2008-2009 Meharry Medical College Secondary Application Thread

[call me x]

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thanks for the feedback!!

 

[anease1]

I have been truly blessed with the interviews invite.If u have faith in God,anything is possible.
It was completed like a month ago and the invite came today.
Any one previously interview here, want to help me about hotel accommodations other than maxwell house and the whole process day at the school.
Any insight or comment will truly help. Thanks in advance
Good Luck All with the rest of the cycle

yup, i can testify to that! He's been so faithful to me this season (and always). see u on the 30th, maybe---dunno if i'll be able to come.

 

[Dr Kate]

I just got an interview invite today! I'm so excited - it's my first one. Hopefully it goes well. Anyone else out there interviewing on 11/14?

By the way, I was complete on 9/4, so it's been about sixish weeks or so, just to let everyone know what they can expect with invites.🙂

 

[stephi1684]

I just got an interview invite today! I'm so excited - it's my first one. Hopefully it goes well. Anyone else out there interviewing on 11/14?

By the way, I was complete on 9/4, so it's been about sixish weeks or so, just to let everyone know what they can expect with invites.🙂

I just got mine today too... also complete on 9/4 and will be there on 11/14 🙂

 

[beerog2003]

Good luck you guys that are interviewing. I wish you all the best. I hope and pray that I will be joining you all in the interview process soon. My application was complete on 9/11 so hopefully I will hear something in the next few weeks. I pray that everyone acheives their dream. I feel truly blessed to get to this point. So again good luck c/o 2013.

 

[Dr Kate]

I just got mine today too... also complete on 9/4 and will be there on 11/14 🙂

Good, I'll see you there!

By the way, does anyone know if there's a place to put your bag/suitcase while you're interviewing? This is my first one, and I don't exactly know how that all works. I'll be staying overnight, so I'll have a duffel bag or something. I have to check out of the room before the interview, so what do I do with the bag?

 

[drelizabeth292]

Good, I'll see you there!

By the way, does anyone know if there's a place to put your bag/suitcase while you're interviewing? This is my first one, and I don't exactly know how that all works. I'll be staying overnight, so I'll have a duffel bag or something. I have to check out of the room before the interview, so what do I do with the bag?

they always have a place for your stuff-usually the admissions office. dont worry about it at all.

 

[AMEHigh]

I just got mine today too... also complete on 9/4 and will be there on 11/14 🙂

I received an email when they actually received my secondary, but nothing about when they received my letters from AMCAS? Did you all get 2 separate complete emails? Just curious if I need to follow up to make sure they received my letters.

Hoping for an interview! Good luck to you!

 

[stephi1684]

I received an email when they actually received my secondary, but nothing about when they received my letters from AMCAS? Did you all get 2 separate complete emails? Just curious if I need to follow up to make sure they received my letters.

Hoping for an interview! Good luck to you!

Hey... I received two emails... one when they received my secondary and a second email when my file was complete.

 

[Dr Kate]

they always have a place for your stuff-usually the admissions office. dont worry about it at all.

Okay thanks.🙂 I figured they would, but I wanted to be sure.

And Stephi1684, do you know where you're staying yet? That hotel they suggested is totally booked. I wanted to find something close to the school with a free airport shuttle, but I'm not having any luck. I guess I'll have to suck it up and pay for a taxi or something.

 

[stephi1684]

Okay thanks.🙂 I figured they would, but I wanted to be sure.

And Stephi1684, do you know where you're staying yet? That hotel they suggested is totally booked. I wanted to find something close to the school with a free airport shuttle, but I'm not having any luck. I guess I'll have to suck it up and pay for a taxi or something.

I'm actually staying with my aunt and uncle who lives about 20 minutes from nashville and I'm just driving in and parking on campus.

 

[Dr Kate]

I'm actually staying with my aunt and uncle who lives about 20 minutes from nashville and I'm just driving in and parking on campus.

You're lucky you don't have to go through the hassle of finding a place to stay. I think I found somewhere, but now I have to check the maps and see how far it is exactly and stuff.

