2012-2013 Medical College of Georgia Application Thread

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Anyone interviewing mid-Oct. ?

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Any suggestions for places to stay at Augusta close to school during the interview visit
 
Any suggestions for places to stay at Augusta close to school during the interview visit

Anything on Stevens Creek is really convenient. It's right off of I-20, near some restaurants and supermarkets, and about 15 minutes away from the campus (just take Washington Road).
 
Congrats Superwoman MD!!! I received an interview invite today. Oct 31. OOS
 
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M1 dropping in. Just wanted to say congrats to those already accepted and that I am looking forward to seeing some of you around campus as the interviewing season progresses.

This thread helped me out a lot last cycle and I want to give back by helping ya'll out any way I can. Feel free to PM me or post on here any questions you might have.

For those still waiting, try not to stress too much. Good luck!

Hhmmmmm...I'm a fellow M1 as well...this feels kind of weird. :laugh: I'm obviously finding ways not to study for TBL tomorrow. Anyways...

I also had some help in this group, so I thought I'd pass on the knowledge. I've only been here for 2 months, so I'm not sure how much I'll know, but I can try!

Congrats and good luck! :thumbup:
 
Can any current students talk about their experience at MCG, especially in regard to the curriculum and classes in general? The site says it's system-based, but it doesn't really give more detail than that..And how are the professors, the tests, and the camaraderie among the students? What's the typical schedule like as one M1, etc.?

Thank you!

EDIT: Just found this about the curriculum.

http://www.georgiahealth.edu/medicine/coffice/
 
Has anyone done the Student Hosting? Thoughts? I'm normally quite nervous the day before a big event, and try to avoid talking to people--especially the inevitable cheerfulness and small talk that is required when you meet someone new.

Oh gosh. It begins.
 
Can any current students talk about their experience at MCG, especially in regard to the curriculum and classes in general? The site says it's system-based, but it doesn't really give more detail than that..And how are the professors, the tests, and the camaraderie among the students? What's the typical schedule like as one M1, etc.?

Thank you!

EDIT: Just found this about the curriculum.

http://www.georgiahealth.edu/medicine/coffice/

I don't think I've really been here long enough to give a good impression of what I feel like it's about, but I think it's been good so far. It was a rough adjustment, and I definitely had some trouble in the beginning, but I think it's getting better. No matter how hard you think undergrad was - med school is 100x harder, and don't let the first month of med school fool you - it gets 100x harder after the 1st month (the 1st month is a joke compared to the 2nd). So just keep that in mind and be VERY VERY VERY VERY VEYR VERY A;LDSFJK VERY sure you want to be here, because as much as everyone complains in the class and as much as we stress out (and we have a test next week...lots of stress), I don't think any of us would rather do something else. We might joke about it, but deep down, I really do feel invested in the material, and I'm glad to be here.
/getting off of my soap box

Classes are from 8-12 every day. On Mondays, you have something called Essentials of Clinical Medicine lecture for another 2 hours after lunch (it's optional though...well, the morning lecture is optional too). They teach you the non-"book" stuff - how to take a history, culture, religion, etc. Also once a week is "small group" - 1.5hrs in the afternoon where you discuss about the ECM lecture in a group of ~10 people with 2 preceptors. Every other week you have something called "physical diagnosis" which is about 4 hours one afternoon(well, it's been varied right now, so I don't know if it'll always last 4 hours but * shrugs *). This is where you see real or standardized patients and practice your skills, aka make all possible mistakes :laugh: After the 1st month, you also start anatomy lab, which ranges from 3-5 hours a week depending on what you're doing. Our current module has been anatomy heavy, but it looks like it'll lighten up a little after this module, so I think it varies how much time you'll be spending for anatomy lab (at least, for class - you also have to add in time for outside studying).

