Random questions of all sorts

[kauaibbygrl808]

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Okay, so I'm currently a psychology major (BS in Psych because it incorporates all pre-reqs for med school and I really enjoy psych 🙂 )

1) I'm worried about the interview process
2) I'm worried I won't do well in the upper division science courses
3) can anyone suggest online resources for studying for MCAT or to get extra study for everything science?

I guess I want to be over prepared? Any insight helps really...

Also, my list of med schools I'll be applying isn't long...in fact it's only 1...why? We'll because moving out of state (Hawai'i) isn't an option for me and my family (married with kids) so I'll be applying to JABSOM (John A. Burns School of Medicine) thanks in advance for everyone's response! Or as we say here, MAHALO! 🙂

 

[gublagu3]

1. If you are worried about the interview process, you can look at the interview feedback section on SDN where people post actual questions they were asked on interviews. It is incredibly helpful in preparing for the interviews. Also, you are not alone. I had a lot of anxiety before my first interview. That feeling is absolutely normal. In my personal experience, most medical school interviewers aren't there to watch you fail, they simply want to learn more about you in a personal setting.

2. Your worry about upper division courses is also something I went through. In my personal experience, upper division courses weren't any harder than lower division courses. I think the only way you will get over this anxiety is when you actually start taking upper division courses.

3. As far as online resources, check out Khan academy, they have a lot of videos and practice questions.

With regards to your decision to apply to only one school, I highly recommend you re-think that decision. As many on SDN can tell you, the application process is a crapshoot. You get interviews at places you thought you had no shot at and then get rejected pre-interview from places you thought you had a really good chance. As a personal example, I ended up not receiving an interview from my undergrad institution, even though my MCAT and GPA were within their range. If you are still intent on only applying to one school, look into whether you can apply with the early decisions program(do you know what that is?)

 

[blacksweater]

1) Be yourself. I'm sure you're a charming person. And I've heard adcoms enjoy talking to charming people.
2) If you did well in the pre-reqs, upper level courses shouldn't be too difficult. As long as you put in the hard work and time, you should be fine. I've had some psych courses that were some of my hardest classes.
3) Khan academy videos come to mind. I heard they were pretty useful for a refreshment of the basics. I used Princeton review books and I thought they were pretty decent with covering the major stuff.

 

[kauaibbygrl808]

1. If you are worried about the interview process, you can look at the interview feedback section on SDN where people post actual questions they were asked on interviews. It is incredibly helpful in preparing for the interviews. Also, you are not alone. I had a lot of anxiety before my first interview. That feeling is absolutely normal. In my personal experience, most medical school interviewers aren't there to watch you fail, they simply want to learn more about you in a personal setting.

2. Your worry about upper division courses is also something I went through. In my personal experience, upper division courses weren't any harder than lower division courses. I think the only way you will get over this anxiety is when you actually start taking upper division courses.

3. As far as online resources, check out Khan academy, they have a lot of videos and practice questions.

With regards to your decision to apply to only one school, I highly recommend you re-think that decision. As many on SDN can tell you, the application process is a crapshoot. You get interviews at places you thought you had no shot at and then get rejected pre-interview from places you thought you had a really good chance. As a personal example, I ended up not receiving an interview from my undergrad institution, even though my MCAT and GPA were within their range. If you are still intent on only applying to one school, look into whether you can apply with the early decisions program(do you know what that is?)

Yes they do have an early decision option. What is the difference? Does it make any difference? My initial career choice was nursing but after a LONG journey I thankfully hit a dead end. It was a blessing in disguise. I think MD would make my glass feel completely full. I have a lot of questions in this career field I have yet to investigate but I suppose it will come in time.... Would you care you educate me further? If you don't mind? Any advice and insight would greatly be appreciated 🙂 thanks much!

 

[kauaibbygrl808]

I hear so much about Khan Academy. I take it they are a very reliable source for all they offer. I will definitely give them a go. Thank you both for the recommend


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[gublagu3]

Yes they do have an early decision option. What is the difference? Does it make any difference? My initial career choice was nursing but after a LONG journey I thankfully hit a dead end. It was a blessing in disguise. I think MD would make my glass feel completely full. I have a lot of questions in this career field I have yet to investigate but I suppose it will come in time.... Would you care you educate me further? If you don't mind? Any advice and insight would greatly be appreciated 🙂 thanks much!

So, the basic idea of the early decision option (EDP) is that you initially only apply to one school. In doing so, you guarantee that school that if you get in, you will go there. Whereas, say if I am not applying early decision, I have no obligation to go to a school even if they accept me. Another caveat of the EDP is that you can only apply to one school. The main disadvantage of the EDP program is that if you end up not getting in to that particular school, your application to other schools could be delayed. To supplement my explanation, I will include a link below of AAMC's explanation of the EDP.

https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/early-decision-program/

 

[kauaibbygrl808]

Oh!!! Okay! Thanks for that! That makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, moving out of the state is definitely not an option for us and I would only be applying at John burns. If I don't get accepted, I can always reapply though right? What could you recommend about extracurricular activities or "judo points" for selection process?


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