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BphysDoc said:
Are you excited about the new Star Wars movie? How's the dark side doing nowadays?
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I am excited, actually. I saw the first one in the theatre, if that gives you any idea.

I also saw the Phantom Menace in the theatre. Words fail me. Skipped the next two, but Lawrence Kasdan c0-writing the screenplay for Part VII gives me new hope.
 
wolfofparkstreet said:
Thanks Med Ed,

Love the pic!

I have interviews from a couple top 50 private institutions and one large public school. No love from FL yet though 🙁 . What is IA?
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IA = institutional action. Usually something like getting written up in college, getting into legal trouble. Basically any kind of disciplinary record.
 
ok so my question has to do with GPA and it's role in the equation because you hear about grade inflation here and there and in 1 eye opening thread someone wrote about a high level science class at his/her school being graded on a curve to which I perked up and others replied, curve?

and in addition to this curve mention an A at some schools is a 90 and others a 92 or 93. Dean's list at most schools 3.5 but some 3.8. How can adcoms possibly know all this? Yet, GPA/MCAT are part of every discussion with each school having a median and each class a profile. MCAT score is easy to digest, GPA not so easy.
 
What is your opinion on introverts? Do you know if that personality trait affected their ability to succeed in clinical rotations and beyond?
 
Do you teach any MOOCs? Do any instructors offer MOOC versions of the med school courses they teach? Or at least the lecture slides, etc.
 
How are reinvented students/those that succeeded at an SMP looked at
 
redzone1 said:
How can adcoms possibly know all this? Yet, GPA/MCAT are part of every discussion with each school having a median and each class a profile. MCAT score is easy to digest, GPA not so easy.
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You can look at someone's cGPA, sGPA, major, and transcript and get a decent idea. Most of the applicants from any given school come from undergrad institutions that the admissions people are familiar with. Everyone knows that Brown is grade inflation central, everyone knows that places like MIT and Caltech are hard as hell, and most other institutions fall somewhere in the soft middle.
 
Favour517 said:
What is your opinion on introverts? Do you know if that personality trait affected their ability to succeed in clinical rotations and beyond?
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I know Susan Cain's book made a big splash, but I think some of it might be overblown. Practicing medicine is all about communication, with patients, with families, with colleagues, with staff. It's also involves collaboration, so no matter where you are starting from on the introvert-extrovert spectrum, you have to develop skills to facilitate this, be they talking, listening, reading others, being patient, etc.
 
IlyaR said:
How are reinvented students/those that succeeded at an SMP looked at
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Usually pretty well, although there are a lot of applicants in the pool who did not need to reinvent. Still, it offers evidence of tenacity, and virtually every nontrad has had some extra time to mature, which is always welcome.
 
Can you recommend any books that you feel would benefit a premed? Thanks
 
What do you like to see student's do in their gap year?
Is working only part time or not working at all during MCAT study period a bad look for applicants?
Is it worth it to go to your public medical school over a significantly better school (top 10 or 15) for the sake of decreased debt?
 
zack929bb said:
What do you like to see student's do in their gap year?
Is working only part time or not working at all during MCAT study period a bad look for applicants?
Is it worth it to go to your public medical school over a significantly better school (top 10 or 15) for the sake of decreased debt?
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Gap year: Something useful. Work, take classes, volunteer, do things that are positive but not fluffy. Filling out med school apps in your parents' den is not a full time job.
Working during MCAT: That's more detail than we are likely to go into.
Money: Under most circumstances it is advisable to minimize debt.
 
SMP = special masters Program. Basically you take M1 (or some portion/version of it) at a med school in order to show that you're ready for the challenge
 
medic86 said:
Special Master's Program.

How do you not know this? You've been here a little while. 😛
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I didn't know what II meant for, like, months. I thought it meant secondary for quite a while. I still read "An II" as "A 2" and just reinterpret "a 2" to mean interview invitation.

I still don't know what PI stands for.
 
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re: gap year and post bac programs, IS (OH) the programs are pretty pricey as compared to IS med school yearly tuition but if you elected to matriculate in this fashion and out perform M1 students you're working & testing side by side would this possibly lead to $'s off tuition as you matriculate to med school? Just looking for a way to justify the expense as tweener candidate, completed late Sept...508,3.68gpa,3.62scpa. Already have 1 II but weighing other options if med school matriculation doesn't happen.
 
redzone1 said:
re: gap year and post bac programs, IS (OH) the programs are pretty pricey as compared to IS med school yearly tuition but if you elected to matriculate in this fashion and out perform M1 students you're working & testing side by side would this possibly lead to $'s off tuition as you matriculate to med school? Just looking for a way to justify the expense as tweener candidate, completed late Sept...508,3.68gpa,3.62scpa. Already have 1 II but weighing other options if med school matriculation doesn't happen.
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So... you're asking if postbacc programs in Ohio will discount tuition for high performing students who successfully transition to medical school?
 
jakeyk said:
I don't think that's the way it works...
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that's what I thought so if it doesn't happen this cycle I think I'd be better off working, volunteering, shadowing in meaningful areas and reapplying early next cycle.
 
Med Ed said:
Consult the programs themselves. This is outside my area of knowledge.
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Sounds like a plan but I'll have to work on my presentation. I doubt if they want to hear me say I'm going to out perform their M1 students
 
redzone1 said:
Sounds like a plan but I'll have to work on my presentation. I doubt if they want to hear me say I'm going to out perform their M1 students
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Oh, so you are considering negotiating with the program. Yeah, that isn't going to work. The only thing you would succeed at is making yourself look like a dipstick.
 
no,no,no really just thinking out loud not knowing how $'s are awarded at med school. I read people "accepted" immediately get asked about their financial package and my family is under the impression outside of need everyone pays full tuition.
 
redzone1 said:
no,no,no really just thinking out loud not knowing how $'s are awarded at med school. I read people "accepted" immediately get asked about their financial package and my family is under the impression outside of need everyone pays full tuition.
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I would appreciate it if you could ask a clear, concise question rather than think out loud. You may have a bright future writing passive aggressive consult notes.