As for general organization, the first year, you learn normal physiology and the second year, you learn abnormal physiology (though that doesn't mean you don't learn about disease now). The year itself is split into "modules" - our first module was basically introductory biochem, cell bio, and genetics with a little developmental thrown in there. Then after that, they go by systems - we're currently in the musculoskeletal system module. You don't really have a "biochem" class and a "histology" class and a "developmental" class, per se. It's "integrated" - you learn everything pertinent about that system (anatomy, histology, biochem, phsyiology, developmental) at once. You can compare this to other schools who might be systems based, but do normal and abnormal at the same time. Or PBL schools who teach through cases (still not sure how that works exactly...), which I think is how Athens is run? I'm not sure.

I've enjoyed most of our professors. We get handouts that explain the lecture, and everything you're responsible for is in the lectures or the handout - there won't be anything in the book that wasn't said, but you're responsible for it. Definitely helps to keep the volume lower than it could be (the volume is already ridiculous). There are some professors who have a harder time engaging the class, but most of the time their handouts are good, so it evens out :p All the lectures are audio recorded, so you can download them and listen at 2x speed.

I think the tests have been fair-ish so far. They're computer based - you use your own laptop. I'm not saying they've been easy, and some questions are a little tricky, but by and large, they're doable. It just depends on your effort. For now....

The class is a little clique-y, but when there are 200 people in the class, I'm not sure how it won't be like that. But I think everyone's been friendly.

Has anyone done the Student Hosting? Thoughts? I'm normally quite nervous the day before a big event, and try to avoid talking to people--especially the inevitable cheerfulness and small talk that is required when you meet someone new.

Oh gosh. It begins.

I didn't do student housing when I interviewed because I felt like I would be more comfortable in a hotel room than in someone's living room. Go by comfort. If you're the type of person that is fine with alone time and would prefer it, just get a hotel room. If you feel like you NEED someone there to keep you sane, then do student housing. If you want do it so you can ask questions, by all means do it, but realize that they'll give you a list of emails of all the tour guides, and I'm sure if they signed up for that job, they're probably the kind of people who actually love questions, so don't be afraid to email them. I doubt there are any secrets passed down from student housing that you can't find by just doing normal interview preparation. I do know that at least one interviewer asks harder questions (scenario type questions). As far as I know, it's not necessarily the choice of answer you make, but how you support your answer and how you respond that matters. So just be prepared for that. Otherwise, I've really only heard good things about interviews, and I had good experiences (haha...and I had to do it twice).

I stayed at the Country Inn and Suits near Washington Rd, and I'd recommend it. The school isn't very far and there's food around.

Good luck! Just do some interview prep for all the normal questions, and you'll be fine.
 
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We get handouts that explain the lecture, and everything you're responsible for is in the lectures or the handout - there won't be anything in the book that wasn't said, but you're responsible for it.

Just a little confused here. So does this mean that students don't really read the textbooks, and they only have to study the lecture notes to do well in class?

This is some great feedback! Thank you so much!
 
Just a little confused here. So does this mean that students don't really read the textbooks, and they only have to study the lecture notes to do well in class?

This is some great feedback! Thank you so much!

Most students find the lecture notes and handouts sufficient. I don't think anyone (or at least only very few people) actually hardcore reads the books - they only use them if the lecture or handouts are unclear. Though honestly, I'll go to google/wiki before I go to the book since it's easier and I can usually get the answers that way. The profs are also very open and quick to respond to emailed questions, so sometimes that's easier than going to the book (sometimes I find the act of writing out the email leads me to answering the question myself).

It's also nice to keep a copy of first aid around because they come with little mind tricks and mneumonics that help.
 
Most students find the lecture notes and handouts sufficient. I don't think anyone (or at least only very few people) actually hardcore reads the books - they only use them if the lecture or handouts are unclear. Though honestly, I'll go to google/wiki before I go to the book since it's easier and I can usually get the answers that way. The profs are also very open and quick to respond to emailed questions, so sometimes that's easier than going to the book (sometimes I find the act of writing out the email leads me to answering the question myself).

It's also nice to keep a copy of first aid around because they come with little mind tricks and mneumonics that help.

Awesome, thanks for the info!

Also, do you know what sorts of clinical experiences/opportunities MCG offers for global health/medically underserved populations work?
 
