Ask LizzyM Anything 2013 edition
Started by LizzyM
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@masaraksh
These applicants are older, have some experience in the world of work, and had to make a genuine effort to switch gears. They didn't just arrive in undergrad, float through the first 3 yrs of college and reflexively make an application because they can't think of anything else to do. So in those respects, they tend to be taken seriously.
On the other hand, an adcom will want to be sure that the decision to pursue medicine has been well considered and tested and not something that will be equally unfulfilling and cause the applicant to leave and switch gears again in a couple years. Some adcom members may also want to be sure that this isn't a rebound situation after a bad break up with a different career (unemployment, for example).
@smarts1
There is some nice money in industry and furthermore, there is the money for the research equivalent of "toys". I know a couple docs who went to Big Pharma after a stint in academic medicine. They like doing research without having to worry about grants (there are other pressures to produce but they get offered higher salaries than they get in an academic setting and a lab tricked out with everything they could want). I know of others who handle clinical trials and they have a nice gig with minimal issues nights, weekends, and holidays. There is some travel but they can be with family on a night like this and very unlikely to be fielding calls from clinical research sites unless something has gone very wrong for a research subject.
These folks don't have MBAs but some have MS degree in research or PhDs or MPH (infectious disease specialists).
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@smarts1
http://www.nonclinicaljobs.com/
Doctors know a lot about medicine (duh), many have a strong background in science (duh), most are very hard working (duh) so they would make great additions to industry. Sure, it may not be a clinical career, but it gives the doc a i) good salary, ii) intellectual work, and iii) more time freedom because less on call etc. Like LizzyM said, it can be Pharma or biotech. It can also be Medical devices (have you seen how many things/products/devices there are in ORs/hospitals?!)
I think those are great gigs for some. Myself, I'm pretty set on clinical work!
http://www.nonclinicaljobs.com/
Doctors know a lot about medicine (duh), many have a strong background in science (duh), most are very hard working (duh) so they would make great additions to industry. Sure, it may not be a clinical career, but it gives the doc a i) good salary, ii) intellectual work, and iii) more time freedom because less on call etc. Like LizzyM said, it can be Pharma or biotech. It can also be Medical devices (have you seen how many things/products/devices there are in ORs/hospitals?!)
I think those are great gigs for some. Myself, I'm pretty set on clinical work!
LizzyM,
You mentioned bench research earlier. How do research-focused schools look upon clinical research? I have had absolutely no lab research experience, but will have at least a year's worth of solid clinical research and plan on working with my PI full time this summer. I am very interested in continuing this type of research in med school, but I am unsure if I'm looking at the right schools. Should I be refocusing my list if many of the ones I have are research-heavy, like yours?
You mentioned bench research earlier. How do research-focused schools look upon clinical research? I have had absolutely no lab research experience, but will have at least a year's worth of solid clinical research and plan on working with my PI full time this summer. I am very interested in continuing this type of research in med school, but I am unsure if I'm looking at the right schools. Should I be refocusing my list if many of the ones I have are research-heavy, like yours?
is this cycle more competitive than the last cycle? and do you expect the coming cycle (beginning June 2014) to be more competitive still because of the end of the current MCAT?
Huzzah! I made it through all the posts!
Thanks for doing this, LizzyM. Last year I was exploring my options with the help of your forum and this year, I'm studying for the MCAT 🙂 time flies.
1) From past posts, I've learned that having a parent as a practicing physician lets adcoms know that an applicant has an idea of what they're getting into. What about having a parent that works in a hospital and in a role that has constant direct interaction with physicians? I practically grew up in the radiology department of my local hospital because I often tagged along when a parent was on call. I'm still doing shadowing, but is it worth mentioning this too if an interview naturally heads in that direction?
