Ask LizzyM (Almost) Anything 2012 edition

[alNasir]

Mrs. M,
First I would like to say thank you for providing information to us for free on these forums. I'm a new member (and new to being a pre-med in general) b/c I just recently heard about SDN, so if these questions were asked beforehand, please excuse me.

Earlier you said that the rank of the undergrad the applicant attends is important to medical school adcoms. Where would the University of Michigan be on the perceived scale at your school or generally?

You also said that studying for the MCAT over the summer and then taking it in August may not be considered as intensive or rigorous as taking it during the school year. I'm not a person who can afford Examcrackers, PR, etc. for MCAT review. Long story short, an alumnus is being generous and will provide me cash to purchase prep for the MCAT, but only over the summer before junior year. Is this fine?

Do medical schools regard course rigor as a factor in admissions?

When I began college, I did not know Arabic and b/c of several personal reasons I wished to pursue it. Will medical schools wonder why an Arab like me is taking Arabic classes even though my Arabic beforehand was minimal at best?

I read recently that medical schools see summer courses in a negative light. What if the summer courses were not science or prerequisite courses, but instead were Linear Algebra, Calc-based Statistics, Intro to Psych, Intro to Sociology, and an Arabic course? Are those fine?

Is it fine to take a 100-level course in your junior year? It's an Arabic course I need for my minor/major. It is an easy A course, yes, but I'll also take other more difficult and rigorous courses as well (Advanced Biochem 1, Boundary Value Problems of Partial Differential Equations, Advanced Arabic Composition, Mathematical Modeling in Biology). If it is not, I'll attempt to cut some red-tape and get out of it.

Thank you very much for reading this post and answering these questions. You don't know how much I need this. Please respond at your convenience.

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[Jas1360]

LizzyM,

Thank you for all of the helpful answers.

A recent question just made me think of another question I have. How does your school look at applicants with children? Is it a cause of concern?

 

[LizzyM]

Hi LizzyM,

A friend of mine wanted to know whether non URM Latinos and Hispanics such as Cuban and Peruvian applicants are compared to other non URM Latinos and Hispanics or are compared to non Hispanic whites in regards to the admissions process.

Thanks

Please read:
https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/urm/

each school is going to take its own approach and make its own definition of URM.

 

[noncon]

It is possible. I graduated from a Colorado high school - so I automatically count instate for U of Colorado.

I have been working in Nebraska for a year - so I also count as Nebraska resident. AMCAS does not limit you to one home state - it is up to the school to individually decide if you count as a resident.

That being said - my mother works in Illinois, my father works in Ohio - if I get added to their tax forms - then Woila! A 3rd and 4th home state for me.

Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio, and Illinois all instate schools for me - aren't those great odds?

I will wait for someone to confirm this but I think Melissa is mistaken on all three counts. First off, as LizzyM pointed out Colorado stats are about the same as the national average, so when she wrote U of C interviews all applicants and accepts half, she is mistaken. Secondly, I believe you can declare only one state as your home state on AMCAS. Thirdly, states like Ohio have stringent residency criteria so just her dad adding her to his tax form does not make her an Ohio resident. But someone needs to confirm this. I hope Melissa is correct though!!!!!!!

 

[Jas1360]

Some schools allow you to pay in-state tuition if you graduated from a high school in that state, even if you are now technically a resident of a different state. Not sure if that helps you get their in-state preference for admission, though.

That's good to know, but I thought that only lasted to a certain age.

 

[Jas1360]

I will wait for someone to confirm this but I think Melissa is mistaken on all three counts. First off, as LizzyM pointed out Colorado stats are about the same as the national average, so when she wrote U of C interviews all applicants and accepts half, she is mistaken. Secondly, I believe you can declare only one state as your home state on AMCAS. Thirdly, states like Ohio have stringent residency criteria so just her dad adding her to his tax form does not make her an Ohio resident. But someone needs to confirm this. I hope Melissa is correct though!!!!!!!

I know that if you are under a certain age and not married or married for less than one year you can claim residency for the state that your legal guardian is a legal resident. They have to be a legal resident for a given amount of time, usually a minimum of a year. I'm not sure what states use this rule but I know a few that do. I'm not sure how it works if parents are divorced and live in two separate states. I would love to think that where I graduated HS would give me instate tuition for medical school, but I am very doubtful. Or better yet, if my parents states would both give me instate status, but that sounds wrong because it would give me about four different instate statuses.