Hhmmmmm...I'm a fellow M1 as well...this feels kind of weird. :laugh: I'm obviously finding ways not to study for TBL tomorrow. Anyways...

I also had some help in this group, so I thought I'd pass on the knowledge. I've only been here for 2 months, so I'm not sure how much I'll know, but I can try!

Congrats and good luck! :thumbup:

Hmmmm, so you are in Anatomy group B too.... :p


I don't think I've really been here long enough to give a good impression of what I feel like it's about, but I think it's been good so far. It was a rough adjustment, and I definitely had some trouble in the beginning, but I think it's getting better. No matter how hard you think undergrad was - med school is 100x harder, and don't let the first month of med school fool you - it gets 100x harder after the 1st month (the 1st month is a joke compared to the 2nd). So just keep that in mind and be VERY VERY VERY VERY VEYR VERY A;LDSFJK VERY sure you want to be here, because as much as everyone complains in the class and as much as we stress out (and we have a test next week...lots of stress), I don't think any of us would rather do something else. We might joke about it, but deep down, I really do feel invested in the material, and I'm glad to be here.
/getting off of my soap box

Could not have said this any better, agree 100%. Adjusting to the workload, and actually having to study most of the day was a pretty big adjustment for me going in. But after the first few weeks, you start getting into a groove and getting used to the schedule so its not as bad. Unfortunately, Melody wasn't kidding about the exams getting harder, so getting to that point can be pretty rough.

You will end up having to learn some of the most complicated and confusing material that you have ever seen in a very short period of time, and then be able to apply it through clinically based exam questions.

Going through it can be pretty miserable at times, but I have learned some of the most interesting information these past few months.

I have noticed that there is a pretty large distinction in learning material for a test, like most of the information I learned in undergrad, and learning material that could potentially save someone's life someday. For the first time in my life, I feel like what I am learning actually matters. As much as it can suck, I wouldn't trade it for the world.


Most students find the lecture notes and handouts sufficient. I don't think anyone (or at least only very few people) actually hardcore reads the books - they only use them if the lecture or handouts are unclear. Though honestly, I'll go to google/wiki before I go to the book since it's easier and I can usually get the answers that way. The profs are also very open and quick to respond to emailed questions, so sometimes that's easier than going to the book (sometimes I find the act of writing out the email leads me to answering the question myself).

It's also nice to keep a copy of first aid around because they come with little mind tricks and mneumonics that help.

Getting Clinically Oriented Anatomy would be the only other thing I would add to this. There are clinical application "blue boxes" in here that are helpful and can come up on exams.

Awesome, thanks for the info!

Also, do you know what sorts of clinical experiences/opportunities MCG offers for global health/medically underserved populations work?

I honestly have no idea. I have seen some e-mails and information posted outside of our class room but have not had the chance to look into it much. I will look into it a bit more for you after the exam this friday.

That would be a great question to ask during your interview though!



Thanks for the study break guys! Back to Anterior and Posterior Hand and Forearm
 
Awesome, thanks for the info!

Also, do you know what sorts of clinical experiences/opportunities MCG offers for global health/medically underserved populations work?

There are multiple medical mission groups that head to various locations each year. Peru is our distant campus, but there are elctives and non-electives that head to india, africa south america, etc several times a year. There are clinical opportunities weekly for new students and include the faith based clinic (free or discounted care), homeless clinic, latin clinic, and women's clinic. Anyone with a white coat can help at these.

That's about it.

Go to the school that is the cheapest. 200k in student debt is no joke and the only thing worse is 300k for the same degree and opportunities.

Finally, there are free housing options for the interview night. Just wait to get the interview then request to stay with a student!
 
There are multiple medical mission groups that head to various locations each year. Peru is our distant campus, but there are elctives and non-electives that head to india, africa south america, etc several times a year. There are clinical opportunities weekly for new students and include the faith based clinic (free or discounted care), homeless clinic, latin clinic, and women's clinic. Anyone with a white coat can help at these.

That's about it.

