I actually love it so far. But, that's because we haven't really done much besides orientation, Clinical Skills Lab, and the back.

Ask me in two weeks.... it may change. :)

(Oh I also found an ADPi!)

At least half of my class was Greek.

My pre-clinical years are OVER as of today. Clerkships start in two months.

But before that......bring it, Step 1.

I'm mildly jealous. Jealous because you are so close to clinical, but not because I'm watching my MS-II friends studying for Step 1 right now....

I have three more days of first year. I'm going crazy!

Is this where I brag that Mr. DBB just got into Feinberg?

Good for him!!! That's wonderful news!

I'm doing a summer internship with Feinberg. I'm from Milwaukee originally so I think I'd like to end up either in Chicago or Milwaukee for residency, so I'm hoping to get my foot in the door as soon as possible.

Maybe we'll have to do another Chicago GC meetup!

Sorry if this question was answered, but what scores did you get your MCATs & which schools did you get into?? (If you don't mind me asking! You don't have to reply. I'm just wondering) My boyfriend is taking it at the end of this summer, and he's afraid he won't get into any med schools :(

MCAT scores are only part of the equation. It is kind of a sliding scale. The minimum MCAT score I have heard of is about a 27 with stellar grades at a state school. For a white male (because they are the majority applying) he needs to have great grades, great MCAT scores (above 9 in each section) and great extracurriculars. Something needs to make him stand out. If he's Valedictorian from his College, than he can be at the lower end of the MCAT. The same if he is on a major publication. If he has borderline grades, he better be taking classes to study for the MCAT or be ready to take it again if he doesn't make a high score. One part of the package has to shine. That's my two cents.

My boyfriend had a book that profiled different students and then showed where they applied/got in. If I can think of the name of it, I will post again, but try searching Amazon for such a thing.

I pretty much agree with AOII Angel. SOMETHING has to stand out, whether it be your MCAT score, your GPA (science AND cumulative), etc. The average MCAT score is around a 31-32 now, and I would say he needs at least that to feel confident in his chances. I personally had just "average" MCAT scores, but I also had above a 3.8 GPA and a TON of extracurricular activites, both medical and non-medical. I interviewed at in-state schools only, but that's because I wanted to stay in state, and we have a LOT of medical schools here.

As for reference materials, he should get the MSAR.

https://www.aamc.org/students/applyi...irements/msar/

Scores are going up! Of course, I went to school in 1997.;)

I concur. I know one person in my class with a 27 MCAT score, and he had a 4.0 from Northwestern.

I personally had a not-as-stellar GPA but an awesome MCAT score and two difficult majors along with a million extracurricular and research papers.

The nice thing is that, overall, you can balance weak aspects of your application with other strong parts. However, some schools prefer a strong GPA to a strong MCAT.

I went online and looked at the websites of all the schools I wanted to apply to. I figured out (based on their previous class statistics) which ones I had a good chance at and applied there.

If he is seriously worried about getting in, make sure he has a back-up plan. It's not unheard of to apply and get in nowhere.

Wow thanks everyone!
And he does have a backup plan. He's mechanical engineering/pre-med right now so if he doesn't get into any medical schools, he's going to try to find an engineering job!
Thanks again :)

When did you all start studying for Step 1? I read and annotated Step 1 this summer (I had a 1 1/2 hour commute each way to my internship) but that's about it.

Also, did anyone else go to a Systems Medical School? I purposely chose a Systems Based School, but now I'm wondering if I'm going to need to change my study approach from the first year basic science since we are in systems.

Thanks!

Is any school not systems based anymore?

A lot do course based still. (I really wanted systems based, so that was an important factor for me in applying.)

My school also does block scheduling, which means we finish our systems in 2-6 weeks. I'm not sure how other schools do their scheduling...

We are systems based, also blocks (so 4 weeks for pulm, 5 for cardio, etc.). I personally hate systems based, as it separates out the anatomy from the physiology from the pathology. Then, you get to Step 1 and have to integrate everything, so it definitely takes more of a shift in mindset.

I'm going to first give you the whole "well, really you should be studying throughout the year as you learn the course material." :rolleyes: Riiiiiight. (Ok, maybe to some extent, because I did follow along in First Aid as we went through the systems).