 

[LizzyM]

Mrs. M,
First I would like to say thank you for providing information to us for free on these forums. I’m a new member (and new to being a pre-med in general) b/c I just recently heard about SDN, so if these questions were asked beforehand, please excuse me.

Earlier you said that the rank of the undergrad the applicant attends is important to medical school adcoms. Where would the University of Michigan be on the perceived scale at your school or generally?

UMichigan is considered a strong school, particularly in Engineering.

You also said that studying for the MCAT over the summer and then taking it in August may not be considered as intensive or rigorous as taking it during the school year. I’m not a person who can afford Examcrackers, PR, etc. for MCAT review. Long story short, an alumnus is being generous and will provide me cash to purchase prep for the MCAT, but only over the summer before junior year. Is this fine?

You have to do what you have to do. Taking it the summer before Jr year is fine but the point is, it looks better to be doing prep and something else (working, volunteering, etc) than just doing prep.

Do medical schools regard course rigor as a factor in admissions?

Yes

When I began college, I did not know Arabic and b/c of several personal reasons I wished to pursue it. Will medical schools wonder why an Arab like me is taking Arabic classes even though my Arabic beforehand was minimal at best?

As long as you don't list it as a language you used at home growing up, they won't be surprised or negative at all when they see it on your transcript. If you had used it at home as a kid, an adcom might expect you to start classes at a higher level than "101" or perhaps to begin with a "... for heritage speakers" class.

I read recently that medical schools see summer courses in a negative light. What if the summer courses were not science or prerequisite courses, but instead were Linear Algebra, Calc-based Statistics, Intro to Psych, Intro to Sociology, and an Arabic course? Are those fine?

I'm not familiar with the attitude that these are seen in a negative light. They might be seen in a negative light if taken at a much less rigorous school than one's usual undergrad institution.

Is it fine to take a 100-level course in your junior year? It’s an Arabic course I need for my minor/major. It is an easy A course, yes, but I’ll also take other more difficult and rigorous courses as well (Advanced Biochem 1, Boundary Value Problems of Partial Differential Equations, Advanced Arabic Composition, Mathematical Modeling in Biology). If it is not, I’ll attempt to cut some red-tape and get out of it.

Your planned coursework sounds fine.

 

[LizzyM]

LizzyM,

Thank you for all of the helpful answers.

A recent question just made me think of another question I have. How does your school look at applicants with children? Is it a cause of concern?

Although there is a little tiny place to list "dependents", I tend to skip over that field as it isn't something I'm actively looking for in assessing an applicant. Unless an applicant specifically mentions it in an essay or the experience section, or it is mentioned in a LOR, I won't know that someone has kids.

If someone makes a big deal about having kids, it does open up some questions about one's plans for managing childcare and school responsibilities such as "What is the student's support network in the area?"

Sad fact, I know of someone who left medical school because of childcare issues. That said, I wouldn't argue against admission of an applicant with a child because of that previous student's problem (which was a perfect storm of tragic situations) but I would want to be sure that an applicant was going to be a good fit with our school and had a clear picture of the expectations and demands of the curriculum.

 

[PistolPete44]

Hi LizzyM,

How much significance is given by adcoms to expired MCAT scores? I know that adcoms will see all the scores an applicant has from all test administrations, but will an expired score really continue to play a role in an admissions decision, even if a more recent score is significantly better than the expired score?

 

[alNasir]

Thanks for the reply.

During the MCAT prep, I will continue my research project, volunteer, work at my brother's butcher shop to help out with the family, and so on. I will be done with the premedical prerequisites this semester with some extra courses to help (like Genetics and Physiology) so I feel ready for it.

My father before his death used Arabic with my mother all the time. My mother knows Arabic but she speaks in English with my two older brothers and me. I started off with the basic one b/c the only Arabic I knew were religious words and how to say "hello" and "goodbye".

The summer courses were taken at Michigan as well, so that's good. I heard that medical schools see summer courses in a negative light b/c of supposed easiness when in regard to prerequisite classes like Organic Chemistry or Physics, so I thought the stigma may extend to other non-prerequisite classes.

