**class Of 2013**

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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What did you want to be (or were/are you) before wanting to become a doctor? I think throughout my lifetime, jobs that I wanted progressed something like this- Ballerina, Animal Specialist, Actress, Marine Biologist, Event Planner, Hospital Administration or Hospital Communications Specialist, Doctor!
 
A chiropractor for me, then medicine in middle of Soph. year.
 
blondeshell15 said:
My specialty interest changes every week 😀

This week I like Allergy/Immunology, last week was Cardiology, next week it'll be something else.

I'm watching Celebrity Rehab right now and I'm completely enthralled with Dr. Drew Pinsky.
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that won't change even when you're in school!

i change my mind depending on what system we're in :laugh:
 
Tepi said:
What did you want to be (or were/are you) before wanting to become a doctor? I think throughout my lifetime, jobs that I wanted progressed something like this- Ballerina, Animal Specialist, Actress, Marine Biologist, Event Planner, Hospital Administration or Hospital Communications Specialist, Doctor!
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Doctor, Wildlife Biologist (my degree), doctor. Still love wildlife biology too!
 
princess, trainer at Sea World, newscaster, nutritionist, doctor!

still a princess though😛
 
blondeshell15 said:
princess, trainer at Sea World, newscaster, nutritionist, doctor!

still a princess though😛
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Ha, I wanted to be a sea world trainer too in middle school! It actually would be a pretty cool job.
 
blondeshell15 said:
I'm watching Celebrity Rehab right now and I'm completely enthralled with Dr. Drew Pinsky.
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I loved Celebrity Rehab and Drew Pinsky. I thought I was the only one. I thought it was really revealing and enlightening for the average person to see these celebrities (or whatever you call them) in the state that they were in and how unglamorous it was. 👍
 
t-funk said:
I loved Celebrity Rehab and Drew Pinsky. I thought I was the only one. I thought it was really revealing and enlightening for the average person to see these celebrities (or whatever you call them) in the state that they were in and how unglamorous it was. 👍
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I agree -- I really liked to watch Dr. Drew's one on one sessions too.

He was nurturing and optimistic, but knew when to call them out on BS.

'Intervention' on A&E is also interesting to watch.
 
blondeshell15 said:
I agree -- I really liked to watch Dr. Drew's one on one sessions too.

He was nurturing and optimistic, but knew when to call them out on BS.

'Intervention' on A&E is also interesting to watch.
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Yeah, I love Intervention too. A lot of Saturdays, they will have Intervention marathons and I will basically watch that all day while I'm doing my Saturday cleaning. I think I cry every single episode. I really like stuff like that. But Drew Pinsky, he's just really good.
 
aliDO said:
Ha, I wanted to be a sea world trainer too in middle school! It actually would be a pretty cool job.
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If you're able to work full time starting now (or very soon), they're hiring at San Diego Sea World for Associate Trainers. As tempted as I am to apply, I don't want to screw myself over in school. Alas!
 
Hey all! Wanted to say hello and best of luck to everyone. Let the crazy begin!😀
 
I took it last year in May but i'm retaking it again this year in july. I have a decent score on record so i'm hoping that will be enough to get me secondaries until I can get my new score in! Whats your deadline looking like?
 
Tepi said:
What did you want to be (or were/are you) before wanting to become a doctor? I think throughout my lifetime, jobs that I wanted progressed something like this- Ballerina, Animal Specialist, Actress, Marine Biologist, Event Planner, Hospital Administration or Hospital Communications Specialist, Doctor!
Click to expand...

professional football player for the 49ers....and only the 49ers. i swore that if i was ever drafted by any other team I wouldn't go...kind of like eli manning, but not really. if the niners offered me 2 million and every other team offered me 7 million, i would go w/ the 9ers w/o even thinking about it.

this dream lasted til early high school when i realized (or just admitted to myself) that my football career wouldn't make it passed college. from then on i've told myself that one day i would be the orthopedic surgeon (or general sports med physician) for the 49ers , and though chances are slim, it is definitely possible!!!
 
dan1 said:
I took it last year in May but i'm retaking it again this year in july. I have a decent score on record so i'm hoping that will be enough to get me secondaries until I can get my new score in! Whats your deadline looking like?
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I think a lot of us, myself included, are shooting for may. With a few people taking it earlier, as well as later. Im hoping to have my application in soon after its open, buuuut we shall see. I have a feeling I'm going to get stuck on my personal statement. Need to get over this writers block.

ryserr21 said:
from then on i've told myself that one day i would be the orthopedic surgeon (or general sports med physician) for the 49ers , and though chances are slim, it is definitely possible!!!
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Oh yeah, definitely possible. Start trying to network now, maybe you could do a rotation or something with them. Or summer work in between years 1 and 2. Maybe. Im not really sure how that all works, but if its your dream, then go for it!
 
