Rallying My Fellow URMs: PART 2

Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
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lotanna said:
BTW, howz ur foot?
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:thumbup: it's getting there
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Updates people, let spost some updates, PLEASE!!!
 
Members don't see this ad :)
pathdr2b said:
Updates people, let spost some updates, PLEASE!!!
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My summer kickoff starts!! I'll be in Houston this weekend :D
 
lotanna said:
My summer kickoff starts!! I'll be in Houston this weekend :D
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And I'll be at home making final (for the 100th time) revisions to my personal statement! :mad:

So, go out and have a ball for the 2 of us!!! :laugh:
 
pathdr2b said:
And I'll be at home making final (for the 100th time) revisions to my personal statement! :mad:

So, go out and have a ball for the 2 of us!!! :laugh:
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now is someone on top of her stuff or what!
 
lotanna said:
now is someone on top of her stuff or what!
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More like anal retentive. Still trying to decide what my #1 school should be though. I guess I'm waiting on my MCAT's to decide. But I have my pre-interview suits ready to go once I do decide. Gotta start hitting the pavement NOW connecting with the minority affaris offices of the schools on my list!!!
 
For those of you with HBO, you MUST check out the movie "Something That God Made". It's the story of the black research assistant at Hopkins that helped pioneer the surgical treatment for "Blue Baby" syndrome. Highly inspirational since he NEVER attended med school!!!!!!!
 
Has anyone heard that only 60 black males matriculated into medical school last year? Someone told me this and I wanted to verify it.
 
pathdr2b said:
More like anal retentive. Still trying to decide what my #1 school should be though. I guess I'm waiting on my MCAT's to decide. But I have my pre-interview suits ready to go once I do decide. Gotta start hitting the pavement NOW connecting with the minority affaris offices of the schools on my list!!!
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Hold up, I thought that was HU all the way!!!
You considerin Hopkins too now?
 
Nat Turner said:
Has anyone heard that only 60 black males matriculated into medical school last year? Someone told me this and I wanted to verify it.
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wow thats real deep, i'm not sure. lemme know what u find
 
Nat Turner said:
Has anyone heard that only 60 black males matriculated into medical school last year? Someone told me this and I wanted to verify it.
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Does Black = African and African-American? If it's just African-American males, then it's not that hard to believe.
 
Wow. 60?
Out of 12 or 15 thousand spots? Sounds like a stretch...but truth is stranger than fiction.

Maybe someone will bring this up (if true) when folks b*tch about "unworthy" blacks taking all the spots from "more deserving" applicants...

Good luck to all!

dc
 
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PhillyGrrl said:
Does Black = African and African-American? If it's just African-American males, then it's not that hard to believe.
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That's hard to believe, at Howard alone I bet there are at least 60 black men that matriculated last year. I think it's more like 600-700 which would still be unfortunatly low.
 
Thanks I thought 60 sounded a little low.
 
Hey guys,

I just found out about a website that provides resources to Black high school and college students. It's www.blackstudents.com. I haven't really had the chance to check it out yet, but make sure you pass on the info!
 
Jamaican MD said:
Alright y'all, this was an extremely helpful thread last year, so let's get it going again!

Where are you guys applying? How's the process going? Any interview invites? What is your first choice?

:D
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It appears that my FIRST choice school is a "Tier 3" school! :thumbup:
 
pathdr2b said:
It appears that my FIRST choice school is a "Tier 3" school! :thumbup:
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Which has now been CONFIRMED by my MCAT. :thumbup:
 
So should I be contacting the minority affairs offices myself? what exactly is the pretense for contacting them, i.e. "Hi, I am a strong applicant, what should I be doing to catch your attention?"

Thanks :)

Treg
(very proud of my 11 pt. MCAT improvment--it can be done!!)
 
Treg said:
So should I be contacting the minority affairs offices myself? what exactly is the pretense for contacting them, i.e. "Hi, I am a strong applicant, what should I be doing to catch your attention?"

