Random non-MCAT and only peripherally related to the MCAT thread - Part 2

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tee hee. Yes. They are moo pies though 😉


OH MY GOD. I think I just found the perfect MS program for. One year, if you get a 3.0 and are in good standing you get admitted to med school. But now I have to convince the hubby its what I want to do. I need to work EXTRA hard this year too. *sigh*
 
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mshheaddoc said:
*takes notes .... be a Kaplan teacher for a few years for practice 😉 *

You gals make me proud of how humble you are 👍
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I actually don't think that I am very humble, to be honest. At least I'm not humble in the sense that people normally mean, which is something to the effect of "downplays their strengths/doesn't brag." But I would say that I *am* pretty honest with myself and others about my strengths and weaknesses. I made straight As in school and was high school class valedictorian. But I'm not going to lie and tell you that I breezed through school due to being a genius, because it's absolutely not true. I always did well in school because I always worked hard. I was the kind of kid who would lie to my mom when I was sick, telling her that I *didn't* have a fever, because I didn't want to miss school. I would sit under my desk after lights-out time so that I could continue to read using my nightlight. I was really into school and learning, even as a little kid.

And yeah, I was always "good" at math. Why? Because I used to study it for a couple of hours every day. I started doing that in elementary school. My parents aren't particularly good at math. (My mom didn't even go to college, and my dad was a psych major.) But they sure were diligent about making sure that I did my homework, and they insisted that I earn all As and Bs. I went above and beyond that because I LIKED doing math problems. (I like doing puzzles in general; nowadays I'm a huge sudoku addict.) By the time I started high school, my parents couldn't help me with my homework any more. So I'd call this homework hotline that was set up by my school district and staffed by math teachers from the local schools. I called them a lot during geometry my freshman year, because I wasn't very good at geometry. I called so much that if a few days went by between calls, the next time I called they'd ask where I had been. There are a lot of other things more fun for a teenager than doing these stupid geometry proofs that I could have been doing instead. But I wound up making straight As in geometry through hard work.

You mentioned about assuming that I'm a genius because I have a PhD in chemistry. Well, the truth is that I'm a pretty average chemist. I'm competent, and I deserve my PhD, but I'm not great. I've seen some fellow students and post docs who are truly talented, and I can honestly say that I am less talented. I will never win the Nobel Prize in chemistry. My dissertation is going to sit dusty in the library of my university; no one will ever read it again except for possibly some of the younger students in the lab who are continuing my projects. I barely passed my synthesis class with a B. (C is unsatisfactory for grad students and means you have to re-take the class.) But I kept practicing anyway, and I passed the synthesis section of my qualifier on the first try, again, after a major studying effort.

Here's what many people don't seem to understand. You see people asking what the "secret" is to doing well on the MCAT. There IS no secret. You have to start by really learning your math well, and your sciences. You have to love to read, and spend a lot of years doing it for a lot of time. Kids who don't like reading and math don't like them because they're not good at them. So they want to avoid doing them as much as possible. Wrong move. If you're not naturally adept with your academic skills, you have to practice MORE, not LESS, over a period of years, all throughout school. If you make it through high school and college having barely worked and lacking that discipline, you're going to have difficulty come MCAT studying time. That's one major reason why you see some very smart people with average or even low MCAT scores.

I have never met VD, and I know very little about her daily life, but I guarantee you that she's a reader. She's smart, but she's also someone who works hard. She's someone who really loves learning and isn't primarily motivated by grades. She worked hard to be a good learner for years and years. So it's no big surprise that she's so good at it now. 🙂
 
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QofQuimica said:
I have never met VD, and I know very little about her daily life, but I guarantee you that she's a reader. She's smart, but she's also someone who works hard. She's someone who really loves learning and isn't primarily motivated by grades. She worked hard to be a good learner for years and years. So it's no big surprise that she's so good at it now. 🙂
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That's dead on, me in a nutshell. That's part of the reason why my grades were/are mediocre compared with others on this site, I never really studied for grades. I did well in things I loved and I chose my major out of a desire to really learn about that subject.

Yeah and I read about a novel a week :laugh:


BTW, what do you ladies think of adding these schools to my list - they all sounded interesting in the MSAR:
Northwestern
Emory
BU
Mich State
Dartmouth
UNC - Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
Vanderbilt
Virginia

I was basically going by cirriculum. Do any of you know good/bad things about these schools?
 
