Getting Into Medical School: A First Hand Account As I start this blog on September 1, 2007, I'm just beginning my senior year as a pre-medical biology student. My goal is to become a medical doctor soon after. From the books and testimonials I've read, there are many tricks of the trade, do's and don'ts, and general info you don't get anywhere except from the source. I don't know everything yet, but I plan to live it. And maybe one day I'll be o Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 17 0 23 251

Articles from Getting Into Medical School: A First Hand Account

Personal Statement (First Draft) 2008-03-30 23:55:00 In an assignment which I turned in a month ago, my class had to turn in our Letters of Intent (a.k.a. Personal Statement). Some in the class intend to go on to graduate school, others into medical school, while others are content with their up-coming Bachelor's Degrees and are planning on job hunting. No matter where we all intend to go, our Letters of Intent were due and they had to be 3 pages long.I got a 9.7 out of 10 on the assignment.The paper was marked off for Mechanics & sentence style. There are notes marked all over my paper, which I'll fix, but the following is the entire paper in its first draft form.The day I decided to pursue a career in the medical field was a very specific moment on a very specific day in my life. A few weeks before, a co-worker of mine asked me to take a class with him. At the beginning of the first class period I was taken by surprise by the teaching style, intrigued by the subject matter, and was intent on seeing it through. By the end of ...

Intrax Education Abroad: Brazil 2008-03-29 01:50:00 International travel matters?At least, according to a single source (I forget which book), international travel matters. Some people may call B.S. on this claim. I even think it's a stretch. I But whatever you may think, they said it, so I'm reporting it.International travel matters.According to the book, it's relevance to getting into medical school had less to do with your purpose in that country and more to do with the traveling itself. In other words, it was another example of how you're more than just a student with your face in a book and can memorize tid-bits of information. Another example of how you're willing to go out there and out of your comfort zone. Some people might be reading this and call B.S. in relevance to any medical school goals... and it would be hard for me to argue. I figure, if you have it, great. If you don't, I wouldn't go out of my way for it just to tack it onto your resume.I had a lot of fun.Being my only case of international travel that ...

Emergency Room Stories - 30 Hours 2008-03-22 01:04:00 I love anatomy.I've taken the class twice and got an 'A' the second time. I'd like to think that two times the exposure was worth it because the information really stuck. It also handed me half the information that was covered in Histology and is probably the reason why I enjoy Organic Chemistry. From chemical structure to proteins to cellular structure to tissues, organs, and organ systems. It's all connected and it's all the same subject.And it's probably why I like trauma so much.Now I haven't had my first code blue yet. (And what does that say when here I am on the side-lines being a cheerleader for someone to have a life threatening emergency...?) But today I probably saw the most (minor) trauma patients since I started shadowing.And it's really interesting.It's interesting to see a 4cm gash in a left index finger that is so swollen that three sets of stitches had to be used. It's odd finding yourself focusing on the little things like the thickness of the dermis ...

MCAT Home Study Schedule 2008-03-18 17:07:00 I first learned of this site about 3 years ago after lurking around the Examkrackers forums. I was inquiring about other students who opted to study for the MCAT on their own (and not with a $1000 MCAT course). His user name was Caboose.Caboose's SiteHome Study Schedule Part IHome Study Schedule Part IIIt's a nice little site with just the bare minimum. It includes some interesting information and some general information. But it also includes the home study schedule that he stuck with that worked for him and that got him into medical school.And that's what it's all about right?Many other students in my class have taken or are currently taking one of the Kaplan courses. They're impressed. They say it helped. And they say that I should do it too. I may still take the Kaplan course (along with a few friends) but there's nothing wrong with studying on your own on the side. Besides having someone there to answer your questions, I think sticking to a strict schedule could be a strug ...

Consideration of Undergraduate GPAs 2008-03-15 03:31:00 Konnip writes:Hi Jonathan,I came across your blog while searching the web for a definitive answer to whether or not medical schools really do consider undergraduate GPAs paramount to any graduate accomplishments... (I'm happy that you seem to imply otherwise...) I'm an aspiring physician, myself...and, like you, I've never wanted to be anything but. However, I am taking the "scenic route". I am also in my mid-twenties, but I have no plans to apply anytime soon. (I'll be happy if I can enter into a good medical school by 30...) I have never applied previously, but I am hoping that my work/life experience from the past few years will help--rather than hurt--my chances. I think I have, as a result of this experience, learned more about the true faces of illness than any lecture or lab course will ever be able to teach. As such, to those who may face rejection in the coming months, I would suggest getting out into the world and seeing what 'it' is really like. In my opinion, half of ...

