Owner: Medical School Admissions URL:http://medicalschooladmission.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 11:06:43 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: This site was created for pre-med students interested in applying to medical school. It contains valuable, up-to-date information about the application process and contains tips about getting accepted into medical school. Feel free to bookmark the site an Site statistics:Click here
How can I make myself more competitive? 2007-03-30 19:05:00 There are several things you can do in order to help improve your chances of getting accepted into medical school. First, observation is key. It is important to become familiar with what the profession is about. So, shadowing is a great way to meet physicians, develop a rapport with them, and see what goes on in their practice on a daily basis. Most attendings would enjoy having someone around. All you have to do is ask! Medical school admissions committees also like to see that you know what you are getting into! Research is an important component to any application. If you don't have an active research department at your college, seek out larger universities in your area or local medical schools. Contact the lead investigator either through phone or email and express your interest in their project. They would be more than happy I'm sure to have some free labor, even if it is just cleaning test tubes. The potential to move up with greater responsibility is high, especially when it d Read more:myself
What kinda numbers are we looking at? 2007-03-29 20:56:00 I know many pre-meds are concerned with their competitiveness for medical school. I know I was one of them! In order to help alleviate so of your anxiety (or possibly add to it) let me dispel the common myth that you need a 4.0 GPA in order to get into medical school. Granted, a high GPA will help your application, but it is not necessarily required. Medical schools look at a variety of factors in order to determine competitiveness for admission. GPA is only one piece of the puzzle. So, generally, in order to be competitive at a US medical school, I would say you NEED a GPA of 3.0 or greater. I would say that if your GPA is less than this, I would take additional coursework to raise it above a 3.0. Now, your chances are better the higher your GPA. In reality, a GPA of 3.5 to 3.6 is more like what you should shoot for in order to be competitive to MOST med schools. Here's a breakdown from what I remember when I was applying:Harvard Medical School 3.8Washington University 3.8Georgetown
The challenge... 2007-03-29 00:11:00 Depending on your current situation in life, the application process to medical school will vary. Assuming you go straight from high school to college, you will have a completely different path from those pre-med students who are non-traditional - those who choose to pursue a career before deciding on a medical school education. Assuming you are a high school student looking to go to medical school after college, please consider this advice. Do the best you can in school in order to get into the best college you can! (Obviously!) However, this plays an important and undervalued role in the admissions process that you may or may not yet realize. Going to a reputable college or university CAN help in some instances; however, this is not a universal point. I attended a community college for my first two years of college and then transferred to a private liberal arts school. Granted, I did well throughout college, but along the way, especially once I was in medical school, I realized that
Introduction to pre-med students 2007-03-28 03:23:00 Greetings! I am graduating from a D.O. medical school this June and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to help educate pre-med students on the tactics needed for admission to medical school. There is much to discuss on this topic and I'd like to open it up to others who may be interested or thinking about medical school. I have spent countless hours online and reading various books on medical school admissions and I'd like to share my cumulative knowledge with you through this blog. There are many misconceptions regarding admission to medical school and I'd like to dispel as many of those as I can as well as open your eyes to other avenues for your future medical education.Medical School admission is a difficult process - no doubt about it! Nobody said becoming a doctor was easy. I must preface this blog with if you are thinking about medical school for the glitz and glamour and high paying pizazz, you'd betting look elsewhere! Might I suggest Law school or better yet Read more:Introduction
Take a look in the mirror, young doctor. 2007-03-31 19:00:00 I've recently been taking a long hard look at myself in the mirror lately. As I end my medical school career and begin my new life as a fresh young
doctor in this really crazy time in medicine, I've had to re-evaluate why I chose to go to medical school. I started off wanting to be a nephrologist. Then I wanted to be a radiologist, an ophthalmologist, an ENT, a general surgeon, a cardiologist, an allergist...you get the picture. I had to re-calibrate my thoughts and think about why I chose the path I'm presently on. During college, I was so focused on my goal - medical school - that I neglected many other areas of my life. At the time, I couldn't possibly believe there was anything else out there for me. I still feel that way today, but with some reservation now knowing what I know! I often wonder if I should have chosen another path such as business or computer science when I was in college trying to decide what to do with the rest of my life! Computer science is now a dying scien
