How can I avoid all this Howard mess???

[ndi_amaka]

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First off, I would like to introduce myself to everybody and say what a wonderful site this is and how much help it has been.

Here's my problem: I really really really reeeeeeeeally want to go to Howard University Medical School. Unfortunately I have heard how very disorganized they can be. I was thinking that it might be a good idea for me to go and visit the medical school (maybe speak with students or the Dean???) during my spring break just to get my name out there and network. This is to avoid the waiting period of having to receive my secondary apps.

I'm a junior and really nervous about applying to med schools. I'm just now starting to study for MCAT. I took a pretest and got a 6-4-6 so I have a TON of studying to do (granted that I took it without really brushing up on it). I signed up for the TPR course. I want a high MCAT score cuz my gpa sucks (barely above 3.0 because I just got through with a killer semester).

So what do you think?? Would a visit to the medical school be of any benefit???

 

[IOE]

hey ndi.....i am a current applicant to howard...was interviewed about 2 months ago...and still waiting...well let me tell u about my experience with that school...the first time I visited the school was like 2 years ago when I was a sophomore...(I loved it back then and still do)....and have been doing that on each and every break I had (winter, spring, summer, etc)....I even volunteered in their hospital during one summer vacation....the problem with howard's disorganization doesn't stem from the students or the dean...its from the administration...but anyway...i don't think that going there will harm your chances in any way and i strongly encourage u to do so...at the very least you'll get to see exactly whats the school is all about and whether you will be willing to spend 4 yrs of ur life in that area.

I wish all the best

IOE

(study hard for ur MCAT..harder than u have ever studied for anything in ur life...its painful but its worth it)

 

[cocoabutter]

I have yet to receive a secondary from Howard, and I am really hoping that I get one...because HU is a great school and I would love to go there. I know that with hard work you will be able to get there as well. My advice for the MCAT is this: take as many practice tests as possible. I have found that it is not so much the material, but the questions. If you take numerous practice tests, you will have a better idea of how the test works. Don't get me wrong, you still need to study, but definitely take a lot of practice tests. I would also recommend Examkrackers material because it helped me raise my score by 5 points in a month. Don't worry about your GPA, just work hard to bring it up as much as possible. I know lots of people that did not have stellar GPA's that are now in Howard Medical and Dental Schools. Good Luck!!!

 

[applejuice1979]

Hi Ndi! I'm Igbo too!!! Well, I didn't apply to Howard, but I agree with IOE that visiting & trying to set up a tour with a current HU medical student would be great. I'm not sure about Howard, but UPenn wsas really good at letting prospective students talk to admissions officers & discuss what they can do to improve their chances at acceptances. You can PM me if you want any more info. I'm applying right now & was in the same place as you a couple of months ago. GOOD LUCK! 🙂

 

[BushBaby]

Hi Ndi and apple, you might be igbo but I am yoruba....Nigeria in the house....

Okay back to the topic-

Howard is slow but that shouldn't jeopardize your application. Just keep on top of things. If you haven't received your secondary application Cocoabutter after submitting your AMCAS, you should definitely be making your daily/weekly calls and emailing the dean and admissions officer.
Unlike other schools, you really have to handle YOUR bizness with Howard.

After getting your seconday, keep on top of that also to make sure that they got it and your papers are in order. I applied last year in Sept, but my application wasn't processed because I sent them a personal check and THEY DON'T TAKE PERSONAL CHECKS. I found this out in January. I rushed to the post office and sent them a $45 money order. I received my interview invite a few weeks later and was interviewed in March. They hold interviews as late as July.

Just keep your head up and do what YOU have to do.

Howard is pretty lenient in terms of their requirements but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to improve your gpa and mcat score. You still want to be somewhat better than the next guy/gal.