 

[RockDoc86]

I just got an invite today for Nov. 21! I'm from Canada though and this interview is going to cost me quite a bit in transportation costs. I hope it goes well to be worth the price!

 

[Live4Life]

I just got an invite today for Nov. 21! I'm from Canada though and this interview is going to cost me quite a bit in transportation costs. I hope it goes well to be worth the price!

Do you mind sharing when you were complete?

 

[RockDoc86]

Do you mind sharing when you were complete?

I was complete on 9/4.

 

[MeharryDoc]

If you get accepted elsewhere, pick that school over Meharry. If you are accepted nowhere else, then go to Meharry. I am a current student at Meharry. The school is extremely disorganized, the curriculum is poorly structured, the educational instruction is poor, and there are 6 hours of lecture almost every weekday.

 

[A Long Story]

If you get accepted elsewhere, pick that school over Meharry. If you are accepted nowhere else, then go to Meharry. I am a current student at Meharry. The school is extremely disorganized, the curriculum is poorly structured, the educational instruction is poor, and there are 6 hours of lecture almost every weekday.

😱

 

[Miss Alyssa]

I haven't been on this site is so long. I've only read through the first page of this thread. I'm a current first year at Meharry. If you have questions that you think I can answer, please ask away. I'll check in on this thread and my IMs periodically.

Lys

 

[kac714]

I haven't been on this site is so long. I've only read through the first page of this thread. I'm a current first year at Meharry. If you have questions that you think I can answer, please ask away. I'll check in on this thread and my IMs periodically.

Lys

in your opinion, is the post by meharry doc above true??

 

[MeharryDoc]

I actually know who Miss Alyssa is at my school (we're a small school)! But I think it's safer for me to remain anonymous.

I can get extremely specific about what instructors have done, but I don't think it's necessary. I was warned by upperclassmen when I interviewed a long time ago to pick another school over Meharry if I have other options.

If you ever interview here, just ask how the anatomy dissections are conducted and whether or not they even touch the LCD TVs in the lab. Also ask about the lecture schedule, particularly how many hours we sit in class per day. I'd post my old semester schedules, but I am paranoid that my name would be attached to the pdf somehow if I were to download it from Blackboard (school website) through my account.

I am an upperclassmen. I can definitely say that our rotation years have been a world of difference. I must state that Meharry students are not 'idiots' (I've met some of the brightest people I know at this school). The problem is the curriculum's disorganization. We work a lot harder than most med students out there, so when we do well on our board exams, I actually do feel that we did it on our own, not with Meharry's help.

 

[Miss Alyssa]

in your opinion, is the post by meharry doc above true??

I don't know who 'meharry doc' is. I tend not to put much weight on post from people who come out of no where to post negative things on message boards. He or she joined this board int he past 6 days and his or her only posts are in this there and they are negative? I have post history going back some 3 years. Draw your own conclusions.

Furthermore, I don't know any upper years. I can name 2 4th years and 1 3rd year. I'm an introvert and I highly doubt 'meharry doc' knows me. Personally, when I have problems I take them to people who can actually fix them. You should never feel afraid to speak up. But 'meharry doc', I'd be happy to bring your issues to the powers that be to have them addressed.'meharry doc', if you do actually go to Meharry and you know who I am, you can meet me next week and discuss your grievances🙂.

To answer your question more directly:

On disorganization - There does seem to be some disorganization in administration, which frustrated me during application season. Whatever caused that disorganization isn't causing me problems now.

On curriculum - The curriculum is a mix of old and new teaching styles. In first semester of first year there are 3 courses.
-Biochemistry/cell and molecular biology
-gross anatomy/embryology
-'practice and principles in medicine' (statistics, ethics, health policy, health and society etc)

biochem and anatomy are traditional lecture style, PPM has both lectures and small group

second semester is what I guess you'd call modules. I'm not sure of all the courses we have. I think we do more biochem, neuroscience, immunology, microbiology... But they're separated into blocks. (I can find out for sure if you really want to know)

Second year you meet the organ system based courses. So you get to integrate what you learned in first year. I wouldn't personally call that "poorly organized". I came here with a background in neuroscience. Anything below the neck was foreign to me. I'm glad I get to learn to learn the anatomy, how organs are related to each other and get a strong basis in biochemistry before being thrown into learning an entire organ system. Some schools start with organ system based learning from day 1. Their students succeed too. So it's important to decide which curriculum is right for yourself.

