Desi Non traditional

[myfavred]

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Hi

I am just wondering how many desi non traditional students are out there. And what inspired you to come to medicine?

 

[animas]

edited

 

[2DEG]

I am a desi non-trad too. I am taking April 05 mcat and applying next year. We'll see.

Good to see other desi folks!

shahab

 

[abraxas20]

I am a desi non-trad too. I am taking April 05 mcat and applying next year. We'll see.

Good to see other desi folks!

shahab

What's desi?

 

[QofQuimica]

What's desi?

It means that they are Indian.

 

[myfavred]

I am sorry about your father. Indeed it must be very hard for you and your family. I hope that God will give you the strength to deal with it.
For me I started as a Biochemical engineering major and but in sophmore I did an internship and absolutely hated working in the lab so I changed my major to computer science. Later when I started working on my masters I started volunteering at an Alzheimer's Resource Center and absolutely loved working there and decided to become a physician so now I am working on all those pre reqs. Actually I always kind of wanted to be a physician but always told myself that there is no way I am going through medical school but now I have realized that I will never be happy until I become a physician. So I was just wondering if there were other desis out there who were non traditional or is it only me. This is why I started the thread and nice to know that there are others out there 😀

 

[IntlMed]

Hey...
Another Desi Non-Traditional here. Kinda same boat too. Did BS and MS in Computer Science always putting away the thought of getting into Medicine. Always thought of it as a loooooong road.. It was kinda stupid when you think about it now... but oh well.. I realized that I wasn't going to be happy anyplace else, so I took all the pre med classes while working full time and finished them (2 years of CRAAAP).. So I am going to take MCATs in April and test my luck out.. It was a veryyyyyyyyyyyy long and hard road and especially hard after you are established in a different field.. It makes you think sometimes if you are making the right choice !!! But I always come back to it. .. 😀

 

[abraxas20]

It means that they are Indian.

Thanks - where does that word come from??? (I am linguist, so it is truly an academic question)

S

 

[QofQuimica]

Thanks - where does that word come from??? (I am linguist, so it is truly an academic question)

S

The Hindi word for "country" is "des". So the people of the country are called "desis".

 

[myfavred]

Hey...
Another Desi Non-Traditional here. Kinda same boat too. Did BS and MS in Computer Science always putting away the thought of getting into Medicine. Always thought of it as a loooooong road.. It was kinda stupid when you think about it now... but oh well.. I realized that I wasn't going to be happy anyplace else, so I took all the pre med classes while working full time and finished them (2 years of CRAAAP).. So I am going to take MCATs in April and test my luck out.. It was a veryyyyyyyyyyyy long and hard road and especially hard after you are established in a different field.. It makes you think sometimes if you are making the right choice !!! But I always come back to it. .. 😀

I couldn't agree more.

 

[ambaduchi]

hey peeps, i just found this forum...have been lurking around sdn preallo for months. and lookie, my first day in non-trad and i already found the brown kids 🙂

my deal is that i was premed as an undergrad, was totally passionate bout healthcare, started applying 5 years ago and then had a bunch of personal circumstances change (family, health, financial) and decided i needed to get a job instead of going to school, and ended up on wall street. so that's what i've been doing until this year, when my circumstances sort of normalized and i realized i couldn't handle not being a doctor anymore. so i took the august mcat and am applying at the moment.

actually am procrastinating on a secondary as i type...argh...gotta get back to that.

 

[Old_Mil]

I'm a semidesi - perhaps the world's first desi redneck. I was born there, but was in diapers when I came over.

Did a B.A. in Economics and Computers and went on to have a ten year long career as an airline pilot. My father also passed away at an early age and that began this process for me. The further complications of a simultaneous divorce and layoff following 9/11 sealed the deal. Went back for my prereqs, took the MCAT in April...

...I start med school in August.

 

[shivalrous]

I'm a semidesi - perhaps the world's first desi redneck. I was born there, but was in diapers when I came over.

Did a B.A. in Economics and Computers and went on to have a ten year long career as an airline pilot. My father also passed away at an early age and that began this process for me. The further complications of a simultaneous divorce and layoff following 9/11 sealed the deal. Went back for my prereqs, took the MCAT in April...

...I start med school in August.

Trust me, that's not a desi redneck. You haven't met a desi redneck until you've seen some of the desis from the small Texas towns...they also happen to have no idea about what it is to be a "desi" lol.

 

[Perplexing]

Hey guys, desi here. I was browsing around and I found this site and was amazed to see there are others like me out there. I got a B.S in MIS and have been working for a Health care facility for about 3 years now. I thought I wanted to do MPH but the more I thought about it and the more I came in contact with doctors, the more I realized I wanted to be one. But I am a little scared about taking the pre reqs. I haven't had alot of Biology actually to tell you the truth I haven't had any biology ( had chemistry and physics). The closest thing in college was a Medical Terminology class and I loved it. Just wanted to know if there was any one out there who had no exposure to Biology and still made it..??

P.S. I wish the best of luck to all!

 

[cfdavid]

Hey there. I was curious about what a Desi was, so I started reading the threads. I'm a white guy from the Detroit suburbs, but it's good to see so many others with "similar" non-trad experiences.

In short, I was pre-med 9 years ago, took the MCAT as an undergrad, and at the last minute had mixed feelings about the long road ahead. I ended up selling automation equipment (ultimately as a Finance B.A.) for the last 7 1/2 years. Now, I'm studying for the April MCAT, taking classes, and volunteering.

The key is to stay persistent. It sounds like many of us have come to realize it's not about the money you make, or anything like that. But rather the quality of your work, and what you get out of it. Many of us will be selling our homes etc. in order to go to med school. Are we commited? Hell yes.

