Getting Into Medical School: A First Hand Account

ACCEPTED!

2008-11-20T11:42:00.001-08:00

Ha! This will be my last blog entry on this blog.About 4 hours ago, I got the acceptance email I've been waiting for from Ross University School of Medicine. I applied for their January 2009 class. The January class was full and I'm bumped to May -- but I'm in!It's been a long time coming.I'll probably edit this post in the future to tell more of the details, but this is the last entry. I

Interview Feedback - Allopathic Medical Schools - Ross University School of Medicine (Dominica Caribbean)

2008-11-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to my interview feedback for Ross University on The Student Doctor Network: LINK.For all those out there curious about specific questions that were asked, here's a list of just about every question that was asked (with follow-up questions):Tell me about your family?What interests you about becoming a doctor?When did you first hear about Ross?What does your family think about

"I was just wondering if I have to go to medical school i will have to start college allover again."

2008-11-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

Anonymous writes:"this is really helpful. I am a junior at a Business School, majoring in Accounting. And I am presently 17 years old. I was just wondering if I have to go to medical school i will have to start college allover again. this was really helpful"As long as you finish your degree in Business, all you have to do is make sure you've taken the required sciences classes. These classes

"You have a 95% chance of acceptance..."

2008-11-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

j/m.d. writes:"You have a 95% chances of acceptance if you can show the dedication that you obviously have and the amazing desire to want to undergo a rigorous profession. You did great, my friend. If nothing goes, you get on the waiting list which is automatic acceptance for the following semester, NO fears at all. I was accepted the day after, however I began to realize what studying medicine

Finished my first interview.

2008-11-07T19:25:00.001-08:00

I thought it went great.The biggest question mark going in (a question mark that you have no control over) is the personality of the person interviewing you. Will you be able to build a rhythm between you and the interviewer in a very short amount of time. My interviewer was named Lori, the senior associate director of admissions and she was great. After that it was just answering the

Interview Status - Ross University

2008-11-03T20:39:00.000-08:00

My blog has been silent for the past month for two reasons. After the rush to complete all my applications, it's hard to update with anything less than information regarding those applications. It's also that time of the semester where every other class has either an exam or a paper due within the next week or two.In other words, I'm busy and I'm waiting.Flash forward to today.I'm still busy,

The Complete Medical School & Admissions Guide - Revisited

2008-10-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

While I'm still in the process of crossing my fingers and hoping for the best, it's never too early to prepare for the next step. Everything up until now has been about preparation and the interview is no different. I'm using two different methods to prepare. First, I have to point out The Student Doctor Network one more time. It's a great resource with tons of first hand information about

Headstart on Secondary Applications - The Student Doctor Network

2008-10-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

Anonymous writes:"Hi,I am also a pre-med student and recently came across your blog...I think that you should apply ASAP!! Most people apply during the summer, I completed my application in mid-july and thought I was late compared to other pre-med students at my university. From what I know most students have completed their primary already and are filling out secondaries. A lot have even

AMCAS Deadlines & Delays - Answered

2008-10-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I wrote this:"Now I've heard that there is a processing delay between the time you submit your AMCAS application information and the time it gets to the schools you've selected. (I've personally selected 10 schools, not including the 2 caribbean schools I'm also applying to.) This information is important, especially to me, since I'm a little behind in submitting my applications!It's

Crime Incident - Public Safety Announcement: STUDENTS

2008-10-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

This doesn't have to do with medical school and it doesn't even have to do with me personally since I've never lived on campus. It was just sent on a mass email throughout the college and I've decided to pass it on here:"Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,The University of California at Berkeley reported a crime on its campus that I wish to bring to your attention.Yesterday morning, shortly after

The Student Doctor Network

2008-10-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a site that I've heard of before, but I've only recently visited because one of my friends brought it up again. (She's currently applying to Pharmacy school.)www.studentdoctor.netIt has a lot of good information for many all different medical and science related fields found on their FORUMS including: Pre-med, medicine, doctors, optometry, pharmacy, psychology, veterinary, etc. But I

AMCAS—The American Medical College Application Service

2008-10-01T12:34:00.000-07:00

You should already know this, but if you didn't already how the application process works for the majority of U.S. medical schools, it's done through the AMCAS service found on the AAMC website: HERE.Here's a re-post of their own self-description:The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) is a non-profit, centralized application processing service for applicants to the first-year

First Application is Away - Ross University

2008-09-30T14:29:00.001-07:00

I've been hinting towards this. I've talked about it. And I know a lot of people aren't interested in this school because it's international.Ross UniversitySay what you want, but I've done my homework on the school. It's a good school.I've just completed and filled out their online application. Yesterday, I spent all day driving around to all my former schools ordering transcripts. My

"is this jonathan that went to brazil in the summer of 2006?"