On educational instruction: Not everyone can learn from every teacher. You guys have gone through undergrad, so you know that not every professor's teaching style is most conducive to your learning style. This is true for ANY school. The professors are some of the most organized people. When we started back in August, we got a schedule with every lecture topic planned from then through to December. The teachers really go above and beyond. It amazes me how they will give up their valuable family time to stay late into the evening or come in on Saturday and Sunday to have a review or extra help session. And when you start shadowing, and the attending or resident starts talking about the patients disease course and it all makes sense to you because of what you learned in class… you really appreciate what your professors have taught you.

On number of hours in class: Honestly, sometimes we are schedule for 8 hours when you include lab. We generally do have 6 hours though. Sometimes we have shadowing in the afternoon so we’re only in class for 4 hours. Sometimes we just have the afternoon off. My biggest struggle has been adjusting to the long class hours. It’s hard for me to sit and listen for that long, and then go home and study. On the other hand, there are people in class who sit there and manage to pick up everything they need to know, go home and not study, and still do well on exams. I have classmates who I met for the first time on exam day (you get what I’m saying). Mind you, Meharry isn’t the only school with long hours. Similar to studying for the MCAT, some people benefit from the structure of courses like Kaplan, other people are more self-directed. Again, it comes down to the type of learner that you are.

On choosing a school over Meharry: You need to ask yourself why you want to come to Meharry. What makes Meharry unique. What do you want to get out of your 4 years in medical school. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now.

I hope that helps.
Lys

 

[A Long Story]

Miss Alyssa,

How is the financial aid situation at Meharry? Would you say that most students receive scholarships?

How are the pass rates for step one? I'm not asking for a specific number just the percentage of students passing at first attempt and if the curriculum helps students get ready for the boards...i.e are there online tests?

Thanks in advance!

 

[kac714]

thanks so much for the info! I really appreciate it.

 

[MeharryDoc]

I don't know who 'meharry doc' is. I tend not to put much weight on post from people who come out of no where to post negative things on message boards. He or she joined this board int he past 6 days and his or her only posts are in this there and they are negative? I have post history going back some 3 years. Draw your own conclusions.

If you don't think I go to Meharry, I'll be glad to persuade you otherwise. I know that you first years pissed off Dr. Atta last week during your clicker sessions. It's spreading around that you first years don't have a very good reputation among faculty. I'm not going to attack Dr. Atta because he's one of the best professors at Meharry (best instructors in my life actually.

Furthermore, I don't know any upper years. I can name 2 4th years and 1 3rd year. I'm an introvert and I highly doubt 'meharry doc' knows me. Personally, when I have problems I take them to people who can actually fix them. You should never feel afraid to speak up. But 'meharry doc', I'd be happy to bring your issues to the powers that be to have them addressed.'meharry doc', if you do actually go to Meharry and you know who I am, you can meet me next week and discuss your grievances🙂.

I know you're an introvert. But I also know that you've attended various specialty clubs at Meharry. If I specify which one, I would be giving away my identity. Students have been complaining about various instructors for YEARS. I know graduates who complained about various faculty members when they were still here. The administration doesn't do a damn thing to improve anything. You think they actually care about our course evaluations? The only person who reads it is Dr. Atta. And yet he's the one faculty member who does NOT need to read it (he's a good instructor). You think talking to your class officers will actually get anything done? Several faculty members don't even take responsibility for their disorganization, even when class presidents address the issues politely.

On educational instruction: Not everyone can learn from every teacher. You guys have gone through undergrad, so you know that not every professor's teaching style is most conducive to your learning style. This is true for ANY school. The professors are some of the most organized people. When we started back in August, we got a schedule with every lecture topic planned from then through to December.

