hSDN Class of 2012

[I'm No Superman]

Thanks, I'm so excited! The only bad thing is he mostly does joint replacement surgery (which I think would be so cool), so its nearly impossible for me to watch an actual surgery, our hospital has pretty strict rules. Plus, hes a bit notorious for getting pretty mad if **** goes down (which honestly I'd love to see!).

I guess that I've researched a lot of schools and Princeton seems like the one that would fit me the most. I went to New Jersey last year for a tour and loved it. I also love how undergraduate focused Princeton is. I also like their Senior Thesis Requirement, In which every student is required to submit their own individual thesis on a topic that interests them. Almost every student review I've read for Princeton has nothing but good things to say about the professors, who have a lot of time for students after/before class, and that the lectures are great. As for the grade deflation, I honestly think that all colleges should have it. My 2nd choice school also has it (UMich). I think that if I like the material, and work hard enough, the grading system shouldn't affect me too much. I just have to make sure that I don't do what I did in high school and screw up my freshman year. Of course, I'd have to get in first; definitely an uphill battle .

By the way, what's your top choice school?

Edit: Guess I didn't answer specifically why Princeton Premed. I guess that with the uncertainty of the future of medicine, I'd like to keep my options open if I end up not going the MD/DO route.

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[Doxorubicin]

Thanks, I'm so excited! The only bad thing is he mostly does joint replacement surgery (which I think would be so cool), so its nearly impossible for me to watch an actual surgery, our hospital has pretty strict rules. Plus, hes a bit notorious for getting pretty mad if **** goes down (which honestly I'd love to see!).

I guess that I've researched a lot of schools and Princeton seems like the one that would fit me the most. I went to New Haven last year for a tour and loved it. I also love how undergraduate focused Princeton is. I also like their Senior Thesis Requirement, In which every student is required to submit their own individual thesis on a topic that interests them. Almost every student review I've read for Princeton has nothing but good things to say about the professors, who have a lot of time for students after/before class, and that the lectures are great. As for the grade deflation, I honestly think that all colleges should have it. My 2nd choice school also has it (UMich). I think that if I like the material, and work hard enough, the grading system shouldn't affect me too much. I just have to make sure that I don't do what I did in high school and screw up my freshman year. Of course, I'd have to get in first; definitely an uphill battle .

By the way, what's your top choice school?

I went through a love affair with the idea of Cornell, but ultimately, its location and distance from home/cost of transportation kind of put me off. My top choice right now is Tulane; I think I'll probably get in based on the stats of people who were accepted from my school this past year. The only issue is affordability, which I discussed with JChait above.
Cheesy as it sounds, I'd like to be somewhat close to home as
a.) It's nice to see your family.
b.) It doesn't break the bank to see your family.
c.) Somewhat familiar surroundings
and d.) My grandparents aren't in good health and I'd like to be close.

I visited New Orleans and really loved the culture. NOLA is certainly a unique city. Tulane is, disputably, one of the best schools in the South (behind Vanderbilt, but many people here at my school have a hard time deciding Emory vs Tulane.) I think Katrina damaged its reputation (for a lack of words,) but it seems to be a first-rate school with good opportunities, a variety of programs I'm interested in, a beautiful location, and a focus on bettering the community.
Otherwise, I have the University of Alabama in-state which is free for me. It's a beautiful campus, strong sports, decent academics, good money, and I think it would be fun and allow for a good UG experience.

Tulane, however, I get warm and fuzzies from that I get from nowhere else. It's not too big, not too small, not too far from home, well-regarded, and in a cool city. Cornell, after thinking through what I wanted (and realizing that it would be a total crapshoot to get in,) wasn't. It was very large, and if my family's paying for private, I think the school shouldn't be menacingly large a la state school, which some of its colleges are NY state schools. Cornell is far from home, relatively isolated from a major city, and the weather... is nothing what I'm used to.

Those are my ramblings, though.

