Thanks!!
Yea. Recovered from an extremely low GPA 8 years ago, great MCAT, good work experience.
L.A. or NYC. Both completely different, but best cities on each coast. What are you looking for?
LA if you want to sit in traffic. NYC is pretty awesome though.L.A. or NYC. Both completely different, but best cities on each coast. What are you looking for?
I've lived in 7 major cities from coast to coast.
NYC has tons of traffic too, but hopefully he/she will not be driving.LA if you want to sit in traffic. NYC is pretty awesome though.
NYC you can go within two blocks of any spot using public transport. That isnt really an option in LA. Weather is better, but I could not sit in my car for hours everyday. I did it for a few years and called it quits.NYC has tons of traffic too, but hopefully he/she will not be driving.
The 405, 10 and 101 can be stressful, but luckily there are so many side streets to navigate through L.A., I never found the traffic to be a detriment.
ECs are good enough, a few hundred hours of clinical and nonclinical stuff, some long term commitments+shadowing. My biggest problem is absolutely my sketchy academic history, which is why I'm in the SMP. I'm guessing that if any school does decide to take a look at me, it won't be until after I send out some SMP grade updates.What about ECs? As a reapplicant I can understand how disappointing and frustrating a slow cycle can be. I would be more worried though if you were a reapplicant. Just focus on building up your application while you are waiting.
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The mcat is the great savior for sketchy academic histories like ours.ECs are good enough, a few hundred hours of clinical and nonclinical stuff, some long term commitments+shadowing. My biggest problem is absolutely my sketchy academic history, which is why I'm in the SMP. I'm guessing that if any school does decide to take a look at me, it won't be until after I send out some SMP grade updates.
Im expecting a ton of studying. I was 7 years out of orgo when I took MCAT and had to relearn every damn thing on that test from the bottom up. Im guessing that amount of studying (6-8 hrs) every day for two years lol, but who knows. I am a mommy of two and I just got my first acceptance last week so of course med school with kids will be hard, but it can be done! And loans are going to be my friends for years to come!Does any one know how much studying will be required in med school? Can you do it with having kids?
Of course you can. Unsurprisingly, dealing with kids makes it more difficult to balance everything, especially if they are very young and currently require a lot of hands-on care. You and your spouse really need to be on the same page with how you're going to handle various family responsibilities, and there will be some times (say, right before tests) where you probably won't be spending as much time with your family as you might like. But it's not like you're constantly going to be unable to ever see your kids for the entire four years. Time management is key for everyone in med school, but particularly for students with families.Does any one know how much studying will be required in med school? Can you do it with having kids?
Thank you for your thoughtful response.To answer your first question, it depends. If you're a good memorizer who only needs to see material once, you'll likely not have to study nearly as much as most of your classmates. If you're more the conceptual type, you will have your work cut out for you, because the first two years of med school are essentially a long slog of memorizing large volumes of material. It also depends on how important being a top performing student is to you. If you're content to pass, you won't need to work as hard on average as someone who wants to be AOA. My advice is to start out studying more than you think you need to until you see how your first test goes. You can always cut back if you find that you don't need to put in so much time to do well. And unfortunately, there will be some people who will bust their butts as hard as they can, only to squeak by with a pass. I don't think the preclinical curriculum in med school is truly "easy" for anyone, but there are definitely varying grades of struggling that people have to do to get through it.
Well, the good news is that you're the male half of the parenting team, and therefore not the one who'd have to be pregnant and give birth. I'm saying this somewhat facetiously, but only somewhat, because of course some women do have difficult pregnancies that can affect their ability to graduate on time. You won't have that issue.Thank you for your thoughtful response.
Unfortunately, I am the conceptual type. I dislike rote memorization since attending grade school in a developing country where that is the only metric used to grade. My wife would like to have another one which may be complicating. I would ultimately like to be in the top 10% of the class, but everyone says that going into school. From my friends that have gone through the process it seemed like there would be lots of down time where people would clown around only to cram during the weeks leading up to the exam. I was planing on treating it like a job where I study for 9 hours a day, watch the lectures in 2x speed and spend evenings with the family with less duties at home during finals.
On a separate note, does one need to do research or other EC's to be competitive for residencies. I am walking into medical school with the goal of doing really well with my steps. I am unsure if I need to add ECs to the checklist.
Goodluck. Do they still look at step scores? What hoops must one jump through to get a fellowship?On a separate note, I registered for the fellowship match and submitted my rank list today. The match is next month, which is much earlier than for residency. And it's still illegal for programs to ask where else you are applying/interviewing/ranking, and they still do it anyway. Heh.