I believe Miss Alyssa is from Canada. Perhaps med schools up there have a different standard. I was involved with studying other schools curriculum to provide feedback to the curriculum directors at Meharry. It doesn't matter if professors planned a set schedule. For example (since you don't know the other faculty members yet) I know for sure Dr. Jackson never sticks to his anatomy schedule, then ends up piling lectures during the final week before the exam. All he talks about is fascia and meninges, while teaching important material (accouting for 80% of the test material) a few days before the actual exam. He's been doing this for at least 6 years, if not longer. Students have been submitting the same course evaluations year after year, but to no effect.

And when you start shadowing, and the attending or resident starts talking about the patients disease course and it all makes sense to you because of what you learned in class… you really appreciate what your professors have taught you.

I actually agree with this point. It's one of the reasons why 3rd and 4th years are a completely different world.

On number of hours in class: Honestly, sometimes we are schedule for 8 hours when you include lab. We generally do have 6 hours though. Sometimes we have shadowing in the afternoon so we’re only in class for 4 hours. Sometimes we just have the afternoon off. My biggest struggle has been adjusting to the long class hours. It’s hard for me to sit and listen for that long, and then go home and study. On the other hand, there are people in class who sit there and manage to pick up everything they need to know, go home and not study, and still do well on exams. I have classmates who I met for the first time on exam day (you get what I’m saying). Mind you, Meharry isn’t the only school with long hours. Similar to studying for the MCAT, some people benefit from the structure of courses like Kaplan, other people are more self-directed. Again, it comes down to the type of learner that you are.

You guys started school since JUNE. If any of you applicants didn't know, school starts in JUNE. I believe it'll start in July for this coming year though. So you start school in June, yet we sit class for 6 lecture hours every day until December. Other schools start in August, end in December, and have 3-4 hours of lecture every day.

The 1st semester classes you have off in the afternoon didn't really start until November. Other schools teach something similar to PPM only 3 hours per week. Meharry expects minimum 4 hours, usually 8 hours per week for just PPM alone. That's on top of 6 hours of anatomy lecture per week. Then 10 hours of biochemistry per week. Don't forget all the reviews they throw at you. And then that doesn't include anatomy dissection hours, which you end up using an esoteric dissection manual written 30 years ago by our faculty member, which includes the most horrendous illustrations. Everyone feels directionless because no one explains what you're supposed to be doing in anatomy lab (except Dr. Ogunkua for 1 month during Thorax and Abdomen block).

On choosing a school over Meharry: You need to ask yourself why you want to come to Meharry. What makes Meharry unique. What do you want to get out of your 4 years in medical school. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now.

I hope that helps.
Lys

For all of you applicants who end up attending Meharry and start complaining about how disorganized the faculty and administration is, don't forget this: I told you so.

 

[MeharryDoc]

Miss Alyssa,

How is the financial aid situation at Meharry? Would you say that most students receive scholarships?

How are the pass rates for step one? I'm not asking for a specific number just the percentage of students passing at first attempt and if the curriculum helps students get ready for the boards...i.e are there online tests?

Thanks in advance!

No. Most students have financial aid (loans). There are scholarships available, but most of them are through 3rd party sources. There are a handful of scholarships if you're Methodist though.

Pass rates for step 1 is usually above 90% at Meharry, but average score isn't as high as other schools. And your last question, miss alyssa hasn't even taken her first subject boards yet, and she still has a year and half till her step 1. Your sophomore year at Meharry is an improvement over your first year, but it's still nowhere organized or efficient.

 

[A Long Story]

No. Most students have financial aid (loans). There are scholarships available, but most of them are through 3rd party sources. There are a handful of scholarships if you're Methodist though.

Pass rates for step 1 is usually above 90% at Meharry, but average score isn't as high as other schools. And your last question, miss alyssa hasn't even taken her first subject boards yet, and she still has a year and half till her step 1. Your sophomore year at Meharry is an improvement over your first year, but it's still nowhere organized or efficient.

