- Joined
- Jun 23, 2003
- Messages
- 5,786
- Reaction score
- 913
Q: Should I apply disadvantaged on my application?
A: If you have to ask, then you probably weren't disadvantaged enough to warrant consideration because of it. General rule of thumb: if you check the "disadvantaged" box and have to think of what may qualify you as such, you probably shouldn't have checked it.
Q: What major should I choose to give me a better chance of going to medical school?
A: Choose whatever you want. People can throw statistics in your face all day and they don't mean jack crap. If you hate your major you're going to do poorly -- pick something that interests you and take a wide variety of classes; undergrad is your last chance to CHOOSE your curriculum.
Q: I'm a neurotic FREAK. Should I wear X or Y to my interview? Should I do X or Y? Should I attend the luncheon or not? Should I cover my mouth when I sneeze or not?
A: Would you like me to wipe your ass too? Quit being a neurotic freak, shut up, and make some decisions on your own. If you can't decide for yourself whether or not you should wear the blue tie or red tie, how are you going to decide if a patient should get this treatment or that treatment? Being a physician is composed largely of using your own judgement and occasionally consulting on difficult cases. If color-coordinating your tie with your suit is a difficult case, you're in trouble.
Q: I have a 2.3 GPA and a 16 on the MCAT, but I have really good LOR's and awesome EC's and research. Do I stand a chance of being admitted?
A: NO. Regardless of what feel-good hippy drivel people feed you, your chances of actually being admitted are 0.01%. Don't waste your money or your time. Either bust your rump making up the grades or change your career.
Q: I want to be a doc, but I'm really more interested in the money than I am in altruism. Am I an evil bastard?
A: No. Regardless of what people may say or what "holier than thou" stance they may take, money is a determining factor in most of our decisions to attend medical school. Sure, a lot of us are actually altruistic, but not many of us would be altruistic if we weren't paid a bazillion dollars a year. It's a pretty common phenomenon that premeds will adopt the "I love people, I'm altruistic" persona because they are expected to be that way. Not many are genuinely altruistic -- just look at how many stop volunteering or giving back to the community once they enter medical school. Most of us have a love of MEDICINE, MONEY, or BOTH. We like to help people, but only in the clinical capacity. Hence also why volunteering really sucks for most of us.
Q: I have 200202020020 hours of volunteering in a shelter for homeless homosexual necropheliacs with AIDS and Down's Syndrome, as well as first-author in research on the deception of transvestites in religious subcultures. I am also President of my elitist and self-centered premed honor society, Alpha Sigma Sigma. Is this enough or do I need more?
A: It's too much, you have no life. Medical schools don't want to see someone with a billion hours of resume-padding bull****. They want to see someone with clinical EXPOSURE as well as interests outside of academics and medicine. Then again, this entire process is a crap shoot.
Q: What is the biggest determining factor in being admitted to medical school?
A: The mood, biases, and opinions of the person who looks at your application or interviews you. Your credentials will get you into the door, but ultimately how Professor Notgonnaadmityou thinks of you and your application, as well as his mood that particular day, determines whether or not you get in. Sucks huh?
Q: What's the difference between a DO and an MD?
A: Not a damn thing. This is like asking, "What's the difference between a doctor and a doctor?" DO's pride themselves in a "holistic philosophy" but this is just school propoganda. Anyone can employ a holistic philosophy. The jury is out on whether OMT is useful or not, but it's just part of the curriculum kept around because of (a) tradition and (b) so they can still call themselves DO's and not MD's. How many DO's actually employ OMT? Almost none, though I have been in situations where it may have proved useful.
Q: Will being a DO hinder my career?
A: No. The competitive residencies are still competitive, and you're still a doctor. Most problems occur from aging old-school PD's who are biased against DO's. Good news though: By the time you finish school and enter residency, these anti-DO PD's will either be retired or dead!
Q: What if I'm looked down upon because I'm a DO? I will feel really bad!
A: Then you're a ***** and shouldn't go to a DO school. If you're going to cry every time someone says something negative about your education, then DON'T GO TO A DO SCHOOL. DO schools serve two purposes: (A) Educating the 12 people who actually believe in the osteopathic philosophy and OMT, and (B) An alternative to students who may not be quite as competitive at MD schools, but nonetheless still want to become physicians without wasting another year and money reapplying.
Q: I only got an acceptance letter to St. George's/Ross! What should I do?
A: You can either (a) spend another year making up your deficit, then going through AMCAS/AACOMAS again, and blowing all that money on applying, secondaries, interviews, etc., or you can head to SGU/Ross and be a year ahead of the game, studying in a tropical climate.
Q: But graduates from SGU/Ross have a hard time matching to competitive residencies!
A: Yes, they do, but you're at SGU/Ross because you weren't a competitive applicant. There's a slim chance you could land a competitive residency through SGU or Ross, but it's going to require that you actually be competitive for once.
Q: Your school sucks! Look at how many people matched to IM, Peds, Psych, or Family Practice!
