Today is the first day of finals for fall quarter. Most of the deadlines for supplementary applications have come and gone. At this point I have only completed one application -- the one for Loma Linda University. Conventional wisdom says to apply to more than one school, and not to put all your eggs in one basket. Am I nervous? Definitely. I only have one application in for medical school. It's a hit or miss thing. Maybe I should have sent in more.
Anwyas, I should get back to studying for these final exams... Spanish final in about 40 minutes....
Last week was a pretty big week for me as far as premed related things. On Thursday I had an interview with Loma Linda University. I have had many ask how the interview went, but I am never really sure. They ask if I felt good about it. My answer is simply that I don't know. I think I was pretty emotionless after leaving the interview. I suspect it was because I was thinking ahead to the MCAT scores.
Thursday night at 9 pm (PST) the scores were posted. Am I happy with my score? Well they say that if you score above a 30 that you're competitive. So I suppose I am happy with my numerical score; I'm really disappointed in my essays though.
During the summer, when I was taking the Kaplan course, I did very well on all the essays that I had graded. So when I got the MCAT result I was very surprissed about what I got. Thought about asking for a re-score but it'll take about 4 months. By that time it's probably too late; most of the applications I send it will already have been discussed and considered.
Oh well...
Last week my AMCAS applicaiton finally was processed. It took longer than I expected, but I'm glad it's done.
I ended up applying to eleven schools and the secondary application requests have started trickling in. It's kind of exciting, although I realize that secondary applications are given out to all applicants who submit a primary (at least for the private schools).
So now comes the though part. Do I fill out all the secondaries? They average about $90-$100 each. I am debating whether or not to wait until I find out my MCAT scores before submitting these applications...
It's been a little over a week since the MCAT (August 21, 2005). I took the test on a Sunday at U.C.L.A. After about a week of semi-relaxing -- I've had jury duty and computers to work on -- I thought I'd take a few minutes to post my thoughts about the course.
First off, Kaplan's Pasadena facility was definitely adequate. My only complaint is that finding parking was difficiult and it was a bit far from home. However, those factors did not affect the quality of the actual classes.
Although located in an office building, it was designed as a classroom. There were four classrooms and a lecture hall that could be split into two smaller rooms. A computer lab, conference room, and "student lounge" were also available to students.
The first day of class was spent with an introduction to Kaplan's policies for their higher score guarantee, parking locations, and other relatively trivial things. Then we were all given a Diagnostic test to establish a baseline score. We did not meet our instructor until the second class session.
Our instructor met us on the second day of class. Fortunately, at least that's the way I feel, we had one instructor for the entire class (although we did have substitutes a couple times). This was because the instructor scored high enough in all of the categories when He took the MCAT.
On a personal level my instructor was really good. He was really friendly and easy to get along with -- and he kept us on our toes by randomly calling on people in the class to answer questions. He said that it was better to be embarrassed now and remember, than to... uh... not...
Anyways, while he was our instructor, he was not someone who had done extensive study in any of the four basic sciences. He was a person who had done well on his MCAT and was now teaching it.
Instruction-wise, the course was okay. I think it was a good reveiw for those who have already covered the material more fully in the school setting. I'd say that the strength of the course lies in the practice exams.
There are five proctored exams given as part of the course. In addition to the five, students may take six more Kaplan tests and 10 MCAT exams previously released by the AAMC. The additional tests are not allowed to be taken from the center and cannot be written on. So it would be best for one to print it out at home (from Kaplan's website) so that the work can be done on the test booklet instead of scratch paper.
The practice exams are crucial to preparing for the MCAT. It allows students to practice pacing so that come test day, they will be able to finish the real MCAT in time. Being familiar with the length and format of the test will make it so much easier. The MCAT is not something to approach without preparation. A future career depends on it; it also costs about $200 ($210 for Sunday exams).
The Kaplan course I took did not cost me anything since I recevied a free voucher. However, had I not had the voucher I think I would still have taken it. The practice and the pressure to study the material for each class was a huge factor in the score that I will be getting. I'm sure that had I not taken the course, I would not have been as prepared as I was.
My recommendation? Well, the course is expensive. Can you review the material without taking a prep course? Yes you can. However, for some the structure of the classroom lecture is what is needed to push them to study. At the same time, others might be so highly motivated that they can spend hours a day studying and managing their own time leading up to the test. I think that if you need the help getting motivated to study, $1500 is a pretty big motivation. You don't really wanna waste that much money.