Thanks :)

Treg
(very proud of my 11 pt. MCAT improvment--it can be done!!)
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11pt.s :eek: You're my new Role Model, Dr.Treg and it's just what I needed!!! :clap: :clap:

And yes, call the schools and say "I'm a VERY strong applicant" and go from there!!!:clap: :clap:
 
Treg said:
So should I be contacting the minority affairs offices myself? what exactly is the pretense for contacting them, i.e. "Hi, I am a strong applicant, what should I be doing to catch your attention?"

Thanks :)

Treg
(very proud of my 11 pt. MCAT improvment--it can be done!!)
Click to expand...

:eek:
Wow! Treg, do you mind sharing how you increased your MCAT score by 11pts? By the way, what schools are you interested in applying to?
 
Thanks for the congrats!

When I took the MCAT last August, I only studied for about three weeks, and really only physical sciences since my practice tests showed that was my weakness. Anyway, I was a little too frantically studying, and only aiming for a 30 (MCAT flag for most Canadian schools), so it went pretty badly.

This time, I decided to aim for the highest score I could achieve so I could have more options. I bought the EK set, EK 1001 in physics and o-chem, and the complete idiot's guide to physics. I studied EK religiously for 5-6 hours a day, for 8 weeks. I left the 1001 problems for two weeks before the test, to review my weaker areas and polish up. Then, during the last week, I did practice tests in the library, start to finish, every other day (AAMC 3, 5, and 6). I was getting 33-35 on them, so I was happy and left it for the last couple of days. I think that my grad training in immunology, molecular bio, and genetics helped me get 14 on BS (I got 11-VR, 12-PS).

Since I have a deferred admission (open to apply elsewhere) to a Canadian med school while I finish up my PhD, I am "going for it" back home in the states. Here is my list:

Stanford
Harvard
Yale
Columbia
Cornell
UPenn
NYU
AECOM
Mt. Sinai
B.U.
OHSU (home state)
Alberta (grad school)

I have a 3.65 cum, 3.56 sci, a lot of awards, experience, and research. I hope that my new MCAT can give me the edge to get a scholarship...

Good luck to all m URM buddies! Let's keep in touch this cycle.

Treg
 
Treg!

This is awesome! Congrats on your improvement and best of luck in this next application cycle. Best of luck to everyone!!!!

H&T
 
Treg said:
This time, I decided to aim for the highest score I could achieve so I could have more options. I bought the EK set, EK 1001 in physics and o-chem, and the complete idiot's guide to physics. I studied EK religiously for 5-6 hours a day, for 8 weeks.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your study tips. I purchased the EK stuff the day I got my score back and this time around, I'll be taking a month off from working to commit to doing VERY well on this test.

You know years ago, a recruiter for the med shcool at UNC-Chapel Hill told me that when it comes to getting into med school, you're either going to work or focus on studying. For so many URM's, not working isn't a realistic possibility but the pay off later for a little sacrifice now, is well worth it in the end.
 
After looking at the AAMC link about matriculants, I noticed a category "Black or African American, White". What's this, folks that are bi-racial w/black and white parents that "pass" for white? Or is this for white folks that did a little researching into their family trees and found out their ancestors owned slaves and then gambled with the notion that maybe they have that miniscule speck of black blood that makes them black regardless? LOL!!!! What's the rule again, 1/16 or 1/32??? But seriously, who fits this category? Hey, where's my category--> "Black or African Americfan, Asian"??? A shout out to all my Blindu peeps!!!!! :D
 
Yeah, I am still trying to understand how I am "caucasian" and "hispanic." I had to look up the definitions on the web, and I am soon to be a PhD! We have those designation on some consent forms for clinical samples and I hate how confusing it is...

Treg
 
congrats Treg!! Yeah EK is definitely on point, I keep tellin folks that!!!
 
Treg, that's gotta be tough. I have a friend that is Italian American that told me that when he was a kid in the 50s they were not considered white and suffered huge prejudice. Today, however, that is not the case. I think that the more assimilated and accepted a group is into the dominant culture, the easier it is to identify with it and claim it. People choose along two avenues: how they see themselves, and how the world sees them. Sometimes the two views match, and sometimes they don't. Boy, I hope that in my lifetime all this putting folks in boxes ceases to exist and the only categories left were human and ET. :)
 
lotanna said:
congrats Treg!! Yeah EK is definitely on point, I keep tellin folks that!!!
Click to expand...

