2023-2024 Mercer

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chilly_md

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2023-2024 Mercer Secondary Prompts (230 word limit each)

1. Please provide below an alternate e-mail address (different from the one listed on the Primary AMCAS Application) to which we can send you correspondence related to your application. (Required)

2. Please provide a cell phone number at which you can be contacted in reference to your application. (Required)

3. Please address any institutional action, including honor code or conduct code violations, from your time as an undergraduate and graduate student. (Required)

4. If you wish to discuss your perceptions of your academic readiness for the rigors of a medical school curriculum or explain poor grades in college coursework or MCAT scores to the Admissions Committee, please do so below.

5. What is your understanding of the practice of rural medicine?

6. Do you consider yourself to have been raised or to be residing in an area that is medically underserved or in a county that consists of medically underserved populations? By medically underserved we mean populations vulnerable to poor health due to difficulties accessing adequate health care services. This may be due to factors including but not limited to: education level; poverty; being uninsured or underinsured; lack of a usual source of care other than the emergency department; belonging to a socially marginalized group with poorer health outcomes; cultural or language barriers to receiving quality medical care; distance or lack of transportation to needed medical care. Please explain.

7. The mission of Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) is to educate physicians and health professionals to meet the health care needs of medically underserved and rural areas of Georgia. Summarize your work and learning experiences that you believe reflect congruence with this mission. Based on your understanding of our mission, where and what do you envision yourself doing after completion of medical school and residency?

8. If you wish to, please briefly explain to the Admissions Committee experiences, attributes, or qualifications you believe are unique to you that will strengthen the educational environment at MUSM.

9. Please explain to the Admissions Committee factors that you could not highlight above that would help the Admissions Committee better understand your unique circumstances. If you would like to briefly highlight any substantial updates with regard to your application (example, volunteer experiences) that have occurred after you submitted the Primary AMCAS Application, please summarize them below.

10. Describe your experiences in service to others and your community and how they have helped prepare you to be a physician.


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Has anyone been able to add Mercer to their CASPER list? It doesn't show up for me.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Has anyone been able to add Mercer to their CASPER list? It doesn't show up for me.
They don’t take Casper anymore I believe. AAMC PREview is required now
 
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Anyone figured this out? The secondary clearly lists this in the list of items needed to be complete: "5. CASPer exam results (you may submit your application before receiving scores; however, applications will not be screened until received.)", but they are not on the distribution list for casper and are on the list for PREview. Do we think this is just a typo?
 
Anyone figured this out? The secondary clearly lists this in the list of items needed to be complete: "5. CASPer exam results (you may submit your application before receiving scores; however, applications will not be screened until received.)", but they are not on the distribution list for casper and are on the list for PREview. Do we think this is just a typo?
I think they didn't edit their instructions from last cycle. This year Mercer is using PREview.

2023-2024 cycle Mercer is one of 8 AMCAS schools requiring PREview.
(18 other AMCAS schools only 'recommend" it)
 
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can you post the prompts?
1. Please provide below an alternate e-mail address (different from the one listed on the Primary AMCAS Application) to which we can send you correspondence related to your application. (Required)

2. Please provide a cell phone number at which you can be contacted in reference to your application. (Required)

3. Please address any institutional action, including honor code or conduct code violations, from your time as an undergraduate and graduate student. (Required)

4. If you wish to discuss your perceptions of your academic readiness for the rigors of a medical school curriculum or explain poor grades in college coursework or MCAT scores to the Admissions Committee, please do so below.

5. What is your understanding of the practice of rural medicine?

6. Do you consider yourself to have been raised or to be residing in an area that is medically underserved or in a county that consists of medically underserved populations? By medically underserved we mean populations vulnerable to poor health due to difficulties accessing adequate health care services. This may be due to factors including but not limited to: education level; poverty; being uninsured or underinsured; lack of a usual source of care other than the emergency department; belonging to a socially marginalized group with poorer health outcomes; cultural or language barriers to receiving quality medical care; distance or lack of transportation to needed medical care. Please explain.

