Owner: Getting Into Medical School: A First Hand Account URL:http://2medschool.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:16:38 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: 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� Site statistics:Click here
Personal Statements, Letters of Recommendation, and UC Davis. 2008-04-15 02:24:00 Progress filling out the Medical School Directory (at 2medschool.com) is coming along slowly, but it's getting there.The emails I've sent to the admissions departments to some of the schools are finally getting back to me. Here's a response from the University of California Davis
after inquiring about Personal
Statements & Letters
of Recommendation
:Jonathan: Our medical school uses the AMCAS service. You have only 5300 characters for personal statement - approx. equivalent to one page. As for letters or recommendation, our school does not ask for these letters from everyone. Less than 1/2 of the applicant pool are invited to submit their letters of recommendation. We suggest at least 3 to 5 letters of recommendation with 2 of those letters from science professors that know you we
Personal Statement (2nd Draft) 2008-04-14 02:05:00 I've made most of the (many) changes marked all over my 1st draft. This isn't the final draft.Please consider my application to Stanford University School of Medicine. The day I decided to pursue a career in the medical field is still very clear in my mind. It was nearly five years ago. A co-worker of mine asked me to take ‘a class’ with him. I can still remember that first class period. I was taken by surprise by the teaching style and intrigued by the subject matter. By the end of the second class, my mind was made up and new life goals began springing up in my head in all the right ways. I had seized on something life-altering and I knew it. A career in patient health care was the right path for me. This class that I speak of turned out to be an Emergency Medical Technician Read more:Personal
, Draft
Emergency Room Doctor = Glorified Triage Nurse? 2008-04-13 02:59:00 "What do you want to specialize in?""Emergency
Medicine.""So you want to be a glorified triage nurse? lol."This is a quote that I've posted once before and I think it's an honest response. The person I was talking to online had just got accepted into medical school. He was half joking when he said that (he was intending to go into surgery). And if there's one thing that I've taken away from my (short) time in the emergency room, it's that Emergency Medicine is very different from many other specialties.The fact of the matter is this: As an emergency room doctor, you do what you can with what you have in the time that you have. Anything more than that and it's out of your hands.Unlike the majority of other types of doctors, you don't have very much to work with and you have even less t Read more:Doctor
, Nurse
MCAT Exam Registration 2008-04-12 02:04:00 I finally got my date."News: Registration
is open for the April through September administrations of the MCAT exam in the U.S., Canada, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and some parts of Asia."I've been checking back every other month or so since last Fall. They've finally opened MCAT testing dates up until September. Before this, I believe test dates were only open for May.It'll cost you $210.MCAT testing locations fill up quick. One of my classmates (last year) had to take the test in Arizona because she waited so long to register. And even now, just a few minutes ago, one of the locations I was looking at for August was already full. If you're looking to take the test this Summer, you better register when you can.My date is August 22. What's yours?AAMC: MCAT Exam RegistrationWAR
Dominican University of California 2008-04-11 02:01:00 A little about me:I've never really spoken about this openly for some reason. Some people have asked, most people have never heard of it, but if anyone's been wondering these past 6 months about the school I'm attending currently...DominicanUniversity
of California
.It's a small private school in northern California. It's in San Rafael, which is north of San Francisco, in Marin County. (For those who aren't familiar with northern California geography, the Golden Gate bridge connects San Francisco to San Rafael. The Bay Bridge goes inland to the east. The Golden Gate bridge runs north & south.)It's a very expensive private school. Now, I don't say that to impress anyone. From kindergarden, to elementary school, middle school, and high school, I've been a product of the public sch
Introducing: www.2medschool.com 2008-04-10 02:34:00 Here is what I was hinting about earlier. I was going to wait until more was done. It's very early, but I'll go ahead and reveal it anyway:I purchased the url to www.2medschool.com about a week ago. This is going to be the 2nd website I've ever attempted to put together. I only know the very minimum amount of HTML needed to get one up and running so don't expect anything too fancy.Aside from the blog, I only have two other sections planned:MCAT PrepMedical School DirectoryThe Medical School Directory is going to be an index for all the medical schools showing the answers to all the questions that I always say you should know. I'm collecting the information from a number of sources including the 2008-2009 Medical School Admissions Requirements book, the school websites, and through ema Read more:Introducing
Organic Chemistry - Carboxylic Acids, Amines, Anhydrides, and More Esters 2008-04-09 22:50:00 What can I say? The entire class screwed up.I could tell you why, but it would be an excuse. Last week was the toughest week so far this semester, for me and for everybody else in my Organic
Chemistry class. Tests, quizzes, homework assignments, papers, and presentations across all classes all landed in one week.Looking at the test, it was straight forward enough and probably easier than most others. Everyone bombed it. Out of 50 points, over half of the class got less than 25, everyone but two students got less than 30, one person got 31, and another got 40.Instead of curving the test for scores so low (for a class who wouldn't have learned a thing), the teacher made us re-take it open notes / open book. The workload that week was the reason everyone did bad. Me not sticking to my
Kaplan MCAT Classroom Course 2008-04-08 19:42:00 I made the plunge and put down $1849 to enroll in one of the Kaplan
MCAT Classroom