 

[lotanna]

hey ndi, and apple, I'm Igbo too, but BushBaby, Oruko mi ni Uju, so its all love though 🙂 Nigeria everywhere

Howard is slow, I dont think anyone who has applied like Sep onwards (AMCAS) has received a secondary. Bushbabby i called them every week past 2 months, and that hasnt helped, even Meharry will ask for your SS# to look it up, HU doesnt even want to hear anything, and then even start to get an attitude. Wasting my precious day time minuties 😳

 

[BushBaby]

Originally posted by lotanna
hey ndi, and apple, I'm Igbo too, but BushBaby, Oruko mi ni Uju, so its all love though 🙂 Nigeria everywhere

Howard is slow, I dont think anyone who has applied like Sep onwards (AMCAS) has received a secondary. Bushbabby i called them every week past 2 months, and that hasnt helped, even Meharry will ask for your SS# to look it up, HU doesnt even want to hear anything, and then even start to get an attitude. Wasting my precious day time minuties 😳

Hi Lotanna...oruko mi ni Kemi...lol...

It's sad...when I call up Dominos to order Pizza all I do is give my last name and they already have my phone#, address and order history on file....if Dominos can have a nice electronic database like that I am SURE a school like HOWARD can do better.

It's quite annoying. It's like you want to call and see if they have your stuff but then you don't want to become a nuisance who bugs them daily.
I went to their admission's office before and I was like "how in the world does anything ever get organized?". It was just like some 1980's office.
They seem to be managing pretty well but they are losing love from many medical school applicants who do not want to bother with the hassle and frustration of applying to Howard.

 

[lotanna]

Originally posted by BushBaby
Hi Lotanna...oruko mi ni Kemi...lol...

It's sad...when I call up Dominos to order Pizza all I do is give my last name and they already have my phone#, address and order history on file....if Dominos can have a nice electronic database like that I am SURE a school like HOWARD can do better.

It's quite annoying. It's like you want to call and see if they have your stuff but then you don't want to become a nuisance who bugs them daily.
I went to their admission's office before and I was like "how in the world does anything ever get organized?". It was just like some 1980's office.
They seem to be managing pretty well but they are losing love from many medical school applicants who do not want to bother with the hassle and frustration of applying to Howard.

LOL Kemi thats a good one though but its sad cause ur right doesnt take much to set up a system like that. Luckily for me, a kind soul on SDN, who mistakenly got sent 2, was kind enough to send me the extra one!! So I called HU, and they said that was fine (the lady sounded happy for a change), so I'm sending out my secondary to them tomorrow!!

 

[square]

my people. kedu?

o dim onye oloko na ikwuano, abia state.

i echo everyones sentiments. stay on top of howard and the other hbcu's for that matter. yes, do as many tests as possible--try to understand why the passages and questions are made the way they are.

the question is always: what do you know? use what you know and apply it to this test. learning this thinking process with benefit you in many other areas of your life...

abiff md/mba prospect

 

[INeedAdvice]

I would say to go for a visit....it couldn't hurt.

Originally posted by ndi_amaka
First off, I would like to introduce myself to everybody and say what a wonderful site this is and how much help it has been.

Here's my problem: I really really really reeeeeeeeally want to go to Howard University Medical School. Unfortunately I have heard how very disorganized they can be. I was thinking that it might be a good idea for me to go and visit the medical school (maybe speak with students or the Dean???) during my spring break just to get my name out there and network. This is to avoid the waiting period of having to receive my secondary apps.

I'm a junior and really nervous about applying to med schools. I'm just now starting to study for MCAT. I took a pretest and got a 6-4-6 so I have a TON of studying to do (granted that I took it without really brushing up on it). I signed up for the TPR course. I want a high MCAT score cuz my gpa sucks (barely above 3.0 because I just got through with a killer semester).

So what do you think?? Would a visit to the medical school be of any benefit???

 

[lakun]

Hello fellow Nigerians,

had to jump in on this Howard discussion. I've called Howard as well and received a lot of attitude from the admissions department. The lady even said "don't call here again".😱

Anyway...Lotanna got your pm. Good quick thinking about taking your friends extra secondary. I'm sure that probably saved you a lot more time.



