November 19, 2015

Getting Into Med School 3

November 19, 2015 0


When requesting letters of recommendation, it's important to bring a copy of your CV and Personal Statement when you meet up with the letter writer (or attach it to the email if you don't). If you're like me, you won't have your personal statement (or maybe even your CV) finished by the time you ask for a letter. That's ok as long as you give them a draft. They need something to work with.

CV Essentials

A CV (or curriculum vitae) is a summary of your experience, skills, and education. It's very similar to a resume but is more detailed (a description of what you did rather than just your position title) and includes more sections. I used one of the resume templates on Word to make my CV and mine was 3 pages long. It should include (if applicable):
  • Research and publications (and posters and abstracts)
    • Name of institution
    • Mentor (full name and degree)
    • Name of project and brief description
  • Honors and Awards
  • Academic Experience (not coursework)
  • Clinical experience
  • Volunteer experience
  • Professional experience
  • Certifications
  • Eduction (any place after high school from which you earned a degree)
What not to include
  • High school GPA/high school activities (unless you continued them in college)
What's nice about this is that you can use your CV when putting in your 15 activities in the AMCAS app.
You must be aware of verb tenses. If you're still doing it, use present tense. If you did it in the past, use past tense. This may seem simple but it's fairly common for people to write everything in past tense. Also, try to switch up the verbs you use. Instead of "I helped... I helped..." try "I helped... I assisted..." Feel free to use a thesaurus, but be careful. Sometimes people use random synonyms that don't make sense in the sentence.
It is important to be consistent with the format. Here's how my CV was organized:
  • Personal and Contact Information
    • Name
    • Address
    • Phone Number
    • Email
  • Professional Experience - three things
  • Research Experience - one thing
  • Academic Experience - five things
    • I included my study abroad experience and talked about how I gained cultural insight along with learning from the school.
    • DO NOT put courses here. I put academic programs in which I was involved (for example, a two year program geared towards promoting academic excellence in engineering science and a summer research program)
  • Volunteer Experience - six things
    • I put my shadowing under here
    • Three things were medical related
  • Leadership Experience - five things
  • Training and Certification - EMT and CPR
  • Career Goals
    • This is optional. Some versions of my CV don't have this section.
    • A few sentences about what I want to be (a physician) and what led me to this decision. I also included what I plan to do with my degree.
    • It was a very small section.
  • Education
    • My Bachelor's Degree (and major), where I got it, and when I got it. If you haven't graduated yet, put the date you expect to graduate and then put "(expected)"
  • Skills
    • Technical (computer skills)
    • General (important qualities and skills)
Everything was in chronological order under each category (starting with oldest and ending with the most recent). I ordered them by the date I began. So for example, April 2014-May 2015 would come before June 2014-January 2105 (even though the latter ended earlier).
My advisor told me about the "5 minute rule" which is if you can't talk about it for 5 minutes or know the names of the people involved, don't include it. Include things in which you were actively involved. Remember: quality over quantity. Most of the things I included in my CV were activities that lasted months or years.

Other CV Tips:

  • Don't get fancy with your font selection. Stick to Times New Roman or Arial, etc.
  • There's no formula for what you CV should look like but you should still look up and compare examples to make sure you're on the right track. You can click here to see some samples.
If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to leave them in the comment section below. Or you can email me directly using the "contact me" section at the bottom of my blog. Stick around for more tips and information! :)
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November 10, 2015

Meeting Tim

November 10, 2015 0
Being a substitute teacher has been a lot more rewarding than I expected. I started this job because of a combination of my fondness of teaching and the ease with which I could call off a day to attend med school interviews. In retrospect, it was naïve for me to have not expected to meet kids who could affect my life so deeply. One girl told me that I was her favorite and asked me to replace her normal teacher. Then she drew a picture for me :)


I don't know about you, but I think she captured my essence perfectly.