Courses here in San Francisco just a few moments ago. I was looking for something to do in the Summer and I was looking to get back on track with my MCAT prep. I'm looking to accomplish both this Summer starting in June.I have other plans for the Summer and my MCAT coursework... something that I'll reveal by the weekend. I've been working on something this past week, but it's not quite ready yet. Let's just say my inner nerd really came out and I found myself another (unconventional) way to study for the test.Anyway, about the Kaplan course. I've always had it recommended to me by teachers at my school. I've been yelled at and have been given the stink eye & shakey finger by my adviser when I told him
Emergency Room Stories - 40 Hours 2008-04-06 08:18:00 After what happened last time I said I'd try to stop going to the hospital at night. I said I'd stop, but there are only so many hours in the day, only so many days left in the semester to get it done, and only specific times the doctor would be on for me to shadow. I went anyway and I'm almost done. 1 more shift and 5 more hours should do it and conclude a great experience.In these past few days I've seen so many laceration injuries and suture procedures, I can't even recount to you now exactly how many I've witnessed. Fingers, faces, thumbs, arms, legs, and ankles. As tough as the human body is (and the human skin in particular), sometimes it needs a little help.While the lacerations were interesting, there was something else that's been standing out to me over these past few days.. Read more:Emergency
, Stories
, Hours
MCAT Woes 2008-04-05 23:34:00 If there's one thing that I've dropped the ball on, it's sticking to my MCAT study schedule. It was even part of my new year's resolution and I failed to meet it.Ideally, I would have taken at least one hour a day dedicated to MCAT material. I underestimated my schedule this semester and now I'm exactly where I didn't want to be. I can't help but think this may have to do with my stubbornness to commute to school everyday where a round trip takes 2+ hours (depending on traffic).If I had taken those 2 extra hours a day and used them to study for the past 3 months...But!All isn't lost. Don't get me wrong, I have looked through the MCAT books that I do have occasionally. But I haven't been strict with myself, I haven't gone through the material systematically, and I've only taken one pra
Foundations of Medicine 2008-04-03 02:03:00 One of my "Duh" moments. Let me explain...In a recent seminar I attended, they passed out the usual informational packets about the school they were promoting. It had all the normal non-specifics that you get everywhere else, but they also had some of the specifics that I like:The Foundations
of Medicine
.It was a table breaking down the courses that you'll be taking during the first four semesters of medical school. It's also one of those pieces of information that you wonder why you haven't stumbled upon before.Semesters 1 and 2Developmental and Microscopic Anatomy IDevelopmental and Microscopic Anatomy IIBiochemistry and Genetics IBiochemistry and Genetics IIDoctor, Patient, and Society IDoctor, Patient, and Society IINeuroscienceGross Anatomy IGross Anatomy IIMedical Physiology IMedi
Stanford School of Medicine Timeline 2007-2008 2008-04-02 03:54:00 In the past I've said that my top schools were (in order):University of California San FranciscoStanfordI think they've switched, mostly due to a conversation I had with a doctor not too long ago. The number one thing UCSF is known for is medical research. They are excellent in many other things, but research tops the list. If you were going for PhD / MD program, UCSF should be near the top of your list no matter what your home state is.I have no desire to pursue a Ph.D. This doctor said UCSF was a good school but I wouldn't really be taking advantage of its campus if I wasn't going heavily toward research. Between the two schools, she recommended Stanford.Now these are both high in the sky schools and I have no illusions about my chances. I'm still going to apply. I've briefly look Read more:Medicine
, School
, Timeline
Howard Hughes Medical Institute - MIT Summer Research Program (Part I) 2008-04-01 06:55:00 Howard Hughes
Medical Institute
- MIT SummerResearchProgram
for UndergraduatesThis is something that I've been working on for the past month and a half. I haven't spoken about it here because I'm been waiting patiently for their reply. It's a 10 week paid summer research program at MIT. I wasn't looking for something out of the country for the summer, but I was looking for something out of state. MIT in Massachusetts sounds good to me. (Whatever you think of the fairness of it all, I do believe that prestigious schools matter in the grand scheme of things in the educational world. Once you get out of the educational world is a different story. But as long as you're in it, like I am, you are kind of forced to play the game.)My application was filled out, my official transcript was Read more:Howard
The First Doctor in My Family 2008-03-31 18:02:00 This is something that came up a few weeks ago when talking to my dad.I think I came home from a seminar and we got to talking about medical school admissions in general. The topic of the Personal Statement and Interview came up. He wanted to know if there was a chance for me to let the schools know that I would be the first in my family to become a doctor. He was giving advice, but I don't think it was good advice. Maybe some (of you) will drop that little bit of information, but it sound more like a crutch to me. It's one of those things that isn't banking on your knowledge, know how, or experience, but by random chance of which family you were born into.I didn't include it in my Personal Statement. I'm not trying to dissuade you if you've included it in yours. I could see it fitt Read more:Doctor
, First
, Family
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 Read more:Draft
, First
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 t Read more:Education
, Brazil
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 s Read more:Emergency
, Stories
, Hours
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 StudySchedule
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
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 Read more:Consideration
, Undergraduate
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 scho Read more:College
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
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.