A: Yes, god forbid my DO school, a system primarily designed to train primary care physicians, matched most of its students into -- primary care! One thing you're forgetting is, how many of these students who matched into IM, Peds, FP, or Psych actually WANTED IM, FP, Peds, or Psych? This is an unfair analysis. Find a list of people who wanted something else but got stuck there and then we'll talk.
Q: I really screwed up and murdered a family of 5 with a machete during my sophomore year. Because of my incarceration I got a C in Organic. I also smoked a fat blunt before the MCAT, sipped Cuervo during PS, and wrote my Writing sample in Sanskrit. Will any med school look past this and see me as a whole person instead of just numbers?
A. The fact that you are a screw up is part of your "whole person" and should be considered accordingly by ADCOMS. Actions have consequences.
(submitted by matthew45)
Q: Why do premeds insist on telling everyone that they're, "premed"?
A: Simply being "premed" makes these people feel like they have already accomplished a significant goal in reaching medical school. Typically, these people are freshmen or sophomores, and biology majors. Some of them eventually realize it makes more sense to not tell anyone about their plans for medical school unless specifically asked, as it makes failure much easier if nobody knew your goals. A few eventually realize that being "premed" doesn't mean ****. People have more important things to be concerned with than your ****ty goals, but they'll all be quick to point at you and laugh if you fail.
Q: My friend lied on his application to medical school. He listed an EC he never did and "fudged" his volunteer hours. Should I call AMCAS and tell on him?
A: Sure, call these schools and show them what an unloyal dick you are. Your friend fudged his volunteer hours because volunteering sucks. Most people get nothing out of it other than knowing their way from the ER to Radiology like the back of their hand. The physicians are too busy to worry about our "clinical exposure needs" and most of the nurses think you get in the way. We also get to experience the joy of being talked down to when we ask a staff member a question for a patient. It's a pointless formality we all have to do.
Q: But what if my friend gets in because of his illegitimate application?
A: Then he gets to go to medical school. While it is unfortunate that this happens, it's just part of the game. Adding a couple hours here or there to your EC's or Volunteering is a very common practice.
Q: This guy says he didn't study at all for a physics exam, but he made an A. Did he really study?
A: He studied his ass off. These hard-working people study, study, and study, but then try to come off as "naturally intelligent" by saying they didn't study at all. Naturally intelligent people make B's and C's on exams because they don't give a **** and never study.
Q: How can I prove these people are actually hard studying types who are lying?
A: Ask them something that isn't in the textbook.
This FAQ is continued at http://www.angelfire.com/psy/jkdmed/
A: If you have to ask, then you probably weren't disadvantaged enough to warrant consideration because of it. General rule of thumb: if you check the "disadvantaged" box and have to think of what may qualify you as such, you probably shouldn't have checked it.
Q: What major should I choose to give me a better chance of going to medical school?
A: Choose whatever you want. People can throw statistics in your face all day and they don't mean jack crap. If you hate your major you're going to do poorly -- pick something that interests you and take a wide variety of classes; undergrad is your last chance to CHOOSE your curriculum.
Q: I'm a neurotic FREAK. Should I wear X or Y to my interview? Should I do X or Y? Should I attend the luncheon or not? Should I cover my mouth when I sneeze or not?
A: Would you like me to wipe your ass too? Quit being a neurotic freak, shut up, and make some decisions on your own. If you can't decide for yourself whether or not you should wear the blue tie or red tie, how are you going to decide if a patient should get this treatment or that treatment? Being a physician is composed largely of using your own judgement and occasionally consulting on difficult cases. If color-coordinating your tie with your suit is a difficult case, you're in trouble.
Q: I have a 2.3 GPA and a 16 on the MCAT, but I have really good LOR's and awesome EC's and research. Do I stand a chance of being admitted?
A: NO. Regardless of what feel-good hippy drivel people feed you, your chances of actually being admitted are 0.01%. Don't waste your money or your time. Either bust your rump making up the grades or change your career.
Q: I want to be a doc, but I'm really more interested in the money than I am in altruism. Am I an evil bastard?
A: No. Regardless of what people may say or what "holier than thou" stance they may take, money is a determining factor in most of our decisions to attend medical school. Sure, a lot of us are actually altruistic, but not many of us would be altruistic if we weren't paid a bazillion dollars a year. It's a pretty common phenomenon that premeds will adopt the "I love people, I'm altruistic" persona because they are expected to be that way. Not many are genuinely altruistic -- just look at how many stop volunteering or giving back to the community once they enter medical school. Most of us have a love of MEDICINE, MONEY, or BOTH. We like to help people, but only in the clinical capacity. Hence also why volunteering really sucks for most of us.
Q: I have 200202020020 hours of volunteering in a shelter for homeless homosexual necropheliacs with AIDS and Down's Syndrome, as well as first-author in research on the deception of transvestites in religious subcultures. I am also President of my elitist and self-centered premed honor society, Alpha Sigma Sigma. Is this enough or do I need more?
