09/12/09 MCAT Club

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
F

Fudge

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2009
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Members do not see this ad.
Hey, just officially signed up for this beast. It's early but I figured this thread could provide some moral support to keep me on track with studying🙂 I have not done a couple of the pre-requisites, so slow and steady works for me. Looking forward to hearing from the rest of you!
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
And now for everyone's favorite segment... Comedian of the Day!

Todays comedian is none other than Brian Regan.

"Alright so Evil Conevil, yeah. They're always asking him about that time he messed up. And the strangest question I've ever heard them ask is

'So evil what were you thinking right before you hit the ground?' how much stupider can you get?

'well, Bob. I was thinking, Hey! Did I leave the iron on? and when my leg broke in half, Hey! I should get a puppy! No! What do you think I was thinking? I was thinking AHHHHHH!!!!! AAHHHHH!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"People spell their name however they want, it has nothing to do with phonics or nothing. I'm not sure what phonics is, but I saw the girl that was hooked on it. She's got a problem with it apparently. Have you seen that commercial? "Hooked on Phonics worked for me" She's adorable, ya' know. I was thinking, wouldn't that be weird if she was applying what she learned and she couldn't get the commercial straight, ya' know?
"Hoookid on puh-hhonicks wer-kid for meh! HHooookid on puh-hhonicks wer-kid for meh! Meh!".
"Okay, CUT!!!"
"You talk to her, man."
"We ain't gonna move a lot tapes this way, I'm tellin ya' right now."
Anyway I met his woman, her name was ah, Amy, you know, so I go "Oh, A-M-Y?" She goes "No, A-Y-M-I-E". "Ughhh... I have to take a nap! I'm Brian, B-R-I-V-O-L-B-N, the number 7, the letter Q, --'Brennemenahgah!!!' Look at my name tag, it's, it's big."

"I can't remember names... And I always try to do the nickname thing, to get out of it. Everybody knows what you're trying to pull, you know?
"Heeeeey... buckaroo."
"My name's not buckaroo."
"Sure, sure it is... partner"
Some people get really upset if you say their name wrong, especially if they have a name that's similar to another name. Carolyn and Caroline. They got a thing about that, man. Don't get that wrong, 'cause they're gonna drill you. "Hi, Caro... lyn."
"It's Caroline. It's Caroline, Brian..."
"It's BRIOOOOHHHN. Yes, my name is BRIOOOOOOGGHHN!!! It's very hard to say my name correctly, 'cuz my name is BRANNAAGHAMMANGAAH!!! Can you say that? Very few can. Correctly."

Brian-Regan-736043.jpg
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
DOCnAbox said:
Bamagurl.... you need to send in the primaries today! They are already interviewing at UAB, South Alabama, and plenty other places I know you are applying to. The primaries are not that expensive and the time consuming stuff you'll have to do sooner or later so why not sooner? You need a bad ass personal statement and lists of all the EC stuff you've done. Submit today or as soon as possible. When they send the secondaries, which many wont for at least 2 or 3 weeks, you can fill those out (or not if you don't like your MCAT) when they come in the mail/e-mail.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice DOCnAbox. I actually started filling those out a while back, like in June or something, so now the only thing I have left is the personal statement and LORs. But I don't know, one part of me is saying I should go ahead and get all that out of the way, while the other is telling me to just wait and apply for the 2011 cycle. This may sound like the worst idea ever, but I'm leaning towards taking a year off to do medical mission, travel, and do all the things that I've always wanted to do but never had the chance to.

However, I do know of several people who sent in their primaries in early/late October, then waited a few weeks for secondaries, interviewed in January/February, and got accepted in March. Given that UAB and USA both operate on a rolling basis, this would not be the best route to take. But anything is possible, right?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bamagurl14 said:
Thanks for the advice DOCnAbox. I actually started filling those out a while back, like in June or something, so now the only thing I have left is the personal statement and LORs. But I don't know, one part of me is saying I should go ahead and get all that out of the way, while the other is telling me to just wait and apply for the 2011 cycle. This may sound like the worst idea ever, but I'm leaning towards taking a year off to do medical mission, travel, and do all the things that I've always wanted to do but never had the chance to.