A couple days ago I just started putting filling out the online application. This application is used by most medical schools. One of the most annoying things about the process if that you have to enter the grade of every course you have taken in your college career. We already pay for the service. They could at least enter the data themsevles since they require an official transcript.
And to submit the application to a medical school isn't cheap. I've been reading the book Ultimate Guide to Medical Schools by U.S. News and World Report. The suggest that each applicant apply to around 10-15 schools. The AMCAS fee for one medical school is $160 and then $30 for each additional school.
So, for someone sending the application to 15 schools, that would be $580. I'm not sure if there are additional costs yet or not... Oh well, let the fun times roll...
Looks like I'll be enrolled in the Kaplan MCAT Prep Course this summer. The course is almost $1500. Fortunately I received a certificate to take the entire course for free. The Pre-Med Club here at Walla Walla College conducted a raffle. The certificate expires this summer, so only those who planned on taking the Aug '05 MCAT exam were eligible.
In total there were 6 people and my name was the name that was drawn. I'm eager to see what the class will be like as I've heard both good and bad things about these prep course.
I'll plan on posting updates throughout the summer about how the course is going as well as the application process that I should be beginning in the next month or so.
Well, today I finally had the interview with Dr. Nyirady. If I had to describe it in one word, I would say that it went "unexpectedly." Last week I went to the Walla Walla College career center for an interview workshop. While it was geared towards graduating seniors looking for jobs, I still was able to pick up some great tips. Afterwards I asked the career center director for common questions asked during medical school interviews.
Although the career center director told me that it was just an informal interview, I still expected some of the common questions to come up during the brief 20 or so minutes with the Loma Linda University representative. However, as far as I can remember, there were only two questions asked: (1) What kind of experience do you have in the medical field? (i.e. volunteering or shadowing a physician) and (2) What kind of outreach have you been involved in?
Okay, I'll admit question #1 was expected. But I did expect things like "Tell me about yourself," or "What are you strenghts and weaknesses." Perhaps that comes in the formal interview conducted in the Fall? At least I hope so... I understand that #2 is a valid question for a school whose mission statement is "to continue the healing and teaching ministry of Jesus Christ, 'to make man whole,'" but I was expected more than just the two.
I wonder if my transcript sealed my fate...
I just got an email from one of the three Pre-Medicine advisors here on campus. On Tuesday, May 10, Dr. Stephen Nyirady will be visiting hte campus. If I remember correctly, he is the Vice President for admissions from Loma Linda University School of Medicine.
One of the things he will be doing while on campus is presenting at an "interest" session. The second thing he will be doing, and I'm sure the one most people are a little bit nervous about, is conducting interviews. I'm told that for those who are planning to submit an application this summer (to begin Med school in Fall of 2006), this interview is a more informal one just to "get aquainted."
LoL. No pressure, huh?
Well I shall see how it goes. I'll probably sign up for an interview and try to find out about how the school operates; it'll be useful to know ho classes operate, class size, how many students get into their first choice for residency... that sorta thing.
Semper pertinax. It's Latin for "always persistent" -- a quality that everyone needs regardless of what profession you choose. It's a quality that will get students through the drudgrey of undergraduate studies, through medical school, through residency and into a rewarding career as a physician.
As I begin this blog I am in the third quarter of my junior year of college. My summer won't be a pleasant one. It'll be spent studying/cramming for the August MCAT.
And so as I sit here at my desk thinking ahead to the summer that will pretty much decide my destiny I wondered about what resources are out there for students who are thinking about choosing to become a physician.
I got the idea of putting up my own personal blog, to chronicle my journey as I try to get into medical school. And hopefully, assuming I get in, the blog will evolve into a journal of what to expect once in medical school.
I got on blogger.com and started filling out the form when I noticed that my first choice for a URL was taken. It was started by a student in 2002. It had one entry and looked like the author had the same idea I have now. But only one post. This happened two more times. I guess the idea is an old one...but no one has ever carried it through.
Well lets just wait and see. Maybe this one will stop after this first post. Maybe I will become one of the thousands of students who don't get into medical school. But hopefully not. And hopefully this site will be able to help others thinking of starting down the path towards a career as a physician.
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