2) I also spent a lot of time in the hospital because another parent was ill for all of my life. I now volunteer at a hospital. I feel I've seen many different aspects of healthcare and my lifetime experience around medicine makes me very comfortable in that environment. Is this also worth mentioning? I ask this because it's part (not all) of why I've chosen medicine, but you can only fit so much in an app and I want to use my allotted space wisely.
3) I want a smidge of my ps to talk about fate. Before you roll your eyes, I'm not planning on writing about my "destiny as a doctor" because **** happens and I only have control over so much -- but rather an eloquent version of the following: that over the course of my life (nontrad) "funny" things have happened that have led me to accepting a future in healthcare and, specifically, medicine. At the time these things happened (e.g. Being assigned research in medical ethics when I was supposed to do research in a completely different field) I had no clue but in retrospect, they look like the work of something beyond me that I've finally accepted. Too granola? If so, I can keep it to myself 😛
Thanks for doing this, LizzyM. Last year I was exploring my options with the help of your forum and this year, I'm studying for the MCAT 🙂 time flies.
1) From past posts, I've learned that having a parent as a practicing physician lets adcoms know that an applicant has an idea of what they're getting into. What about having a parent that works in a hospital and in a role that has constant direct interaction with physicians? I practically grew up in the radiology department of my local hospital because I often tagged along when a parent was on call. I'm still doing shadowing, but is it worth mentioning this too if an interview naturally heads in that direction?
2) I also spent a lot of time in the hospital because another parent was ill for all of my life. I now volunteer at a hospital. I feel I've seen many different aspects of healthcare and my lifetime experience around medicine makes me very comfortable in that environment. Is this also worth mentioning? I ask this because it's part (not all) of why I've chosen medicine, but you can only fit so much in an app and I want to use my allotted space wisely.
3) I want a smidge of my ps to talk about fate. Before you roll your eyes, I'm not planning on writing about my "destiny as a doctor" because **** happens and I only have control over so much -- but rather an eloquent version of the following: that over the course of my life (nontrad) "funny" things have happened that have led me to accepting a future in healthcare and, specifically, medicine. At the time these things happened (e.g. Being assigned research in medical ethics when I was supposed to do research in a completely different field) I had no clue but in retrospect, they look like the work of something beyond me that I've finally accepted. Too granola? If so, I can keep it to myself 😛
D
deleted388502
Is scribing alone considered enough shadowing at your school? I have tried to get other shadowing with little luck.
What ?! No way man, my avatar is 13 from House! cutthroat bitch was the blonde! haha thank you though 🙂 I was just curious!
If you're a scribe, it's only a matter of time before you find yourself in a position to wrangle invites to the OR or the cath lab. You'll get some opportunities!
D
deleted388502
Ehhh I don't know! I feel like its weird to just bother a random consulting doc with the ED doc
I guarantee you when a weird case comes up on a slow day, your doc will wander off to follow up on it...and then you're in the cath lab chatting with the cardiologists in their home turf. We went over 1 night to see what happened to the guy who came in with a troponin of 128...and felt fine and kept trying to walk out and go home! :O
I got into the OR by asking the surgeon if they were going to be able to fit in the chole we'd admitted to them earlier that day. Response: Yeah, she's up next. Do you want to watch?
You don't have to push it, they'll develop naturally!
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Hi LizzyM,
1) How do you view working at a psychiatric hospital as patient exposure? Do you still consider being around mentally ill individuals (those suffering from depression, severe anxiety, mood disorders) just as valuable as somebody working around patients in an emergency room, for instance?
2) As a non-traditional applicant, would you still want to see clinical volunteering from me, even if I have had direct patient exposure through 2-3 yrs of work experience and shadowing?
Thanks
1) How do you view working at a psychiatric hospital as patient exposure? Do you still consider being around mentally ill individuals (those suffering from depression, severe anxiety, mood disorders) just as valuable as somebody working around patients in an emergency room, for instance?
2) As a non-traditional applicant, would you still want to see clinical volunteering from me, even if I have had direct patient exposure through 2-3 yrs of work experience and shadowing?