 

[I'm No Superman]

The one thing I wish I could do is visit as many college campuses as possible, in order to make well researched and more personal decisions of where I want to go.

I wouldn't object to being closer to my family. I mean, I sure as hell don't want to stay in the same city, but I'd be fine with in state if I went to UNL/UNO. My parents actually said that I should go as far as possible (wonder what that means...:cry: ). .

I wish CommonApp would open up sooner, I'd like to get everything done as soon as possible.

 

[Doxorubicin]

The one thing I wish I could do is visit as many college campuses as possible, in order to make well researched and more personal decisions of where I want to go.

I wouldn't object to being closer to my family. I mean, I sure as hell don't want to stay in the same city, but I'd be fine with in state if I went to UNL/UNO. My parents actually said that I should go as far as possible (wonder what that means...:cry: ). .

I wish CommonApp would open up sooner, I'd like to get everything done as soon as possible.

They probably want you to experience life on your own. My parents have said that by going far away, I'll be forced to "learn to live."

And I was just thinking the same thing! Talk about jumping the gun. We're going to be all done applying by the first week of school while our peers moan endlessly about their mountains of homework + studying + ECs + applying.

 

[I'm No Superman]

I think it would be great to get all of my LOR's, scores, gpa, essays done before school starts. That way I can enjoy my last year of hell-I mean high school. The only thing that pisses me off is that I haven't taken the Subject tests yet, and they're not until October.

 

[Doxorubicin]

I think it would be great to get all of my LOR's, scores, gpa, essays done before school starts. That way I can enjoy my last year of hell-I mean high school. The only thing that pisses me off is that I haven't taken the my Subject tests yet, and they're not until October.

High school hasn't been that bad, now has it?
And yeah, the subject tests would stress me out if I were to apply to Cornell. I mean, that gives you one, maybe two shots at having a go at the SAT IIs before your application is completely due for review. How badly would that suck to take 3 tests, the maximum allowed in a sitting, and get 2 cruddy scores? I'll just take my SAT I and ACT scores and apply, thank you very much!

 

[I'm No Superman]

Damn Princeton Requirements! They need the Subject tests . Taking Spanish (Piece of cake, 4 years of spanish) and Chemistry. Hopefully I'll do well on both. I'm applying EA though, so I've got one shot

 

[nctw]

I think it would be great to get all of my LOR's, scores, gpa, essays done before school starts. That way I can enjoy my last year of hell-I mean high school. The only thing that pisses me off is that I haven't taken the Subject tests yet, and they're not until October.

This is a wonderful strategy. I applied to three state schools (UNC, NC State, and UNC-Charlotte) in September and heard back from all of them by January. I made my decision, kept up second semesters grades, and the rest was easy. I had 4 AP classes my second semester (my school does block scheduling), but after the exam we just watched movies and did projects. I would try to take courses that will help you have a small foundation when you begin college, even though they won't have too much of an impact. Here's what I did:

Fall Semester:
Honors English (required for Senior research project)
Honors French 5
Honors Physics
AP Bio (first part)

Second Semester:
AP French
AP Bio (second part)
AP Government
AP English Lit

Even if I place out of Bio 101, I still plan on taking it next year. Physics, although limited, helped me understand basic concepts. My friend at the school where I'm going told me they cover everything I did in my HS course in around 3 weeks, but he said it's great that I already have a foundation.

If I could go back, I would drop French/AP French and take AP Chemistry, but other than that I believe it was beneficial.

 

[I'm No Superman]

The wait for my ACT score is killing me...

 

[Doxorubicin]

This is a wonderful strategy. I applied to three state schools (UNC, NC State, and UNC-Charlotte) in September and heard back from all of them by January. I made my decision, kept up second semesters grades, and the rest was easy. I had 4 AP classes my second semester (my school does block scheduling), but after the exam we just watched movies and did projects. I would try to take courses that will help you have a small foundation when you begin college, even though they won't have too much of an impact. Here's what I did:

Fall Semester:
Honors English (required for Senior research project)
Honors French 5
Honors Physics
AP Bio (first part)

Second Semester:
AP French
AP Bio (second part)
AP Government
AP English Lit

Even if I place out of Bio 101, I still plan on taking it next year. Physics, although limited, helped me understand basic concepts. My friend at the school where I'm going told me they cover everything I did in my HS course in around 3 weeks, but he said it's great that I already have a foundation.