However, I do know of several people who sent in their primaries in early/late October, then waited a few weeks for secondaries, interviewed in January/February, and got accepted in March. Given that UAB and USA both operate on a rolling basis, this would not be the best route to take. But anything is possible, right?
Click to expand...

That actually is a great idea. I'm taking my year off right now to do medical research for UAB (mainly bc i wanted to retake the MCAT but it is proving to be a great experience). Taking a year from the constant studying is good and if you use that year for medical stuff it looks really good on your resume.

yeah, if you haven't done the personal statement or LOR than you might wanna do the 2011 cycle. Just saying because my personal statement took me almost a month of revisions and getting people to read it to get it perfect. And the LOR I had to work on for about 6 months because of forgetful teachers (one actually lost my LOR form 2 times). Good luck with whatever you decide to do though.👍
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Anybody else sick of secondaries yet...

All I keep thinking is, man, this pain and suffering is going to be SUCH a waste if my score doesn't improve 🙁

Let's add another thought for this chat:

Dream school?
Practical school you'd be happy with?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bamagurl14 said:
So I was wondering, is there anyone out there who still hasn't submitted their primaries besides me? I know waiting until after I get my score back in October would hurt my chances of getting an interview since it would delay things a little bit, provided it takes several weeks to get everything verified. But if I scored in the low 20's, is there even a point in applying then?
Click to expand...


I haven't submitted mine either. I am waiting for my score. I feel I have a better chance late with a good score or the chance to retake and apply early next round. I would rather not apply now if my score ends up too low.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dandi said:
I feel I have a better chance late with a good score or the chance to retake and apply early next round. I would rather not apply now if my score ends up too low.
Click to expand...

I totally agree. If I end up getting the score that I want, then I'll apply as early as in June of next year, but if not, then I'm gonna have to retake in January. I just hope I don't ever have to retake, cuz that would mean starting all over from scratch. I guess we'll see in 17 days....:xf:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
s2thindi said:
Dream school?
Practical school you'd be happy with?
Click to expand...

Dream School: Einstein, URochester

Practical School: Downstate, Albany Med, Tulane


I did this based on schools that I feel I actually have a chance at...Otherwise I would have chosen Cornell #1 along with Columbia as my dream schools.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yeah I'm with some of you guys. My plan, along with help from my PI, has always been to do apps next year for '11. Lately, I'm thinking that I might just throw out apps to 3-4 favorable schools if I like my MCAT score on the 14th tho. Keep in mind I have done NOTHING for them yet (including PS, LOR's, etc.) What do you guys think of this? Is it feasible? I know some schools have deadlines as late as mid-November. Does this give me enough time? Thanks in advance for your advice.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I think it's practical if you compare your score (gpa + mcat) to the spread sheet and you're more than 1.5 SD or even 2 SD above for the schools you're interested in. Also, your EC's should be pretty interesting/competitive.

A lot of my friends are getting interviews already and the application process is basically first come, first serve. If you're below 1.5 SD, it might be a waste of money. I'd just wait for the next application cycle and build up my app so that my chances will increase for both dream and "practical" schools. Whatever a "practical" school is, any med school is a dream school to me.

Here's to hoping our scores come back and we go 😕... WAIT, I DID WHAT?! 😀 and then that smile will be plastered on our faces for 1 week straight.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
s2thindi said:
I just realized our score release date is the same day as my two year anniversary with my boyfriend... It's either going to be a really good anniversary or...
Click to expand...

I know how you feel. The day we took the mcat was on my b-day. I cryed the rest of the evening b/c of stress and ps section. I have three kids and my husband has been out of state working this last year. He flew in the week of the mcat so I could stay at a hotel and study. Some of my sadness had to do to the fact that he had to fly out the next morning. Hope we get a good score then all will be worth it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Anyone else still getting flashbacks of questions they had on the test?? lol ! The wait is unbearable.... lol😱
Hey did anyone go to a state school? I graduated from a state school and feel that it didnt really prepare me to take a test like this bc my state school was ridiculously easy.. I played a univeristy sport and didnt study that much and still wound up with a 3.9.. Anyone else have similar thoughts about state schools?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
fishsticks2629 said:
Anyone else still getting flashbacks of questions they had on the test?? lol ! The wait is unbearable.... lol😱
Hey did anyone go to a state school? I graduated from a state school and feel that it didnt really prepare me to take a test like this bc my state school was ridiculously easy.. I played a univeristy sport and didnt study that much and still wound up with a 3.9.. Anyone else have similar thoughts about state schools?
Click to expand...