I don't HOW I missed this recommendation, but trust me, I got it now! ;)

As for race/ethnicity identification, I thought checking race boxes was optional on the AMCAS app.
 
Hi,
I registered to take Kaplan for the second time about two weeks ago. After reading the posts about Exam Krackers, I've been wondering if I should use their study materials instead. What is it about EK that makes everyone do so well. I really need to hurry and order the material if I am going to use it, but I'd like some feedback first. Any advice that you can give would be great.

Thanks :)





Treg said:
Thanks for the congrats!

When I took the MCAT last August, I only studied for about three weeks, and really only physical sciences since my practice tests showed that was my weakness. Anyway, I was a little too frantically studying, and only aiming for a 30 (MCAT flag for most Canadian schools), so it went pretty badly.

This time, I decided to aim for the highest score I could achieve so I could have more options. I bought the EK set, EK 1001 in physics and o-chem, and the complete idiot's guide to physics. I studied EK religiously for 5-6 hours a day, for 8 weeks. I left the 1001 problems for two weeks before the test, to review my weaker areas and polish up. Then, during the last week, I did practice tests in the library, start to finish, every other day (AAMC 3, 5, and 6). I was getting 33-35 on them, so I was happy and left it for the last couple of days. I think that my grad training in immunology, molecular bio, and genetics helped me get 14 on BS (I got 11-VR, 12-PS).

Since I have a deferred admission (open to apply elsewhere) to a Canadian med school while I finish up my PhD, I am "going for it" back home in the states. Here is my list:

Stanford
Harvard
Yale
Columbia
Cornell
UPenn
NYU
AECOM
Mt. Sinai
B.U.
OHSU (home state)
Alberta (grad school)

I have a 3.65 cum, 3.56 sci, a lot of awards, experience, and research. I hope that my new MCAT can give me the edge to get a scholarship...

Good luck to all m URM buddies! Let's keep in touch this cycle.

Treg
Click to expand...
 
MeMyselfI said:
Hi,
I registered to take Kaplan for the second time about two weeks ago. After reading the posts about Exam Krackers, I've been wondering if I should use their study materials instead. What is it about EK that makes everyone do so well. I really need to hurry and order the material if I am going to use it, but I'd like some feedback first. Any advice that you can give would be great.

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

There were several things that I liked about EK. First, the sections are divided into separate books, so it is MUCH easier to take them around with you than a big fat book. Also, they are very clear on what you need to memorize, vs. what is extraneous info. They have little sample tests after each section and larger ones after each chapter, which is useful to put the material in context. I usually read the section, did the questions as I went. Then I reviewed the section that night and did the 30 min. exam, and review it. I did 2 sections a day, on average, which amounted to 5-6 hours a day all together. The 1001 books are really useful to drill in basic concepts. They are not like MCAT questions; instead they are like a condensed version of your undergrad course problems so you can just practice number crunching, listing features, etc. I only needed the O chem and Physics, but I found them really, really useful for identifying the minor weaknesses I had in those sections.

By the way, I am selling all of my books, incl. AAMC 3-6R on ebay :D

Treg
 
Treg,
I just sent you a PM.



Treg said:
There were several things that I liked about EK. First, the sections are divided into separate books, so it is MUCH easier to take them around with you than a big fat book. Also, they are very clear on what you need to memorize, vs. what is extraneous info. They have little sample tests after each section and larger ones after each chapter, which is useful to put the material in context. I usually read the section, did the questions as I went. Then I reviewed the section that night and did the 30 min. exam, and review it. I did 2 sections a day, on average, which amounted to 5-6 hours a day all together. The 1001 books are really useful to drill in basic concepts. They are not like MCAT questions; instead they are like a condensed version of your undergrad course problems so you can just practice number crunching, listing features, etc. I only needed the O chem and Physics, but I found them really, really useful for identifying the minor weaknesses I had in those sections.