2008-09-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

Anonymous responds to this and writes:"is this jonathan that went to brazil in the summer of 2006? if so, i think this blog might be about me :D i heard from a classmate here at keck about this blog and i wanted to check it out! good luck on the app process!"Ha!Yes, it is. Don't read this. How embarrassing.Like I said to you before when you weren't sure if you got accepted or not, if you can't

"Where did you do EMT training at?"

2008-09-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Anonymous writes:"Where did you do EMT training at? I'm trying to find a good place. (P.S: You're blog is extremely helpful and inspiring. I rely on it for my motivational boost to work harder in order to get into Med school) :-)"I'm afraid I won't be of too much help in this area. I can only tell you about my own experience and in my experience I was just really lucky.I was fortunate that the

300 Word Personal Statement - 2nd Draft

2008-09-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here's the corrected version of yesterday's essay: In the Fall of 2002, a co-worker of mine asked me to take an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification class with him and it changed my life forever. This class was exactly what I needed. The subject matter was raw, the weekly hands-on testing was intense and the consequences were serious. What we learned in this class would have a

300 Word Personal Statement - First Draft

2008-09-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

One of the schools I'm applying to only allows a Personal Statement of 300 words or less. This is very short considering the lengths required by most schools. According to their website, they do this for two reasons:They take pride in the fact that they read every single word of every single application. (They don't dismiss students outright because of a single score.) Doing this takes up

"Active and Passive Euthanasia"

2008-09-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

I'm going to do something a little different today. One of my classes this semesters (and one of the graduation requirements that I was missing) is Ethics. I going to talk about my stance on the issue of Euthanasia. My perspective is that of a wide-eyed college student who isn't really facing these issues as they happen, in the moment, face-to-face with the families and loved ones that are

Filling out applications with the last 4 years in mind.

2008-09-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

Anonymous writes:"Hey!I really enjoyed reading your blog man! I have been out of school for 7 years working in I.T Field but now once again I have an urge to pursue my dream of being a doc. I am 32 and have a 1 year old. Lets see I am thinking to just study for the MCATs and write it and then just leave it to God.Wish me luck"First of all, good luck.Secondly, since I'm in the

Why Ross University? (Continued)

2008-09-10T01:05:00.000-07:00

Many people reading may not care for this school. (I know some of my friends don't.) But a couple of revisions by myself, 2 instructors, and 1 secretary later, and the essay I posted in my last entry has turned into something that goes like this:There are many reasons why I have chosen to apply to Ross University School of Medicine. However, there is only one reason that I want to bring your

Why Ross University School of Medicine?

2008-09-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

I find it funny that I always have to explain my actions every time I bring up Caribbean medical schools, as if I'm ashamed of it... and yet I still do it and will continue to do it whenever I bring them up.*shrugs*I've described myself as a very borderline candidate for medical school in the past. Things haven't changed. My GPA just isn't very competitive. The rest of my resume and experience

Poll Results: "What is your GPA?"

2008-09-04T21:01:00.001-07:00

I started this blog 1 year ago. I'm ready to become a medical doctor.

2008-09-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

On September 1, 2007 I began this blog. It's (already) 1 year later and what have I accomplished?Finished 2 semesters of classes. So close to finishing my undergraduate degree.Put in some volunteer work in a free dining hall run by St. Vincent de Paul.Shadowed an Emergency Room doctor. (The same field I want to go in myself.)Finished the Kaplan MCAT Classroom Course over the summer.Took the

Getting Started With Your Personal Statement

2008-08-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

Lately, some of my friends have been getting their Personal Statements polished. Today, I attended (yet another) seminar for Ross University here on my campus. I did get a few questions in after the talk, but there really wasn't any new information given.The information wasn't new to me, but Personal Statements were brought up (yet again).It looks like we're not the only ones thinking about

"Shift Happens"

2008-08-27T01:44:00.000-07:00

Here's something that as loosely related to anything medicine, pre-med, or health related as you can get. It was shared by my Physics I teacher today (I'm re-taking it for a better grade). If you want me to attempt to connect the dots for you, you might look at this as a glimpse of things to come. Not just in more of the physical sciences, but in the rapid pace of advancement. We really do