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Q - I didn't mean to "offend" you with any of my comments, as they were meant in a jesting manner. 😳 In a sense to actually talk to someone who has scored in the top 1% of a standardized exam and here their take is quite interesting. You aren't superhuman, you are just a normal person who worked very hard to get where you are. But there will always be those of us who admire your hardwork and dedication with by reverently worshipping your avatar 😀

But I really have to agree with you on your points of "doing well on the MCAT". To add, I also have noticed that sometimes standardized tests aren't for everyone. I know some brilliant people who worked hard to get that 3.9 for their chem degree. They enjoyed the 14 hrs they just spent working on their pchem homework ... for just the first problem. But still didn't do well on the MCAT. They are in medical school though as other qualities shined through and although again they may not be the top of their class, they are shining through on the application of knowledge because they didn't just memorize a bunch of information. They learned it and now can apply it to real life. 👍
 
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Anastasis said:
So should I start adding schools to my list? ugh. or should I just stick to my list now? I don't know what to do.
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Looks like a good list to me! I can't imagine you'll have trouble getting in anywhere, and looks like you have geographic preferences which include really good schools. If you have a dream school, definitely add it. But you are going to get sick of interviewing (and broke) after a bit.
 
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Anastasis said:
There are some schools I was looking at that I thought there cirriculum sounded interesting but I thought, "No way would I get in." My dad keeps telling me I should add them now, but I'm still torn because I would like to stay in TX if I can.

And thanks to Q, Baylor is getting higher and higher on my list.
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Baylor and UTSW rock. You can't really do better than those places in my humble opinion. I LOVED UTSW when I interviewed there for residency. I ended up ranking it a little lower on my list simply because of geography (my family is further away from Texas and I love the midwest).
 
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Anastasis said:
That's dead on, me in a nutshell. That's part of the reason why my grades were/are mediocre compared with others on this site, I never really studied for grades. I did well in things I loved and I chose my major out of a desire to really learn about that subject.

Yeah and I read about a novel a week :laugh:


BTW, what do you ladies think of adding these schools to my list - they all sounded interesting in the MSAR:
Northwestern
Emory
BU
Mich State
Dartmouth
UNC - Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
Vanderbilt
Virginia

I was basically going by cirriculum. Do any of you know good/bad things about these schools?
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I'd take off MSU. Many of the people with stats good enough for UMICH get rejected there for "overqualification".

A Texan with a 41 applying to MSU probably doesn't "fit".
 
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mshheaddoc said:
tee hee. Yes. They are moo pies though 😉


OH MY GOD. I think I just found the perfect MS program for. One year, if you get a 3.0 and are in good standing you get admitted to med school. But now I have to convince the hubby its what I want to do. I need to work EXTRA hard this year too. *sigh*
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Chocolate, Banana, or Vanilla?
 
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Anastasis said:
Lordy - Hopkins with no research experience? (Well not really) I doubt I stand a chance. Plus isn't it filled with gunners? :laugh:
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I'm not a huge fan of Hopkins. Bad area, and it is filled with gunners. I think it is a kill or be killed environment. I didn't even apply there for residency in my initial shotgun applications where I hit all the "big" hospitals. Obviously they put out great docs and have great programs. But I think you can get as good of an education plenty of other places. Just my 2 cents.
 
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Nikki2002 said:
BEARY!! Norwalk, OH (up by the lake--by toledo) is underwater!!! that could have easily been us--too freaky
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It's storming again!!!

PS I'm home and it's 4 o'clock. 😀 You can probably tell that since I'm catching up on all the posting.

My folks are coming tomorrow and I really need to bust my butt tonight to get my house ready for them. It is still in a very unpacked state.
 
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Anastasis said:
BTW, what do you ladies think of adding these schools to my list - they all sounded interesting in the MSAR:
Northwestern
Emory
BU
Mich State
Dartmouth
UNC - Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
Vanderbilt
Virginia

I was basically going by cirriculum. Do any of you know good/bad things about these schools?
Click to expand...

What type of curriculum are you looking for? I 😍 Dartmouth, but mostly just because of location. Northwestern is fabulous. Virginia - extreme 😍

Vanderbilt is great. They left a bad taste in my house many years ago on MSTP interviews because an interviewer there told me that "women don't belong in science." WTF??!! (I am sure that was just a bad apple and I know lots of folks who really like it and are successful there). Don't know anything about the other places.
 