Thank you for your answers. I appreciate it.

 

[cinamin]

I will wait for someone to confirm this but I think Melissa is mistaken on all three counts. First off, as LizzyM pointed out Colorado stats are about the same as the national average, so when she wrote U of C interviews all applicants and accepts half, she is mistaken. Secondly, I believe you can declare only one state as your home state on AMCAS. Thirdly, states like Ohio have stringent residency criteria so just her dad adding her to his tax form does not make her an Ohio resident. But someone needs to confirm this. I hope Melissa is correct though!!!!!!!

While you technically indicate one state as your homestate on AMCAS, there are several schools that will also consider you "in-state" for application purposes, depending on birth city, highschool as she said, etc. However, I do not believe that parents marking tax forms will qualify you as in-state. So you could have 2 states as "in=state" technically, perhaps 3 if you had split but very significant ties to all three states. (I am considered 'in-state' for 2 states)

 

[MelissaThompson]

While you technically indicate one state as your homestate on AMCAS, there are several schools that will also consider you "in-state" for application purposes, depending on birth city, highschool as she said, etc. However, I do not believe that parents marking tax forms will qualify you as in-state. So you could have 2 states as "in=state" technically, perhaps 3 if you had split but very significant ties to all three states. (I am considered 'in-state' for 2 states)

This. Thanks for clarifying on my behalf.

First of all - regarding stats for U of Colorado - you have to look beyond the numbers.

I went to U of Colorado @ Boulder and was very close to the pre-med advisor. For a REASONABLY competitive applicant (3.5, 28, all the cookie cutter ECs) - you are guaranteed an interview. The selection process is not rigorous - unlike LizzyM's school where multiple reviewers go through your file and vote on who to interview. From the interview - 50% (more or less) gets an offer of acceptance)

This is just like at Nebraska - who interviews just EVERYONE who applied - but somehow the stats only showing them interviewing 220 out of almost 300 or so. You can read up on this on the UNMC school specific forum.


You can indicate one home state (where you live) on AMCAS. But that is meaningless - as you can always petition each school for residency status. I grew up in Colorado, graduated high school, and college - therefore I automatically count as instate even my address listed me in Nebraska. Now, even my address lists my home in Nebraska, UNMC did not count me as instate. I had to provide proof and petition the dean of student records to grant me residency.

I don't know what the requirements for Ohio and Illinois is like - but I do know that at both Colorado and Nebraska - if you are a dependent of a parent who is a legal resident of that state - then you automatically count as a resident. Hope this clears it up.

 

[noncon]

This. Thanks for clarifying on my behalf.

First of all - regarding stats for U of Colorado - you have to look beyond the numbers.

I went to U of Colorado @ Boulder and was very close to the pre-med advisor. For a REASONABLY competitive applicant (3.5, 28, all the cookie cutter ECs) - you are guaranteed an interview. The selection process is not rigorous - unlike LizzyM's school where multiple reviewers go through your file and vote on who to interview. From the interview - 50% (more or less) gets an offer of acceptance)

This is just like at Nebraska - who interviews just EVERYONE who applied - but somehow the stats only showing them interviewing 220 out of almost 300 or so. You can read up on this on the UNMC school specific forum.


You can indicate one home state (where you live) on AMCAS. But that is meaningless - as you can always petition each school for residency status. I grew up in Colorado, graduated high school, and college - therefore I automatically count as instate even my address listed me in Nebraska. Now, even my address lists my home in Nebraska, UNMC did not count me as instate. I had to provide proof and petition the dean of student records to grant me residency.

I don't know what the requirements for Ohio and Illinois is like - but I do know that at both Colorado and Nebraska - if you are a dependent of a parent who is a legal resident of that state - then you automatically count as a resident. Hope this clears it up.

I hope you are correct!! If you are correct, that should give us more hope!

What is the link to the UNMC school specific forum??

 

[typicalindian]

What is your favorite dish to eat?

 

[passionformed]

How impressive does it look to volunteer/shadow at the same hospital every year starting freshman year, and volunteer for same organization (medical related volunteer, but not clinical) for every year?

Is that better than volunteering at various places, for around one semester each, throughout your college career?

 

[aspiring20]

This. Thanks for clarifying on my behalf.