If I could go back, I would drop French/AP French and take AP Chemistry, but other than that I believe it was beneficial.

I'm not going to opt out of General Bio/Chem (assuming I made good enough AP scores to do so) freshman year either. I've taken physical science, which gave semester-longs overview in chemistry and physics, introductory biology, introductory chemistry, AP Bio, and AP Chem. Physics will be the scariest thing I have to take.

 

[I'm No Superman]

Wow our Physical Science sucked. We did basic labs with simple procedures and our final was a simple distillation and filtration lab (which my partner screwed up for us ).

 

[AntiHouseMD]

Wow our Physical Science sucked. We did basic labs with simple procedures and our final was a simple distillation and filtration lab (which my partner screwed up for us ).

You did a lab for your science final? Odd; we only did a 116-question multiple-choice exam today. It was open-book, too.

 

[I'm No Superman]

When do you guys get out of school?

 

[AntiHouseMD]

When do you guys get out of school?

Tuesday. We have what is one of the odder exam schedules. There are four blocks to our schedule. We have two finals on Monday (I'm exempting a French final that day, so only math) for a half-day. On Tuesday, we have a quarter day for one final (no final for AP History, so I just have to show up). Odd, but not too bad.

 

[I'm No Superman]

Wow, we got out a month ago, When do you start again?

 

[AntiHouseMD]

Wow, we got out a month ago, When do you start again?

Around the end of August; I think the 30th.

 

[I'm No Superman]

We start around August 15th, You have about 20 days more school than us... do you have a lot of breaks?

 

[AntiHouseMD]

Not that I can think off. We have a week off for Christmas, winter in February, and spring in April. We also have several days here and there for various holidays. Some half-days for teacher workshops as well.

 

[I'm No Superman]

Not that I can think off. We have a week off for Christmas, winter in February, and spring in April. We also have several days here and there for various holidays. Some half-days for teacher workshops as well.

Well I guess the East Coast was and always has been big on education...

 

[Doxorubicin]

Wow. I've been out since May 18
School is back in session August 11.

 

[AntiHouseMD]

Do you guys go to private or public schools? I always thought most public schools got out mid-June.

 

[Doxorubicin]

I'm in a private school. Throughout the South, at least where I'm at, everyone gets out within a week of each other. Public schools are all out by the end of May.

 

[nctw]

I'm in a private school. Throughout the South, at least where I'm at, everyone gets out within a week of each other. Public schools are all out by the end of May.

I'm in North Carolina and we didn't get out till June 10. We did, however, have over 5 snow days that had to be made up. I can't believe some of you got out a month ago.

 

[Doxorubicin]

I'm in North Carolina and we didn't get out till June 10. We did, however, have over 5 snow days that had to be made up. I can't believe some of you got out a month ago.

We budget two snow days a year. Usually, we only get one day of snow, maybe none in a year. If there's even a 5% chance of snow, the town shuts down. Everyone descends on the stores to buy bread, batteries, water, etc.
No one has snow tires.

It's hilarious to see, particularly if you've ever been in the north during the winter.

 

[nctw]

We budget two snow days a year. Usually, we only get one day of snow, maybe none in a year. If there's even a 5% chance of snow, the town shuts down. Everyone descends on the stores to buy bread, batteries, water, etc.
No one has snow tires.

It's hilarious to see, particularly if you've ever been in the north during the winter.

Pretty much the same here (even though I'm in the mountains). 1/2 inch will close all the schools for a day, and everyone rushes to Walmart to stock up on "emergency" supplies. When I went up to Chicago (first time being with a lot of snow), I was truly amazed that they drove in the snow with 3-4 inches on the ground.