I went to a state school.... and I worked my butt off for my GPA. I think it depends on the school. For example, my school has a reputation for not so easy science class. We have a great engineering school and a "VHL" of research. We also have a medical school...

I feel like my classes prepared me for the MCAT, I just wasn't always willing to be prepared, i.e. I could have learned a lot in physics, but unfortunately for that class in particular I just went through motions (difficult though) to get an A. I never really understood everything IN DEPTH. For Organic Chemistry, I took my time and really understood everything and I didn't even need to restudy it for the MCAT (I took it more than a year ago).

I graduated in the top 2.5% of my college.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
bamagurl14 said:
Thanks. It might be a little too early to ask, but have you chosen which specialty you'd like to go into?
Click to expand...

Ha, right now Im just thinking about getting into medical school. I know we wont know our specialty until it hits us one day but I enjoy watching surgery and I feel like I would make a good surgeon. 😎
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
berkpremed said:
I think it's practical if you compare your score (gpa + mcat) to the spread sheet and you're more than 1.5 SD or even 2 SD above for the schools you're interested in. Also, your EC's should be pretty interesting/competitive.

A lot of my friends are getting interviews already and the application process is basically first come, first serve. If you're below 1.5 SD, it might be a waste of money. I'd just wait for the next application cycle and build up my app so that my chances will increase for both dream and "practical" schools. QUOTE]

Well, my big issue is that my GPA is a bit on the low side (Very low by SDN standards): 3.3 cGPA, 3.45 sGPA. I'm assuming this is probably below the 1.5 SD for most schools. I did go to a very competitive school and have a positive trend in my grades. The other thing is that I graduated over 2 years ago. Since, I have done one year of lab research which produced one paper and am now working in clinical research at one of the top hospitals in the US. I have published once here and have a few more on the way (knock on wood). I've also done lots of volunteering and my clinical experience is very deep.

I guess my question is how much of a difference does all of this really make? Truth is, I've already decided that I will only apply to a few very favorable schools if my MCAT is >32. Do you think I have a shot in this case? I have also been considering doing an SMP for next year to try to compensate for the low GPA.

What do you guys think? I know it's hard to speculate without the MCAT score but I'm trying to decide whether I should start on some apps or not...
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
fishsticks2629 said:
Anyone else still getting flashbacks of questions they had on the test?? lol ! The wait is unbearable.... lol😱
Hey did anyone go to a state school? I graduated from a state school and feel that it didnt really prepare me to take a test like this bc my state school was ridiculously easy.. I played a univeristy sport and didnt study that much and still wound up with a 3.9.. Anyone else have similar thoughts about state schools?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing you aren't from California...

Seriously though, state schools are a mixed bag, as are private schools. There are some great ones (Berkeley, UVA, UMICH, Texas, etc.) and there are some pretty crappy ones. The great ones are consistently ranked with the top Privates. No offense, but if you didn't go to a top state school this could explain your viewpoint a bit. If you did, maybe you are just smart/ talented enough to skate by with minimal work. I really don't think that the MCAT is about where you went to school. In some cases, sadly, it isn't even about how hard you study. One of my good friends did NOTHING in school and barely skated by with just above a 2.0. He scored upper 30's on the MCAT studying only the week before. His dad is also a nuclear physicist so maybe genetics has something to do with it. He is doing Carribbean due to the GPA thing but he will still be an MD nonetheless. In contrast, I've met people who went to Harvard who couldn't crack 30 to save their lives. Just some food for thought...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I've got a 3.06 cGPA with a positive trend in the last 3 years. Brought it up from 2.4 I think. Third and final crack at the MCAT hoping it at least gives me a shot in Canada, otherwise it's Caribbean for me, too. That is, if they'll have me.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Starting tomorrow, it'll be exactly 2 weeks till score release day.