7. The mission of Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) is to educate physicians and health professionals to meet the health care needs of medically underserved and rural areas of Georgia. Summarize your work and learning experiences that you believe reflect congruence with this mission. Based on your understanding of our mission, where and what do you envision yourself doing after completion of medical school and residency?

8. If you wish to, please briefly explain to the Admissions Committee experiences, attributes, or qualifications you believe are unique to you that will strengthen the educational environment at MUSM.

9. Please explain to the Admissions Committee factors that you could not highlight above that would help the Admissions Committee better understand your unique circumstances. If you would like to briefly highlight any substantial updates with regard to your application (example, volunteer experiences) that have occurred after you submitted the Primary AMCAS Application, please summarize them below.

10. Describe your experiences in service to others and your community and how they have helped prepare you to be a physician.
 
What does “the practice of rural medicine” mean?? Like i don’t understand
Yeah if you don't understand this I'm not sure if Mercer is for you. They highly prefer people from rural GA or some connection and people who are committed to practicing medicine in rural areas.
 
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Members don't see this ad :)
I meant I’m confused on if it’s asking what rural medicine is or what you do for treating patients in rural areas. Their phrasing is ambiguous to me and I can see it going either way
The prompt asks for your understanding of rural medicine: is your perception driven by movies or television shows? Have you shadowed or worked in a rural health clinic? Have you attended rural health conferences? Bring it all in with why rural medicine is your calling.

See suggestions

EDIT Bonus points if you say your understanding started with an SDN article! 😉 (kidding)
 
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Mercer wants these photo uploads a certain size, I took photos of the required things, but how does one compress images how they want? Thanks!
 
Mercer wants these photo uploads a certain size, I took photos of the required things, but how does one compress images how they want? Thanks!
I only know how to do this on a MacBook but open whatever image you have using “preview” and go up to the top left corner of your screen where it says tools. Click adjust size. And the part that says “fit into” you can change from custom to a smaller number of pixels and try uploading after that. Hope this works for you like it did me!
 
I only know how to do this on a MacBook but open whatever image you have using “preview” and go up to the top left corner of your screen where it says tools. Click adjust size. And the part that says “fit into” you can change from custom to a smaller number of pixels and try uploading after that. Hope this works for you like it did me!
thanks!!!
 
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“Please explain to the Admissions Committee factors that you could not highlight above that would help the Admissions Committee better understand your unique circumstances. If you would like to briefly highlight any substantial updates with regard to your application (example, volunteer experiences) that have occurred after you submitted the Primary AMCAS Application, please summarize them below.”

What do you write for this one if you already talked about your personal circumstances in the grades section? I don’t have any substantial updates
For those of you who are submitting your secondary soon after your primary, you likely will not need to update anything.
 
can someone explain their experience with PREVIEW exam? i havent heard about it until now, wondering how to prepare
 
a whole bunch of bs really
okay so if i have the money for the exam, do you think it is stupid to not take this exam? the exam is the only reason why im not applying here. i didnt want to study for anything else after taking the mcat lol.
 
okay so if i have the money for the exam, do you think it is stupid to not take this exam? the exam is the only reason why im not applying here. i didnt want to study for anything else after taking the mcat lol.
if you have the money and want to apply to mercer take it of course. it is required by them. there is no need to study. it is essentially a longer casper exam without the writing.
 
if you have the money and want to apply to mercer take it of course. it is required by them. there is no need to study. it is essentially a longer casper exam without the writing.
alright, do you know if the preview exam is required for secondaries? like my amcas app is still being verified so i technically have some buffer time rn to take the preview, just wondering if mercer requires preview exam score before sending out secondaries.
 
alright, do you know if the preview exam is required for secondaries? like my amcas app is still being verified so i technically have some buffer time rn to take the preview, just wondering if mercer requires preview exam score before sending out secondaries.
i am not sure about this. i would check their website and/or call :)
 
can someone differentiate the 3 campuses? also, are lectures mandatory?
3rd year here. Lectures are mandatory and have sign-in sheets. There are a few optional ones, but 99% are mandatory.