Thanks
Hi LizzyM,
I know that volunteering is great on an application whether it's related to medicine or not. Is the same thing true for research? As an undergrad I did pretty extensive research (independent research design, hypothesis-testing, multiple years of data collection, publishable results) in an area that has absolutely nothing to do with medicine. Clearly that's not going to hurt -- but for a med school with a strong research focus, is having a research background that's entirely outside medicine/biology going to bump someone down the ladder?
Thanks for everything you contribute to SDN! We are so lucky to have you as a guide!
I know that volunteering is great on an application whether it's related to medicine or not. Is the same thing true for research? As an undergrad I did pretty extensive research (independent research design, hypothesis-testing, multiple years of data collection, publishable results) in an area that has absolutely nothing to do with medicine. Clearly that's not going to hurt -- but for a med school with a strong research focus, is having a research background that's entirely outside medicine/biology going to bump someone down the ladder?
Thanks for everything you contribute to SDN! We are so lucky to have you as a guide!
Hi LizzyM,
I'm new to SDN, but I've spent a lot of time today reading over your advice! I just have two questions:
1. If the letters of recommendation consistently describe someone as "shy" or "quiet", how does this read for a member of the admission committee? does this occur frequently? does this diminish chances for an interview? I have a more reserved personality, but I would say I'm socially competent and I am confident in myself. Yet, some recommenders may say I am very quiet..?
2. I saw you talked about the J curve-- does the below GPA trend apply? Is this something that I need to explain somewhere? There's not really anything to explain except adjustment to college life/learning how to really study since I went to an easy high school and am now a senior chemistry major at a top 25 school (taking a gap year and applying next year). It's all the same amount of credits and maybe increasing difficulty: 3.50, 3.30.... 3.46, 3.75.... 3.73, 3.87..... 3.85, next semester.
Thanks so much for your input! 🙂 Happy holidays!
I'm new to SDN, but I've spent a lot of time today reading over your advice! I just have two questions:
1. If the letters of recommendation consistently describe someone as "shy" or "quiet", how does this read for a member of the admission committee? does this occur frequently? does this diminish chances for an interview? I have a more reserved personality, but I would say I'm socially competent and I am confident in myself. Yet, some recommenders may say I am very quiet..?
2. I saw you talked about the J curve-- does the below GPA trend apply? Is this something that I need to explain somewhere? There's not really anything to explain except adjustment to college life/learning how to really study since I went to an easy high school and am now a senior chemistry major at a top 25 school (taking a gap year and applying next year). It's all the same amount of credits and maybe increasing difficulty: 3.50, 3.30.... 3.46, 3.75.... 3.73, 3.87..... 3.85, next semester.
Thanks so much for your input! 🙂 Happy holidays!
Hi LizzyM,
Thank you for doing this! Your answers are always helpful.
If an applicant has had a poor undergraduate performance for a stigmatized reason (such as being physically or sexual assaulted), would you encourage the applicant to discuss it in a personal statement or some other area of the application? And if this is discouraged, what other options does the applicant have to make up for, or somehow explain, such a performance in the application?
Thank you for doing this! Your answers are always helpful.
If an applicant has had a poor undergraduate performance for a stigmatized reason (such as being physically or sexual assaulted), would you encourage the applicant to discuss it in a personal statement or some other area of the application? And if this is discouraged, what other options does the applicant have to make up for, or somehow explain, such a performance in the application?
Ditto. My current strategy is to just avoid the hell out of it, but it'd be nice to throw some context onto those crappy semester performances...but then I don't want to be remembered as that kid (or seem like I'm making excuses).
+1 on this for me too. Doesn't matter so much to me anymore, but some advice on this before I started interviewing would have saved me a lot of worry, and I imagine there are quite a few applicants out there that struggle with this question. For me, it wasn't awful grades I had to explain - it was a school transfer - but the same question applies: how do I explain it without making the assault the main thing that the interviewer remembers about me?