Go to the school that is the cheapest. 200k in student debt is no joke and the only thing worse is 300k for the same degree and opportunities.

Finally, there are free housing options for the interview night. Just wait to get the interview then request to stay with a student!

Wow, that sounds wonderful. Do you know if these trips are funded for the most part or if students have to pay for them themselves? And is there some sort of schedule students must follow in regard to the free clinics, or can you volunteer in them pretty much whenever you want?

And I definitely agree about the debt. My biggest thing is having a systems based curriculum and several opportunities for doing global health/medically underserved populations work. I don't want to get myself into a huge debt especially because I plan on (at this point at least) going into primary care. And that reminds me, are there any special scholarships or grants for students wanting to go into primary care/care for the underserved? If so, do you know how much is typically offered?

Thank you so much!
 
Is the commitee meeting this thursday? Those who interviewed for RD in the oct 2nd week, when are we informed of a decision
 
Wow, that sounds wonderful. Do you know if these trips are funded for the most part or if students have to pay for them themselves? And is there some sort of schedule students must follow in regard to the free clinics, or can you volunteer in them pretty much whenever you want?

And I definitely agree about the debt. My biggest thing is having a systems based curriculum and several opportunities for doing global health/medically underserved populations work. I don't want to get myself into a huge debt especially because I plan on (at this point at least) going into primary care. And that reminds me, are there any special scholarships or grants for students wanting to go into primary care/care for the underserved? If so, do you know how much is typically offered?

Thank you so much!

1. Most are not funded. So load up your credit card and sign up for a great experience!

2. There is a schedule for each clinic. Sign up as much as you want, just don't hang the clinic out to dry by not showing up.

3. Debt sucks. There are rural scholarships by the state that will offer to pay your loans if you give them year(s) of service. 4 years in a rural area = 4 years of school paid for.
 
1. Most are not funded. So load up your credit card and sign up for a great experience!

2. There is a schedule for each clinic. Sign up as much as you want, just don't hang the clinic out to dry by not showing up.

3. Debt sucks. There are rural scholarships by the state that will offer to pay your loans if you give them year(s) of service. 4 years in a rural area = 4 years of school paid for.

Haha well it's unfortunate about the funding. But I'm glad the opportunities are at least available to the students! Thanks so much for all the info!
 
I just checked the status of my application (Secondary submitted 8/17, AMCAS verified 9/19) and it says my transcripts have not been received. Do any of you all know if I need to submit my transcripts to MCG before I'm accepted?
TIA

-A
 
I just checked the status of my application (Secondary submitted 8/17, AMCAS verified 9/19) and it says my transcripts have not been received. Do any of you all know if I need to submit my transcripts to MCG before I'm accepted?
TIA

-A

I'm pretty sure they only need official transcripts sent to them after acceptance. I think the status page states that
 
Is anyone on here going to the Athens campus? I'd be interested in hearing what classes and life is like over there. I'm not a UGA undergrad so I don't have an interest in being in Athens for the UGA social life. I just want to know what the small class size and "team-based" approach really means.
Thanks.
 
I found out that I was fortunate enough to get a spot in the class today.

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Interviewed 10/8

I really love how fast the response time is for this school. Wish other schools were like this :thumbup:

And congrats! I interviewed today and am hoping to hear back in a week or two :xf:
 
I really love how fast the response time is for this school. Wish other schools were like this :thumbup:

And congrats! I interviewed today and am hoping to hear back in a week or two :xf:

I interviewed on 10/12. Dean Duncan said the committee is meeting every Thursday and that notifications of application statuses might be sent out on the Friday right after the meeting. My interviewer said he wasn't planning to present until the end of the month. So, I don't know if he was just misinformed or what.

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Congrats on the RD acceptances, I could have interviewed on the 8th as well but that was before my mock interview with my pre-health advisor so I am going this Monday. Wish I could have gotten an acceptance this early but if I did interview that early, very likely that I would have tripped over the 'impress me' question like I did during the mock.
 