By the way, I am selling all of my books, incl. AAMC 3-6R on ebay :D

Treg
Click to expand...
 
femdoc said:
After looking at the AAMC link about matriculants, I noticed a category "Black or African American, White". What's this, folks that are bi-racial w/black and white parents that "pass" for white? Or is this for white folks that did a little researching into their family trees and found out their ancestors owned slaves and then gambled with the notion that maybe they have that miniscule speck of black blood that makes them black regardless? LOL!!!! What's the rule again, 1/16 or 1/32??? But seriously, who fits this category? Hey, where's my category--> "Black or African Americfan, Asian"??? A shout out to all my Blindu peeps!!!!! :D
Click to expand...

That's interesting...
I've done some research into my family tree and found that my white ancestors came to America from Scotland in 1720. Could I check this box???

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 
pathdr2b said:
I don't HOW I missed this recommendation, but trust me, I got it now! ;)

As for race/ethnicity identification, I thought checking race boxes was optional on the AMCAS app.
Click to expand...


girl I thought that was what you used? EK=MCAT, seriously though, I know nothing about orgo and so i knew i had to get at least 80% bio right to get an alright score there, and as small as the EK bio book is, that was all i needed! Anytime any pre-med asks me anything bout MCAT, I'm like 1 word, Examkrackers!!!!! :p

@MemyselfI, the thing about EK is that it teaches u only what u need to know for the MCAT! I took princeton 2x(free from summer prog), and its a load of stuff, I mean i'll learn all that in med schl anyway but i dont need to know all that for the MCAT. EK only gives u what u need to know. There were 2 questions on my bio-MCAT that seemed like they had been taken verbatim from EK book!! :eek: I was so excited takin the test.
They tell u whats important and what isnt, and they've notes on the side, which are very important!
EK Biology and Verbal are the best things since sliced bread! Verbal Workbook-101 Passages is 11 full length verbal tests, and its the best practice out there for MCAT verbal. I was doing like 1 a week, and they were very hard! EK verbal strategy was also great at helpin me finish and I think I did ok in verbal. I got a 9, though I think I could have got a 10 or 11, as I was getting 9-11 on the aamc practice exams. I was retaking my MCAt and even though Verbal was already my strong point, I was still able to improve my verbal by a point which was alright with me!

LOL, I sound like an EK PR person, but seriously though I found out about EK when i joined SDN in 2002 same way ur finding out right now :laugh:
 
lotanna said:
girl I thought that was what you used? LOL, I sound like an EK PR person, but seriously though I found out about EK when i joined SDN in 2002 same way ur finding out right now :laugh:
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What I'd really like to know is which questions I got wrong. I had to rush through the last 2 passages on the PS and BS section with 5 mins remaining for each. But I was thinking that I didn't find ANY of the test particularily difficult up to that point, so I'm OK right? WRONG!!!!!! What I should have been thinking bedsides being more aware of my timing, was that generally speaking, there are only 5 points between a "10" and an "8". I could have easliy have "lost it" rushing through those last 2 sections.

Aaaarrrrrrrrggggghhhhhh, I'm so mad at myself right now :mad: , but I'll get over it! :D
 
chalklette said:
All I can say is GOD IS GOOD. So for those of you that are dissappointed in your scores apply anyway. God has a place for us all..
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WORD!!!! My fiance' (he's been an ordained minister for over 15 years) thinks this is God's way of selecting med schools for me to apply too. I have to admit that given the fact that standardized tests are generally no problem for me, I have to give this some serious thought because I quickly removed Hopkins and UPenn from my list of schools! :laugh:
 
Lotanna,
Thanks for the feedback. I have another friend who used EK last summer and she did extremely well on the MCAT so it helps to know that other people feel the same way about it. Thus, I will be using EK to study. I'm not sure if it's too late to get my money back from Kaplan or not but I can always use them for practice tests if it is too late. :)




lotanna said:
girl I thought that was what you used? EK=MCAT, seriously though, I know nothing about orgo and so i knew i had to get at least 80% bio right to get an alright score there, and as small as the EK bio book is, that was all i needed! Anytime any pre-med asks me anything bout MCAT, I'm like 1 word, Examkrackers!!!!! :p