(A school transfer might be easier to explain than bad grades, however. I generally said I transferred for personal reasons during interviews, and none of the interviewers questioned it further. But I imagine that saying you got bad grades for "personal reasons" might not provide enough information for interviewers.)
Dear @LizzyM,
This is no longer a concern of mine, as I have been accepted to medical school, but rather a curiosity: why are applicants typically discouraged from expressing interest in specialties on their applications, such as neonatology or cardiology or dermatology, as opposed to general practice and family medicine?
Thanks!
BurberryDoc
This is no longer a concern of mine, as I have been accepted to medical school, but rather a curiosity: why are applicants typically discouraged from expressing interest in specialties on their applications, such as neonatology or cardiology or dermatology, as opposed to general practice and family medicine?
Thanks!
BurberryDoc
@suchbrio
Clinical research is good. Most of the time a pre-med college student or new grad's involvement is not at an intellectual level that is any higher than a lab tech in bench research (you aren't coming up with hypotheses and designing experiments to test those hypothesis but rather carrying out instructions put together by others). That said, interacting with subjects and potential subjects can help you develop useful skills you can't develop at the bench.
Ask your PI to share with you some of the published research in the topic area you are working on. Where are those papers coming from? That may give you an idea of schools that would be receptive to the skills you bring.
@karayaa
That decision is made at a higher level than adcom member and I am not privy to the discussions about MMI.
@aspiring20
I'm not sure that this cycle is more competitive than last cycle but it might be a tiny bit... the changes are so small from one year to another they are hard to detect but when I look over 8-12 years I see trends.
It is hard to say what the new MCAT will do for the 2015 cycle and if we will get a flood of applicants in 2014. I suspect that in 2015 the old MCAT and new MCAT will both be valid so there won't be any huge incentive to apply in 2014 rather than wait to 2015. For the most part, this would only apply to people who have taken a gap year. I suppose we could have a flood in 2015 of non-trads with backgrounds in the social science who will wait for the 2015 MCAT to really show their stuff.
@shahcoco
1) You can list your parents' occupations on the AMCAS application and there is a category for "other health professional" and if it works into your PS or secondary you might mention how tagging along at the hospital gave you an insiders view of clinical care in that setting. It could also come up in interview and that's fine.2) Ditto for the healthcare situation of a parent. That said, from the employee or patient perspective, you can't know all that goes on with physicians workload, time spent with paperwork and continuing education, and so forth. For that you really need to add shadowing or employment that has you attached at the hip for the entire day.
3) I'm not so sure of the "I've finally accepted" part of this. It is as if you feel like you are being directed by outside forces to go into medicine although on some level you don't want to or are not choosing this of your own free will. I'm not sure that's a good idea. Things out of your control may have piqued your interest in medicine but in the end you have had to make choices to test your interest and prepare yourself for this career.
@Aerus We used to have a boss who believed that physics performance told a lot about how well a med student would do in our curriculum so we paid attention to physics grades. That was ~20 years ago so as time changed we started looking at things a bit differently. I liked to look at o-chem performance and now I tend to look only if the gpa is not great and especially if there is a big discrepancy between sGPA and cGPA. There is concern if the GPA in the pre-reqs is not so good compared to a person whose GPA suffered due to required courses in the humanities (theology/art/foreign language, etc).
@dbeast Let's do brunch at my mom's house since you're already there.
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@edgerock24
1) That's a fabulous clinical experience. Anyone who has been in the emergency department (they get pissed off down there if you call it the emergency room) will tell you that they get their share of mentally ill patients, too, but I see what you are saying. Yes, mental illness is a medical condition and what you can learn as you are caring for those patients is valuable.