*Sigh* October 13 just can't get here soon enough....
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
DOCnAbox said:
Ha, right now Im just thinking about getting into medical school. I know we wont know our specialty until it hits us one day but I enjoy watching surgery and I feel like I would make a good surgeon. 😎
Click to expand...

Man, those guys go through hell. If you can cut it more power to you.

I've been around this stuff on a clinical level for long enough now to know that I'm not built for surgery. Plus, I want to have a life and family at some point in the very distant future.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Winterpegger said:
I've got a 3.06 cGPA with a positive trend in the last 3 years. Brought it up from 2.4 I think. Third and final crack at the MCAT hoping it at least gives me a shot in Canada, otherwise it's Caribbean for me, too. That is, if they'll have me.
Click to expand...

Ever consider an SMP? I'm very strongly considering Tulane's as I've heard good things. I've heard they interview most of the people who do well in this program. Plus, I'm financially independent so once I establish residency down there I can take a shot at the LSU schools.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
seriously.... feel more miserable waiting for the score than studying for it ><
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
thomyorke said:
Ever consider an SMP? I'm very strongly considering Tulane's as I've heard good things. I've heard they interview most of the people who do well in this program. Plus, I'm financially independent so once I establish residency down there I can take a shot at the LSU schools.
Click to expand...

What does SMP stand for? Some kind of post-grad degree? edit: OK I looked it up. I'm in Canada so it would be a big move to go to the US for one year, if they are Canadian-friendly...I'll consider it for sure though. This intrigues me, thanks for the heads up. Gonna have to research stats for how many SMP grads make it to medical school and how med schools consider SMP grades.

DOCnAbox said:
surgery
Click to expand...
thomyorke said:
If you can cut it
Click to expand...
hah
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
thomyorke said:
Man, those guys go through hell. If you can cut it more power to you.

I've been around this stuff on a clinical level for long enough now to know that I'm not built for surgery. Plus, I want to have a life and family at some point in the very distant future.
Click to expand...

Nice pun! (If you can cut it) haha. Yeah, surgery is very competitive but I spent a whole month with a surgeon and got to know him well. He has a wife and two kids. He comes in at 7am and is out by 4pm usually. He DOES work non-stop usually when we're there but he loves it and I really enjoyed watching all the surgeries. I guess it's just one job that I don't think I would ever get bored of. Of course, any job becomes boring after a certain amount of time... except blow...nvm... inappropriate
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Comedian of the Day.... Dave Chappelle

Somebody broke into my house once. This is a good time to call the police, but mm mm, nope. The house was too nice. It was a real nice house, but they'd never believe I lived in it. They'd be like "He's still here!" Whack! "Oh my god. Open and shut case, Johnson. I saw this once when I was a rookie. Apparently this ni**er broke in and put up pictures of his family everywhere."

"They got a character on there (Sesame Street) named Oscar, they treat this guy like sh** the entire show. They judge him right in his face, "Oscar you are so mean! Isn't he kids?", "Yeah Oscar! Your a grouch!", its like "BI*CH! I LIVE IN A F***ING TRASHCAN!"

"Hey, I gotta make a stop real quick." At 3 o'clock in the morning, and I didn't know he was taking me to the ghetto at first. I started looking out the window, see gun store, gun store, liquor store, gun store, where the f*** you taking me? This don't look good. He didn't say s**t. He just pulled up in front of an old rickety building that looked like a project. I've never been there before, I'm not sure if it was a project, it certainly had all the familiar symptoms of a project. A ****ing crackhead ran this way, tktktktktktk! Then another one jumped out of a tree and ****, tktktk! The guy said, "I'll be right back," and left me. Took the keys with him and just left me. At 3 o'clock in the morning, in front of a project, in a ****ing limousine. This was not good. I was like, "I gotta look around, find some landmarks, see if I can figure out where I'm at. I might have to escape on foot." Now this is when I know I'm in a bad neighborhood, you only see this in the worst neighborhoods. Remember, this was 3 o'clock in the morning. I looked out the window, and there was a f***ing baby standing on the corner. And the baby didn't even look scared, he was just standing there. And it made me sad you know, because I wanted to help the baby. I was like, "Mm mm I don't trust you either, click! clllick! The old baby-on-the-corner trick, eh? Not gonna fall for that s**t. But where is this limousine driver?" As time goes by I start feeling worse, I was like, "What the hell is wrong with me, I'm scared of a baby! But this baby could be in trouble, he may need my help. I gotta do something." But I wasn't gonna get out of the car. I'm serious, man. I just cranked the window open a little bit. "Hey baby! Baby, go home, man! It's 3 o'clock in the morning man, what the f*** are you doing up?" The baby says, "I'm selling weed, n***a!"