First of all - regarding stats for U of Colorado - you have to look beyond the numbers.

I went to U of Colorado @ Boulder and was very close to the pre-med advisor. For a REASONABLY competitive applicant (3.5, 28, all the cookie cutter ECs) - you are guaranteed an interview. The selection process is not rigorous - unlike LizzyM's school where multiple reviewers go through your file and vote on who to interview. From the interview - 50% (more or less) gets an offer of acceptance)

This is just like at Nebraska - who interviews just EVERYONE who applied - but somehow the stats only showing them interviewing 220 out of almost 300 or so. You can read up on this on the UNMC school specific forum.


You can indicate one home state (where you live) on AMCAS. But that is meaningless - as you can always petition each school for residency status. I grew up in Colorado, graduated high school, and college - therefore I automatically count as instate even my address listed me in Nebraska. Now, even my address lists my home in Nebraska, UNMC did not count me as instate. I had to provide proof and petition the dean of student records to grant me residency.

I don't know what the requirements for Ohio and Illinois is like - but I do know that at both Colorado and Nebraska - if you are a dependent of a parent who is a legal resident of that state - then you automatically count as a resident. Hope this clears it up.

how do colorado and nebraska schools treat out of state applicants? is the threshold for interview invite much, much higher?

i've heard that colorado is insanely expensive (80k a year tuition) for out of state residents, but is it also incredibly tough for oos ppl to get in? is the insane price tag a subtle indicator that it isn't as difficult to get in for an OOS applicant?

and if the only school i got in costs 100k+ a year to attend (tuition + expenses), then i'll still go to that school without question.

 

[MelissaThompson]

how do colorado and nebraska schools treat out of state applicants? is the threshold for interview invite much, much higher?

i've heard that colorado is insanely expensive (80k a year tuition) for out of state residents, but is it also incredibly tough for oos ppl to get in? is the insane price tag a subtle indicator that it isn't as difficult to get in for an OOS applicant?

and if the only school i got in costs 100k+ a year to attend (tuition + expenses), then i'll still go to that school without question.

Both Nebraska and Colorado heavily favors IS - so yes the OOS applicants need to have a much higher stats.

For UNMC: Their average ACCEPTED stats is a 3.7/30 - for the average stat of ACCEPTED INSTATE applicant - 3.6/28.5. Think of how many high-stat OOS they want to accept to boost their numbers - hence rankings!

 

[noncon]

As we move along, how much faith should we put in what we hear on these internet medical forums? Usually I take everyone at face value. In this thread alone, one poster Melissa Thompson has made many claims but never provided any links requested. I wish what she writes is true though! In another thread, a neurosurgeon talks about 16-hour surgeries with absolutely no bathroom break. There are many other fantastic posts like that. On the mdapps site, there are people who claim to get into medical schools like Harvard with hopelessly low medical scores - I believe I saw someone less than a 10 MCAT get into Harvard.

 

[shahcoco]

As we move along, how much faith should we put in what we hear on these internet medical forums? Usually I take everyone at face value. In this thread alone, one poster Melissa Thompson has made many claims but never provided any links requested. I wish what she writes is true though! In another thread, a neurosurgeon talks about 16-hour surgeries with absolutely no bathroom break. There are many other fantastic posts like that. On the mdapps site, there are people who claim to get into medical schools like Harvard with hopelessly low medical scores - I believe I saw someone less than a 10 MCAT get into Harvard.

It seems the longer some members have been active in a forum, the better they are at picking out the fantastic stories and/or trolls. I've only been an "official" member for a few weeks though

 

[stupid1001]

LizzyM,

I would really appreciate if you could comment on my specific situation in the link below.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=973762

Thanks
p.s. it is not about any of the things you said you would not be willing to comment on.

 

[wasabee]

Hi LizzyM!

How do adcoms view someone who received a 35 on their MCAT on the first try versus someone who received a 23 on their first MCAT, but a 41 on their second MCAT?

Do they usually average the scores out to make a decision?

Thanks!