2) It might be useful to have some exposure to other healthcare settings. Most clinical care is delivered in ambulatory settings. What do you think about that? Are you comfortable around the high tech stuff that is common in some specialties but rare in psych? These are some of the questions you might get asked so having a little bit of exposure as a volunteer or shadow in primary care and /or a medical or surgical specialty wouldn't hurt and could help.
@otterxavier
Research, particularly at the level of designing and hypothesis testing, is going to be seen as a positive. You might be asked why you chose to do that rather than something more biological/clinical in focus. It is sometimes hard for adcom members to understand why someone devoted their undergrad years to astrophysics or some other non-medical research but if you can describe how this experience propelled you into medicine or taught you about scientific method then you should be fine.
@Itskinetic
Welcome to SDN!
1)Schools that require quite a bit of engagement by the students (heavy on PBL and other group learning) might feel that a quiet student will not be a good fit with their style of teaching medicine. A shy student who is reluctant to go into a patient's room and start asking questions is going to struggle in medical school and be a drag on a team. While you can't change your underlying personality, you can work on being more sociable and outgoing and try to get LOR that won't play up your quiet and shy nature. Schools that are more traditional in their teaching methods might be more inclined to find you a good fit.
2) We look at GPA by year, not by semester. I see 3.40, 3.60, 3.80., 3.85... that is an upward course, not a J curve. That's another common trend and really requires no explanation if it is just the typical "took some time to adjust to college" situation. If you had a health condition that first year that caused you to miss school and so forth then an explanation of the out of the ordinary situation would be appropriate but adjustment to college is just par for the course.
@plumhill
Thank you for your kind comment. Despite the "if" statement, I'm going to assume that this is not a hypothetical question.
Don't bring up anything in the application that you don't want to discuss in the interview. If you can discuss this without becoming emotional, then you might be comfortable describing the situation in your application. However, if you are going to get nervous or start to break down when you talk about your experiences, then it will reflect badly on you and you will have been better off not to bring it up.
That said, I don't believe that physical or sexual assault is stigmatizing if it is described the right way. No one stigmatizes someone who describes themselves as having been the victim of a violent crime. (I know that "victim" is a word some shy away from, if you wish, use "target" in its place. You then need to focus on how you got help to deal with the emotional aftermath of that experience and how you developed coping skills to deal with emotionally challenging (and physically challenging) experiences that may come your way in the future.
@Davida I hope that this cycle has worked out for you. I'd still go with "target of a violent crime" and the need for a change of scenery after that happened. "Personal reasons" sounds like it might be an inability to get along with others at your old school. But, if "personal reasons" as an explanation worked out for you, I'm happy for you.
@BurberryDoc
Some schools are mandated by their state legislature (which provides much of their funding) to train primary care providers for their state/region. So, in those cases, indicating an interest in a subspecialty could suggest that you are not a good fit with the school's mission. In other cases, an adcom may have a concern that you have narrowed your focus too soon and will not be open to studying areas of medicine that don't seem relevant to your chosen specialty. There is also a naivety that some see in applicants who come in set on a certain specialty that they've never experienced close up. That said, I think that it is legitimate to know coming in that you like to work with your hands, and/or you like working with high tech equipment or you prefer gathering clues by interviewing and examining patients and discussing things with them to work out a care plan. There are groups of specialties that tend to fall into high tech or high touch and I think it is ok to have an idea that you are more geared toward one over the others.
@TotalDomination
If you are working 100 hours/wk, I don't see how you have the time to take a course and devote time to a hobby. Don't shoot yourself in the foot by doing poorly in a course that you are taking just for enrichment. if you should have to reapply next year, that could be bad.
That said, I see that you've had some interview invites. You should be able to convert that to at least one offer. If your school is widely known among adcoms for grade deflation, your GPA should not be as big an issue as it would be if you were from a school known to give As by the bushel.
@No LimitsWhoops! Sorry you did say that, long day forgive me.
I think it's awesome you still volunteer. What kind of volunteering do you like to do?