One program did require me to submit my USMLE scores. But they were fine with me sending them unofficial copies by email, and I think they primarily just wanted proof for my file that I had indeed passed them all.Goodluck. Do they still look at step scores? What hoops must one jump through to get a fellowship?
One program did require me to submit my USMLE scores. But they were fine with me sending them unofficial copies by email, and I think they primarily just wanted proof for my file that I had indeed passed them all.
Hoops....
1) finish med school
2) finish residency
3) call each individual program you're considering and speak to the PD
4) send apps (no centralized service like AMCAS or ERAS and no secondaries; you send apps individually to each program, and different PDs may ask for different items)
5) go on interviews (programs sometimes pay for your hotel and/or flight)
6) register for match and submit rank list (if applicable - depends on the subspecialty)
7) wait to find out results (by now you're an expert at this)
Applying for fellowship is much less stressful than any other stage, because it's COMPLETELY optional. Not to mention that I picked an uncompetitive subspecialty that doesn't fill all of its slots every year, and that will result in my earning a lower salary than I would have earned if I continued in general practice. And I wanted to stay in the South, meaning that I didn't even apply to any of the more popular NE or West Coast programs. But if I wind up not matching anywhere, I can still try to get a spot out of the match at a program that didn't fill all of its slots.
I'm going to have to apply for a new state medical license and hospital credentialing also once I find out where I'm going, which is probably the worst part of the whole process. That does take months and involves multiple rounds of paperwork/background checks/fingerprinting. And $$, naturally.
Yes, it's like applying for a job, or really two jobs, since I'd be adjunct faculty (often called an "instructor" at many institutions) at the med school as well as being a fellow employed by the hospital (so two bosses). The match is through the NRMP, which is separate from ERAS. As a residency applicant, you have to register for both ERAS and NRMP in most cases. As a fellowship applicant, I only had to register with NRMP.So basically like applying for any job. If there isnt ERAS who handles the rank list? I thought Medical Staff Offices handled all of that busy work they have like 20+ people at my hospital, never quite figured out what it is they do that a software couldn't accomplish.
Are you expected to apply immediately after residency or are you still competitive if you have been practicing fora few years? I take it the salary is closer to a resident vs attending.Yes, it's like applying for a job, or really two jobs, since I'd be adjunct faculty (often called an "instructor" at many institutions) at the med school as well as being a fellow employed by the hospital (so two bosses). The match is through the NRMP, which is separate from ERAS. As a residency applicant, you have to register for both ERAS and NRMP in most cases. As a fellowship applicant, I only had to register with NRMP.
Ermagerd y'all, I got my first acceptance in the mail today - LECOM Bradenton!
So stoked that the pressure's off. One interview coming up at Rosalind Franklin, and 23 schools still to hear from, but from now on that's all gravy. YAAAYY!!!!
Lol yeah the fellowship salaries are usually atill on a PGY scale. Ive been doing some digging online, and most that Ive seen tend to pay around 70kishAre you expected to apply immediately after residency or are you still competitive if you have been practicing fora few years? I take it the salary is closer to a resident vs attending.
Im pretty close to counting down the minutes until next week. The wait is unbearable.....Very jealous of these early DO acceptances. The sooner it gets to 10/17 (when I **may** hear good news from Jefferson and Loyola), the longer the days take.
Congrats to all you with acceptances! Hopefully our Non-Trad Acceptances thread gets going soon with great results for all of us.
Im pretty close to counting down the minutes until next week. The wait is unbearable.....
10/17 is getting close though! I postponed my DO decisions since I don't want to pay a huge deposit yet. Thankfully I'm anxious about everything else going on, so I've been adequately distracted.Very jealous of these early DO acceptances. The sooner it gets to 10/17 (when I **may** hear good news from Jefferson and Loyola), the longer the days take.
Congrats to all you with acceptances! Hopefully our Non-Trad Acceptances thread gets going soon with great results for all of us.
Did you call and extend the date ? Were they open to that? I really want to wait until after 10/17 to figure out if I want to plop down 2K on a DO deposit.10/17 is getting close though! I postponed my DO decisions since I don't want to pay a huge deposit yet. Thankfully I'm anxious about everything else going on, so I've been adequately distracted.
I just got an invite to Jefferson not to long ago. Any advice? What were your thoughts? It's basically my number 1 based on a variety of factors, so I'm really excited!