Tepi said:
I think a lot of us, myself included, are shooting for may. With a few people taking it earlier, as well as later. Im hoping to have my application in soon after its open, buuuut we shall see. I have a feeling I'm going to get stuck on my personal statement. Need to get over this writers block.



Oh yeah, definitely possible. Start trying to network now, maybe you could do a rotation or something with them. Or summer work in between years 1 and 2. Maybe. Im not really sure how that all works, but if its your dream, then go for it!
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i dont know much about how it works either, but everyone i have talked to say that if you wanna do something like that, its about who you know.

i have a crazy story though that might get my foot somewhat in the door! my dad was at the san jose airport and this guy sat next to him at a bar, and my dad noticed his huge ring, so he asked "is that a superbowl ring?" and the guy said "yes, actually it is." so it turns out the guy played for the 49ers back when they were still winning super bowls (sigh 🙁). my dad asks him what he does now and he goes "i'm a doctor, i have a practice in san diego." (omg thats where i live!!!!). my dad tells him about me and what im doing now and what i want to do later and he responds "i still know lots of the guys that work with the niners from general physicians, to orthopods, to sports medicine docs, physical therapistsetc. etc." he says he may be able to pull some strings and get me in a shadowing experience/internship or something with the 49ers during trianing camp!!!!

can you believe that? what are the odds. i think the chances are slim that this will actually come full circle...but oh man what a story if it does!!!!!
 
ryserr21 said:
i dont know much about how it works either, but everyone i have talked to say that if you wanna do something like that, its about who you know.

i have a crazy story though that might get my foot somewhat in the door! my dad was at the san jose airport and this guy sat next to him at a bar, and my dad noticed his huge ring, so he asked "is that a superbowl ring?" and the guy said "yes, actually it is." so it turns out the guy played for the 49ers back when they were still winning super bowls (sigh 🙁). my dad asks him what he does now and he goes "i'm a doctor, i have a practice in san diego." (omg thats where i live!!!!). my dad tells him about me and what im doing now and what i want to do later and he responds "i still know lots of the guys that work with the niners from general physicians, to orthopods, to sports medicine docs, physical therapistsetc. etc." he says he may be able to pull some strings and get me in a shadowing experience/internship or something with the 49ers during trianing camp!!!!

can you believe that? what are the odds. i think the chances are slim that this will actually come full circle...but oh man what a story if it does!!!!!
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Hahahahah excellent! Can you say Karma! 😉
 
Proof that airport bars are always a good idea😛
 
Tepi said:
What did you want to be (or were/are you) before wanting to become a doctor?
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Archaeologist, Park Ranger, Environmental Engineer, Chemical Engineer, Professor, Doctor.

Suffice it to say that life has always intriuged me.
 
I had no clue what I wanted to be when I was growing up. I don't think being a doctor ever entered my mind though, except for the brief time when I was in 7th grade and I broke my arm, and I had a crush on the orthopedist who fixed it.

I wanted to coach college basketball when I was in college, and I was on the right track until I realized how much that career would suck balls. Then I changed my mind, and here I am.
 
Well, I didn't feel too strongly medical at an early stage, because I never knew anything first hand. Sometimes when I see our health professions office give away personal statement samples, I'm confused as to why 90% of them have some childhood story or some other emotion evoking memory that drove them to medicine. What's even worse is that it takes up maybe 1/3 of the whole thing.

I always figured that adcoms want it short and sweet, an advertisement that invites you to learn more (anyone read Permission Marketing by Seth Godin?). How personal do you have to get?
 
If you're prepared, from a subject-matter standpoint, get your hands on as many practice tests as you can, and take them under normal, testing conditions. That is, time constraints, do them first thing in the morning, etc.
 