I truly believe that non-trads have a huge advantage in many ways. I know that I had so much growing up to do at 21 years old. The maturity factor is a big deal.

Anyway, good luck to everyone.

 

[myfavred]

Hey guys, desi here. I was browsing around and I found this site and was amazed to see there are others like me out there. I got a B.S in MIS and have been working for a Health care facility for about 3 years now. I thought I wanted to do MPH but the more I thought about it and the more I came in contact with doctors, the more I realized I wanted to be one. But I am a little scared about taking the pre reqs. I haven't had alot of Biology actually to tell you the truth I haven't had any biology ( had chemistry and physics). The closest thing in college was a Medical Terminology class and I loved it. Just wanted to know if there was any one out there who had no exposure to Biology and still made it..??

P.S. I wish the best of luck to all!

Biology is really easy, the key is to memorize everything. Don't worry as long as you can read the text book and memorize your notes you will be just fine in bio.

 

[myfavred]

So how are you all studying for the MCAT. I will be hopefully taking the August 05.

 

[myfavred]

Anyway, good luck to everyone.

Thanks good luck to you too. How does it feel to study for the MCAT again?

 

[cfdavid]

Thanks good luck to you too. How does it feel to study for the MCAT again?

Hey there. It feels pretty good. I've been reviewing for the last several months. Not too intense, but trying to get back up to speed. I think the key is to stay focused on the fundementals. You won't see long problems that require lots of time on the MCAT. So, if you have strong basics, and practice taking the practice tests, I think we will be fine.

How about you? How's it going?

 

[cfdavid]

So how are you all studying for the MCAT. I will be hopefully taking the August 05.

Check out examcrakers.com They have great prep books and some audio CD's. I also have Kaplan online science review. It's not like the large Kaplan MCAT Comprehensive Review (in my opinion, way too nuanced).

Also, the examcrakers guys recommend a few books. One is "Thinking Physics" By Lewis Carrol Epstein. It's a pretty cool book that focus's on intuitive knowledge and not all the numbers. You can buy them online or at Borders or Barnes and Noble stores.

What helps me is when I can relate some of the gen chem and physics to everyday life. Like to get a mental picture of the concept or something. It can take time to come up with something, but I think it's worth the effort.

I really think to have a good understanding of the fundementals is key (obvious I know).

Feel free to exchange info with me, and we can all help each other out.

 

[myfavred]

I just got the EK books and Kaplan material. TPR set is on the way. I bought many of it from ebay. I really got good deals. The fun thing was when I annoyed the bidder by bidding at the last moment and winning it (I hope it wasn't any of you) So far EK looks the best to me. I am also trying to read everyday. Because I am planning to take it in August I think I have plenty of time. I am planning to start studying from the beginning of next semester. What do you think is the best way to study. I was planning to study Fri, Sat and sunday every week and then take a practice MCAT every other week. I was just planning to read a chapter a week from every book. Do you know anything about the Berkley review, is it any good?

 

[cfdavid]

I just got the EK books and Kaplan material. TPR set is on the way. I bought many of it from ebay. I really got good deals. The fun thing was when I annoyed the bidder by bidding at the last moment and winning it (I hope it wasn't any of you) So far EK looks the best to me. I am also trying to read everyday. Because I am planning to take it in August I think I have plenty of time. I am planning to start studying from the beginning of next semester. What do you think is the best way to study. I was planning to study Fri, Sat and sunday every week and then take a practice MCAT every other week. I was just planning to read a chapter a week from every book. Do you know anything about the Berkley review, is it any good?

Not sure about the Berkley Review. But, EK is great, and the Kaplan stuff I was telling you about. I forgot the link, but in the MCAT Discussion board, I was able to aquire the 10 week EK study schedule. It's pretty intense, but it offers some structure. Try searching for it. I plan on using it. If you can't find it, I can fax a copy to you.

Your method seems good. In fact, I can see myself really relying on the weekends as well, given so much going on. It's tough to juggle so much, but it's just 4 months. I hope to be prepared.

One thing I would be carefull of regarding texts; I think so many texts get too in depth, and the problems will not be like those presented on the MCAT. So, I'm focusing on the major themes of any text I reference rather than spending a lot of time on really long problems. Again, I think that really understanding the fundamentals are most important. And a good way to find the "fundamentals" that the MCAT is trying to test us on is to do practice tests, and MCAT-like problems from EK or Kaplan etc.

Good luck and let's keep in touch.

 

[myfavred]

Yes I found the link. Seems pretty intense. I don't think I will be able to follow it exactly because I will be doing MCAT over the weekends. Here is what I am planning to do. Friday Physics first lecture from EK, Saturdy Genchem, Sunday Verbal, then next friday bio, saturday orgo and sunday practice MCAT. I just don't know how can one tell if all the concepts are clearly understood or not? Have any idea, please let me know. Thanks

 

[cfdavid]

Yes I found the link. Seems pretty intense. I don't think I will be able to follow it exactly because I will be doing MCAT over the weekends. Here is what I am planning to do. Friday Physics first lecture from EK, Saturdy Genchem, Sunday Verbal, then next friday bio, saturday orgo and sunday practice MCAT. I just don't know how can one tell if all the concepts are clearly understood or not? Have any idea, please let me know. Thanks

I guess I just meant to try and really understand why things work the way they do versus just kind of memorizing. I've always done better when I could limit the memory stuff and just solve problems due to a good understanding of them. However, it's obviously not that easy, and you can't avoid memorizing certain formulas and things.

Also, for the MCAT, I think it's really important to do practice MCAT problems. Either from EK or AAMC tests. Seeing the probs in "MCAT-like" format is important. This will help you do well, and may open your eyes to certain things you may not have really known.