 

[IlDestriero]

It's really the norm for surgeons doing monster cases to go without a bathroom break. In fact it's uncommon to have them break scrub and take a break when the cases are less than about 10 hours. We do plenty of pretty complex long cases. How do they do it? Who knows, ancient surgeon secrets probably. Also focus on the matter at hand and am fluid restriction. Sometimes they sneak out when we're doing an O arm spin or a position change with reprep, etc. Some also have the nurse sneak them a mini candy bar or a sip of a soda can. Though they tend to be the older ones.

 

[Anathema]

LizzyM what do you guys think of summer/winter and academic year volunteering? Most of my clinical volunteering has occurred intensively during summer and winter breaks while academic year volunteering is mostly tutoring and home health aide.

I saw in a previous thread you mentioned that summer volunteering would raise eyebrows if the academic year had no ECs? My academic ECs take up roughly 6 hours a week which is why I choose to focus more on them than hospital volunteering. A bigger reason is that hospital volunteering at my college doesn't allow me to do many things and have taken forever to get back to me about my volunteering status. I will probably have around 8 months with them before applying but only around
45 hours with them.

I started the summer and winter break volunteering last winter and often do multiple 12 hour shifts within a week which has a total of over 150+. I plan to continue it even through the application process.

 

[LizzyM]

Hi LizzyM,

How much significance is given by adcoms to expired MCAT scores? I know that adcoms will see all the scores an applicant has from all test administrations, but will an expired score really continue to play a role in an admissions decision, even if a more recent score is significantly better than the expired score?

We do see it and I can't rule out it having some subliminal effect.

 

[LizzyM]

What is your favorite dish to eat?

I like to eat and I like to cook. I don't really have a favorite dish.

 

[LizzyM]

How impressive does it look to volunteer/shadow at the same hospital every year starting freshman year, and volunteer for same organization (medical related volunteer, but not clinical) for every year?

Is that better than volunteering at various places, for around one semester each, throughout your college career?

Either is fine.

 

[Ismet]

As we move along, how much faith should we put in what we hear on these internet medical forums? Usually I take everyone at face value. In this thread alone, one poster Melissa Thompson has made many claims but never provided any links requested. I wish what she writes is true though! In another thread, a neurosurgeon talks about 16-hour surgeries with absolutely no bathroom break. There are many other fantastic posts like that. On the mdapps site, there are people who claim to get into medical schools like Harvard with hopelessly low medical scores - I believe I saw someone less than a 10 MCAT get into Harvard.

1. Trolls and sarcasm are abundant here at SDN. Don't take everything at full face value.

2. Never take anything in MDApps as cold hard fact. A lot of people fudge the numbers during the application process to maintain anonymity, others just like to mess with people. Some are more factual than others, you'll learn to recognize them, but you still can't take whatever you see there as 100% true.

 

[LizzyM]

how do colorado and nebraska schools treat out of state applicants? is the threshold for interview invite much, much higher?

i've heard that colorado is insanely expensive (80k a year tuition) for out of state residents, but is it also incredibly tough for oos ppl to get in? is the insane price tag a subtle indicator that it isn't as difficult to get in for an OOS applicant?

and if the only school i got in costs 100k+ a year to attend (tuition + expenses), then i'll still go to that school without question.

The MSAR has this information (or it did when it was a paper copy, I don't know about the new format).

 

[LizzyM]

Hi LizzyM!

How do adcoms view someone who received a 35 on their MCAT on the first try versus someone who received a 23 on their first MCAT, but a 41 on their second MCAT?

Do they usually average the scores out to make a decision?

Thanks!

If the test is taken multiple times, the average of the tests is the best predictor of success so that's what we use. I would be shocked to see someone go from 23 to 41. You'd almost expect that there was an odd story there like the first test was taken while in active labor.

 

[LizzyM]

LizzyM what do you guys think of summer/winter and academic year volunteering? Most of my clinical volunteering has occurred intensively during summer and winter breaks while academic year volunteering is mostly tutoring and home health aide.

I saw in a previous thread you mentioned that summer volunteering would raise eyebrows if the academic year had no ECs? My academic ECs take up roughly 6 hours a week which is why I choose to focus more on them than hospital volunteering. A bigger reason is that hospital volunteering at my college doesn't allow me to do many things and have taken forever to get back to me about my volunteering status. I will probably have around 8 months with them before applying but only around
45 hours with them.

I started the summer and winter break volunteering last winter and often do multiple 12 hour shifts within a week which has a total of over 150+. I plan to continue it even through the application process.

