Here is my take for your questions:
1) I'm a nontraditional applicant, and it's been over a year since I studied for the MCAT. I feel like I may have forgotten some stuff, especially from Biology, after I stopped studying for it. But that's the problem. Should I brush up on my biology and other MCAT materials in order to better prepare for med school when it starts? Or is this a bad idea? Bad idea, studying or trying to get ahead is not but the content you learned prior to med school is fairly useless to what and how you will be taught in medical school. MCAT material is useless, if you do anything try and learn some micro. I suggest getting a book and using sketchy micro. What is taught in med school replicates what you will learn from Sketchy. I hate programs that are like Sketchy, but the designers were brilliant and offer insight that no one else either knows or seems to teach (at least at my school) so I would say if you started learning that then it will help you forever in school and boards later on. Never can hurt you to know your micro.
2) Any other way I can mentally and physically prepare myself for medical school. Any tips. Btw, I do use Anki. In fact, I've used it to teach myself Japanese, and I'm really liking it. Sadly, I discovered it very late when studying for the MCAT, and who knows how well I would've done if I had discovered it earlier. Anki....some use it and thats cool, I doubt you will have the time to devote to it in medschool. Make 100% you learn how and why things happen rather than by straight memorization. Learn the process, steps, and physio behind everything as much as you can and that will propel you to success. Memorization through things like Anki become studying for the test no matter how you swing it even with the way Anki teaches you or makes you recall things. I like the idea of Anki overall for things like Chapman and sympathetic points that are straight memorization, beyond that you need to really learn why and if you are not taught why, you need to make a point of teaching yourself. There is no other way to approach medicine, in my opinion of course.
3) I'm wondering. How exactly do students who are active in clubs find time to be in clubs and study when they're in med school? It doesn't have to just apply to clubs, also research, or community service, etc. Useless, clubs and programs are extracurricular. When you are applying to residency they care about GPA, and Board scores, so should you. Research is praised and thrown about like its super necessary. I recently listened to a residency interview panel and they said they care about research if you care about it.....basically if you cleaned lab glass and then were put on a paper for it, it does not help your application. That being said, everyone that applied for their 3 particular programs had all done some research. So basically try and do something you are passionate about, worry less about clubs, and mainly focus on learning medicine. Most schools won't allow you to join clubs until you are through block 1 anyway as you will soon learn that medical school is going to break you, then build you back up into something better, and if not better at least a doctor.
4) Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly does merger between AOA and ACGME mean? From what I know, DOs and MDs already had same training, and for the most hiring process in hospital prior to the merger. What exactly does this new merger bring that wasn't exactly around prior to it? DOs were doing the same residency but were rapidly about to be unable to do fellowship training post residency. ACGME had a deadline and basically residencies that were not ACGME accredited for example AOA residencies were going to be considered inapplicable to ACGME fellowships (ACGME is over most fellowship training in allopathic programs) and so they needed to merge. What that means for you is not all that much, a fair amount of osteopathic residency programs will either meet acgme standards of accreditation or they will shut down around the year 2020. There are a lot of rules and specifics to protect students, so other than a conversation point, something to fuss about, or first years to pester the school Deans about on newly accepted students day, it means very little to you at this point. It could mean a whole lot so stay informed and involved when you can, but overall its just change, and one that had to happen and will most likely benefit you in the future. Its just harmful to specialties like Neurosurgery, Derm, things of that nature because ACGME requirements usually make having programs at smaller institutions/hospitals very difficult. It drives academic medicine to large centers whereas previously a lot of AOA accredited residencies were at smaller sites, and AOA accreditation was easier to get than ACGME accreditation. ACGME makes it almost impossible for small hospitals to get accredited for residencies because they don't have all the academics available like multiple subspecialty teaching, multiple residency programs, attending physicians that are doing clinical research etc... It also requires graduates of ACGME programs to see a number of certain cases like x amt of meningitis where x residency site in the middle of nowhere may get 1 every 5 years and the big center will get 5 every other week etc... It will all be worked out by the time you are applying, or it will be close to being worked out.