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Anastasis said:
That's dead on, me in a nutshell. That's part of the reason why my grades were/are mediocre compared with others on this site, I never really studied for grades. I did well in things I loved and I chose my major out of a desire to really learn about that subject.

Yeah and I read about a novel a week :laugh:


BTW, what do you ladies think of adding these schools to my list - they all sounded interesting in the MSAR:
Northwestern
Emory
BU
Mich State
Dartmouth
UNC - Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
Vanderbilt
Virginia

I was basically going by cirriculum. Do any of you know good/bad things about these schools?
Click to expand...
I would be very careful about applying to other states' state schools. Check the MSAR and see whether they take many OOS students. For example, I didn't apply to any of the Texas state schools since they only take 10% OOS students. Not good enough odds IMHO. Plus, you're going to pay big-time at other states' schools since you're OOS, and most state schools don't give scholarships. Plus, many won't let you change your residency for school. If you want to stay in the South, I'd look at Miami, Emory, Tulane, Vanderbilt, and Duke. If you're willing to go to the Midwest, check out Chicago (Pritzker), Case, U Mich, Pitt, and Wash U. I didn't apply to most of the Ivies, but the one that I really liked was Yale. Most of the Ivies don't give scholarships though (Penn is the only exception that I know of), so I wouldn't waste my time on them if I were you considering that you can go to Baylor or UTSW so cheaply. Baylor does give tuition scholarships, BTW. U Mich is a state school but they also give scholarships, and they take a lot of OOS people. So do all of those private schools that I mentioned. I didn't apply to any of the other schools on your list, so I don't know much about them.
 
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mshheaddoc said:
Q - I didn't mean to "offend" you with any of my comments, as they were meant in a jesting manner. 😳 In a sense to actually talk to someone who has scored in the top 1% of a standardized exam and here their take is quite interesting. You aren't superhuman, you are just a normal person who worked very hard to get where you are. But there will always be those of us who admire your hardwork and dedication with by reverently worshipping your avatar 😀

But I really have to agree with you on your points of "doing well on the MCAT". To add, I also have noticed that sometimes standardized tests aren't for everyone. I know some brilliant people who worked hard to get that 3.9 for their chem degree. They enjoyed the 14 hrs they just spent working on their pchem homework ... for just the first problem. But still didn't do well on the MCAT. They are in medical school though as other qualities shined through and although again they may not be the top of their class, they are shining through on the application of knowledge because they didn't just memorize a bunch of information. They learned it and now can apply it to real life. 👍
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You didn't offend me. I must sound more upset than I really am; it's hard to be nuanced on the internet, especially when you're on the kind of roll that I was on. 😳
 
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QofQuimica said:
I actually don't think that I am very humble, to be honest. At least I'm not humble in the sense that people normally mean, which is something to the effect of "downplays their strengths/doesn't brag." But I would say that I *am* pretty honest with myself and others about my strengths and weaknesses. I made straight As in school and was high school class valedictorian. But I'm not going to lie and tell you that I breezed through school due to being a genius, because it's absolutely not true. I always did well in school because I always worked hard. I was the kind of kid who would lie to my mom when I was sick, telling her that I *didn't* have a fever, because I didn't want to miss school. I would sit under my desk after lights-out time so that I could continue to read using my nightlight. I was really into school and learning, even as a little kid.
🙂
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But I think you are humble, because to me, a humble person is someone who acknowledges their strengths/gifts and at the same time is very thankful for them. I have seen you make posts on several occasions where you specifically go out of your way to stress the fact that you have worked hard to achieve your goals. But nobody, no matter how hard they work, can achieve what you have without having a natural ability to pick up on things very well mentally. When others who may even work harder than you do see someone who can achieve certain things that they cannot, it just naturally tends to make people envious or upset. Somone who was not humble wouldn't really care to take time to make honest, thoughtful posts that make others feel comfortable, when they could just tell them something along the lines of "i'm awesome, sucks to be you." I just think in general, you are a proud, yet greatful person, and it reflects in what you write. At least that's my two cents, I could be wrong 🙂