Congrats on the RD acceptances, I could have interviewed on the 8th as well but that was before my mock interview with my pre-health advisor so I am going this Monday. Wish I could have gotten an acceptance this early but if I did interview that early, very likely that I would have tripped over the 'impress me' question like I did during the mock.

My interviewer didn't ask me to impress him. So, maybe I lucked out.

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Never asked to impress anyone either. Very laid back interview, more of a directed conversation than a grilling interview. Accepted edp.
 
Does anyone know about the average step 1 and step 2 scores here?
 
Accepted RD on 10/19 as well.

For those of you accepted, is it binding when we sign the acceptance for and submit deposit or can we still withdraw if accepted to a school higher on our list?
 
Accepted RD on 10/19 as well.

For those of you accepted, is it binding when we sign the acceptance for and submit deposit or can we still withdraw if accepted to a school higher on our list?

As far as I understand, you can withdraw later and your money will be refunded (they just don't cash your money order/check).

As to the step scores, I asked, and they do not post their step 1 scores. They do reassure you that they're above the national mean. I feel like every school is above the national mean, thereby defeating the purpose of the mean, but MCG does say their average score is above the mean.
 
Accepted RD on 10/19 as well.

For those of you accepted, is it binding when we sign the acceptance for and submit deposit or can we still withdraw if accepted to a school higher on our list?

When did you interview if you dont mind me asking?? I interviewed on 10/10/2012 and the anticipation is killing me slowly. Thanks.
 
As far as I understand, you can withdraw later and your money will be refunded (they just don't cash your money order/check).

As to the step scores, I asked, and they do not post their step 1 scores. They do reassure you that they're above the national mean. I feel like every school is above the national mean, thereby defeating the purpose of the mean, but MCG does say their average score is above the mean.

Haha this is very true. Thanks for asking though!

In the curriculum, do the professors stress certain concepts that are high yield on Step 1? I understand the exams are all online--does this mean they're all mult. choice? And are they formatted like the actual Step 1?

Sorry about all the questions..
 
As far as I understand, you can withdraw later and your money will be refunded (they just don't cash your money order/check).

As to the step scores, I asked, and they do not post their step 1 scores. They do reassure you that they're above the national mean. I feel like every school is above the national mean, thereby defeating the purpose of the mean, but MCG does say their average score is above the mean.

Our curriculum is bad ass for step 1 and step 2. Unless some people are hiding or lying, our step scores are prob 230-233 for step 1 and 235-240 for step 2. I personally know of at least 20 people over a 250 on step 1. I also personally know multiple people in the 270's for step 2.

I have no idea why they hide it.

Find a school that teaches a lot of the material that is in first aid and the varous review books. If you do this you'll be doing well. Also realize that success on nationalized exams are 3 parts hard work and 1 part intelligence/problem solving. Step 1 and Step 2 are unlike anything you have done before and take more effort than you can fathom at this point in your career (that is to do very well).
 
Our curriculum is bad ass for step 1 and step 2. Unless some people are hiding or lying, our step scores are prob 230-233 for step 1 and 235-240 for step 2. I personally know of at least 20 people over a 250 on step 1. I also personally know multiple people in the 270's for step 2.

I have no idea why they hide it.

Find a school that teaches a lot of the material that is in first aid and the varous review books. If you do this you'll be doing well. Also realize that success on nationalized exams are 3 parts hard work and 1 part intelligence/problem solving. Step 1 and Step 2 are unlike anything you have done before and take more effort than you can fathom at this point in your career (that is to do very well).

Wow, those are some amazing scores. Quite surprising actually since MCG doesn't have much of a "reputation" for its students scoring mostly in top residencies like the top 20 schools. But I'm definitely glad to hear it!

And though I agree with your second point, I'm not sure it really helps in narrowing down school choices--not that I even have any at this point. But all schools teach you the core basics of what is tested on the boards. I guess what I was more interested in is how much specific schools like MCG actually stress certain concepts that are very high yield, and how their exams reflect the structure and question format of the actual Step 1. Or maybe I'm worrying about too much at this point...?
 