Well I interviewed at LECOM-B and was given the option to delay notification until mid November (which everyone was given), and interviewed at NSU recently, but they follow the normal traffic rules, so even if they toss out an acceptance immediately (not likely I'm guessing) I'd have until December 15. If I don't have an MD acceptance by that date, I'm definitely putting money towards one of those if I get accepted. An extra year applying was hands down more expensive than the deposits...Did you call and extend the date ? Were they open to that? I really want to wait until after 10/17 to figure out if I want to plop down 2K on a DO deposit.
I was also given the option to wait for 11/15 to hear a decision, but since I didn't have any other interviews at that point, chose to hear ASAP. I'd rather pay for the peace of mind, then stress out for another 6 weeks.Did you call and extend the date ? Were they open to that? I really want to wait until after 10/17 to figure out if I want to plop down 2K on a DO deposit.
Obviously you are not "expected" to apply immediately out of residency, since I finished residency over two years ago. Though probably most people who do fellowships do start them immediately after residency (in which case you would actually apply a year or two before graduating from residency, similar to how you have to apply the summer before your senior year of college for medical school - if you applied for fellowship immediately after finishing residency, you would have a gap year or two between them.) It's hard to give a generic answer to the question of how being out in practice for a while affects one's competitiveness for fellowship, since it depends on many factors, including the specialty/subspecialty, what you've been doing since finishing residency, and individual preferences/biases of applicants and PDs. In my case, I would say my general practice experience was either considered neutrally or as a mild positive. But I am far from being the first person in this subspecialty to come back after being out of residency for a few years.Are you expected to apply immediately after residency or are you still competitive if you have been practicing fora few years? I take it the salary is closer to a resident vs attending.
I feel like I'm getting better at interviewing, but I'm definitely not knocking them out of the park... Just interviewed at 2 of my top choices and I'd give my performance like a B- rating for both. Hoping that my spot on the LizzyM Staircase is high enough that taking a step down isn't too big a deal.
I know I'm lucky to have II's and not have that stress, but is anybody else dealing with the post-interview stress? I keep going over in my head the awkward or bad responses I've given so far...
It's not easy to come up with answers off the cuff when people ask you pointed and specific questions about things you hadn't thought about before. Maybe my answers are better than I give myself credit for, but in hindsight given unlimited time and no pressure I always come up with much better responses. Maybe it's not fair to myself to compare answers given under duress with "optimal" answers.
Strangely, I think I may be getting worse further into the cycle. I felt like I aced my first interviews but this last one.. eh. Solid B performance from me, I think. I'm trying hard not to lose steam but work, school, constant travelling, and the task of putting myself under the scrutiny of others over and over are all starting to wear me down.
Still grateful that this season is going so well but, god, I'm so tired. Post-interview anxiety is definitely a thing. I'm trying to handle it by immersing myself in my other responsibilities/activities. I've also been doing exercises in surrendering. It's super corny but it's the best coping strategy in my arsenal right now.
Less than one week to go before acceptances start being sent out. So hopefully you guys will hear soon and will be free of anxiety.
I am too pre-occupied with the daily grind to evaluate my interviews too much. I wasn't prepared for some of the questions asked during my last interview. But to me being comfortable with not having the perfect answer will also come across. I am so tired from the last few years of pre-med and my daily routine, and I have worked so hard, and prepared as best as I could with the few hours I had before each interview, that I know that if I am not accepted this time it won't be for lack of trying. I will be very, very sad, especially since my family made so many sacrifices to get me to this point, but the admissions process is beyond my control and I have done everything I possibly could with what was under my control.
Remember that your interview is just one part of your entire application. And you will be judged relative to other applicants his cycle.
Best of luck to all of you!
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Anyone know if I can update AACOMAS with more LOR after submission? I got a new science LOR that will allow me to expand my applications to more school.
I wish, still waiting for an II from them.If any of you interviewed at UMich, I would advise you to stay up until midnight tonight. They're the ones that sent out acceptance videos by email at midnight on 10/15.
Haha, I am weird . but I have literally asked them this after some interviews.Just finished my third interview... and I echo the sentiments of people who feel like they are doing worse or are unsure how they are doing lol. How lovely would it be to have immediate feedback/decision so you know what to keep doing or what not to do anymore haha, a girl can wish right?
They arent allowed to send them out until the 17th this year.If any of you interviewed at UMich, I would advise you to stay up until midnight tonight. They're the ones that sent out acceptance videos by email at midnight on 10/15.