Ask Doctor Strange anything

Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
@Doctor Strange
Haven't read the earlier posts on this thread, but I'm curious if you are interested at all in orthopedics. I hear that Jeff has one of the best ortho departments in the nation.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Best book/comic you've read in the past year?
 
TheRobin said:
Best book/comic you've read in the past year?
Click to expand...
I recently finished reading American Psycho, which I greatly enjoyed. I'm also working my way through Less Than Zero, which is the first novel of the author of American Psycho. As far as comics go, the recent run of Witch Doctor from Image Comics was an excellent little mini-series. Going more mainstream, the new Black Widow series from Marvel is a pretty standout comic, along with the new Ms. Marvel series. Marvel's Original Sin event is also shaping up to be quite the read. This week's New Avengers Annual #1 is featuring Doctor Strange, so I am definitely looking forward to that.
 
Doctor Strange said:
I'm Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme.

This is a combination of me being bored and liking to give whatever I advice I can to people. As always, take anyone's advice on SDN with a grain of salt, but I like to offer whatever insight I can, because, quite frankly, I like talking about myself.

For background, check out my MDApps.

Ask anything and everything. I might not be willing to answer some things, but, hey, give it a shot anyway...
Click to expand...
Hey im thinking about which college to go to and my choices are either columbia university or my state school (in NY) i would love to go to columbia and I am thinking of applying early decision. So my question is, if i go to my state school im pretty confident i can get a >3.5 science GPA that is necessary for medical school. How hard is it to do the same and maintain a >3.5 science GPA at columbia? will medical schools cut me some slack for going to columbia? or do you think i should just go to my state school?
 
Hey im thinking about which college to go to and my choices are either columbia university or my state school (in NY) i would love to go to columbia and I am thinking of applying early decision. So my question is, if i go to my state school im pretty confident i can get a >3.5 science GPA that is necessary for medical school. How hard is it to do the same and maintain a >3.5 science GPA at columbia? will medical schools cut me some slack for going to columbia? or do you think i should just go to my state school?
 
medguy24 said:
Hey im thinking about which college to go to and my choices are either columbia university or my state school (in NY) i would love to go to columbia and I am thinking of applying early decision. So my question is, if i go to my state school im pretty confident i can get a >3.5 science GPA that is necessary for medical school. How hard is it to do the same and maintain a >3.5 science GPA at columbia? will medical schools cut me some slack for going to columbia? or do you think i should just go to my state school?
Click to expand...
The assumption you make that a state school education is easier than what you'll be getting at Columbia is flawed. Get rid of the notion that you're "pretty confident" you'll be able to maintain a certain GPA level at a given school, because there are no guarantees. I have never attended Columbia, so I cannot speak to the specific rigors of that school, but go wherever you think you will be happy and succeed. If you're accepted, it's implied that you have what it takes to succeed.
 
@Doctor Strange I'm not sure if this question has been asked already, I'm being too lazy to read through 8 pages of this.... but were there ever interview questions that you simply did not have an answer for?
 
The Milkman said:
@Doctor Strange I'm not sure if this question has been asked already, I'm being too lazy to read through 8 pages of this.... but were there ever interview questions that you simply did not have an answer for?
Click to expand...
Not that I can recall. If you're ever caught off guard by a question, don't ever hesitate to take your time answering it. A simple "that's a great question, let me take a second to think about that" goes a long way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Doctor Strange said:
Not that I can recall. If you're ever caught off guard by a question, don't ever hesitate to take your time answering it. A simple "that's a great question, let me take a second to think about that" goes a long way.
Click to expand...
So you still managed to come up with some sort of response after some thought?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Thank you for creating this thread, Dr. Strange. You've always been one of my favorite SDNers. :)

I have a couple of little things I was hoping you could enlighten me on.

1) I took a look at your MDApps profile page and you are a fascinating person! You go, you! :) How much of an effect do you feel being "unique" has on a successful application? As hard as I try, I am just a boring person compared to a lot of applicants.

2) If you had only one piece of advice to give, what would it be? (This is very intentionally open ended.)

Thank you again for your time.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
RespectTheChemistry19 said:
Thank you for creating this thread, Dr. Strange. You've always been one of my favorite SDNers. :)

I have a couple of little things I was hoping you could enlighten me on.