I'm realizing how much of a virtue patience truly is.😛

 

[LoveDoc]

Originally posted by lakun
The lady even said "don't call here again".😱

Can she say that? That's so eternally RUDE. Can you report her to AAMC? I mean that would be so embarrassing and hard to respond to.

 

[lotanna]

Originally posted by lakun
Hello fellow Nigerians,

had to jump in on this Howard discussion. I've called Howard as well and received a lot of attitude from the admissions department. The lady even said "don't call here again".😱

Anyway...Lotanna got your pm. Good quick thinking about taking your friends extra secondary. I'm sure that probably saved you a lot more time.



I'm realizing how much of a virtue patience truly is.😛

She actually said that?😱 aaaaah, wish that was me on a bad day, I would have well spoke my mind in a kind way of course 😉
Thats wrong though, talk about draggin the process. I'm sending the secondary out tomorrow, no thanks to them!!! Hopefully they dont lose it. Dont even know how I'm going to be able to check to see if they've received everything. Can barely get them to wait a sec on phone, for me to ask a question. The lady kept cutting me halfway through my questions 😡

The least they could do is post their secondary on their website, and when people call, refer them to the site to download, fill it out and send. The postcards included are not neccessary 🙄

 

[BushBaby]

Originally posted by LoveDoc
Can she say that? That's so eternally RUDE. Can you report her to AAMC? I mean that would be so embarrassing and hard to respond to.

hey, are you following me?

Actually admission office personnel CAN get quite rude during this process. I am not surprised if someone told you NOT TO CALL BACK. I understand that they are frustrated with all the applications coming in but Howard brought the confusion upon themselves. They need a more organized system.

When I call other schools, it's a matter of SS# and you are up on the screen. They can tell you what is missing and what your status is.

 

[Chieka]

Yorubas are everywhere, apparently. One day we will take over the world... Hee hee. 🙂

Anyway, does anyone have an extra secondary they can send me, PLEASE?

Thanks,

C.

P.S. Bushbaby, one of my many middle names is Kemi 😉

 

[lotanna]

Hey Chieka, hope your family's trip is going well/went well.
I just sent out my HU secondary, and requested for the 2 science letters to be sent to them. I hope they get it, and don't misplace it. Is that too much to ask?? 🙄

 

[Chieka]

Lotanna:

Nice quote. 🙂

C.

 

[CatsAreKillers]

Originally posted by LoveDoc
Can she say that? That's so eternally RUDE. Can you report her to AAMC? I mean that would be so embarrassing and hard to respond to.

That's unacceptable behavior. To tell someone to not call again is slamming the door in their face. I would report her to the AAMC. 😡 😡

 

[ndi_amaka]

Wow....all these Naijas taking over!!! We're really making strides aren't we??

Anyway, I am making plans during spring break to go make a visit and now thanks to dkny1980 I have Dean Cannon's email address and I plan to email him asking how I can set up a tour or something.

I just hope I can avoid all this or learn to be patient...I can't be put on hold til next July waiting for a decision.

I'm definitly going to boost up my GPA.... and study my butt of for MCAT. I'm taking TPR and I never heard of this examkrackers stuff but if it works like that I'm gonna look into it.

Any other suggestions??

 

[ScreamingTreesRule]

Howard's MCAT scores aren't that high. I wouldn't sweat over it.

Originally posted by ndi_amaka
Wow....all these Naijas taking over!!! We're really making strides aren't we??

Anyway, I am making plans during spring break to go make a visit and now thanks to dkny1980 I have Dean Cannon's email address and I plan to email him asking how I can set up a tour or something.

I just hope I can avoid all this or learn to be patient...I can't be put on hold til next July waiting for a decision.

I'm definitly going to boost up my GPA.... and study my butt of for MCAT. I'm taking TPR and I never heard of this examkrackers stuff but if it works like that I'm gonna look into it.

Any other suggestions??

 

[Ibrahim05]

Another Nigerian here....how are you people doing? or ba wo ni?

 

[Chieka]

BUMP 😀

Oh, and Ibrahim.... Dada ni 🙂