Today's experience was a little different though, and very humbling. I taught Special Needs kids and I just have to say they were the most well-behaved set of children I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. AP/honors and Special Needs classes are my favorite because those children are always actually willing and eager to learn. There was a kid today, I'll call him Tim (because he was so tiny and cute), who really inspired me. He might have been autistic because he was so smart and a very avid student. For the life of me, I can't figure out why he was in a Special Needs class. Tim told me excitedly how history was his favorite subject but then a few moments later added, "I love math and science too!" I asked him what kind of science and he said anything having to do with animals and dinosaurs. He was the only child in the class who made the connection between Constantinople's geography (a peninsula) and their booming economy (due to trade). I was so proud of him and his happiness was very contagious. I sat with him to correct his work because he wanted to make sure it was all right before turning it in and after completing his classwork, he began doing his homework. But the best part about meeting Tim was not the joy of watching him learn, it was the conversation we had when he was done. He told me, "I want to be an inventor and scientist when I grow up!"
"Wow really? What kind of scientist?" I asked.
"Anything having to do with animals! And I'm going to invent so many things! I'm going to change the world!" I noticed he was wearing a UCLA sweater and I asked him if he plans on going to college. "Of course!" He answered enthusiastically. Honestly, I can't put into words how inspiring this boy's dedication to education and motivation to learn were. He made me want to change the world too haha.
"So are you planning on going to UCLA?" I asked. He looked confused for a second so I gestured towards his sweater, prepared to tell him how great the university is because I went there.
"Oh no," he said, "that's just where I go to get my treatment." He revealed a scar between his neck and chest. "I have leukemia... you know, the cancer." His smile began to fade and his eyes became glossy and I immediately regretted bringing up my alma mater. "I remember the exact date I got diagnosed too," Tim said somberly. "April 15th, 2013, exactly one month after my 10th birthday. One month!" I was almost angry. Here's a kid who really has the potential to change the world and he might not even live long enough to do so. After telling me where he went to get treatment, he seemed a little happy again when he said, "At least I get two days off for Veteran's Day! Since I have to miss school on Thursday for treatment." Why was I not surprised that he somehow managed to find the bright side of the situation? I tried to maintain a smile too as I told him that I'll be volunteering at the same hospital on Thursday so hopefully I will be able to run into him. I really hope I do. Anyway, we continued to talk about his passions and interests and I was actually a little sad when the bell rang because I was really enjoying our conversation. It was heartwarming to hear him say that he did too and that he hoped I would be their sub again sometime soon.
I'm so grateful I got to meet Tim, a kid who, despite his circumstances, keeps pushing towards a goal that others would think is too big. He put my problems and my goals into perspective. I believe in him, in his ambitions despite his cancer. So I believe in myself. If ever I begin to feel life weighing me down, I can look back on this experience and remind myself of my privilege and my destiny. If leukemia can't stop Tim, why should anything stop me?
I'll be praying for Tim. I know he can really be something great if given the opportunity. I hope his treatment goes well and he actually does end up changing the world. He's definitely changed mine.
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November 9, 2015