I think the same goes for many people who post in this thread
 
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QofQuimica said:
I would be very careful about applying to other states' state schools. Check the MSAR and see whether they take many OOS students. For example, I didn't apply to any of the Texas state schools since they only take 10% OOS students. Not good enough odds IMHO. Plus, you're going to pay big-time at other states' schools since you're OOS, and most state schools don't give scholarships. Plus, many won't let you change your residency for school. If you want to stay in the South, I'd look at Miami, Emory, Tulane, Vanderbilt, and Duke. If you're willing to go to the Midwest, check out Chicago (Pritzker), Case, U Mich, Pitt, and Wash U. I didn't apply to most of the Ivies, but the one that I really liked was Yale. Most of the Ivies don't give scholarships though (Penn is the only exception that I know of), so I wouldn't waste my time on them if I were you considering that you can go to Baylor or UTSW so cheaply. Baylor does give tuition scholarships, BTW. U Mich is a state school but they also give scholarships, and they take a lot of OOS people. So do all of those private schools that I mentioned. I didn't apply to any of the other schools on your list, so I don't know much about them.
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Baylor looks better and better 😍
 
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BrettBatchelor said:
I'd take off MSU. Many of the people with stats good enough for UMICH get rejected there for "overqualification".

A Texan with a 41 applying to MSU probably doesn't "fit".
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Hey Brett, this is something that I have heard about too. My one friend got rejected from less comptetative schools like temple and GW while being accepted at UPenn. He said that GW told him he was overqualified.

Don't schools seek out the best applicants, no matter what? Wouldn't it make sense to have the "best" future doctors come to your school? 😕
 
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QofQuimica said:
If you want to stay in the South, I'd look at Miami, Emory, Tulane, Vanderbilt, and Duke. If you're willing to go to the Midwest, check out Chicago (Pritzker), Case, U Mich, Pitt, and Wash U. I didn't apply to most of the Ivies, but the one that I really liked was Yale. Most of the Ivies don't give scholarships though (Penn is the only exception that I know of), so I wouldn't waste my time on them if I were you considering that you can go to Baylor or UTSW so cheaply.
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Have you looked at Duke's curriculum? It's amazing -- one year pre-clinical classes, then one year clinical, then one year research, then the last year clinical. Even if I don't want to end up doing research primarily, it sounds way more fun than taking more med school exams. And they're p/f preclinical, which I consider a MAJOR bonus. I pretty much drooled when I found it.

1.5 years preclinical time is also a plus for Baylor (grades) and UVA (p/f).
 
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beary said:
What type of curriculum are you looking for? I 😍 Dartmouth, but mostly just because of location. Northwestern is fabulous. Virginia - extreme 😍

Vanderbilt is great. They left a bad taste in my house many years ago on MSTP interviews because an interviewer there told me that "women don't belong in science." WTF??!! (I am sure that was just a bad apple and I know lots of folks who really like it and are successful there). Don't know anything about the other places.
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I'm just looking at schools that have cirriculum different than the classical stuff. Anything integrating humanities and medicine or PBL. 😍 😍

What do you love so much about those schools? Esp. Virgina?
 
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beary said:
What type of curriculum are you looking for? I 😍 Dartmouth, but mostly just because of location. Northwestern is fabulous. Virginia - extreme 😍

Vanderbilt is great. They left a bad taste in my house many years ago on MSTP interviews because an interviewer there told me that "women don't belong in science." WTF??!! (I am sure that was just a bad apple and I know lots of folks who really like it and are successful there). Don't know anything about the other places.
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Eh, you meet stupid people everywhere. Interestingly, I had a weird interview at Vanderbilt as well. But at least the interviewer didn't say that women don't belong in science. :laugh:

VD, it's a great school, and the campus is gorgeous. I liked the curriculum; they have these selectives that you do, clinical exposure, etc. Most importantly, the students there seem to be really, really happy. And I swear, the students are all totally good-looking (guys and girls); Vandy definitely has the hottest students of any med school I've ever visited. They also seem to be really nice; all the M1s were wishing us luck in the restroom. :laugh: P/F for the first couple of years. 👍 Nashville is a nice little town and the campus is in a safe area. On the downside, the class is also very young, the school is pretty traditional, and the student body is less diverse than many other schools are, which was the biggest thing I didn't like about it.
 
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Anastasis said:
Honestly UMich scares me a bit - Too many smart people! (kidding)

Isn't it really research oriented? which just isn't me.

That's why I'm not interested in UTSW either. (Sorry Beary! I 😍 you!)
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Yep - I think both U Mich and UTSW are research oriented. That doesn't mean you would have to as a med student, but I totally see that you are looking for something else. (I'm the opposite - I was looking for research oriented places.)