I like to have face to face interactions with people in need. Over the years, I've volunteered in a food pantry and also provided coffee and sandwiches to street people who came to the door, did a brief stint at a homeless shelter (couldn't deal with being sleep deprived myself --also a reason why I wasn't ever cut out to be a physician), organized the collection and distribution of Christmas gifts, holiday food baskets a few times each year, and school supplies in the fall, visited the poor in their homes to see how my faith community could help them in whatever emergency situation they found themselves, served meals (today I'll be a "waitress" at a luncheon served family style to people who would otherwise be alone on Christmas; it is physically challenging and people can demanding rather than grateful but I go back every year because it is the right thing to do.). @Planes2Doc becomes frustrated with people who only volunteer to look good to the adcoms and I would say I do too; I just want applicants to know that I don't expect anything of them that I wouldn't do myself. I have spent about 1-2 hours per week year round for the past 30 years.
I am also a blood donor and I urge everyone who is eligible to donate to give it a try. The need is great; particularly at this time of year.
It is a thumb on the scale sort of thing. We don't want students who are so ill-prepared that they are likely to flunk out so we have a floor below which we will not go. That said, the floor is about 15-20 LizzyM points below our average so whereas most people with a LizzyM score of 60 are going to have no chance of an interview, we have interviewed folks "down there" who have very strong ties to the med school and/or the university. If they have done well in the interview (or at least not embarrassed themselves) then they are more likely than not going to get an admission offer.
Life is not fair. In fact, my husband will not let our children use the F- word ("fair") for this reason. If you can accept that life is unfair, you'll have an easier time of it. If you don't have connections, just work to be as good as the top 40% of your peer group and you should get admitted someplace even without some "pull".
If I have relatively solid GPA/MCAT numbers, ~800 hours of research, ~500 hours of work in a clinical setting, 200 hours clinical volunteering, TA positions, club leadership roles, etc, is 13 credits per semester a red flag? I came into college with a quite a few credits already, so I can do 13 per semester and still graduate on time. I'm just worried that this will be a huge red flag, especially because I had one 13 credit semester with bad performance.
Hi LizzyM,
Kind of an awkward question right now. I've been accepted to a DO school already and I was soo excited about matriculating in the fall, but a few days ago I received an interview invitation after being on hold at a really great MD school that would also be less expensive.
Question answered 🙂
Kind of an awkward question right now. I've been accepted to a DO school already and I was soo excited about matriculating in the fall, but a few days ago I received an interview invitation after being on hold at a really great MD school that would also be less expensive.
Question answered 🙂
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How do you take your coffee or tea? Any favorite brands? Are you a Keurig cup fan? Merry Christmas!
wanted to stop by and say thanks for being a good resource. I've had a pretty successful application season, in part thanks to advice from users like yourself. One question though: did you interview me back in october?
Edit: nvm. I was interviewed by an Elizabeth M but I'm pretty sure it wasn't you.
Edit: nvm. I was interviewed by an Elizabeth M but I'm pretty sure it wasn't you.
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I always imagined that you look like Judi Dench when reading your posts. Can you confirm/deny this?
Is it common for DOs to teach at MD schools?
Is it common for DOs to teach at MD schools?
Happy holidays, LizzyM!
1) The only place willing to let me shadow nearby is the children's hospital. I do have a huge interest in pediatrics, so is this sufficient shadowing or do I need to try and contact privately employed physicians?
2) I shadowed the Infectious Disease physician at the children's hospital, who is also Professor of Pediatrics and the Dean of Curriculum at the medical school I want to go to. He offered to write me a letter of recommendation, but it is a year and a half before I will apply. Can I ask for it now and just hang on to a physical copy? I'm not sure how letters of rec work in the application process.
3) Is EMT work looked upon as valuable medical experience, or are they too common to give me an advantage?