Let's break down some numbers...my analysis. 2007-04-02 20:19:00 By all means, please feel free to make comments as you see fit so long as they are productive in nature. I'd like to hear what people out there think or what they would like to hear more of from this blog. Today, however, I'd like to offer my analysis of the current situation in the application process to medical school. Granted, using old numbers to predict the future does not guarantee similar results; however, looking at patterns can help you tremendously. It's funny. You'll see that medicine is all about "trends" and "patterns". Soon, you'll become concerned with a patients' blood sugar patterns or their cholesterol trends. So the same goes for applications to medical school. They are "cyclical" if you will. There are up years and down years for applications. Sometime in the not so distant past, applications were as high as 45,000 for roughly 16,000 spots. That number doesn't include DO schools mind you. Forty five divided by sixteen gives you 2.8. So, roughly one-in-three
What is the deal with Caribbean Medical Schools? 2007-04-04 03:27:00 When I was applying to medical school, I investigated the Caribbean
schools as my possible back-up plan. I was afraid my low MCAT scores would keep me out of an American medical school. These are for-profit schools set up by wealthy business men and women that will grant the M.D. degree upon completion of their rigorous training. There are many to choose from and their admissions criteria vary greatly. There are some reputable ones - namely the BIG 3: St. George's (Grenada), Ross (Dominica), and the American University of the Caribbean ("AUC" in St. Maarten). There are others obviously, but these are the big schools that have a long reputation of placing graduates into US residency training programs. Before the Caribbean rage, there was Mexico. Many of our parent's generation of physicians that could not get accepted in the U.S. went to Mexico to get their M.D. The Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara is the big one that comes to mind. The UAG is a major international player in the me Read more:Schools
Osteopathic Medicine 2007-04-05 15:07:00 Osteopathic Medicine
was founded by Andrew Taylor Still, a M.D. surgeon who fought in the civil war. He thought there had to be a "better way" to care for his patients. Through his investigations and study, he found that the body is a system of inter-related organs and incorporated this philosophy as the foundation of osteopathy today. Osteopathic schools differ from their allopathic (M.D.) counterparts in two distinct ways. One, they view the body as a whole - a system of inter-related systems that reside in a harmonious balance with one another. Two, through their knowledge of the musculoskeletal system, osteopathic physicians are masters at using osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). This is similar to chiropractic, but don't tell a DO that they are a chiropractor. We believe that when then body is misaligned and "somatic dysfunction" is present, the body doesn't function optimally and vice versa. D.O.'s are fully licensed physicians and surgeons and are represented in nearly
MCAT prep - Part II 2007-04-08 15:50:00 Here is my analysis of what resources you should use according to previous experience, discussing with friends who have 35 and 36 MCATs, and my overall impression of what is good and what is not. First of all, I think a Kaplan MCAT question book is essential. I'd start working through these questions about a month before your exam. Gradually advance your testing by timing your exams as you get further into the book. Next, use the Exam Krackers series. I used the verbal reasoning and I thought it seemed to help me prepare, even though I didn't do as well as my friends. They, too, however, used this resource and found it helpful. There is a complete set of books, which is nice. If you have the means, I'd get the whole set. If you had to pick just one, I'd get the verbal reasoning. I also like the Kaplan MCAT book. I think it is pretty complete and offers you tons of information in one nice location. I'd like to recommend that you take a review class. Kaplan offer a nice class. I did
MCAT preparation 2007-04-07 23:19:00 Please stay tuned as I am refining my MCAT prep blog entry as we speak! I want to provide you with the MOST up-to-date information I can about preparing for the MCAT. It's no doubt that this test is very important to gaining acceptance to medical school. You must do your best. Even I got in with a 20!!! Don't let people sway you if you do poorly on the exam. Prepare, work hard, pick up a good work book and go to town! I will research some texts and tell you my top picks! Granted, I have no monetary gain from this. I just want you to beat my measly score! If you can do that - you stand a chance! Please keep me up-to-date on topics that you'd like to discuss. Until next time...take care and best of luck! I'll be back soon! Read more:preparation
A New Medical School in Michigan is formed 2007-04-12 03:35:00 Officials from Oakland University and Beaumont Hospitals announced last week they will create a privately funded medical school on Oakland’s campus.Beaumont and Oakland jointly filed a letter of intent with the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) to begin the process of establishing an allopathic medical school.“Studies show that there is a looming shortage of physicians, nationally and especially in Michigan
,” said Ananias Diokno, M.D., Beaumont’s Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. “This new medical school will help fill the gap.”In addition to addressing the doctor shortage, the new medical school will have a significant economic impact on southeast Michigan. According to the AAMC, the economic impact of medical schools and teaching hospitals is $451 billion nationwide, $18 billion alone in Michigan.“Beaumont is the largest, private-staff model teaching hospital and academic medical center in the country,” said Kenneth J. Matzick, President Read more:School
US NEWS TOP MEDICAL SCHOOLS 2007-04-11 05:48:00 The US NEWS and World Report published their rankings of top (MD) medical schools in the country. Here is a short sample:1.) Harvard University: 3.81 GPA, 11.7 Avg. MCAT, 4.7% acceptance2.) Johns Hopkins: 3.85 GPA, 11.6 Avg. MCAT, 6.2% acceptance3.) University of Pennsylvania4.) Washington University - St. Louis5.) University of California - San Francisco6.) University of Washington7.) Stanford University8.) Duke University10.) Baylor University (tie)10.) Columbia University - NY (tie)There is a list of the top ten. I thought many of you would find it interesting. Enjoy!