1) I'm a nontraditional applicant, and it's been over a year since I studied for the MCAT. I feel like I may have forgotten some stuff, especially from Biology, after I stopped studying for it. But that's the problem. Should I brush up on my biology and other MCAT materials in order to better prepare for med school when it starts? Or is this a bad idea? Bad idea, studying or trying to get ahead is not but the content you learned prior to med school is fairly useless to what and how you will be taught in medical school. MCAT material is useless, if you do anything try and learn some micro. I suggest getting a book and using sketchy micro. What is taught in med school replicates what you will learn from Sketchy. I hate programs that are like Sketchy, but the designers were brilliant and offer insight that no one else either knows or seems to teach (at least at my school) so I would say if you started learning that then it will help you forever in school and boards later on. Never can hurt you to know your micro.
2) Any other way I can mentally and physically prepare myself for medical school. Any tips. Btw, I do use Anki. In fact, I've used it to teach myself Japanese, and I'm really liking it. Sadly, I discovered it very late when studying for the MCAT, and who knows how well I would've done if I had discovered it earlier. Anki....some use it and thats cool, I doubt you will have the time to devote to it in medschool. Make 100% you learn how and why things happen rather than by straight memorization. Learn the process, steps, and physio behind everything as much as you can and that will propel you to success. Memorization through things like Anki become studying for the test no matter how you swing it even with the way Anki teaches you or makes you recall things. I like the idea of Anki overall for things like Chapman and sympathetic points that are straight memorization, beyond that you need to really learn why and if you are not taught why, you need to make a point of teaching yourself. There is no other way to approach medicine, in my opinion of course.
3) I'm wondering. How exactly do students who are active in clubs find time to be in clubs and study when they're in med school? It doesn't have to just apply to clubs, also research, or community service, etc. Useless, clubs and programs are extracurricular. When you are applying to residency they care about GPA, and Board scores, so should you. Research is praised and thrown about like its super necessary. I recently listened to a residency interview panel and they said they care about research if you care about it.....basically if you cleaned lab glass and then were put on a paper for it, it does not help your application. That being said, everyone that applied for their 3 particular programs had all done some research. So basically try and do something you are passionate about, worry less about clubs, and mainly focus on learning medicine. Most schools won't allow you to join clubs until you are through block 1 anyway as you will soon learn that medical school is going to break you, then build you back up into something better, and if not better at least a doctor.
4) Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly does merger between AOA and ACGME mean? From what I know, DOs and MDs already had same training, and for the most hiring process in hospital prior to the merger. What exactly does this new merger bring that wasn't exactly around prior to it? DOs were doing the same residency but were rapidly about to be unable to do fellowship training post residency. ACGME had a deadline and basically residencies that were not ACGME accredited for example AOA residencies were going to be considered inapplicable to ACGME fellowships (ACGME is over most fellowship training in allopathic programs) and so they needed to merge. What that means for you is not all that much, a fair amount of osteopathic residency programs will either meet acgme standards of accreditation or they will shut down around the year 2020. There are a lot of rules and specifics to protect students, so other than a conversation point, something to fuss about, or first years to pester the school Deans about on newly accepted students day, it means very little to you at this point. It could mean a whole lot so stay informed and involved when you can, but overall its just change, and one that had to happen and will most likely benefit you in the future. Its just harmful to specialties like Neurosurgery, Derm, things of that nature because ACGME requirements usually make having programs at smaller institutions/hospitals very difficult. It drives academic medicine to large centers whereas previously a lot of AOA accredited residencies were at smaller sites, and AOA accreditation was easier to get than ACGME accreditation. ACGME makes it almost impossible for small hospitals to get accredited for residencies because they don't have all the academics available like multiple subspecialty teaching, multiple residency programs, attending physicians that are doing clinical research etc... It also requires graduates of ACGME programs to see a number of certain cases like x amt of meningitis where x residency site in the middle of nowhere may get 1 every 5 years and the big center will get 5 every other week etc... It will all be worked out by the time you are applying, or it will be close to being worked out.
