Improving MCAT Verbal Ability by Thea Volpe, Yeshiva U, with permission
PreProfessional Advice - 30 different topics, mostly about medical school admission from a variety of health professions advisors.
Health Advisors - who are they, their organization, etc.
http://www.healthprofessions.org/ for advice on different careers
Career Advice for Future Rural Physicians
Going Caribbean - data that you might not see in other sites
2007 MCAT Information and Essentials
Older Premeds - site for those delayed by a few years in entry, June 2007 in Chicago is next meeting
Publications for those interested in medical school admission - students, parents, or advisors http://www.naahp.org/pubs.html
Resources for advisors at National Association of Advisors of Health Professions http://www.naahp.org/resources.htm
Writing Letters of Recommendation
Summer Programs for Minority and Disadvantaged Students
Central Application Services Information – click here for a chart on the central applications
You and Your Health Professions Advisor – An Important Partnership (PDF file)
Health Profession Associations Updates 2006
Click here to visit the “Health Professions Links” page.
Getting admitted and special programs at medical schools listed at Association of American Medical Colleges Web site at www.aamc.org/students/applying/programs/start.htm
Three years ago, I attended the week-long workshop on medicine that is held annually at the Cornell University Weill School of Medicine in early January. One of the presenters at that workshop was the Director of Admissions for that School of Medicine and she reviewed the 4 criteria that they use for consideration:
1) The applicant's GPA;
2) The applicant's score on the MCAT;
3) What people say about the applicant in the letters of recommendation;
4) "That special something", that makes the applicant unique. "That special something" can be clinical experience, research experience, or just plain life experience.
Notice that "major" doesn't enter into their consideration. Instead, the applicant must demonstrate:
1) An interest in the profession;
2) A commitment to serve;
3) A commitment to lifelong learning.
Dr. Stan Eisen, Director
Preprofessional Health Programs
Christian Brothers University
Choice of Medical School - By Iserson
Excellent resource by a passionate professional with years of experience in premed and other career preps http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/preprof/premed.html
All you need to know about medical school basics, definitions http://www.aamc.org/students/considering/decision.htm#RightKind
Step by step through college http://www.aamc.org/students/minorities/resources/timeline.htm
Search for BS/MD programs and other combined degree at http://services.aamc.org/currdir/section3/degree2.cfm
About doing well in whatever school you choose, rather than going with the rankings and percent acceptances Learning Beyond Measure Op-Ed article by Richard R Beeman, dean responsible for undergraduate education at University of Pennsylvania, says US New & World Report and other college ranking systems are flawed in their conception and pernicious in their effect on prospective students and parents; says intellectually curious and motivated students can achieve excellent educations at many different kinds of colleges, and those students will be much better educated than those who pass through 'top 10' schools passively and without intellectual passion; says rankings both underestimate amount of work it takes to get college education and overestimate importance of university's prestige, and in that way may do considerable harm to the educational enterprise itself. To read this archive article, you must upgrade to NY TimesSelect or purchase as a single article.
Great Information/Links for getting in to med school http://www.accepted.com/medical/medlinks.htm
There are some good official links such as the following: http://www.aamc.org/students/start.htm
PRE-HEALTH PROFESSIONS CHECKLIST: What the Schools Seek in Applicants
[From Peter Van Houten, University of California at Berkeley]
Combined College and MD programs http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/programs/collegemd.htm
Career advice from the Rural Medical Educators
Videotape of Bob Boyer regarding a Career in Rural Medicine - under construction
My email is [email protected] If you need further help, just drop me a note.
Robert C. Bowman, M.D., Director of Rural Medical Education
The following are examples from this link:
Am I the Right Kind of Person for a Medical Career?"
Ask yourself some questions:
· Do I care deeply about other people, their problems, and their pain?
· Do I enjoy helping people with my skills and knowledge?
· Do I enjoy learning, gaining new understanding? Do I often dig deeper into a subject than my teacher requires? Do I understand the value of learning beyond just making good grades?
· Am I interested in how the human body functions? Am I intrigued by the ways medicine can be used to improve life?
If you answered "Yes" to most of these questions, chances are you have the right kind of personality for a medical career.
"Medicine is about serving others. If you're intrigued by new challenges, new technologies, always something else to learn, never-ending opportunities to serve society, you should consider medicine. Nothing else comes close." -- Jay D'Lugin
Follow hyperlinks to areas such as Typical Questions found on the Medical College Admission Test
Medicine is more a calling like ministry rather than just a job. If you want to make money and play with fancy toys, go somewhere else please.
Also don't believe all of the research that you hear about lazy medical students. There are Flaws in the Concept of Controllable Lifestyle. Medicine most of all involves people and hard work and the joy of medicine is working with people.
Those who choose medicine for the academics or the temporary thrill of brilliant diagnosis or because their parents pushed them, may well find themselves at the top of their classes (top MCAT means top standardized test scores and AOA), but at the bottom end of motivation years. The authors of this paper see other factors, but the most dissatisfied physicians have the top scores also. They may also have the lowest focus on people, the youngest age, and other exclusive factors to go along with higher scores.
Changes in Specialty Choice 1987 - 1999