Posts tagged premed

I do not recall there being a lot of physics in the physical sciences section but it has been a long time since I took it. I do not think you will be at a severe disadvantage. When you are preparing for your MCAT, perhaps focus more on the physical sciences and do some practice tests. You will get a better sense of what you will need to work on. Good luck.

That is a very broad question. It really depends on what you are looking for. Off the top of my head, I am thinking of possibly the British Medical Journal, New England Journal of Medicine, Canadian Medical Association Journal, and the Journal of the American Medical Association etc.

For websites, you could maybe try the Science Daily or Medgadget.

There is more information than you can handle out there and if you know where to look they should be readily accessible to you. 

If you are thinking of pursuing medicine, I suppose studying anatomy early has some minor benefits but the truth is you will have so much exposure to anatomy that taking it this early on probably will not make much difference in the long run besides satisfying your interest.

Physics, if it is required later on in college, could be a good investment, especially if it is a pre-requisite for some more advanced classes. Unless you are thinking of going into something along the lines of an engineering or physics domain, I think that physics is not particularly useful. While it is part of the physical sciences, which is a testable subject on the MCAT, it has very little bearing practically in medicine. There is a lot more biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and physiology.

Participate in activities that interest you and that you feel are worthy experiences to your growth and to your character. That way, you can make the most out of your time and your effort. As they say: “if you turn work into play, then you will never work a day.”

Having said that, some of the common activities that people partake are listed here. Again, I would highly recommend doing something that appeals to you. 

The way a university looks at extracurricular activities varies from school to school. My faculty chose only to look at activities post-secondary education. 

Nobody expects you to be superhuman, which is again why finding activities you are interested in helps you. Your passion will be reflected in your dedication and work ethic; your choice of activities also reflects upon who you are. It is better to have quality over quantity. In four years time, there will be more than enough opportunities to find commitments and interests; choose what fits best for you and never overcommit.

I get this question quite often and I feel that this might be a geographical thing. As far as I know, going to a community college should in theory have no impact on your ability to go to medical school in the long run. The caveat here is any course that you take that you are using as a pre-requisite course in your application to medical school must be comparable or compatible with their requirements. In other words, the syllabus should meet the standard of whatever they require from you. In a community college setting, this might be the main issue you might run into. Otherwise, there should be no effect. There are strict criteria that medical schools will look at when considering you as an applicant and it is not so much where you come from that matters but who you are as a person, as a student, and as a potential colleague that matters.

Here is Dr. Cranquis from experience: I did 1 year of basic college classes at a community college before transferring to a 4-year university for the remaining 3 years, (I did most of my basic science pre-reqs at the university, but my A&P community course transferred just fine).

It sounds like you are going through a difficult time. I am not sure how far away your tests are but I think you should take some time away from studying and have a break, spend some time with some friends and family and talk it over and not go it alone.

I have written about the MCAT before. Everyone who takes it is nervous and anxious. We get nervous because it is a challenging exam and it is one of the first steps to a potential career in medicine. That is a lot of weight and pressure. However, we all get a little nervous for any exam, and at the end of the day, the MCAT is just another test, albeit a longer and harder one.

I think you should speak with someone who can be supportive of you at this time, your family, friends, or even your doctor as it sounds like you are going through a lot of stress. Good luck and take care.

No, I did not have to produce a death certificate. There are legitimate, legal scenarios where this would happen but it was certainly not the case for my application.

If you are applying to medical school and the application has an essay component, you are welcome to discuss it if it is relevant to the essay subject. For me, my father’s death was an important factor in the essay topic: “why have I chosen medicine?” In your case, it sounds like you would like to explain why your grades have been less than expected.

Truly, your own medical history is private and confidential information; unless you wish to voluntarily disclose that, they cannot ask if you are ill or not. If you were to disclose and they thought the information may be important going forward, they may or may not ask you for a doctor’s note or written letter explaining your situation. Again, due to confidentiality purposes, I highly doubt they would ask for your medical records.

Good luck to you and take care.

The short answer is: very tough. The process of applying to medical school takes a year to complete, and the preparation, the experiences you gain before hand takes many years to accrue. There has to be some planning long in advance as the machinery must be set in motion and brought together for the application. Academics, extracurricular experiences, and exams all had to be competitive over the course of my post-secondary education. When I was able to reach the interview stage and finally see the brilliant and amazing people who were also vying for a seat in the incoming class, it really put into perspective the diversity, the competitiveness, and the challenge of getting in.

Once I was accepted into medical school though, it became clear that the challenges were only just beginning; medical school is a tougher process in its own right.

Out of respect for privacy concerns and my faculty’s social media guidelines, I can no longer answer the second question. Sorry. :(

I kind of address this topic in my page here as a general overview of experiences that are most commonly pursued. The activities I was engaged in include:

• Volunteering at the hospital and the public library;
• Working at a community centre, and in other areas in a musical capacity;
• Participated in various clubs, societies and organizations at school and in the community, including charity work and helping to grow a community orchestra, and;
• Assisted at a research lab for two years.

This is of course just one example. Everyone has their own story of how they got into medicine and what sort of experiences they had leading up to their application. For those of you out there who would like to share, you can leave a long-form addition in the comments below.