"Hey, baby! Stop selling weed, all right, you've got your whole life ahead of you." He goes, "F*** you, n***a. I got kids to feed!"

davechappelle.jpg
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
ABRuniverse said:
**** what the **** is juice? I wan't some grape drink baby! mmmm...&#65279; it's purple
Click to expand...

Hahah I think Dave Chappelle was just what we needed...good stuff today guys. Also nice to see some new faces coming to the forum and keeping it alive. We're in the home stretch now!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
from the 9/4/09 mcat group hahah

Quote:
Originally Posted by Longshanks
Well, that's mainly because every other test date has their scores already and we're still waiting 😉

Haha, that is an excellent point (no sarcasm), but check out the 9/12/09 thread. They're posting comedy and don't seem nearly as worried as most of us seem to be. Hopefully the fact we're all "stressed" will translate to a monster curve.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
So tomorrow will be Oct. 1, which means we have a little over a week (12 days) before the BIG DAY.

Congrats guys, we've made it almost 2/3 of the way.


Thank you guys for these hilarious posts....anyways, back to worrying....
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hey guys, u should check out the "Obsessed with a guy" thread in pre-allo. It's hilarious and ridiculous at the same time! 😛
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Before I leave work it is time for the most popular segment of the day...
Comedian of the Day!!!

Today's comedian is Steven Wright

"OK, so what's the speed of dark?"

"The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

"What happens if you get scared half to death twice?"

"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is

research."

"I spilled spot remover on my dog. Now he's gone"

"I went to the hardware store and bought some used paint. It was in the shape
of a house. I also bought some batteries, but they weren't included"

"Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time"

"I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart"

"Last week I forgot how to ride a bicycle."

"I was in a job interview and I opened a book and started reading. Then I said
to the guy, "Let me ask you a question. If you are in a spaceship that is
traveling at the speed of light, and you turn on the headlights, does anything
happen?" He said, "I don't know." I said, "I don't want your job."

"Sponges grow in the ocean. That just kills me. I wonder how much deeper the
ocean would be if that didn't happen."

"If a word in the dictionary were mispelled, how would we know?"

2458484954_38491c1130_o.jpg
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
s2thindi said:
Most definitely... It's getting worse too....

(between secondaries and the fact that we are so close but so far)
Click to expand...

Yeah, good thing I'm not working on secondaries right now cuz I would probably put down some pretty crappy answers due to lack of motivation/concentration.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Just wanted to stop by and say roll tide, in the hopes that the last poster goes to the good alabama uni 😉
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
loveoforganic said:
Just wanted to stop by and say roll tide, in the hopes that the last poster goes to the good alabama uni 😉
Click to expand...

Who, me? or DocNAbox?

BTW, congrats on your MCAT achievement! What a nice score distribution 👍

And yes, rolllllllll tideeeeeeee all the way!!!!!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

graycar
Are there July MCAT slots available for 12th/25th ?
Replies
0
Views
1K
graycar
graycar
D
  • Question Question
july 12th mcat , is it late for the TMDSAS cycle?
Replies
2
Views
2K
wysdoc
wysdoc
mjo9943
MCAT Advice
Replies
2
Views
3K
Janilla
J
M
Should I retake the MCAT?
Replies
5
Views
2K
Dral
Dral
LMAGZ
MCAT Advice
Replies
2
Views
2K
Rachapkis
Rachapkis
Top