 

[Relko]

Hey guys, so this was pretty much the first thread I saw that I had any business being in so I thought I'd drop in. I'll finally get out of my hell hole high school next year too, and I figured since it's my last year, I may as well take it easy and get early release. Other than that I'm taking AP Calculus AB, AP Gov, AP Eco, AP English 4 or Brit Lit as yall have been saying, Honors Physics and Honors Anatomy and Physiology. Right now I'm kinda looking at Orthopedic Surgery and Neurosurgery, don't know how I'll pull off the later but it seems like screwing around with someone's head would be pretty fun Anyway, right now I'm looking at a school that's actually open admission cause of religious reasons, but I'm hoping mission trips will give me some good EC's.

 

[AntiHouseMD]

Pretty much the same here (even though I'm in the mountains). 1/2 inch will close all the schools for a day, and everyone rushes to Walmart to stock up on "emergency" supplies. When I went up to Chicago (first time being with a lot of snow), I was truly amazed that they drove in the snow with 3-4 inches on the ground.

It usually takes over six inches to get our schools cancelled. We only have the emergency shopping rushes when there's a nor'easter or blizzard coming. But, with those storms, we usually look at over a foot of snow. Bit surprising a 1/2 inch gets some schools cancelled, but all the better for the students.

 

[nctw]

Hey guys, so this was pretty much the first thread I saw that I had any business being in so I thought I'd drop in. I'll finally get out of my hell hole high school next year too, and I figured since it's my last year, I may as well take it easy and get early release. Other than that I'm taking AP Calculus AB, AP Gov, AP Eco, AP English 4 or Brit Lit as yall have been saying, Honors Physics and Honors Anatomy and Physiology. Right now I'm kinda looking at Orthopedic Surgery and Neurosurgery, don't know how I'll pull off the later but it seems like screwing around with someone's head would be pretty fun Anyway, right now I'm looking at a school that's actually open admission cause of religious reasons, but I'm hoping mission trips will give me some good EC's.

Good rigorous schedule for your senior year. Does the school offer what you're interested in majoring in?

 

[nctw]

It usually takes over six inches to get our schools cancelled. We only have the emergency shopping rushes when there's a nor'easter or blizzard coming. But, with those storms, we usually look at over a foot of snow. Bit surprising a 1/2 inch gets some schools cancelled, but all the better for the students.

All the better till they delay graduation a week and make you come to school on Saturday

 

[Relko]

Yeah, I just plan on majoring on the traditional pre-med path with BioChem and I'll minor in theology, it's an interesting combination, but I'm actually pretty stoked about it. As far as the weather down here, we actually have more schools close from hurricanes than snow, it's actually pretty depressing...

 

[AntiHouseMD]

All the better till they delay graduation a week and make you come to school on Saturday

One of the good things about our school: the release date for seniors doesn't get changed, even if there were a lot of snow days. That's why most of the seniors at our school want as many snow days as they can get.

 

[nctw]

Yeah, I just plan on majoring on the traditional pre-med path with BioChem and I'll minor in theology, it's an interesting combination, but I'm actually pretty stoked about it. As far as the weather down here, we actually have more schools close from hurricanes than snow, it's actually pretty depressing...

I lived in Houston till 8th grade, I know what you mean. Remember Tropical Storm Allison and Rita? No electricity for four days

 

[nctw]

One of the good things about our school: the release date for seniors doesn't get changed, even if there were a lot of snow days. That's why most of the seniors at our school want as many snow days as they can get.

I wish we had had that. Here it's the seniors who are resenting each day we don't go to school and the underclassmen who are happy. 2 hour delays count as full school days though

 

[Doxorubicin]

...Neurosurgery, don't know how I'll pull off the later but it seems like screwing around with someone's head would be pretty fun

Welcome to the forum!
Happy beginning of seniordom!