Thanks for the reply. I am sure students at Meharry all have different opinions of how things are. Either way thanks for giving an insider's perspective. Other than that, I think you should just let this topic go....

 

[starrynight1844]

For the secondary application under Personal data, there was a question that wanted you to rank 9 things from highest to lowest about the medical practice we desire.

They are:

a. Private group/partnership
b. Hospital based group
c. Individual
d. Full-time teaching and/or academic research
e. Public Health
f. Health Maintenance Organizations
g. Health Policy
h. Medical Administration
i. Undecided

How does d, e, f, g, and h deal with medical practice? I never heard of these categories referring to medical practice and I can't find any websites to explain them to me. Also, how is a private group different from a partnership?

Thank you!

 

[MsKrispyKreme]

Wow. I was sitting here, contemplating on whether or not I would accept my Meharry interview invite when I stumbled across this thread. 🙁

Meharry Doc, while I admire your perspective, I think it is vastly immature of you to play the "I know who you are, but you don't know who I am! Ha ha!" game with Miss Alyssa. Frankly, it's creepy. And it makes me wonder if your experiences are valid or if you are just someone that is not doing so well in med school & is blaming the administration? 😕

Thanks for your input, but I agree with A Long Story -- let this issue drop.👎

 

[Miss Alyssa]

Miss Alyssa,

How is the financial aid situation at Meharry? Would you say that most students receive scholarships?

How are the pass rates for step one? I'm not asking for a specific number just the percentage of students passing at first attempt and if the curriculum helps students get ready for the boards...i.e are there online tests?

Thanks in advance!

I believe most people have some amount of loans. Some have scholarships from outside of Meharry (like the army). There are scholarships available from Meharry. When I interviewed they said you need a certain GPA to me eligible, (3.5 I think). I wouldn't be surprised if MCATs also factor in. Several of of my friends have scholarships for $10,000+. According to old posts here on SDN, people have received full scholarships. (If you get a scholarship, don't forget my name!🙂)

For step one pass rates, I did a quick search on SDN and saw that schools don't normally publish it. Meaning it might be hard for me to get an official number. I've been wondering myself, so I'm going to try. Earlier this school year, there was an assembly and the Dean was congratulating the current 3rd years on their performance. I don't remember the exact pass rate, but I think it was high 80s, low 90s. Not all of them had taken it yet ( or at least they all didn't have their scores back yet), and I don't know if that was just the pass rate for first time takers.

I will write my first board exams in just over a month. After then I'll be able to tell you how the curriculum prepared me. Our internal exams are done on the computer, and we take quizzes on these little electronic clickers. It's a little ironic because I rushed to do the last paper MCAT so I wouldn't have to do the computer based one. And now I'm being forced to advance with the times. The testing conditions are meant to simulate the national board exam conditions. We do have "subject boards" which are external exams from the organizational body that administers the USMLE. This is nice in that you get a taste of what Step 1 will be like before it REALLY counts.

Something that "MeharryDoc" said that needs touching on. Meharry is not like other schools. That is why we have PPM for more hours than other schools do. This course actually stretches for your first 2 years. Take something like "health policy"; it isn't a required part of our curriculum like anatomy is. Meharry decided to teach it in first year because they believe it's important that we know the effects of the healthcare system on our future patients and what part we will have in it in the future. They want use to understand the challenges of serving the underserved and underinsured *before* we all get to 4th year with our hearts set on dermatology and plastic surgery (not that there is anything wrong with those specialties, lol). In my opinion, PPM is where you first learn about how to be a good doctor and how to relate to patients. For example, 40% of Americans have problems with literacy? how do you make sure your patient understand a consent form or how and when to take medication?... maybe I'm biased, I really like the class

anyways, I should be studying for that exam. I'll let you know if I find out about the pass rate.

Lys

 

[kac714]

i just got my interview invite today! very excited.