New MCAT products 2007-04-12 17:19:00 I know I've discussed MCAT preparation in the past, but now I will discuss specific books that I feel are necessary to doing well on the exam. Below, on the right hand said on this page, you'll find links to Kaplan products. Please take a look at them. I hand selected them because I feel they are most important in your preparation. I thumbed through the MCAT 45 book at the bookstore the other day and I really think many of you could find it helpful. It is packed full of useful information and the toughest questions that should get you the highest score possible. I wouldn't mess around with the MCAT. It's a HUGE part of your medical school application. Don't miss out on this opportunity to do well on the exam.The other thing I'd highly recommend would be Kaplan's MCAT prep course. You can sign up for it from this site by clicking on its icon. It's easy and fast. Anyways, I think that for the money, this is your best bang for the buck! This program basically guarantees you a comp
My top pick for caribbean schools 2007-04-16 03:54:00 Say you don't get into an American school after a few attempts. That sucks, man. I'm sorry to hear that. However, your dream isn't dead yet. There are alternatives - Caribbean schools. Caribbean schools are for-profit institutions that accept a large number of students every year on a rolling basis. There are good, reputable ones and there are some that I would avoid. One school, my pick of the Caribbean medical schools would have to be....drum roll please....St. George's University in Grenada. The last time you heard of Grenada was probably in the 1980's when the United States military had to invade in order to rescue American students studying at SGU. Well, this for profit school has made quite a reputation for itself over the last 25+ years. Their admission standards are on-par (or above) some US medical schools. But don't get too discouraged because they are FOR PROFIT. They will give people a chance that didn't hack it in the US. Their average student has a 3.4 GPA and 25 o
What is the secret to getting into a DO school? 2007-04-18 16:07:00 I am a graduating osteopathic physician. Tomorrow is my last day! Yeah! It hasn't been that hard, really - especially in the fourth year. I've basically been on cruise control since September. He He. I'm on Allergy right now and I'm loving it! The hours are hard to beat. So, anyways, I figured you guys were missing me so I thought I was write a piece on getting into a DO school. Of course, good grades and MCATs are pre-reqs for getting an interview. Once you get an interview, your chances for admission go from 1-in-10 to 1-in-3, roughly. So, getting the interview is the hardest part. And, let's extrapolate from my ratios and say comfortably that if you get 3-4 interviews (especially at DO schools), your chances of getting into one of them is pretty good. I'd say the intangibles to getting into medical school rest in your interview and your experiences. Obviously, if you get an interview, you've done well up to this point! Congratulations! That usually means that your "numbers" a
Paying homage to my advertisers... 2007-04-24 16:19:00 I am a little perturbed that St. George's University, arguably the top Caribbean medical school, isn't displaying ads on my website. I don't even have Ross, the close number 2! I've had some love from UAG in Mexico and ASUM in Aruba. So, I'd like to thank my advertisers
for their support. I can add a little credibility to UAG. It has been around for nearly 70 years and has been home to many American students studying medicine abroad. It provided many Americans who were unable to gain admission to medical school in the United States an opportunity to pursue their dreams. In fact, one of the OBGYNs in my hometown went to UAG back in the 1980's. I think the 1980's was a particularly difficult time to get into medicine because it paid well and was a well-respected profession. It still is to some degree, but not like in the 1980's! I'd take a look their site. I like to use this forum to expose you to all of your potential options. UAG is a reputable medical school. Admissions are t
Just weeks till graduation... 2007-05-15 01:52:00 So I'm almost a doctor. Wow! It's kinda scary to be honest with you. I mean the transition from student to resident to not smooth. In fact, it's jagged and rough because one moment you can get away with not knowing something to having to know everything all the time. Granted, I am looking forward to my long white coat and those initials after my name. It feels pretty cool to be honest with you. I know this is a pre-medical blog, but I wanted to take a minute to reflect on my final days as a medical student. I've been a student for so long it'll be nice to collect a paycheck. Many of you are far from this stage. Don't worry. I'll try my best to help you get there. Medical school is a long road with many difficult twists and turns. However, I am proof that if you work hard and stay focused on your goal of becoming a physician, anyone can do it! Best of luck! Read more:graduation