A: It's too much, you have no life. Medical schools don't want to see someone with a billion hours of resume-padding bull****. They want to see someone with clinical EXPOSURE as well as interests outside of academics and medicine. Then again, this entire process is a crap shoot.
Q: What is the biggest determining factor in being admitted to medical school?
A: The mood, biases, and opinions of the person who looks at your application or interviews you. Your credentials will get you into the door, but ultimately how Professor Notgonnaadmityou thinks of you and your application, as well as his mood that particular day, determines whether or not you get in. Sucks huh?
Q: What's the difference between a DO and an MD?
A: Not a damn thing. This is like asking, "What's the difference between a doctor and a doctor?" DO's pride themselves in a "holistic philosophy" but this is just school propoganda. Anyone can employ a holistic philosophy. The jury is out on whether OMT is useful or not, but it's just part of the curriculum kept around because of (a) tradition and (b) so they can still call themselves DO's and not MD's. How many DO's actually employ OMT? Almost none, though I have been in situations where it may have proved useful.
Q: Will being a DO hinder my career?
A: No. The competitive residencies are still competitive, and you're still a doctor. Most problems occur from aging old-school PD's who are biased against DO's. Good news though: By the time you finish school and enter residency, these anti-DO PD's will either be retired or dead!
Q: What if I'm looked down upon because I'm a DO? I will feel really bad!
A: Then you're a ***** and shouldn't go to a DO school. If you're going to cry every time someone says something negative about your education, then DON'T GO TO A DO SCHOOL. DO schools serve two purposes: (A) Educating the 12 people who actually believe in the osteopathic philosophy and OMT, and (B) An alternative to students who may not be quite as competitive at MD schools, but nonetheless still want to become physicians without wasting another year and money reapplying.
Q: I only got an acceptance letter to St. George's/Ross! What should I do?
A: You can either (a) spend another year making up your deficit, then going through AMCAS/AACOMAS again, and blowing all that money on applying, secondaries, interviews, etc., or you can head to SGU/Ross and be a year ahead of the game, studying in a tropical climate.
Q: But graduates from SGU/Ross have a hard time matching to competitive residencies!
A: Yes, they do, but you're at SGU/Ross because you weren't a competitive applicant. There's a slim chance you could land a competitive residency through SGU or Ross, but it's going to require that you actually be competitive for once.
Q: Your school sucks! Look at how many people matched to IM, Peds, Psych, or Family Practice!
A: Yes, god forbid my DO school, a system primarily designed to train primary care physicians, matched most of its students into -- primary care! One thing you're forgetting is, how many of these students who matched into IM, Peds, FP, or Psych actually WANTED IM, FP, Peds, or Psych? This is an unfair analysis. Find a list of people who wanted something else but got stuck there and then we'll talk.
Q: I really screwed up and murdered a family of 5 with a machete during my sophomore year. Because of my incarceration I got a C in Organic. I also smoked a fat blunt before the MCAT, sipped Cuervo during PS, and wrote my Writing sample in Sanskrit. Will any med school look past this and see me as a whole person instead of just numbers?
A. The fact that you are a screw up is part of your "whole person" and should be considered accordingly by ADCOMS. Actions have consequences.
(submitted by matthew45)
Q: Why do premeds insist on telling everyone that they're, "premed"?
A: Simply being "premed" makes these people feel like they have already accomplished a significant goal in reaching medical school. Typically, these people are freshmen or sophomores, and biology majors. Some of them eventually realize it makes more sense to not tell anyone about their plans for medical school unless specifically asked, as it makes failure much easier if nobody knew your goals. A few eventually realize that being "premed" doesn't mean ****. People have more important things to be concerned with than your ****ty goals, but they'll all be quick to point at you and laugh if you fail.
Q: My friend lied on his application to medical school. He listed an EC he never did and "fudged" his volunteer hours. Should I call AMCAS and tell on him?
A: Sure, call these schools and show them what an unloyal dick you are. Your friend fudged his volunteer hours because volunteering sucks. Most people get nothing out of it other than knowing their way from the ER to Radiology like the back of their hand. The physicians are too busy to worry about our "clinical exposure needs" and most of the nurses think you get in the way. We also get to experience the joy of being talked down to when we ask a staff member a question for a patient. It's a pointless formality we all have to do.
Q: But what if my friend gets in because of his illegitimate application?
A: Then he gets to go to medical school. While it is unfortunate that this happens, it's just part of the game. Adding a couple hours here or there to your EC's or Volunteering is a very common practice.
Q: This guy says he didn't study at all for a physics exam, but he made an A. Did he really study?
A: He studied his ass off. These hard-working people study, study, and study, but then try to come off as "naturally intelligent" by saying they didn't study at all. Naturally intelligent people make B's and C's on exams because they don't give a **** and never study.
Q: How can I prove these people are actually hard studying types who are lying?
A: Ask them something that isn't in the textbook.
This FAQ is continued at http://www.angelfire.com/psy/jkdmed/