Wow, those are some amazing scores. Quite surprising actually since MCG doesn't have much of a "reputation" for its students scoring mostly in top residencies like the top 20 schools. But I'm definitely glad to hear it!

And though I agree with your second point, I'm not sure it really helps in narrowing down school choices--not that I even have any at this point. But all schools teach you the core basics of what is tested on the boards. I guess what I was more interested in is how much specific schools like MCG actually stress certain concepts that are very high yield, and how their exams reflect the structure and question format of the actual Step 1. Or maybe I'm worrying about too much at this point...?

You're getting too in-depth. The difference between MCG and some of the "elite" programs is that our lecturers don't show up and give a 2 hour talk on their research. Instead, they show up and teach a lot of core topics and put it into perspective for both the clinic and standardized tests.

I literally walked out of step 1 and right into the phase I coordinators office and told her that I had seen 96% of the material that was on the test at some point during our first two years. This is a solid feeling.

The match has a lot to do with where people want to do and not so much what "top" program they may or may not be competitive for. I also doubt that many pre-med students know what a "top" program may be for each respective field of medicine.
 
You're getting too in-depth. The difference between MCG and some of the "elite" programs is that our lecturers don't show up and give a 2 hour talk on their research. Instead, they show up and teach a lot of core topics and put it into perspective for both the clinic and standardized tests.

I'm not so sure this really happens at other schools..I've never heard of it..Haha, but I suppose you're right. I won't worry about the specifics right now.

I literally walked out of step 1 and right into the phase I coordinators office and told her that I had seen 96% of the material that was on the test at some point during our first two years. This is a solid feeling.

That's definitely great to hear. I hope you did well!

The match has a lot to do with where people want to do and not so much what "top" program they may or may not be competitive for. I also doubt that many pre-med students know what a "top" program may be for each respective field of medicine.

This is very true. But one still can't deny the fact that many med students (who do know what the "top" programs are for their desired fields) still aim for some of the best residency spots. So I was just curious how MCG did. Don't get me wrong--I'm not trying to be critical of MCG at all. I actually fell in love with the place when I interviewed. It's just that the current M1s weren't really able to give me much detail about the curriculum/Step 1 prep other than what I had already gathered from MCG's website, SDN, etc. And I felt very uncomfortable asking the deans for what may be obvious reasons..

But I really appreciate all your input! Thank you :)
 
I'm not so sure this really happens at other schools..I've never heard of it..Haha, but I suppose you're right. I won't worry about the specifics right now.



That's definitely great to hear. I hope you did well!



This is very true. But one still can't deny the fact that many med students (who do know what the "top" programs are for their desired fields) still aim for some of the best residency spots. So I was just curious how MCG did. Don't get me wrong--I'm not trying to be critical of MCG at all. I actually fell in love with the place when I interviewed. It's just that the current M1s weren't really able to give me much detail about the curriculum/Step 1 prep other than what I had already gathered from MCG's website, SDN, etc. And I felt very uncomfortable asking the deans for what may be obvious reasons..

But I really appreciate all your input! Thank you :)

Have you not seen the match list(s) for the past few years? Also to give you an idea of what I'm talking about... I'm currently in the middle of interview season and have the following "top" programs.

Beth Isreal Deconess (Harvard Program)
Mass General/Brigham/Childrens hospital of boston (Harvard)
Vanderbilt
Emory
UNC Chapel Hill
Univ. of Alabama
Carolina Medical Center
Denver
OHSU
Stanford

Those are 4/5 of the top East coast programs plus 3 of the top 5 west coast programs for my field. Will I end up at one of these places? Who knows... it depends on if I rank them at the top of my list and they do the same. If I rank MUSC above Stanford i'll post likely go there instead.

If you come out of medical school with great grades and board scores you can do whatever you want to. However, it's not easy to do as well as you hope once you get here, so I would be more concerned with doing as well as possible wherever you go and less worried about what other people in the classes above you are doing. A 3.0/220 from MCG and a 3.0/220 from Vandy will face the same hardships when it comes to residency in competitive fields at top places.
 
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