1) What are your thoughts on the courses medical schools recommend beyond those required? I found that I couldn't really fit all of the courses all of the different medical schools recommend(again, beyond what is required) into my schedule without killing my GPA. Do you think this will have a negative effect on me in the application process? For that matter, how much of a positive effect does taking the recommended courses have?

2) I took a look at your MDApps profile page and you are a fascinating person! You go, you! :) How much of an effect do you feel being "unique" has on a successful application? As hard as I try, I am just a boring person compared to a lot of applicants.

3) If you had only one piece of advice to give, what would it be? (This is very intentionally open ended.)

Thank you again for your time.
Click to expand...
1. In my opinion, not having the "recommended" courses doesn't set you back; having them might add to your application, though. Moreover, taking upper level courses like biochemistry, genetics, immunology, and other "recommended" courses gives you a nice foundation to build off of when you get to those things in medical school. At all of my interviews, the faculty were always quite impressed my major (pharmacology & toxicology) and the classes I had to take for it (e.g., pharmacology, toxicology, immunology, physiology, etc.). Not only did they acknowledge the rigor of the courses, but they also liked that I did well in them. I know the common advice given is to not try to take anything "medical" in college, but, in this case, it worked in my favor and has been an asset to me in medical school. If you need to go out of your way to take these courses and aren't confident that you'll do well, I would stay away; it won't hurt you. If, however, you have the opportunity to take them and can dedicate the time to do well, it can pay off in the end.

2. I don't consider myself "unique" as much as I consider myself to be "genuine." Pretty much everything on my application I pursued because I had an interest in it. I liked being involved on campus and mentoring other students, which is reflected by my various leadership and campus activities. I've been learning Spanish for around fifteen years now, so I pursued that. My hospital volunteering was filled with just talking to patients after I finished my hour's worth of work. The list goes on and on. I did not approach building my application with the "check box" mentality. Instead, I put stock in the things that I enjoyed and strove to make significant contributions to those things. When interviews came around, I found it was extremely easy to talk about my activities just because I had been so invested in them. Being "unique" when applying to medical school is, in my opinion, overrated. I think being genuine and passionate about the things you do on your application will take you much further.

3. It's okay to take it easy sometimes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Doctor Strange said:
1. In my opinion, not having the "recommended" courses doesn't set you back; having them might add to your application, though. Moreover, taking upper level courses like biochemistry, genetics, immunology, and other "recommended" courses gives you a nice foundation to build off of when you get to those things in medical school. At all of my interviews, the faculty were always quite impressed my major (pharmacology & toxicology) and the classes I had to take for it (e.g., pharmacology, toxicology, immunology, physiology, etc.). Not only did they acknowledge the rigor of the courses, but they also liked that I did well in them. I know the common advice given is to not try to take anything "medical" in college, but, in this case, it worked in my favor and has been an asset to me in medical school. If you need to go out of your way to take these courses and aren't confident that you'll do well, I would stay away; it won't hurt you. If, however, you have the opportunity to take them and can dedicate the time to do well, it can pay off in the end.

2. I don't consider myself "unique" as much as I consider myself to be "genuine." Pretty much everything on my application I pursued because I had an interest in it. I liked being involved on campus and mentoring other students, which is reflected by my various leadership and campus activities. I've been learning Spanish for around fifteen years now, so I pursued that. My hospital volunteering was filled with just talking to patients after I finished my hour's worth of work. The list goes on and on. I did not approach building my application with the "check box" mentality. Instead, I put stock in the things that I enjoyed and strove to make significant contributions to those things. When interviews came around, I found it was extremely easy to talk about my activities just because I had been so invested in them. Being "unique" when applying to medical school is, in my opinion, overrated. I think being genuine and passionate about the things you do on your application will take you much further.

3. It's okay to take it easy sometimes.
Click to expand...

Thank you!
 
RespectTheChemistry19 said:
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Not a problem. I owe a lot to SDN and like to pay it forward on here. I'm always a post or PM away!
BsVNa.gif
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Any advice for a student who just finished high school and is starting college at his local cc who wants to get to medical school?
 
Best tips for learning anatomy? What was your strategy?

Asking as a Jeff first year.
 
JTMD said:
Any advice for a student who just finished high school and is starting college at his local cc who wants to get to medical school?
Click to expand...
Wherever you go, just do well. It's pretty much that simple. I did not attend community college, but it is typically suggested that you transfer to a college/university after taking your prerequisite courses (usually two years). After that, continue to do well to show medical schools that you can handle the transition from community college to a regular college. Get involved in something you're passionate about, volunteer, and shadow doctors.