 

[A Long Story]

I believe most people have some amount of loans. Some have scholarships from outside of Meharry (like the army). There are scholarships available from Meharry. When I interviewed they said you need a certain GPA to me eligible, (3.5 I think). I wouldn't be surprised if MCATs also factor in. Several of of my friends have scholarships for $10,000+. According to old posts here on SDN, people have received full scholarships. (If you get a scholarship, don't forget my name!🙂)

For step one pass rates, I did a quick search on SDN and saw that schools don't normally publish it. Meaning it might be hard for me to get an official number. I've been wondering myself, so I'm going to try. Earlier this school year, there was an assembly and the Dean was congratulating the current 3rd years on their performance. I don't remember the exact pass rate, but I think it was high 80s, low 90s. Not all of them had taken it yet ( or at least they all didn't have their scores back yet), and I don't know if that was just the pass rate for first time takers.

I will write my first board exams in just over a month. After then I'll be able to tell you how the curriculum prepared me. Our internal exams are done on the computer, and we take quizzes on these little electronic clickers. It's a little ironic because I rushed to do the last paper MCAT so I wouldn't have to do the computer based one. And now I'm being forced to advance with the times. The testing conditions are meant to simulate the national board exam conditions. We do have "subject boards" which are external exams from the organizational body that administers the USMLE. This is nice in that you get a taste of what Step 1 will be like before it REALLY counts.

Something that "MeharryDoc" said that needs touching on. Meharry is not like other schools. That is why we have PPM for more hours than other schools do. This course actually stretches for your first 2 years. Take something like "health policy"; it isn't a required part of our curriculum like anatomy is. Meharry decided to teach it in first year because they believe it's important that we know the effects of the healthcare system on our future patients and what part we will have in it in the future. They want use to understand the challenges of serving the underserved and underinsured *before* we all get to 4th year with our hearts set on dermatology and plastic surgery (not that there is anything wrong with those specialties, lol). In my opinion, PPM is where you first learn about how to be a good doctor and how to relate to patients. For example, 40% of Americans have problems with literacy? how do you make sure your patient understand a consent form or how and when to take medication?... maybe I'm biased, I really like the class

anyways, I should be studying for that exam. I'll let you know if I find out about the pass rate.

Lys

Thanks for the candid reply. You sound like you fit well with the school's mission of working with the underserved. I was asking about financial aid because it is a big factor for me because sometimes I feel like I would like to go into primary care. I would like to keep debt as low as I can in case I end up choosing a low paying specialty. Anyway, we'll see. Good luck on your test🙂

 

[MeharryDoc]

Wow. I was sitting here, contemplating on whether or not I would accept my Meharry interview invite when I stumbled across this thread. 🙁

Meharry Doc, while I admire your perspective, I think it is vastly immature of you to play the "I know who you are, but you don't know who I am! Ha ha!" game with Miss Alyssa. Frankly, it's creepy. And it makes me wonder if your experiences are valid or if you are just someone that is not doing so well in med school & is blaming the administration? 😕

Thanks for your input, but I agree with A Long Story -- let this issue drop.👎

I don't mean to be creepy. That isn't my intent nor interest. I have more to lose by not remaining anonymous. I simply made a point that I am a Meharry student and have gone through all that I've described. I will tell you straight up that I barely passed my internal exams the first two years at Meharry. However I scored well on my subjects boards and Step 1 (240+). I stopped going to classes because they're long and useless. Students at Meharry do well on their internal exams because they rely on other things to help their grades, but on average don't do well board exams. In other words, students that do well on boards usually don't rely on the school's curriculum. Meharry's Step 1 average was 207. I believe the national average is 215. It's not published, but the dean tells the class that recently took it.

While Miss Alyssa may enjoy topics in health policy, I will straight up tell you that the internal exams require memorization of details and numbers that change every year (stats on uninsured, etc), instead of conceptual understanding of the health care structure. While I admire Meharry's mission (I do plan to work in the underserved after all), the curriculum needs major overhaul. I only hope that the new president/CEO (Riley) will address them.