Here's the deal. If you have NO ECs during the school year and it appears that your 168 hours per week are devoted to studying, sleeping and taking nourishment you are going to raise eyebrows. If that is not the case, its fine.

 

[aspiring20]

thanks for answering all the questions LizzyM!

i have another one.

does an honors thesis in a non-science field (in the humanities) carry the same weight as a typical biology honors thesis? my honors thesis took me an unhealthy amount of time, and i really want adcoms to give it some substantial weight.

thanks again

 

[LizzyM]

As we move along, how much faith should we put in what we hear on these internet medical forums? Usually I take everyone at face value. In this thread alone, one poster Melissa Thompson has made many claims but never provided any links requested. I wish what she writes is true though! In another thread, a neurosurgeon talks about 16-hour surgeries with absolutely no bathroom break. There are many other fantastic posts like that. On the mdapps site, there are people who claim to get into medical schools like Harvard with hopelessly low medical scores - I believe I saw someone less than a 10 MCAT get into Harvard.

Take a look at these tables put together by AAMC. There is a ton of information if you are willing to dig for it.

https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/

 

[typicalindian]

Is it a bad idea for me to quickly acknowledge poor performance early on but then say that I overcame certain obstacles and learned from my mistakes in a letter of intent? (Something like "While I may have started my journey on the wrong foot, I want to reassure you that I have learned from my mistakes...")
Should I just leave out any mention of the early poor performance and just state that I have continued to excel in my academics and activities? I'm sure the school already knows about my early mishaps since I have already interviewed there.

 

[Volha]

Well, you do have a problem. Why do you want to be a physician? That's the first question to answer and is important to answer well for your MD-only applications. It is tricky to write that for the AMCAS application if you are applying to both MD-only and MD/PhD programs in the same cycle.

As for the PhD: what do you propose for your dissertation research? It would seem, at this point, that your skills and experience are in bioscience and you would likely be attractive to a lab that could capitalize on those skills. On the other hand, you think that you would like to be in a lab that is invovled with physics in some way but you have no experience in physics research.

It seems to me that you are premature in applying to MD/PhD programs without physics research experience if it is physics research that you want to do. An NIH fellowship or a research gig at a major research center might be a good bridge...

If you would be happy doing MD-only with some research (maybe 1 day/wk for the rest of your life rather than 4 -days research/1-day clinical that is hoped MD/PhD grads will do-- but often don't) then apply next summer. If not, think about applying for some lab experiences and working a year then applying during your second gap year.

There is some interesting things going on in diagnostic imaging and in the use of optics in the identification of cancer cells. http://www.osa-opn.org/home/article...012/features/polarimetric_imaging_for_cancer/

If you want to go in that direction, I hope you can find a lab.

Thank you fo your answer. I would say I have enough lab experience if to take into consideration that I work on my own projects but not like a prep or help PI with their projects ( all my experience is in neuroscience - poster, work at mayo, conference, etc). I propably didn't mentioned it in my previous post but I am thinking about not a research in solely physics but there is a new field like biophysics. There are good biophysics labs in Emory, Harvard, University of Florida, Chappel Hill, etc. They are working on neuroscience also but different aspects than I worked befor in lab. I worked mostly in molecular biology but biophysicsist study mostly signal transduction, etc. However, I will agree with you that probably I do not need to talk about biophysics in my application/personal statement altogether because it is late. I need to accent my experience in molecular biology, then get accepted and then when they will provide me rotations in order to chose which lab I want to work, choose biophysics.
One more question, I am not traditional pre-med applicant. i have 2 kids. They were my major motivators and reasons why I didn't give up and I am doing great at school and find motivation to keep on going. My son is also was the reason I decided to be a doctor because he had a very serious medical condition. i am thinking to talk about it in my personal statement. HOWEVER, when i had a meeting with past ADCOM members at Mayo they told me: please, please, please don't talk about your kids and don't tell anybody you have them. It is a disadvantage because ADCOM members will see you like you will not be able to finish med school with 2 kids. Now I don't know what to write in personal statement. How ADCOm can not understand if i was able to finish physics major and work in 2 biomed labs having 2 small kids I will be able to finish med school. Please tell me do you think it is unwise to talk about kids in personal statement and is it considered as an disadvantage of applicant? Thank you.