Now, I'm going to tell you that I realistically REALLY started studying (as in starting committing First Aid to memory, doing UWorld) the day after we took the basic sciences NBME on our last day of M2. I studied for five weeks and did well. I don't think I could have studied any longer than that; I was starting to feel burnt out that last week and ending up taking the last couple days off from studying to rest.

And if anyone tells you that you need anything other than First Aid and Uworld (and maybe BRS phys depending on your level of comfort with phys), they are lying.

I thought everyone had switched to systems. I will withhold my opinion.

Ok. That's exactly what I'm doing. I feel much better.

What's UWorld? I have BRS (I was a big fan of the practice tests first year) but I'm getting the feeling they aren't too terribly helpful for Step 1.

Question bank. http://www.usmleworld.com/

You NEED to do these questions. There are 2000, and I went through the whole bank twice. The questions are modeled from actual USMLE questions, and IMO, are actually more difficult than the real thing. Also, the interface is the same as on the actual test. Go through the questions, and read the explanations THOROUGHLY. I honestly think I learned just as much from UWorld as I did from First Aid. Plus, I had probably a dozen questions on the actual test that were nearly identical to the ones in the test bank.

If your school is anything like mine, people will be coming in all year trying to sell you one question bank or another (especially Kaplan). UWorld is the best.

Awesome! Thank you so much!

I am taking my MCAT on Friday...you guys are scaring me with all of this Step 1 stuff! :p any last-minute MCAT tips?!

Get a good night's sleep!:)

Posting to celebrate the end (and survival) of another 6 months of medical school.

And now I'm going to relax for the next two weeks, because when I get back, it's back to Psych (worst clerkship EVER), and the start of "omg you need to start thinking about your electives for next year/OMG YOU NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT THE MATCH/RESIDENCY."

:(

LOL What's a psych clerkship like? I know why my position makes me want to gouge my eyes out at time but it's fun to hear how other disciplines experience it.

Oh and congrats! What year are you now?

Oops, missed this last week.

It's not psychiatry as a specialty that is making me miserable; I'm pretty neutral about that as a whole (interesting, but not for me). It's the quality of teaching and the (lack of) organization that are making me want to scream on a daily basis.

And I'm halfway through my third year. I'm starting to see the light at the end. :D

I am SO SICK of Systems. I just want to study for Step 1 and get it done with.

In exciting news, I just accepted a Teaching Assistant Position! The bad news is that I will graduate a year later.

It's a really awesome position. I get to do research, clinic hours, teach a few lectures, and more. I also have tuition paid + a stipend for the rest of my time in school.

I agonized over the decision for a while because it's really hard to accept I am not going to graduate with my class. But, I think it's the best decision overall for what I want to do with my career.

Congratulations!

This thread has been quiet for a bit, just wanted to bump it to give any med students out there a bit of encouragement! I'm not going to lie and say residency is easier, but you do get to actively DO something to help people, in a specialty you (hopefully) love!

Second the bump. I graduate in 362 days (but who's counting)! Just finished scheduling my fourth year electives, and am so excited about them! Good luck with the end of the year everyone!

Good luck to you in your fourth and final year!:)

Oh come on. My ex (PhD in biological chem) taught at a med school. They give you a transcript of all lectures on day of. They don't even take roll. There is no way to flunk out of med school. It may be a lot of material but you aren't having to sit in class and takes notes...they spoon feed you.

HA. Your ex (who CLEARLY must be an expert in the curriculum of medical schools across the country having never actually been a medical student) clearly did not teach at my medical school.

:rolleyes:

Well, then you clearly aren't at one of the better ones because he was....and it wasn't the only one he taught at and the same thing happened at the other one. Sorry you picked one without all the perks....because these two really have them....

Oh wait. This isn't the If You Laugh You Lose thread?

And, Lady Longhorn, one would probably be near and dear to your heart - considering your screen name!

Right. I'm sure Lady Longhorn is just crying her eyes out somewhere over your ignorant comments.

The University of Texas System =/= The University of Texas

Yes I am just devastated. ;)