The bolded section made me .
I don't think it's exactly "screwing around" with someone's head, unless you're placing a halo or some other appliance. And most neurosurgeons deal with the spine more frequently than the head -- or least that's the word.

 

[Relko]

I lived in Houston till 8th grade, I know what you mean. Remember Tropical Storm Allison and Rita? No electricity for four days

You're pretty lucky you got out before Katrina, for a hurricane she had attitude.. I would have loved 4 days without power, cause we had about a week and a half without and school was cancelled for 2 weeks. Definitely a pain to make up, but I'm glad i'm not te only native Houstonian here!

 

[Relko]

Welcome to the forum!
Happy beginning of seniordom!

The bolded section made me .
I don't think it's exactly "screwing around" with someone's head, unless you're placing a halo or some other appliance. And most neurosurgeons deal with the spine more frequently than the head -- or least that's the word.

Thanks! Haha and yeah I know it may not be the most commonr but it seems like that would be the best yet most awkward part! Apparently you have to keep the person awake while prodding around in their brain, definitely the epitome of uncomfortable small talk.

 

[nctw]

You're pretty lucky you got out before Katrina, for a hurricane she had attitude.. I would have loved 4 days without power, cause we had about a week and a half without and school was cancelled for 2 weeks. Definitely a pain to make up, but I'm glad i'm not te only native Houstonian here!

We were in Houston during Katrina, but it didn't really affect us much (we were on the north side of Houston)

 

[Relko]

Dang, I guess we just got unlucky then. We had some massive tree fall down on some of our power lines so it took them awhile to repair.
On a side-note, do any of yall know how pre-med will change cause of the new MCAT, seeing as we're the first class that's pretty much required to take it?

 

[I'm No Superman]

Thank god I miss that new MCAT by a year.
a) There will be little to no study material/FLs with which to gain invaluable experience prior to the real thing, and
b) It sounds ****ing hard.

Good luck class of 2020!

Edit:http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2011/03/31/the-new-mcat-less-science-more-critical-thinking/

 

[nctw]

Dang, I guess we just got unlucky then. We had some massive tree fall down on some of our power lines so it took them awhile to repair.
On a side-note, do any of yall know how pre-med will change cause of the new MCAT, seeing as we're the first class that's pretty much required to take it?

I read that it's coming out in 2015. Maybe it's better to take it in 2014? I read this online about it:

"The AAMC recommends that the new science sections of the test include more biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology. But in addition, the test should assess other aspects of learning that are usually taught as part of a broader liberal arts education, such as ethics, philosophy, psychology and cultural studies."

 

[AntiHouseMD]

I read that it's coming out in 2015. I'll be taking it (first and last time hopefully ) in the Spring of 2014. But I read this online about it:

"The AAMC recommends that the new science sections of the test include more biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology. But in addition, the test should assess other aspects of learning that are usually taught as part of a broader liberal arts education, such as ethics, philosophy, psychology and cultural studies."

So basically, you need to take six different minors to take the test.

Well, nothing we can do about it except toughen up and take the MCAT, despite the changes. Complaining about it won't do much except raise blood pressure.

 

[nctw]

So basically, you need to take six different minors to take the test.

Well, nothing we can do about it except toughen up and take the MCAT, despite the changes. Complaining about it won't do much except raise blood pressure.

The only bad part is that all of the effective study methods mentioned on here will be outdated. Plus, there won't be near the amount of practice exams/materials available.

 

[Relko]

I read that it's coming out in 2015. I'll be taking it (first and last time hopefully ) in the Spring of 2014...

I'm actually considering trying to get all my pre-req's out of the way my freshman and sophomore year and attempt it that summer, otherwise Gamma summed it up pretty well: ""

 

[Doxorubicin]

I read that it's coming out in 2015. I'll be taking it (first and last time hopefully ) in the Spring of 2014. But I read this online about it:

"The AAMC recommends that the new science sections of the test include more biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology. But in addition, the test should assess other aspects of learning that are usually taught as part of a broader liberal arts education, such as ethics, philosophy, psychology and cultural studies."