 

[LizzyM]

Is it a bad idea for me to quickly acknowledge poor performance early on but then say that I overcame certain obstacles and learned from my mistakes in a letter of intent? (Something like "While I may have started my journey on the wrong foot, I want to reassure you that I have learned from my mistakes...")
Should I just leave out any mention of the early poor performance and just state that I have continued to excel in my academics and activities? I'm sure the school already knows about my early mishaps since I have already interviewed there.

Don't focus on the zits. Focus on how much you enjoyed seeing the campus, etc during interivew day, how much you admire x, y and z about the school and why you think that you are a good fit with the school's philosophy, mission, curriculum, (whatever) because you ... (specific attributes, interests, ets)

 

[MelissaThompson]

Here's the deal. If you have NO ECs during the school year and it appears that your 168 hours per week are devoted to studying, sleeping and taking nourishment you are going to raise eyebrows. If that is not the case, its fine.

I thought on the AMCAS application - you fill out AVERAGE hours/week?

So how would the adcom know he did nothing during the school year - if she put the begin date and end date and simply averaged out the hours/week?

 

[LizzyM]

Thank you fo your answer. I would say I have enough lab experience if to take into consideration that I work on my own projects but not like a prep or help PI with their projects ( all my experience is in neuroscience - poster, work at mayo, conference, etc). I propably didn't mentioned it in my previous post but I am thinking about not a research in solely physics but there is a new field like biophysics. There are good biophysics labs in Emory, Harvard, University of Florida, Chappel Hill, etc. They are working on neuroscience also but different aspects than I worked befor in lab. I worked mostly in molecular biology but biophysicsist study mostly signal transduction, etc. However, I will agree with you that probably I do not need to talk about biophysics in my application/personal statement altogether because it is late. I need to accent my experience in molecular biology, then get accepted and then when they will provide me rotations in order to chose which lab I want to work, choose biophysics.
One more question, I am not traditional pre-med applicant. i have 2 kids. They were my major motivators and reasons why I didn't give up and I am doing great at school and find motivation to keep on going. My son is also was the reason I decided to be a doctor because he had a very serious medical condition. i am thinking to talk about it in my personal statement. HOWEVER, when i had a meeting with past ADCOM members at Mayo they told me: please, please, please don't talk about your kids and don't tell anybody you have them. It is a disadvantage because ADCOM members will see you like you will not be able to finish med school with 2 kids. Now I don't know what to write in personal statement. How ADCOm can not understand if i was able to finish physics major and work in 2 biomed labs having 2 small kids I will be able to finish med school. Please tell me do you think it is unwise to talk about kids in personal statement and is it considered as an disadvantage of applicant? Thank you.

There are a million reasons why someone could be found to be less than the top 20% of applicants (or whatever proportion of applicants it is that gets an interview). No one will admit that it is because you have kids but there is going to be a concern that a MD/PhD candidate with kids, particularly if one of the kids has a chronic condition, is going to be less productive than a student who has no dependents. Fair? Of course not.

As a physician, you should not provide medical care to your family members. So, while you might be inspired by your children or have great respect for the physicians who care for them, why do you want to be a physician? It can't be so that you can provide for your kids becuase for the next 10 years you are going to be making a pitifully small stipend/salary first as a MD/PhD and later as a resident (add a fellowship and that's 2-3 more years!). Why do you want to be a physician scientist? What are your professional goals in life? That should be the focus of your essay.

 

[typicalindian]

Don't focus on the zits. Focus on how much you enjoyed seeing the campus, etc during interivew day, how much you admire x, y and z about the school and why you think that you are a good fit with the school's philosophy, mission, curriculum, (whatever) because you ... (specific attributes, interests, ets)

Great! Thanks for helping me settle that

 

[LizzyM]

I thought on the AMCAS application - you fill out AVERAGE hours/week?

So how would the adcom know he did nothing during the school year - if she put the begin date and end date and simply averaged out the hours/week?

Elementary, my Dear Watson, It is highly unlikely that one is volunteering in a nursing home in Todedo while attending college in Ithaca. So clearly, the volunteering is during the summer and the school year is devoid of activities.