Ellen Degeneres said:
Best tips for learning anatomy? What was your strategy?

Asking as a Jeff first year.
Click to expand...
I was the guy on the orientation panel that talked about Anki, so that was pretty much what I used for anatomy and throughout the year. If that's something you're interested in, check out your class's Facebook group and dig up that post about it; there's even a link to decks that one of my classmates made last year. If you're a book reader, I would highly recommend the Big Picture Gross Anatomy book. It has a very concise and easy-to-read format which goes through a lot of the major high yield points in lecture. Most importantly, the practice questions are gold and are very similar to the types of questions that are asked on the exams. Another source of practice/questions that I found particularly helpful was the UMich anatomy site, which can be found here: http://www.med.umich.edu/lrc/coursepages/m1/anatomy2010/html/courseinfo/mich_quiz_index.html.

As far as the practical portion goes, there really is no substitute for going into lab and looking at bodies. It helps to go in with one or two friends and just go around identifying things.

If you have any further questions, feel free to post here or PM me.
 
What's Up Doc said:
Why did you think you were/are you interested in cardiology?
Click to expand...
I was a pharmacology major in undergrad, so a field based in pharmacotherapy has always been something I've wanted to pursue. Cardiology is one of the fields that matches that interest. I also really enjoyed the cardio blocks that I had in undergrad physio and pharmacology, in addition to a cardiovascular pathophysiology class I took. Something I've actually been leaning a lot more towards lately is anesthesia, though cards is definitely still on the table.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Mr Roboto said:
I went and saw it today. Definitely :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:.

Thoughts on romantic relationships during med school?
Click to expand...
My romantic life right now consists of the telenovela that I've recently started watching. I personally am not really actively pursuing the dating scene, but that doesn't mean that med school is a bad time to do it. There are people that tend to couple up in med school, which is understandable; we are essentially all pretty similar personality-wise if we're all here. That being said, it does get a little awkward with the break-ups and such.

It's really up to you. I wish I had better advice.
 
Doctor Strange said:
Only losers read DC, my friend.

Just kidding. Really, though, I never quite got into any DC comics, so I can't comment on it.
Click to expand...

:rofl:

I took a look at the cartoon they release within the last year and can't say I was impressed (I don't think I will be reading the comics anytime soon). They really dumbed down the characters.
 
Something you wish you'd taken the time to do before starting med school?
 
Dr strange, I recently found a cartoon movie on Netflix called "Dr Strange" made in 2007. Have you seen it, and is it any good?
 
Which was harder: med school or fighting Dormammu?
 
dudeliness said:
Dr strange, I recently found a cartoon movie on Netflix called "Dr Strange" made in 2007. Have you seen it, and is it any good?
Click to expand...
If you've got an hour and a half to kill, I'd recommend it. It doesn't follow the comic book origin very strictly, but it's still a nice introduction to the character.
MrLogan13 said:
Which was harder: med school or fighting Dormammu?
Click to expand...
Close match-up, but I think I'll go with Dormammu being harder... Seeing as how he's a multidimensional threat and all...
 
Doctor Strange said:
If you've got an hour and a half to kill, I'd recommend it. It doesn't follow the comic book origin very strictly, but it's still a nice introduction to the character.

Close match-up, but I think I'll go with Dormammu being harder... Seeing as how he's a multidimensional threat and all...
Click to expand...
Thanks Dr Strange. Nobody ever has an hour and a half to kill in med school, but that's never really stopped me before.
;)
 
How do you feel about Benedict Cumberbatch being chosen to portray your deeds on the silver screen?
 
What is the best way to use active learning method to memorize everything? If you don't know, then what has worked for you so far?
 
Why is it that I can get a huge egg and cheese hoagie for $2 in Philly but Portland tries to sell me a bagel with cream cheese for $4?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

chickenloverr5
Should I add anything for my ECs?
Replies
4
Views
203
chickenloverr5
chickenloverr5
N
Best way to ask to shadow?
Replies
6
Views
246
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight
R
Which secondaries ask about online courses?
Replies
6
Views
233
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
L
OK question to ask current student?
Replies
5
Views
589
cj_cregg
cj_cregg
R
Student Doctor free interview prep?
Replies
2
Views
309
Rooks
R
Top