4) I know this has been asked in a couple different ways, but I am really only considering one school here in my hometown, because my wife LOVES her job here. It's what she was meant to do, and it is a very unique thing she couldn't do somewhere else. How much should I emphasize this in my interview as one reason why I want to go to this school?
Thanks!
1) The only place willing to let me shadow nearby is the children's hospital. I do have a huge interest in pediatrics, so is this sufficient shadowing or do I need to try and contact privately employed physicians?
2) I shadowed the Infectious Disease physician at the children's hospital, who is also Professor of Pediatrics and the Dean of Curriculum at the medical school I want to go to. He offered to write me a letter of recommendation, but it is a year and a half before I will apply. Can I ask for it now and just hang on to a physical copy? I'm not sure how letters of rec work in the application process.
3) Is EMT work looked upon as valuable medical experience, or are they too common to give me an advantage?
4) I know this has been asked in a couple different ways, but I am really only considering one school here in my hometown, because my wife LOVES her job here. It's what she was meant to do, and it is a very unique thing she couldn't do somewhere else. How much should I emphasize this in my interview as one reason why I want to go to this school?
Thanks!
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I have been accepted to a school very close to my family and near my SO-- it is "top twenty" and was one of my favorite interview experiences. I loved the students and felt like it was a great fit. I honestly think I would be happiest there out of any school. In March, I will be hearing back from several schools in the "top five," many of which are much farther from home and seem to have a bit more of a competitive atmosphere. I know I have not yet been accepted to these top five yet, but if I am, I don't know what I would do. Do you think choosing a #20 vs a #1 school would have any significant impact on my career? My gut tells my I'll be a great doctor/researcher at either place and I should choose where I feel happiest. However, I do not want to regret this decision later in life. What would you do? Thank you and happy holidays!!
This just gave me another reason to like you even more🙂 Add me to the list of people who get frustrated when others only volunteer to look good.
My girlfriend and I are actually heading out to do some volunteering together in a bit... I've been through a couple of life experiences that have humbled me for life. Its always nice to give back to those in need even when we don't have much ourselves. Merry Christmas, have a great day!
Hi LizzyM, thanks again for doing this, what is the ideal amount of post interview correspondence for those who were not quickly accepted or rejected afterwards? I was planning an update letter for all and a letter of interest for the few at the top of my list. I know you don't think much of letters of intent, and you have encouraged keeping in contact. I guess I'm just looking for enough contact without being either annoying or desperate.
posted this in a thread, but hopefully you can reply too:
My prof wrote me a letter and then asked me to look over it.
I know that adcoms looking for hidden insinuations and you cant use tricky language.
she used a couple of phrases which I am thinking of re-phrasing
Also, is it a compliment if she says, "....was one of the better students in my class..." doesn't that have slightly negative connotations?
Also, there's a lot of mention of whats on my CV and i feel not as much about my interpersonal skills. is that how it should be? I cant really ask her to praise me more about how confident, passionate, blah blah i am...
What are your opinions?
My prof wrote me a letter and then asked me to look over it.
I know that adcoms looking for hidden insinuations and you cant use tricky language.
she used a couple of phrases which I am thinking of re-phrasing
Also, is it a compliment if she says, "....was one of the better students in my class..." doesn't that have slightly negative connotations?
Also, there's a lot of mention of whats on my CV and i feel not as much about my interpersonal skills. is that how it should be? I cant really ask her to praise me more about how confident, passionate, blah blah i am...
What are your opinions?
Thank you for the response!
I have definitely chosen medicine and feel that I continue to choose it, even when things get rough. One of many parts of my motivation is that I sense a sort of "pieces falling into place" experience. This is difficult to say well without over representing -- definitely something I need to consider. Thanks again 🙂
I have definitely chosen medicine and feel that I continue to choose it, even when things get rough. One of many parts of my motivation is that I sense a sort of "pieces falling into place" experience. This is difficult to say well without over representing -- definitely something I need to consider. Thanks again 🙂
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