Graduation Woes - Excelsior College 2008-03-09 18:37:00 I'm not graduating until Fall 2008.I've been running around, trying to make my schedule work out and as much as I want to fight it, there are too many reasons to stay an extra semester.I'll be able to drop my neglected English class this semester, dodge the C, and get an A next semester.I'll be able to re-take first semester Physics for a higher grade.I'll be able to re-declare my Chemistry minor, take Quantitative Analysis, and graduate with the minor.I won't have to deal with online classes, with another school, which was the original plan.This won't be delaying my plans for medical school. I was already behind with the O. Chem. I'm still on track to starting med school as soon as January '09. But instead of finding a job and getting a little more work experience, I'll be back in school (and paying $ for another semester).The problem with being a transfer student is the fact that all the classes you transfer for are counted as Lower Division credit. I transfered with ov ...

Ross University (Part II) 2008-03-08 21:51:00 I attended a seminar in San Francisco for Ross University today. A seminar that ended up lasting 4 hours.I had second thoughts about going since I had already attended one for Ross when a representative of theirs came to my school. I went anyway. That one was 1 hour long. This one was 4 hours long. That one had one of the associates for admissions speak. This one had the dean of admissions in addition to 5 Ross alumni speak. That one was basically 10-12 juniors & seniors who came by their own free will amidst the mass of freshmen & sophomores who were forced to attended for credit. This one had a room full of prospective students of various ages, vocations, and backgrounds. This one was much better and had a lot more of the specifics that I like.I picked up some pamphlets, I took with me a promo DVD about their school, and a grabbed me some business cards to add to my collection of contacts within the medical community. I'm sure I'll have questions.Let me first get on ...

Organic Chemistry - Ethers, Epoxides, Thiols, Sulfides, and More Ketones. 2008-03-06 22:06:00 I said I needed to do better on the second exam and I did.My score was 42/54, the class average was 36.75, and the standard deviation was 8. I was 2.75 points off of an A-.What did I change in my study habits from this time around? I did three things different.I dedicated twice as much time to studying for the test.I spent more time reviewing old material, even from first semester O. Chem.I started using the Exam Krackers Organic Chemistry MCAT book as a second source of information as I did last semester.As many people who've taken O. Chem will tell you, more than in any other class (with the exception of Math) O. Chem builds on what you've learned throughout the semester and builds on it. If you don't get the concepts from weeks 3, 4, and 5, you're going to be lost in weeks 6 onward. This is simple stuff but not listening to this advise is a sin I committed on the first test.Looking back on the first test there were two types of problems I missed.Problems where I had no idea ...

University of Toledo - No Thanks 2008-03-04 18:52:00 Speaking of horror stories, it's that time of year when some of my classmates are going off to interview at various medical schools. Mostly good experiences, sometimes neutral, and rarely bad. This is one of those bad stories.She was gone all last week and has returned after interviewing at two schools. One of them was University of Toledo in Ohio.She arrived at her interview early (like you're supposed to) just to find that the interviewer was late. Now, this isn't unheard of. These people have handle the interviews are busy people and many times it's on a volunteer basis on top of their other duties. Being late to an interview as an interviewer isn't unheard of, but it was all down hill from there.The interviewer was "trying to get under her skin" as she put it. He began telling her that even though both of her parents were Ph.D's, Ph.D's weren't "real doctors." He said that patient's out here weren't different than those people that you're used to in California. ...

Do's and Don'ts of Personal Statements 2008-03-04 00:49:00 In a recent assignment for one of my classes we were told to write our Letters of Intent (a.k.a. Personal Statement). Now's a good a time as any. After turning in our first drafts our instructor sent us a handful of links for do's and don'ts for writing Personal Statements.I thought I'd share.Below does not contain the full text of the documents, but a link to the full text is provided.A personal statement (also known as graduate school essay, statement of interest, statement of goals, among other names) is a document, submitted as part of a graduate school application, that describes your abilities, attributes, and accomplishments as evidence of your aspirations for pursuing a graduate education and, beyond that, a career in research. This is your chance to stand out from all the other applicants.An important quality of a graduate school personal statement is how well it communicates professional ambitions in personal terms. It outlines a career-development plan including previo ...