This doesn't seem to be such a bad thing for those of us who have mild distaste for physical sciences outside of biological applications.
And all of us 2016ers will be on the same playing field. No one will have taken the test before us. I think I'll feel more comfortable taking it when everyone is fresh at taking the test. Maybe it's just me, though.
And I think questions on ethics would be a nice addition, seeing as ethical issues and a career in medicine go hand in hand.

Edit: I think that the humanities and social sciences would probably remain in the verbal section, right? It's not like everyone's taken the same social sciences. Everyone takes the same physical and biological sciences, though. They'd probably give passages and ask us to analyze it from a perspective (ie psychological, cultural, etc.)

 

[Relko]

Forget the 6 different minors, to me it seems like you would almost have enough credits with the new requirements to have pre-med be an actual major.

The only bad part is that all of the effective study methods mentioned on here will be outdated. Plus, there won't be near the amount of practice exams/materials available.

The only good thing about that is it comes down to natural intelligence and knowing the material, and it would have a larger curve on the test.

 

[AntiHouseMD]

This doesn't seem to be such a bad thing for those of us who have mild distaste for physical sciences outside of biological applications.
And all of us 2016ers will be on the same playing field. No one will have taken the test before us. I think I'll feel more comfortable taking it when everyone is fresh at taking the test. Maybe it's just me, though.
And I think questions on ethics would be a nice addition, seeing as ethical issues and a career in medicine go hand in hand.

Edit: I think that the humanities and social sciences would probably remain in the verbal section, right? It's not like everyone's taken the same social sciences. Everyone takes the same physical and biological sciences, though. They'd probably give passages and ask us to analyze it from a perspective (ie psychological, cultural, etc.)

Very good point on everyone having to deal with it. The ethical questions would be a nice touch, but that'll require more ethics discussions in biology classes/pre-med societies in college.

I'd be shocked if new MCAT study books aren't created in time for the new exams, to be perfectly honest.

 

[nctw]

For those of us entering college this August, we WON'T take the new MCAT (assuming we go the traditional route and take it the spring of junior year). For the others, maybe it's not gonna be as bad as it sounds.

 

[nctw]

Very good point on everyone having to deal with it. The ethical questions would be a nice touch, but that'll require more ethics discussions in biology classes/pre-med societies in college.

I'd be shocked if new MCAT study books aren't created in time for the new exams, to be perfectly honest.

Yeah I would think that there'd be some flexibility with scores that very first application cycle.

 

[Doxorubicin]

Very good point on everyone having to deal with it. The ethical questions would be a nice touch, but that'll require more ethics discussions in biology classes/pre-med societies in college.

I'd be shocked if new MCAT study books aren't created in time for the new exams, to be perfectly honest.

I feel that medical ethics or some sort of ethics class should be a pre-requisite for medical school. There are so many issues (abortion, human euthanasia, cultural/religious views on treatments, domestic violence, and of life care come to mind) to be explored. Even outside of a medical context, plenty of ethical issues exist on the local, national, and international levels and offer themselves to discussion.

If it could be a discussion style class, it could help improve your public speaking and analytical skills, which are crucial for good doctors to posses.

 

[AntiHouseMD]

I feel that medical ethics or some sort of ethics class should be a pre-requisite for medical school. There are so many issues (abortion, human euthanasia, cultural/religious views on treatments, domestic violence, and of life care come to mind) to be explored. Even outside of a medical context, plenty of ethical issues exist on the local, national, and international levels and offer themselves to discussion.

If it could be a discussion style class, it could help improve your public speaking and analytical skills, which are crucial for good doctors to posses.

I agree. From a non-medical viewpoint, I see so many arguments on issues that completely fail to adhere to the issue (politics, religion, etc.). That would be a great idea for a minor, as it'll help you prepare for medical school yet be interesting.