I think to a large extent you will be able to tailor your non-curriculum educational interests to what you want to do wherever you are. For example, at Iowa, I was always hanging out at talks, research days, poster sessions, etc. Other folks were working at the free clinic, starting up a mobile clinic, working with underserved folks in rural areas, etc. And some folks were doing everything in between. So as long as you go to a decent place you should be able to find the opportunities you want.
 
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Anastasis said:
I'm just looking at schools that have cirriculum different than the classical stuff. Anything integrating humanities and medicine or PBL. 😍 😍

What do you love so much about those schools? Esp. Virgina?
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I was just looking at your profile... why is UTMB your favorite in TX?
 
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QofQuimica said:
Eh, you meet stupid people everywhere. Interestingly, I had a weird interview at Vanderbilt as well. But at least the interviewer didn't say that women don't belong in science. :laugh:

VD, it's a great school, and the campus is gorgeous. I liked the curriculum; they have these selectives that you do, clinical exposure, etc. Most importantly, the students there seem to be really, really happy. And I swear, the students are all totally good-looking (guys and girls); Vandy definitely has the hottest students of any med school I've ever visited. They also seem to be really nice; all the M1s were wishing us luck in the restroom. :laugh: P/F for the first couple of years. 👍 Nashville is a nice little town and the campus is in a safe area. On the downside, the class is also very young, the school is pretty traditional, and the student body is less diverse than many other schools are, which was the biggest thing I didn't like about it.
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From what you guys are saying I think I will add Vandy and UVA. The lack of diversity at Vandy might bug me but I am from TX 🙂p) I can tough it out. Does Vandy give scholarships?
 
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Here's my situation. I found that throughout high school and college, if I put a ton of work into a class or a subject, I could definitely reap the benefits in terms of having a solid understanding the material (most important) and earning solid grades (I also graduated valedictorian, which was the icing on the TON of hard work that I put into it).

However, things did not work out the same for my MCAT experience. Before the first test in August, I did everything in the Kaplan online course, studied for probably 20-30 hours a week, really put a hold on everything else in my life, and kept seeing the same results on my practice tests (all hovering around 30). After getting my abysmal 25 on the August 2005 exam, I was devastated. But, I was determined to do things better the second time around.

Per advice from people on SDN and elsewhere, I bought AAMC exams, re-enrolled in the Kaplan online course to have access to the remaining practice tests, and set up a study schedule from late January right up until test date. I took 7 practice tests (2 Kaplan and 5 AAMC tests including the most recent AAMC 9), and again my average was around 30. This time, however, I felt much more prepared because a) I had seen the *real thing* before and knew what it felt like to sit through the actual test day, and b) I had taken enough practice tests that were like the *real thing* and scored consistently around a 30.

I didn't score well on the MCAT, but in my case I don't think it had anything to do with a lack of work ethic or discipline. I worked my butt off to study for the MCAT, and I can't really see what I could or should have done differently. My best practice test scores this time around were 31, so I definitely hoped to do much better than a 28. I just don't know if there's anything else that I could have done, I don't think I could improve enough on practice in the next 2 months to have a good chance in August, and I think (&hope) the rest of my application is strong enough to counterbalance the not-so-wonderful MCAT score. I'm starting to realize that no one has the complete package...you just have to do the best with what you have. If it really turns out that I don't get in anywhere this application cycle only because of my MCAT score, it will make me lose some faith in the whole "complete package" idea. But if that's really the case, I'll bite the bullet and try again.

Anyway, sorry for the long rambling post. That's what's going through my head right now. Thanks to all you guys for being supportive & encouraging. 😍
 
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Anastasis said:
I'm just looking at schools that have cirriculum different than the classical stuff. Anything integrating humanities and medicine or PBL. 😍 😍

What do you love so much about those schools? Esp. Virgina?
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Whoa. You and I want different things out of our med school curriculum. 😛 PBL makes me :barf: .

I actually put Virginia #1 on my rank list for residencies (Michigan was #2). Ego blow. OK moving on. 🙄 (I am thrilled now and really think things worked out for the best - I am a better fit at U Mich than I would have been at UVA).

I don't know anything at all about the med school curriculum. I just felt at home there for path residency. Charlottesville is a gorgeous town with tons of stuff to do. The hospital reminded me of Iowa's. They have a great path residency and have some of the best surgical pathologists in the world on faculty there. And their path residency is getting very research oriented. 🙂

Aubrey and CameronFrye are SDNers who went to med school at UVA and are both path HO-1s there now. We PMed a lot during residency applications and I am sure they would be willing to answer any questions you had about the med school there. They both really liked it, obviously, since they stayed there.
 