Caribbean medical school review - American University of the Caribbean 2007-05-23 10:41:00 Greetings! It's been a while since I've posted on this blog for a variety of reasons. First, even though I'm finishing up medical
school and graduating in a week and a half, I'm busier than ever. I'm trying to tidy up loose ends with school, bills, the wife, etc. Let's just say I'm a busy guy! Anyways, I think all good things need a new direction once in a while. That why, for the next few posts (or more) I'll be review
ing most of the Caribbean
medical schools out there. I don't know what it is about them, but I'm fascinated with them. I'd like to start one someday, in fact! Just kidding...but I'm not if it would go through because these schools make their owners large amount of cash! I'm talking hand-over-fist kinda cash! They probably make more in one year than I would my whole career as an internist! Anyways, The first school I want to review will be AUC - AmericanUniversity
of the Caribbean. This school has been around like 30 years! It has catered to Americans who we
UAG Medical School - Mexico 2007-07-21 14:21:00 So, it's been a little while since I've posted to this blog. I hope people are still visiting and exploring their options for medical school. As you know, if you've been reading this blog's previous posts, I'm a recent graduate of an osteopathic medical school here in the US. But, I want this blog to be more than just about DO schools. I want to share your options with you as you explore medical schools. One "off-shore" school that has been around probably the longest is the UAG medical school. UAG stands for the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico
. It had been the medical school of choice for many aspiring doctors in the 1970's because admissions to US school was just too darn difficult. UAG accepts US students as well as students from native Mexico. You can become fully licensed in the US and the school has many connections with US hospitals for you rotations. The school offers two entering classes per year, which is nice. They also have a rolling admissions Read more:School
American University of the Caribbean 2007-11-20 13:17:00 Greetings again,I am on vacation this week and I thought I would provide an new up-date to this blog. I've been busy with internship and all and I've been trying to decide which avenue I should go - private practice (hospitalist) or fellowship (nephrology). Regardless of my decision, you on the other hand are probably reading this because you WANT TO GET INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL. I can't blame you! Now is a good time to be a doctor (relatively speaking of course) because the DEMAND is there. In the next 15+ years, the number of physicians needed will be astronomical - likely anywhere from 4-10x the current need! It's all those damn senior citizens! lol. Just kidding. Anyways, if you were anything like me, you were looking to get in SOMEWHERE! Luckily for me, I got in to my top choice medical school in the US and on the first try to boot! Others, not as fortunate as me to earn a spot at a US medical school, either never fulfilled their dream or pursued a foreign medical school. The Ameri Read more:American
, University
, Caribbean
Nephrology here I come! 2007-12-01 00:42:00 Greetings once again! I just wanted to drop a quick post stating that I have chosen Nephrology as my final career choice. In fact, it sounds like I have a job offer already for AFTER fellowship! I am so pumped! Anyways, I just want this to be inspirational for those of you out there trying to get into medical school. I definately was not the BEST applicant by far! I was an academic reject coming out of high school. I think I had a 2.2 or 2.4 GPA. Either way, my GPA sucked! I went to a local community college because a.) I was poor and b.) I needed to prove it to myself that I could handle the "college workload". I did well at the CC and transfer to a "real college" where I continued to do well. I took the MCATs, which I won't brag about here, but they weren't good at all! I worked hard, persevered. Thankfully, I was one of the lucky ones! I got into a DO school here in the states and will be pursuing a career as an interventional nephrologist! Pretty cool, huh? I just want all of you