@MemyselfI, the thing about EK is that it teaches u only what u need to know for the MCAT! I took princeton 2x(free from summer prog), and its a load of stuff, I mean i'll learn all that in med schl anyway but i dont need to know all that for the MCAT. EK only gives u what u need to know. There were 2 questions on my bio-MCAT that seemed like they had been taken verbatim from EK book!! :eek: I was so excited takin the test.
They tell u whats important and what isnt, and they've notes on the side, which are very important!
EK Biology and Verbal are the best things since sliced bread! Verbal Workbook-101 Passages is 11 full length verbal tests, and its the best practice out there for MCAT verbal. I was doing like 1 a week, and they were very hard! EK verbal strategy was also great at helpin me finish and I think I did ok in verbal. I got a 9, though I think I could have got a 10 or 11, as I was getting 9-11 on the aamc practice exams. I was retaking my MCAt and even though Verbal was already my strong point, I was still able to improve my verbal by a point which was alright with me!

LOL, I sound like an EK PR person, but seriously though I found out about EK when i joined SDN in 2002 same way ur finding out right now :laugh:
Click to expand...
 
I too will put in a good word for EK! I didn't learn about it here first (in fact, I didn't even know that SDN existed until I had submitted my AMCAS application and checked my undergraduate pre-health site out). I learned about EK through the AAMC's e-mcat website (where you pay $80 to access the AAMC exams and get instant online feedback with regard to your strengths/weaknesses - I highly recommend subscribing to this). I went into one of the discussion boards, read about EK, went to their website, and from then on... it was love! :love:
 
Does anyone have the contact info for the minority affairs office at Penn State? I looked on their website, but I couldn't find it.

Thanks
 
PhillyGrrl said:
Does anyone have the contact info for the minority affairs office at Penn State? I looked on their website, but I couldn't find it.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Dr.Alphonse E. Leure-duPree, Assoc. Dean For Academic Achievement
PSUCOM
PO Box 850, 500 Unversity Drive, Hershey, PA 17033
717-531-6411
[email protected]
 
Heal&Teach said:
I too will put in a good word for EK! I didn't learn about it here first (in fact, I didn't even know that SDN existed until I had submitted my AMCAS application and checked my undergraduate pre-health site out). I learned about EK through the AAMC's e-mcat website (where you pay $80 to access the AAMC exams and get instant online feedback with regard to your strengths/weaknesses - I highly recommend subscribing to this). I went into one of the discussion boards, read about EK, went to their website, and from then on... it was love! :love:
Click to expand...

I know! EK looked out for me when noone else could, EK made me a better person! :love: :laugh:
 
Amicus said:
God does not get people into med school. :rolleyes:

I concur!
I mean, get a life already!

lotanna posted that she got in with a sub 30 MCAT and a sub 3.0 undergrad GPA and then demanded that do one imply that AA had anything to do with it. Which is complete BS. No white or asian male is getting with those numbers.
Click to expand...

Guess Again!!!
http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?id=1920
 
I find it hard to believe that anyone with a 4 in any area of the mcat would only apply to one medical school. There has more to that story. :confused:
 
Ummm... I don't really trust that website, aside from the few folks on here that are actually nice enough to link their profiles to their sigs (e.g., exmike, jlee, & others). This one has no other information and looks pretty bogus, especially since the application year listed is 2005. :rolleyes: If this is true (which I don't believe it to be), this person definitely had some sort of "in", no question about it. I don't even know people with these numbers (esp. a 4) that have gotten into any international schools (absolutely no offense to anyone at an international school - the lowest I've ever heard is someone applying with a 6 in any section to allopathic, osteopathic, and caribbean schools). The only thing that might lead me to believe this (and only marginally) is the fact that Buffalo is one of those schools where how you perform in the interview weighs heavily on your acceptance. If he was lucky enough to get through the screening process... more power to him, but I find it hard to believe that ANYONE got in with a 20 (I've known of 21s getting in and above, but not 20s, esp. with the numbers not being even).
 
where did this thread come from? I've never seen it!!
 
LOL... it pops up every now and again. :D
 
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