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lilithny said:
i would love to go to iowa. but that's a reach school for me 😳
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I would go there again in a heartbeat. I really don't have any bad things to say. We have the highest passing rates on board scores of any school in the country (100% for several years in a row). IC rocks. Gorgeous facilities. Nice people. As someone who just went through the match, the graduates go to great places. Tons of opportunities for pretty much anything you want.

As you are doing your applications always let me know if you have any questions about Iowa.
 
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ironmanf14 said:
But I think you are humble, because to me, a humble person is someone who acknowledges their strengths/gifts and at the same time is very thankful for them. I have seen you make posts on several occasions where you specifically go out of your way to stress the fact that you have worked hard to achieve your goals. But nobody, no matter how hard they work, can achieve what you have without having a natural ability to pick up on things very well mentally. When others who may even work harder than you do see someone who can achieve certain things that they cannot, it just naturally tends to make people envious or upset. Somone who was not humble wouldn't really care to take time to make honest, thoughtful posts that make others feel comfortable, when they could just tell them something along the lines of "i'm awesome, sucks to be you." I just think in general, you are a proud, yet greatful person, and it reflects in what you write. At least that's my two cents, I could be wrong 🙂

I think the same goes for many people who post in this thread
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Hmm, I would agree that I'm grateful, and also proud. I help people because I'm grateful for the help that other people have given me, and I recognize that I wouldn't be where I am today without their help. I work hard, and I'm proud of what I've accomplished. But I also know that I'm not better than anyone else just because I scored well on a test. I've had my own failures and made my own bad decisions and screwed parts of my own life up. There are things I've done that I'm ashamed of and things that I wish I had done differently. (If that weren't the case, I wouldn't be a non-trad med student. 😉) I readily admit that I'm far from being perfect. So if that's what you mean by "humility," then ok, I concede the point. :laugh:
 
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scentimint said:
Here's my situation. I found that throughout high school and college, if I put a ton of work into a class or a subject, I could definitely reap the benefits in terms of having a solid understanding the material (most important) and earning solid grades (I also graduated valedictorian, which was the icing on the TON of hard work that I put into it).

However, things did not work out the same for my MCAT experience. Before the first test in August, I did everything in the Kaplan online course, studied for probably 20-30 hours a week, really put a hold on everything else in my life, and kept seeing the same results on my practice tests (all hovering around 30). After getting my abysmal 25 on the August 2005 exam, I was devastated. But, I was determined to do things better the second time around.

Per advice from people on SDN and elsewhere, I bought AAMC exams, re-enrolled in the Kaplan online course to have access to the remaining practice tests, and set up a study schedule from late January right up until test date. I took 7 practice tests (2 Kaplan and 5 AAMC tests including the most recent AAMC 9), and again my average was around 30. This time, however, I felt much more prepared because a) I had seen the *real thing* before and knew what it felt like to sit through the actual test day, and b) I had taken enough practice tests that were like the *real thing* and scored consistently around a 30.

I didn't score well on the MCAT, but in my case I don't think it had anything to do with a lack of work ethic or discipline. I worked my butt off to study for the MCAT, and I can't really see what I could or should have done differently. My best practice test scores this time around were 31, so I definitely hoped to do much better than a 28. I just don't know if there's anything else that I could have done, I don't think I could improve enough on practice in the next 2 months to have a good chance in August, and I think (&hope) the rest of my application is strong enough to counterbalance the not-so-wonderful MCAT score. I'm starting to realize that no one has the complete package...you just have to do the best with what you have. If it really turns out that I don't get in anywhere this application cycle only because of my MCAT score, it will make me lose some faith in the whole "complete package" idea. But if that's really the case, I'll bite the bullet and try again.

Anyway, sorry for the long rambling post. That's what's going through my head right now. Thanks to all you guys for being supportive & encouraging. 😍
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i know exactly how you feel--i work my ass off but progress can be so painfully slow. Listen-we all know SDN messes with our minds--your score is excellent and well-balanced......and I think you will rock your interviews. There are a lot of gunners with great numbers but i can barely stand to hold a 1 minute conversation with them let alone imagine the thought of them being my doctor.
 
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