Dr. 90210 is a DO!!! 2007-12-01 13:05:00 Born in Florence, Italy, and raised in Tallahassee, Florida where he graduated from Florida State University High School, Dr. Will Kirby has a degree in Biology from Emory University – College of Arts & Sciences, which he received in 1995. He graduated with a medical degree from Nova Southeastern University – College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2000 and did his first year of postgraduate medical training in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center & Miami Heart Institute in Miami Beach, Florida in 2001. His dermatology residency training took place in association with Western University/Pacific Hospital of Long Beach where he served as Chief Resident in the Department of Dermatology. After winning the popular CBS reality show Big Brother in 2001, Dr. Kirby went on to host NBC's Love Shack, serve as a medical correspondent for Extra, and even guest star on daytime's most popular soap opera, The Young and The Restless. Dr. Will Kirby at work in his practice. A licensed physi
New DO School opening in Washington??? 2007-12-01 12:54:00 Here is an interesting article...YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - Yakima businessman Al DeAtley initially thought the idea of building an osteopathic medical school here was absurd."When they first brought it to me, I thought it was a pipe dream," DeAtley said. He had been approached by people who wanted to launch the school as part of the new Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.But the retired millionaire and philanthropist, who made his fortune building roads, is a believer now. It helped that his wife was a nurse at the old Yakima Valley Osteopathic Hospital in the 1950s, and their children's doctors were osteopathic physicians, not the more common allopathic physicians who have M.D. after their name.Ultimately, though, DeAtley said he was persuaded to back the effort because the founding doctors were able to attract a significant amount of money for the venture from outside Yakima. They convinced an out-of-state financier, who doesn't want to be identified, to invest $13 million Read more:School
, Washington
Mini-Med School 2007-12-01 12:39:00 You wanna know what med school is REALLY like?! Check out Mini-Med School
hosted by the Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine.Course Topics & DatesLectures start at 7 p.m. and run to 8:30 p.m.(Feb. 12) Now you see it - CT, MRI & the Visible HumanHow technology assists medical students and physicians to visualize the human body Cal Hisley, Ph.D.(Feb. 19) The bones know all - New directions for osteopathic medicineUnderstanding the body's structure as a basis for wellnessBrad Klock, D.O.(Feb. 26) Almost human - Technology and simulations in medical educationComputer-driven models aid in clinical learning Greg Kolbinger, M.S., PA-C(March 4) Our invisible self - The Human Genome and promises for future treatmentHow we benefit from understanding the incredible complexity of life. Tom Breithaupt, Ph.D.(March 11) Our search for wellness - Chronic disease and new strategies for wellnessWhat is being done to address the issues faced by an aging population Bill Appelgate, Ph.D.$
Osteopathic Medical Schools MCAT scores 2007-12-01 12:27:00 Osteopathic Medical Schools
listed in descending order by total MCAT1.) Western University of Health Sciences / College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (Pomona, CA) MCAT: 10.00, 9.00, P, 9.00 total= 28 2.) University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey UMDNJ - School of Osteopathic Medicine (Strattford, NJ) MCAT: 9.24, 9.00, Q, 8.54 total= 26.78 3.) Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University; MCAT: 9.01, 9.00, O, 8.76 total= 26.77 4.) University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (Fort Worth, TX) MCAT: 9.20, 8.72, O, 8.49 total= 26.41 5.) Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine (San Francisco, CA) MCAT: 9.07, 8.99, NR, 8.19 total=26.25 6.) Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State Univ. College of Osteopathic Medicine (Tulsa, OK) MCAT: 9.0, 8.0, O, 9.0 total= 26 7.) Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine MCAT: 9.05, 8.34, O, 8.45 total=25.84 8.) Des Moines University College of Osteo Read more:scores
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine 2008-02-23 10:59:00 Ya know,With all this talk of foreign schools, I've seemed to have neglected my Alma mater - OUCOM. I loved OU! I tried to post about other schools because I didn't want to be all about DO or all about OUCOM. But, I feel like I'm not doing my old stomping grounds justice.OU is located in Athens, which is about 70 miles Southeast of Columbus. You attend classes your first two years on the main campus of OhioUniversity
. The next two years are spent at one of 12 CORE hospitals around the state. During your fourth year you can do electives at select hospitals of your choice. I felt like OUCOM prepared me well for residency. Also, we had many graduates getting many excellent residencies at allopathic and osteopathic institutions alike. You have access to many of Ohio University's facilities - Read more:College
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