 

[neuro nephrons]

Hi Lizzy,

Do you think it would be a problem if I combined 2 activities into one for the most meaningful experiences section? My example is working as an EMT/firefighter at a local fire dept and also working as an EMT at my college. Would this be okay if I talked globally about my role as an EMT and how it has continued my passion for medicine?

 

[noncon]

One question we were recently asked by a couple of our URM students is if they should change their residency from California to some other state. We are a minority student/diversity office but we are not set up to provide pre-med advising. Questions like these worry me. Legally, I am a California resident too. Their questions alerted me to the fact that California may be an unfavorable state when it comes to med school admissions. If so, which state would you recommend for residency from the point of view of favorable admission for URMs (composition of our student body changes from year to year but very roughly it is probably about 30% Black, 20% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 10-20% White and the rest Native American).

 

[Si Se Puede]

Quick question:

Would founding a sports club and seeing it go from ~10 to over 80 active participants in a year and running the club (schedule practices, etc as president and take the team to regional meets, do volunteer work with the club as a group, etc) count as leadership (leading them to the common goal of enjoying a sport they like and arouse interest in volunteering in the community as a group)?

 

[LizzyM]

Hi Lizzy,

Do you think it would be a problem if I combined 2 activities into one for the most meaningful experiences section? My example is working as an EMT/firefighter at a local fire dept and also working as an EMT at my college. Would this be okay if I talked globally about my role as an EMT and how it has continued my passion for medicine?

I do think it would be a problem to combine 2 activities that, no doubt, have different start and stop dates, different contacts, different locations, etc. Pick one to tag as significant. The other is gravy.

 

[LizzyM]

Quick question:

Would founding a sports club and seeing it go from ~10 to over 80 active participants in a year and running the club (schedule practices, etc as president and take the team to regional meets, do volunteer work with the club as a group, etc) count as leadership (leading them to the common goal of enjoying a sport they like and arouse interest in volunteering in the community as a group)?

yes!

 

[aspiring20]

LizzyM, could u answer my question regarding non-science honors thesis? its a bit above on this page. thanks!

 

[LizzyM]

One question we were recently asked by a couple of our URM students is if they should change their residency from California to some other state. We are a minority student/diversity office but we are not set up to provide pre-med advising. Questions like these worry me. Legally, I am a California resident too. Their questions alerted me to the fact that California may be an unfavorable state when it comes to med school admissions. If so, which state would you recommend for residency from the point of view of favorable admission for URMs (composition of our student body changes from year to year but very roughly it is probably about 30% Black, 20% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 10-20% White and the rest Native American).

Look at Tables 3 and 4 and run the numbers yourself:
https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/

I'm not sure being from California is as bad as people make it out to be percentage wise ... in absolute terms though there are a lot of diappointed Californians.

That said, look at Table 1. there are over 1100 seats in California med schools and with the exception of Loma Linda and Stanford, most of the schools give 75+% of their seats to Californians. IIRC, Keck, in particular has a special program specifically for URM. (I'm sure someone can chime in here with more info on that program.).

 

[aspiring20]

Look at Tables 3 and 4 and run the numbers yourself:
https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/

I'm not sure being from California is as bad as people make it out to be percentage wise ... in absolute terms though there are a lot of diappointed Californians.

That said, look at Table 1. there are over 1100 seats in California med schools and with the exception of Loma Linda and Stanford, most of the schools give 75+% of their seats to Californians. IIRC, Keck, in particular has a special program specifically for URM. (I'm sure someone can chime in here with more info on that program.).

i pray everyday that i wont end up as one of them.

 

[sunflower18]

I do think it would be a problem to combine 2 activities that, no doubt, have different start and stop dates, different contacts, different locations, etc. Pick one to tag as significant. The other is gravy.

Wait, I have a question about that as it sort of contradicts advice I've heard from Catalystik (unless I misunderstood one of you). I personally am planning on having a Teacher/Tutor listing under non clinical volunteering that lists my various corresponding activities, start and stop dates, and descriptions of each. Is that not allowed since they have different dates and contact info?

 

[IlDestriero]

i pray everyday that i wont end up as one of them.

But you live in California, so you've already won. Except for the taxes of course.

 

[aspiring20]

But you live in California, so you've already won. Except for the taxes of course.

what do you mean i've already won?