I completely agree about the similar test situation. For the morning test, don't just get up at 7:30am and have a coffee and bagel nearby. Take a shower, eat ahead of time and just push it through for the full 5 hours.

As far as tests go, I think Princeton Review and Kaplan both give access to all of AAMCs tests now. I took Princeton Review 1 year ago (Jan 07) and I still have access to the tests for some reason.
 
OCHO said:
Cool, thank you for the information. I bought two of the tests 10 and 9. Then there is the 3 that is free. So I am going to take your advice and take them. I am thinking of taking one a month till my test date. What do you think?
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where is this free on that you are talking about?
 
OCHO said:
Cool, thank you for the information. I bought two of the tests 10 and 9. Then there is the 3 that is free. So I am going to take your advice and take them. I am thinking of taking one a month till my test date. What do you think?
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I'd buy them all, and take the most recent ones 1 per week the month before test week. the rest are spread out the rest of the time./
 
Ive taken the Free #3, as well 6 and 7 through ExamKrackers. We have #8 this weekend. Definitely get at least a few of them, and I also agree with taking them under normal testing conditions. Ive done one where I took it over the course of the day (oh the interruptions), and while my score didnt change drastically, I feel that it didn't do anything to help prepare me mentally for the tests structure.
 
I just rescheduled my MCAT from 5/23 to 7/18 so that I have two months to study after graduation (5/18), instead of just 6 days. I am almost done taking TPR, and that has been very helpful. I hope I'm not shooting myself in the foot as far as admissions go by changing the date....thoughts? :beat:
 
EricH said:
I just rescheduled my MCAT from 5/23 to 7/18 so that I have two months to study after graduation (5/18), instead of just 6 days. I am almost done taking TPR, and that has been very helpful. I hope I'm not shooting myself in the foot as far as admissions go by changing the date....thoughts? :beat:
Click to expand...
I just did the exact same thing 5/10 to 7/10 -- I figured taking the MCAT 17 hours after my Bio II and Orgo II final (yes, both on Friday) wasn't the brightest idea.

I'm hoping the extra time serves me well 🙂
 
I took the MCAT the second time a week and a half after finishing up Orgo II in the summer. I didnt really have to study and organic because it was so fresh. It worked for me though. I took those practice tests sometimes two or three a week. If I was retaking one I'd had a week or two ago, I would remember some of the questions, but it really helped and I would try to score as perfect as possible. I think a 39 was the highest I got on the practice ones. But I noticed the more I took the practice tests the more I could really understand how they were asking the questions, and what they were acually asking.

Also, on the first test, I just plowed right through and didnt take any of my breaks. I would highly recommend to not do this. Take every 10 minute break that you have. It might seem like you are dragging your day out, but doing that and having a little snack and a gatorade in my locker outside the testing room made a huge difference in how tired I was when I came time for the writing, and more importantly for the biological sciences section.

I dont know if they have fixed it, but when your break is up a little window pops up that tells you your 10 minute break is up and until you close that window the next section wont start. Sweet little glitch to really get your head on straight and focus on the next section if you need it. And I agree with TT, the more tests you can take, the more comfortable you will be come test day. I only had three of the online tests and just retook those over and over like I said and I think that it really helped me on test day.

Good luck to everyone, whenever you are taking it!
 
EricH said:
I just rescheduled my MCAT from 5/23 to 7/18 so that I have two months to study after graduation (5/18), instead of just 6 days. I am almost done taking TPR, and that has been very helpful. I hope I'm not shooting myself in the foot as far as admissions go by changing the date....thoughts? :beat:
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Well, LauraDO got two interviews without her MCAT being scored yet, so it should not be a problem. Just finish everything else right at the gate.
 
EricH said:
I just rescheduled my MCAT from 5/23 to 7/18 so that I have two months to study after graduation (5/18), instead of just 6 days. I am almost done taking TPR, and that has been very helpful. I hope I'm not shooting myself in the foot as far as admissions go by changing the date....thoughts? :beat:
Click to expand...

blondeshell15 said:
I just did the exact same thing 5/10 to 7/10 -- I figured taking the MCAT 17 hours after my Bio II and Orgo II final (yes, both on Friday) wasn't the brightest idea.

I'm hoping the extra time serves me well 🙂
Click to expand...