 

[MsKrispyKreme]

I don't mean to be creepy. That isn't my intent nor interest. I have more to lose by not remaining anonymous. I simply made a point that I am a Meharry student and have gone through all that I've described. I will tell you straight up that I barely passed my internal exams the first two years at Meharry. However I scored well on my subjects boards and Step 1 (240+). I stopped going to classes because they're long and useless. Students at Meharry do well on their internal exams because they rely on other things to help their grades, but on average don't do well board exams. In other words, students that do well on boards usually don't rely on the school's curriculum. Meharry's Step 1 average was 207. I believe the national average is 215. It's not published, but the dean tells the class that recently took it.

While Miss Alyssa may enjoy topics in health policy, I will straight up tell you that the internal exams require memorization of details and numbers that change every year (stats on uninsured, etc), instead of conceptual understanding of the health care structure. While I admire Meharry's mission (I do plan to work in the underserved after all), the curriculum needs major overhaul. I only hope that the new president/CEO (Riley) will address them.

I ended up giving up my Meharry interview spot, but thank you for the information. I would also caution you that although your anonymity protects you, your extensive public criticism does much to harm your school's reputation and thus, your educational credentials.

Take care. 😍

 

[Miss Alyssa]

Thanks for the candid reply. You sound like you fit well with the school's mission of working with the underserved. I was asking about financial aid because it is a big factor for me because sometimes I feel like I would like to go into primary care. I would like to keep debt as low as I can in case I end up choosing a low paying specialty. Anyway, we'll see. Good luck on your test🙂

There are several scholarships floating around for people that want to work in primary care. There are an increasing number of incentives to work in this field and I wouldn't be surprised if you would be able to have your schooling paid for or have a good portion of your loan repaid for you. I don't know if any are linked to specific medical schools, but if you're serious about going into primary care, then it would be a good idea to search for these programs.

Lys

 

[umean2tellme]

NHSC and HPSP 😀

 

[beerog2003]

I don't mean to be creepy. That isn't my intent nor interest. I have more to lose by not remaining anonymous. I simply made a point that I am a Meharry student and have gone through all that I've described. I will tell you straight up that I barely passed my internal exams the first two years at Meharry. However I scored well on my subjects boards and Step 1 (240+). I stopped going to classes because they're long and useless. Students at Meharry do well on their internal exams because they rely on other things to help their grades, but on average don't do well board exams. In other words, students that do well on boards usually don't rely on the school's curriculum. Meharry's Step 1 average was 207. I believe the national average is 215. It's not published, but the dean tells the class that recently took it.

While Miss Alyssa may enjoy topics in health policy, I will straight up tell you that the internal exams require memorization of details and numbers that change every year (stats on uninsured, etc), instead of conceptual understanding of the health care structure. While I admire Meharry's mission (I do plan to work in the underserved after all), the curriculum needs major overhaul. I only hope that the new president/CEO (Riley) will address them.

I am not a medical student nor a rocket scientist, but if your numbers are accurate it seems to me that Meharry Medical College is doing something very right. Their average MCAT score for students entering the college is 7-10 whole points lower than some other allopathic medical schools, however their average Step 1 score is only 8 points behind the national average. Given the differences in the scale of absolute points (Step and the MCAT) that would lead me to believe that many (not all) students who had sub par performances on the MCAT are now scoring above the national average on the Step 1. Every medical student uses their own combination of sources to try and do well on their board exams, however I would argue that those Step 1 scores are pretty impressive. I am no expert but a 207 score on Step 1 is in approx. the 30-35% percentile of people who sat for the exam. The average MCAT score for matriculates into Meharry fluctuates between 24-26 on the MCAT which is about the 20-25th (if not lower) percentile of applicants that actually matriculate into medical school. Also, many schools won't even let you sit for Step 1 if you are not passing preliminary board exams. To be performing 10% percentage points in two years on a standardizes test pulling from that pool of test takers seems astronomical to me in terms of statistics. I don't know other peoples thoughts? Maybe my statistics are off? I was a bio. major... I think they should publish the score.

There is something to be said for an institution to be willing to stand by its founding mission to serve the underserved.

