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Hi All!
I'm a recently minted patent agent with the USPTO, with a specialization in the biosciences. I am currently in training at a boutique IP law firm. However, it was quite a winding path to get to the position I'm in. Here are some stats etc. for your consideration:
Undergrad: USC, major Philosophy, BA, GPA: 3.44
Grad: University of Essex, major Philosophy & Psychoanalysis, MA, GPA: 2nd class honors (A- or 3.66 approx).
Technical/Scientific coursework:
General Bio I/II (1/2 CLEP)
General chem I/II (CLEP)
24 units of mixed biology and biotech coursework, to include: marine bio, human bio, cell culture, purification & recovery, environmental control & process support
Now, at the very least, I need to pursue a second technical/scientific Master's for competency purposes as a patent agent working the biosciences. The trouble is, the worthwhile Master's programs that offer TAships all require what amounts to pre-med preparation for admission. Also, working one-on-one with patients in a mental health capacity is something I have always wanted to do as well. If possible, I would like to move in a direction that at least keeps this possibility open to me.
Since things are very flexible at the firm I'm at, I figure now, what the hell. I might as well go for an MD and specialize in Psychiatry. I am single, I generally love being in school and learning, and now seems like a very exciting time to be exploring what I take to be the fundamental question that psychiatry is essentially concerned with: the complex relationship between the mind and the body. I recognize that trying to maintain a caseload and study as a med student will be potentially very tough, but I think that with excellent time management, I should be able to work on 15 to 20 hours of IP stuff a week without stressing myself to death.
What appeals to me most about studying all of this within the context of psychiatry, in particular, is that it is practical and action-oriented, unlike taking courses in say the philosophy of mind. Don't get me wrong, I think that fancy ideas and subtle, careful distinctions are really neat. What's neater to me, though, is using all this specialized knowledge, along with the finely honed powers of discernment its acquisition exercises, to help people with their most intimate and harrowing personal difficulties. Whether I end up doing this as an inventor, a patent agent, and/or a working psychiatrist, it's all good by me, though I'd like to do it all.
From what I've been told, the MD degree generally has more cache than a Masters' in anything within the field of Intellectual Property law anyways, and I'm sure the senior attorney at my firm would be thrilled at the idea of having an MD on staff. However, I am very committed to the psychoanalytic treatment paradigm. I have recently found out that there are four psychiatry schools in the US that have embedded psychoanalytic institutes. These are as follows:
George Washington U.
Emory
NYU
Columbia
So here are my questions.
1. I'm sure med schools generally frown on CLEP equivalency, but to what degree does this matter? My thinking is that if I nail the O-chem sequence, the calc I/II, and the year of physics, I shouldn't have to retake general chem I/II and general bio I/II.
2. Assuming I do fairly well on a pre-med sequence of courses (i.e. 3.5 gpa or above), and score well on the MCAT, how hard would it be to get into any of the abovementioned schools?
3. I'm a first generation college student from an ethnically underrepresented background. How much might this count in my favor?
4. Will the MA I currently possess count at all in my favor? My guess is yes with some limitations.
Thanks for your input!
I'm a recently minted patent agent with the USPTO, with a specialization in the biosciences. I am currently in training at a boutique IP law firm. However, it was quite a winding path to get to the position I'm in. Here are some stats etc. for your consideration:
Undergrad: USC, major Philosophy, BA, GPA: 3.44
Grad: University of Essex, major Philosophy & Psychoanalysis, MA, GPA: 2nd class honors (A- or 3.66 approx).
Technical/Scientific coursework:
General Bio I/II (1/2 CLEP)
General chem I/II (CLEP)
24 units of mixed biology and biotech coursework, to include: marine bio, human bio, cell culture, purification & recovery, environmental control & process support
Now, at the very least, I need to pursue a second technical/scientific Master's for competency purposes as a patent agent working the biosciences. The trouble is, the worthwhile Master's programs that offer TAships all require what amounts to pre-med preparation for admission. Also, working one-on-one with patients in a mental health capacity is something I have always wanted to do as well. If possible, I would like to move in a direction that at least keeps this possibility open to me.
Since things are very flexible at the firm I'm at, I figure now, what the hell. I might as well go for an MD and specialize in Psychiatry. I am single, I generally love being in school and learning, and now seems like a very exciting time to be exploring what I take to be the fundamental question that psychiatry is essentially concerned with: the complex relationship between the mind and the body. I recognize that trying to maintain a caseload and study as a med student will be potentially very tough, but I think that with excellent time management, I should be able to work on 15 to 20 hours of IP stuff a week without stressing myself to death.
What appeals to me most about studying all of this within the context of psychiatry, in particular, is that it is practical and action-oriented, unlike taking courses in say the philosophy of mind. Don't get me wrong, I think that fancy ideas and subtle, careful distinctions are really neat. What's neater to me, though, is using all this specialized knowledge, along with the finely honed powers of discernment its acquisition exercises, to help people with their most intimate and harrowing personal difficulties. Whether I end up doing this as an inventor, a patent agent, and/or a working psychiatrist, it's all good by me, though I'd like to do it all.
From what I've been told, the MD degree generally has more cache than a Masters' in anything within the field of Intellectual Property law anyways, and I'm sure the senior attorney at my firm would be thrilled at the idea of having an MD on staff. However, I am very committed to the psychoanalytic treatment paradigm. I have recently found out that there are four psychiatry schools in the US that have embedded psychoanalytic institutes. These are as follows:
George Washington U.
Emory
NYU
Columbia
So here are my questions.
1. I'm sure med schools generally frown on CLEP equivalency, but to what degree does this matter? My thinking is that if I nail the O-chem sequence, the calc I/II, and the year of physics, I shouldn't have to retake general chem I/II and general bio I/II.
2. Assuming I do fairly well on a pre-med sequence of courses (i.e. 3.5 gpa or above), and score well on the MCAT, how hard would it be to get into any of the abovementioned schools?
3. I'm a first generation college student from an ethnically underrepresented background. How much might this count in my favor?
4. Will the MA I currently possess count at all in my favor? My guess is yes with some limitations.
Thanks for your input!