You guys will both be fine. My husband and I both did the same thing last year. I think it's better to get as many extra points on the MCAT as you can rather than be super early. Plus you can still submit your app and everything without your score. Oh yeah I took July 13 last year and my husband took July 28 (I believe). Just try to aim for higher than what I got. 😉
 
Is it sad that it took me ten minutes to figure out that TPR was the princeton review? Its been one of THOSE days today . . .
 
Tepi said:
Is it sad that it took me ten minutes to figure out that TPR was the princeton review? Its been one of THOSE days today . . .
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That's funny! Maybe we take the acronyms a bit far at times, or MWTTAABFAT for short.

:hardy:
 
hey all class of 2013 hopefuls!!!😀

Question....to apply for DO school for fall 09' admission i need to ..

1) take the mcat...but what is the latest time i should take it?

2) when should i start asking for LORs
2a) is it recommended to get a LOR from DO...or i guess i depends on the school

all this seems all way to early for fall 09' admission for DO school, or i am behind schedule?

thanks everyone...sorry if these questions were a already mentioned in a previous post

good luck to all:luck: on appplications and such
-m
 
Can I join the thread? I am applying to both MD and DO, but I am definitely not applying DO as a back up. My best friend goes to Western and he loves it. I really like the DO philosophy and would like to learn more about it. What attracts you guys to DO? I know what does it for me but I want to see what other people think. Also if I want to do sports medicine, do you guys think DO is the better route? God bless.
 
I've always been interested in Sports Medicine, but more so on a Family Practice - Sports Medicine specialty route (nutrition, managing asthma, electrolytes, exercise/conditioning, OMT, etc) rather than Ortho.

Perhaps Emergency Medicine with a SM specialty🙂
 
doctito said:
hey all class of 2013 hopefuls!!!😀

Question....to apply for DO school for fall 09' admission i need to ..

1) take the mcat...but what is the latest time i should take it?

2) when should i start asking for LORs
2a) is it recommended to get a LOR from DO...or i guess i depends on the school

all this seems all way to early for fall 09' admission for DO school, or i am behind schedule?

thanks everyone...sorry if these questions were a already mentioned in a previous post

good luck to all:luck: on applications and such
-m
Click to expand...

I am also applying for 09'....here is what I am doing:

I am taking the MCAT 7/18 (you wanna take it this spring/summer so you can be considered early on!) I have requested some LORs already, I hope to have them all in hand by the end of April. A letter from a DO helps, especially if they went to the school you are applying to. I have a letter from an MD and a DO to be safe. I am fairly certain that I am only applying DO.

Hope this helps
Eric
 
One of the topics I discussed at my GA-PCOM interview was whether or not osteopathic training would make me better suited for sports medicine than allopathic training. One of the guys who interviewed me was a FM doc who used OMM a lot. He felt that if I were to go that route, and I were to take advantage of my OMM training, it could potentially be a huge benefit.
 
BlackDr2b said:
What attracts you guys to DO? I know what does it for me but I want to see what other people think. Also if I want to do sports medicine, do you guys think DO is the better route? God bless.
Click to expand...

that is exactly why i was attracted to osteopathic medicine. I felt that the OMM would be a great additinoal tool for a career in sports medicine, which is what I want to do. i've done my best to shadow docs that do OMM and also DO sports medicine docs. One of them specifcally utilizes OMM to his advantage whenever it is applicable and he says it is great. the only negative thing he said is that the insurance reimbursements for OMM can be a hassle.
 
Hey Doctito and BlackDr2b. 🙂 Welcome to the thread!

Doctito - The latest time you can physically take the MCAT is september, I believe. But to actually answer your question - take the mcat the earliest date that you think you will be prepared for. Like some others have said, you can fully complete your application while the MCAT is pending, and there are still a few schools who give out secondaries based on that. And don't some schools require a DO LOR? Might want to check out the requirements school-to-school. 🙂

BlackDr2b - Yay for Western! Um, Im not sure what it is exactly about DO I like. A lot of factors I guess . . . pre-meds-thinking-DO that I've met seem like a more chill and supportive group of people, my back's been sore from studying - so Im looking forward to "selflessly helping" people practice for OMM, random things like that. As for Sports Med, both MD and DO will get you there.
 
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