WesternU ISAC Program

[jenna08]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi! Just wondering if there are any other people out there taking the ISAC summer course and what they are doing for housing...(and has anyone gotten the app from Dr. Kuehn?) I just got off the phone with Ann Koch, the housing director, and pretty much we're on our own because their roomate finder request form is not up and running yet.

Also...for people who've already taken ISAC, what is your opinion about the program? I've heard conflicing things about the program (more neg than positive) and am ambivalent about taking it. (By the way...thanks to all the current COMP students for all your posts...it's reassuring to know we're not left alone out here... 😀 ) Thanks!

 

[hotlikebutter]

the complaints i heard were that you lose your summer and that you arent ready for the load once the second semester starts.

i figure go for it. im gonna do it, ill take any break in that killer first quarter if i have the choice. im looking for a place in montclair. expensive but safe and close by.

 

[that dr. jack]

ISAC rules. i spent my "sacrificed summer" starting class at 10am, and still making it back to long beach (~35 miles away) most days to lay out by the pool and study or relax. it was the best crappy ruined summer i ever had.

dr. kuehn is a wonderful professor, as well as the other professors that teach ISAC. it's not that bad as long as you are prepared to work hard in a short amount of time, similar to any summer school course. in the fall you get the satisfaction of helping your fellow students who may not have had anatomy before, and it gives you plenty of time to get involved in extracurricular activites. we all got to know each other very well during the 6 weeks and i count fellow ISACers as some of my best friends.

the non-ISAC people teased us sometimes, calling us gunners and $hit, but we really were a nice cross-section of all the types of people in med school.

if you feel like your world will implode if you don't do some travelling or make some money for your last summer, don't do ISAC. but if you want to get a running start on med school and wear the blue coat that brings you endless amounts of "hey, you think you're so smart ISACer?! then what the hell is this?", ISAC is for you.

 

[Khenon]

ISAC rules. i spent my "sacrificed summer" starting class at 10am, and still making it back to long beach (~35 miles away) most days to lay out by the pool and study or relax. it was the best crappy ruined summer i ever had.

dr. kuehn is a wonderful professor, as well as the other professors that teach ISAC. it's not that bad as long as you are prepared to work hard in a short amount of time, similar to any summer school course. in the fall you get the satisfaction of helping your fellow students who may not have had anatomy before, and it gives you plenty of time to get involved in extracurricular activites. we all got to know each other very well during the 6 weeks and i count fellow ISACers as some of my best friends.

the non-ISAC people teased us sometimes, calling us gunners and $hit, but we really were a nice cross-section of all the types of people in med school.

if you feel like your world will implode if you don't do some travelling or make some money for your last summer, don't do ISAC. but if you want to get a running start on med school and wear the blue coat that brings you endless amounts of "hey, you think you're so smart ISACer?! then what the hell is this?", ISAC is for you.

I'm curious how strict the "qualifications" for ISAC are. Did you meet anyone who actually HADN'T had anatomy before? Or someone with a lower MCAT score (I think it says you need at least a 27)? Just curious. 🙂

 

[that dr. jack]

I'm curious how strict the "qualifications" for ISAC are. Did you meet anyone who actually HADN'T had anatomy before? Or someone with a lower MCAT score (I think it says you need at least a 27)? Just curious. 🙂

i didn't have the minimum GPA or MCAT to get in, but i had taken tons of anatomy before. dr. kuehn is very leniant on the qualifications, because i guess he thinks what matters most is the student's motivation and passion for the class, and not pure numbers. there were also plenty of people who hadn't taken anatomy before and they did fine.

 

[jenna08]

Thanks everyone for your helpful posts! I know that if you pass ISAC with at least an 80% you can be selected to facilitate the labs...so does this mean that everyone who passes with an 80% facilitates or is it more of a selective process? Also how prestigious is it to have a notation on your transcript that you were a facilitator? I guess I'm just trying to weight the perks of ISAC as compared with SMSPP...thanks!