As I now understand it, you are wondering if performing well in a post-bacc would increase your odds of obtaining a recruitment scholarship. The answer is no. If you are in a post-bacc then you are not in the pool of people that medical schools will spend money recruiting. Based on your demographics and other accomplishments there is a slim chance that you could bag some type of merit award. That would have nothing to do with a post-bacc, however.
 
Med Ed said:
I would appreciate it if you could ask a clear, concise question rather than think out loud. You may have a bright future writing passive aggressive consult notes.

As I now understand it, you are wondering if performing well in a post-bacc would increase your odds of obtaining a recruitment scholarship. The answer is no. If you are in a post-bacc then you are not in the pool of people that medical schools will spend money recruiting. Based on your demographics and other accomplishments there is a slim chance that you could bag some type of merit award. That would have nothing to do with a post-bacc, however.
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Thank you for your candid response.
 
What are some things you've seen that have caused the greatest disagreements amongst ADCOMs themselves when discussing an applicant? I guess you could look at this both in terms of things that have commonly caused disagreement when discussing whether to admit/give a II to an applicant and any other notable things that have caused disagreements from ADCOMs about applicants at any other point in the admissions timeline?

Just to elaborate a bit, what I'm curious in hearing is what kind of disagreements happen amongst ADCOMs. There are many types of things ADCOMs could disagree on but that are completely different in nature from "does this applicant seem like a good fit for our school and mission"to "doesn't this applicant come across as fake/superficial" to perhaps "how much of an impact did a disadvantaged background have on an applicant" or to even more fundamental issues about an applicant like "how should we view this applicants up and down academic record and see-saw grade trend" or "how do we evaluate an applicant who only scored a 26 the first time they took the MCAT but got a 35 the second time around?". If it is possible to perhaps index what are the types of disagreements that happen most commonly with applicants even to some small extent, I think it could reveal some fascinating insight.
 
What makes administrators and course directors so masterful at coming up with absolutely useless activities for students which are huge time sinks and have little to no educational benefit?

The ability of higher ed to create busywork is an absolute marvel to me.
 
GrapesofRath said:
Just to elaborate a bit, what I'm curious in hearing is what kind of disagreements happen amongst ADCOMs. There are many types of things ADCOMs could disagree on but that are completely different in nature from "does this applicant seem like a good fit for our school and mission"to "doesn't this applicant come across as fake/superficial" to perhaps "how much of an impact did a disadvantaged background have on an applicant" or to even more fundamental issues about an applicant like "how should we view this applicants up and down academic record and see-saw grade trend" or "how do we evaluate an applicant who only scored a 26 the first time they took the MCAT but got a 35 the second time around?". If it is possible to perhaps index what are the types of disagreements that happen most commonly with applicants even to some small extent, I think it could reveal some fascinating insight.
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The disagreements you posit all happen, but they are very common and mild occurrences. If we got hung up on every disadvantaged background, MCAT bump, and grade trend, we would never get through the cycle. The results are not always consistent, but most adcom members decide how they will interpret these patterns and vote accordingly. The real wild card for each applicant is the interviewer.

That is not to say we don't have really grueling arguments. For example, about once a year we have someone who gets an interview but has some huge red flag. An MCAT <20, multiple trips to rehab, something really eye catching. But this person will also have a tale of woe and a crafty narrative of perseverance. This results in a mobilization of the bleeding heart faction and the "Are you nuts!?!" faction, who will descend into verbal warfare that can span multiple meetings.
 
ridethecliche said:
What makes administrators and course directors so masterful at coming up with absolutely useless activities for students which are huge time sinks and have little to no educational benefit?

The ability of higher ed to create busywork is an absolute marvel to me.
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It is done for sheer kicks, enhanced greatly by the amount of entitlement wafting from the students. Nothing excites me more than assigning six pages of reading, having the students work through 5-6 problems during an hour, and then asking them to turn in their answers by 5 pm, because half of them act like they are being ordered to dig their own mass grave. It's quite entertaining.
 
Med Ed said:
It is done for sheer kicks, enhanced greatly by the amount of entitlement wafting from the students. Nothing excites me more than assigning six pages of reading, having the students work through 5-6 problems during an hour, and then asking them to turn in their answers by 5 pm, because half of them act like they are being ordered to dig their own mass grave. It's quite entertaining.
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You're verified faculty, so I will proceed assuming this is accurate...

Why? Why do faculty make busy work?? I've always held the belief that education is for educating, and that's why I've loved undergrad. For the most part I don't have to go to classes and I can still get A+s writing a multiple choice midterm and final. No participation marks, no assignments etc - I can succeed as long as I demonstrate I understand the material.
 
Med Ed said:
Gaofen dineng.
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Brug dat AK-47 couldn't fire more loudly

Also at first I was like wtf language is that until I realized what it was lol smh Romanization ruins everything :smack:
 
avgn said:
Brug dat AK-47 couldn't fire more loudly

Also at first I was like wtf language is that until I realized what it was lol smh Romanization ruins everything :smack:
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Lol, you're telling me. At first I thought it was latin dialect originating from the Ancient Phoenicians during their decline of 539 BC. But, then I saw the subtle clues and syntax that also led me to the obvious conclusion of Romanization :smack:
 
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