Above all else, we are a stones throw from a time when Meharry was one of only two allopathic schools (barring being a rocket scientist) that would even look at an application from an African American or a female student.

Its kind of like having a grandfather that did everything right from birth, and now his grandkids don't even want to spend time with him (unbelievable).

I am not even a student at Meharry, but I would never dare drag its name through the mud or turn down an opportunity to at least interview.

Food for thought...

 

[kac714]

is anyone interviewing dec 1?

 

[FuturDocteur]

Has anyone who interviewed on October 30th gotten an acceptance letter? They said it would take 2-4 weeks and the wait is just killing me... It'll be 3 weeks tomorrow.

 

[sloedDown]

I'm interviewing Jan 26, far out I know. What kind of interview questions did they ask futurdoc? Also, did you get an acceptance letter yet? I hope so. I wish everyone the best, God is with us!

 

[anease1]

Has anyone who interviewed on October 30th gotten an acceptance letter? They said it would take 2-4 weeks and the wait is just killing me... It'll be 3 weeks tomorrow.

nope...zip. i wonder if it'd be inappropriate to call. he did say that an e-mail would be bad or mediocre news and that snail mail is usually good. so we can be thankful for the lack of news in that light.

 

[FuturDocteur]

I'm interviewing Jan 26, far out I know. What kind of interview questions did they ask futurdoc? Also, did you get an acceptance letter yet? I hope so. I wish everyone the best, God is with us!

Actually you should be fine with 1/26 date. Oct 30th was their first interview date and I think they had another one 11/14, and another one 12/1. Jan 26th should still be okay. As for the inteview, it was just basic questions, nothing stressful at all. I'll post my feedback in the interview feedback section at some point.

And no, I haven't gotten any letter from them. It's good to hear that no one else has heard from them either. Hoping it's a snail mail with an acceptance. Really liked Meharry.

 

[scarterinscrubs]

How much did you guys write on the Why meharry question. right now I am at 310 words. Think its enough?

 

[kac714]

How much did you guys write on the Why meharry question. right now I am at 310 words. Think its enough?

mine was 150ish and i got an interview... quality over quantity

 

[BlackDr2b]

I haven't heard a dog gone thing from Meharry since I got my complete email back in early September. Oh well, we shall see.....................

 

[Character]

I haven't heard a dog gone thing from Meharry since I got my complete email back in early September. Oh well, we shall see.....................

me either my man. im really hoping for howard, morehouse and meharry rite now. my greatest fear is ending up at another school filled with preppy and lame folks for another 4 years. it would be nice to have classmates who know who jodeci, shai, musiq or maxwell is. i need folks with some soul!! rural new england life is killing me right now!

 

[BlackDr2b]

me either my man. im really hoping for howard, morehouse and meharry rite now. my greatest fear is ending up at another school filled with preppy and lame folks for another 4 years. it would be nice to have classmates who know who jodeci, shai, musiq or maxwell is. i need folks with some soul!! rural new england life is killing me right now!

. I can definitely dig what you are talking about! That is real talk!

 

[FuturDocteur]

How much did you guys write on the Why meharry question. right now I am at 310 words. Think its enough?

I didn't write a lot either on the "Why Meharry" question and I also got an interview. I think I had about 5 lines. Like someone said above, quality is crucial.

 

[sdvb469]

I haven't heard a dog gone thing from Meharry since I got my complete email back in early September. Oh well, we shall see.....................

I also haven't heard anything from Meharry and was complete in early September as well. I called them last week and Ms. Davis told me my application was still in review, but thats all she could tell me because she said she only gets the application back once they have made some sort of decision.

 

[sloedDown]

I wrote over 500 words for my essay, but i do agree with quality over quantity. However, I read deep into the question. I figured they wanted to know why med school, why at meharry (their mission and vision), and how you envision yourself in the future. I always like for my essays to be unique and stand out so I stay away from listing facts.

 

[FuturDocteur]

Has anyone who interviewed already heard anything from Meharry? I think I'm going to give them a call. I really liked the school and would love to get in.