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 h Read more:Thanks
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
Sexual Harassment in the Hospital Setting 2008-04-16 14:06:00 This is something that I've been thinking about posting about for a long time now. Before I begin, let me say that I know this person, but I don't speak to them on a regular basis. This is a 2nd hand story and I'm going to keep many of the details vague.What if you were a brand new female medical school graduate settling into your new job and found yourself being sexually harassed by not only the security guard working at the hospital, but were then sexually harassed by the medical director of that same hospital when you went to file a complaint? What if that medical director was in charge of putting the final seal of approval on her performance? (She may have graduated medical school, but there still are more steps to be taken.)This is the story I was told.If it were me? I would go a Read more:Sexual
, Harassment
, Setting
, Sexual Harassment
Countdown 'Til Graduation 2008-04-17 18:12:00 Exactly one month from today on May 17th marks the date of my graduation ceremony and let me tell you something... it's been a long time coming.I was part of the graduating class of 2000 in high school. I'd fill in all the details, but those details are already sprinkled throughout this blog.The problem that I face now isn't the distant past. It's the immediate future that's slapping me in the face. I need to wake up from this haze of procrastination. I have exactly 1 month until graduation, exactly 3 weeks until the first day of finals week, and exactly no time left to screw around if I want to make it out of this semester with a 3.0+ semester GPA -- like I said I would in part of my New Year's resolution.This post isn't really for you all out there in sulking (watching!) the annoninimity Read more:Countdown
Student Loans For Life 2008-04-19 21:45:00 I've never spoken of student loans on this blog before. It's something that's a constant problem for me. And this time I have to clear my balance by May 9th or they won't let me graduate.Of course you should apply for grants and get free money where you can, but sometimes it isn't enough.(This is also one of my problems. I don't apply for nearly enough grants and financial aid that's available.)But I'm talking about what you do after you've explored those options and need more money still. Student
loans seem like they get approved faster, as as long as you have good credit (or have a co-signer with good credit), there always seems to be someone willing to give you a helping hand. (And they're even more willing to remind you when you're payments are due. One step at a time.)In the pas Read more:Loans
, Student Loans
"Dr. Terry Bennett - medical school debt" 2008-04-20 18:43:00 In continuing the theme from yesterday's post I did a little searching on YouTube for some interesting videos. Now I was mainly searching for "medical
school debt" but I found a series of 5 videos of a doctor by the name of Terry
Bennet. The subjects are all very interesting and unfortunately, they're not very surprising.The videos all have very small amount of views and I'd just like to bring attention to them."medical school debt""Dr. Bennett
: end of the family Doctor""Pharmaceutical Companies""HMOs""Dr. Terry Bennett on HEalthcare"Like I always say, whenever these subjects come up, sometimes you have to look beyond the walls and information learned in medical school. What are you really getting yourself into? What are the realities you'll have to deal with beyond "helping people?"
"Pre-Med Preparation: The Importance of Physician Shadowing" 2008-04-21 23:02:00 I've recently been pointed into the direction of two websites worth noting:www.studentdoctor.netwww.mdapplicants.comBoth of them are very good and I recommend anyone who hasn't heard of them before to check them both out. Right now, I want to focus on studentdoctor.net -- specifically, the article found here:Pre-Med Preparation: The Importance of Physician
ShadowingIt's a subject that I'm involved with currently (for those who are following along) and actually about to conclude a 45 hour stint this weekend. The article is very well written and very long (and also makes my blog look very ameteur ^^). The article was also very "Pro Shadowing." Here are the key points:It provides you with clinical exposure and stories to talk about in the admission interview.Shadowing allows you to see wh
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