As for the 3 campuses. Macon is the main and original campus. It's part of the Macon University campus. The Savannah campus is the next oldest and is attached to the nearby Memorial Hospital. The Columbus campus is the newest (I'm part of its first 4 year class). It's near two hospitals and the Hughston Clinic. This is the campus to go if you are interested in surgery (St Francis and Piedmont rotations are first rate according to 4th years and grads) or if you are a part of Army HPSP (proximity to Ft Moore and several former Army staff to help). For the first 2 (pre-clinical) years, the curriculum is identical between campuses. When it's time for Clerkships, are length and intended curriculum are the same as well, but some campuses have different opportunities for electives than others. For example, the Columbus campus has ties with the Hughston Clinic for Ortho rotations.

Of course I'm a bit biased towards Columbus, but all in all the campuses are fairly the same, it's more a matter of which type of place you'd want to live and spend your 4 years.
 
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alright, do you know if the preview exam is required for secondaries? like my amcas app is still being verified so i technically have some buffer time rn to take the preview, just wondering if mercer requires preview exam score before sending out secondaries.
The Preview isn’t required to receive secondaries. But your secondaries aren’t considered “completed” if they haven’t received your scores yet and you went ahead and submitted your responses.
 
is question 9 optional? I don't really have anything that's occurred after I submitted my primary
 
3rd year here. Lectures are mandatory and have sign-in sheets. There are a few optional ones, but 99% are mandatory.

As for the 3 campuses. Macon is the main and original campus. It's part of the Macon University campus. The Savannah campus is the next oldest and is attached to the nearby Memorial Hospital. The Columbus campus is the newest (I'm part of its first 4 year class). It's near two hospitals and the Hughston Clinic. This is the campus to go if you are interested in surgery (St Francis and Piedmont rotations are first rate according to 4th years and grads) or if you are a part of Army HPSP (proximity to Ft Moore and several former Army staff to help). For the first 2 (pre-clinical) years, the curriculum is identical between campuses. When it's time for Clerkships, are length and intended curriculum are the same as well, but some campuses have different opportunities for electives than others. For example, the Columbus campus has ties with the Hughston Clinic for Ortho rotations.

Of course I'm a bit biased towards Columbus, but all in all the campuses are fairly the same, it's more a matter of which type of place you'd want to live and spend your 4 years.
Great information! Do you have any specific info about the Savannah campus, as in rotations/affiliations and things of that sort?
 
Great information! Do you have any specific info about the Savannah campus, as in rotations/affiliations and things of that sort?
The most I know is that rotations are typically done through the Memorial University Medical Center and some of the clinics around town. All 3 campuses have the same 3rd rotations available at their locations (Peds, Fam, Gen Surg, Internal, Psych, OBGYN). I'm not sure of the electives available in Savannah.
 
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Is anyone else having trouble pasting their essays into the blanks?
I’ve had the same issue. I just ended up typing the last few questions in word by word. Not sure why it wouldn’t let me paste even though it was below the character count.
 
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I’ve had the same issue. I just ended up typing the last few questions in word by word. Not sure why it wouldn’t let me paste even though it was below the character count.
*sigh* I was hoping I wouldn't have to do that. Time to bite the bullet ig
 
Hey! has anyone who applied ED not received interview invite yet? My secondary was completed on 7/28! :)
 
I applied ED and am just waiting for my Preview score to come back on tuesday so they can look at my application!! hoping for a interview invite and acceptance :(

question! does anyone know which campus (in the long run) has the best opportunities for people who want to pursue pediatric medicine??

also, can anyone give some direction between which campus is best for what reason, etc? thank you so much!!
 
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I applied ED and am just waiting for my Preview score to come back on tuesday so they can look at my application!! hoping for a interview invite and acceptance :(

question! does anyone know which campus (in the long run) has the best opportunities for people who want to pursue pediatric medicine??

also, can anyone give some direction between which campus is best for what reason, etc? thank you so much!!
does anyone know how long after preview scores and secondary applications are sent in that a ED student should expect an interview call?
 
I just submitted my secondary, RD. How long after submission of the secondary application do they offer II/R?
 
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