working with natural processes there, not with things written by people, so there is no "fair or unfair", people might be reacting to your treatment not like you expected. So you need to learn how to compare things by their true value, by their essence, not just by appearance.
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Amy’s Answer
Before going to college, it is essential that you learn proper time management and how to cope with stress. For every hour in the classroom, you can expect to spend 3 hours outside the classroom reading and doing homework. Knowing how to budget your time so you can go to class, do homework, hang out with your friends, eat, sleep, take time off to relax is a skill that many people don't have when they enter college. Underestimating the time it takes to do all the work can make you feel overwhelmed and increase your stress level.
While in college, regardless of your major, take some financial management and life management classes. It will be very useful during and after college.
While in college, regardless of your major, take some financial management and life management classes. It will be very useful during and after college.
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Nadine’s Answer
Time management, networking, stress management, working as a team, communication - learning to talk to people who are different than you are, learning about cultures, etc.