Who I Was

November 09, 2015 5

Less than a month before I graduated, I had a weirdly vivid dream. I was with some people from both high school and college. I was telling my old friends from high school about my college experience. One kid, Jacob, wasn’t satisfied with my descriptions and he said, “You’re not telling me what was really important about the college experience.”
After thinking a little I said, “College helped me-“
“Find yourself right?” He cut me off. “You found who you are? I want to remind you of who you were.”
The rest of the dream was a blur but I remember that part so well. This might sound silly but I took it as a sign. Before falling asleep that night I prayed for a sign from God. I was a little unsure about my future and I didn’t know where my life was heading. I felt like something was missing. Just a few days later, at church, my pastor was talking about growth and I gasped when I heard him say, “We continually change but it’s important to remember who you were. Sometimes we need to be reminded to know who we are.”
I’m not exactly sure what that dream meant but I started trying to remember who I was before I moved to LA.
I wasn’t only a science kind of girl before I came here. I have always loved art. Everything art! I’ve been writing novels and poems since before I can remember. I draw, I dance, I paint, I take and edit pictures/videos, I love reading, and I play four instruments. But as an undergrad, I never really had time to indulge in my artistic passions. Sure, I danced a little and drew some pictures, but my artistic side was relatively suppressed to make room for science and engineering. Don’t get me wrong, I loved learning all that stuff. But one thing I really appreciate about taking time off before med school is that I can get back in touch with a side of myself that I thought I had lost. I just had to remember who I was. I’m logical and analytical. I love science and math. But I’m also emotional. I feel too hard and I’m an artist. Sometimes I forget that and I start to feel empty. I wrote this poem but I had forgotten its meaning:
Strip my writing from me and I'll be empty
With an overflowing heart beating for a way to be set free
Too poor so traveling won’t tempt me
And I can’t escape with drugs because my insanity won’t let me
Strip my writing from me and
You would be the divorce attorney
Breaking pen and paper's divine unity
Take my ink from me
And all I'm left with is the trauma that started me writing
Passion does not flow from my lips
But from my fingertips
Emotionless on my face with a heart that speaks only through paper
Words piercing that vessel with every emotion there was, is, and ever will be
Strip my writing from me and you take away my immortality
Like the ink from my pen is the blood seeping out of me
My only way to flee from the world’s strange formalities
And rid myself of the mask that hides my true personality
Strip my writing from me and I'll be lost
Hopelessly searching for purpose
With degenerating hands itching for a stick to hold
Mind and soul racing with dissatisfaction
Inevitably to fall back into depression
My only means of escape
Is the art of making pen and paper touch
Strip my writing from me and I am nothing.

 But not just writing, strip any of my art from me and I’m no longer myself. It’s so simple as a child. We know what we want and what we like and we pursue it. Then we grow up and there are so many rules to follow and so many requirements to meet and we lose sight of what we once thought was important. I’ve seen it happen to so many people. I can’t let it happen to me again.
I’m doing NaNoWriMo this month. I hope to finish a 50,000-word novel. And I’ve been reading, drawing, and playing ukulele more than I did before. My next step is to sign up for a dance class. I miss it so much. Especially hip-hop, jazz, and contemporary.
This time off has taught me the importance of finding balance. I know that my passion is to become a physician, but I also know that there are many sides of me and they are all important. It’s going to be hard in medical school to maintain this balance but now that I remember who I was, I will never let go of her again.
A little rusty and not my best, but this was the first picture I drew after graduating ^^


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November 6, 2015

Getting Into Med School 2

November 06, 2015 0




Pre-med required and recommended courses

o Every school has a list of their required and recommended courses and extracurricular activities. Most schools have the same requirements but it’s still very important for you to check because there are always those couple of schools with that random class you haven’t taken.

o Taking classes abroad: I took Physics abroad through a UCLA program and the grades were transferred to my UCLA transcript. Be careful taking classes abroad though. Some schools only accept required classes taken in the United States (you can take any class abroad except for the required ones). But obviously some schools are ok with taking any class abroad. Just email or call the schools you hope to attend beforehand to make sure it’s ok for you to go abroad before you sign up for those classes.


Don’t be afraid to ask for help

o I found that it is important to realize that you are not alone. Have mentors and a cohort you can go to. I can't count how many times I got lost on my journey to med school. Thankfully I had older students who gave me advice concerning school, extracurricular activities, and so much more. I also did an amazing pre-med program one summer that equipped me with all I needed to become a successful applicant. Also, even though GPA and MCAT don’t make the applicant, they’re still very important. You might have to go to tutoring or take an MCAT class.


Extracurricular activities/Experiences:

o The AMCAS application asks for extracurricular activities (at least one and up to 15). For each activity, you’ll have to provide a short description (700 characters).

o You will have to pick at least one (and up to 3) meaningful activities. For those, you’ll have to type an additional paragraph explaining why it was meaningful to you (1325 characters).

o Quality over quantity. You might not fill out all 15 spaces on the AMCAS application but it’s better for them to see a few activities you did for years than to see 15 activities that each lasted a week. If you can, do as many activities as possible but don’t overwork yourself to the point where your grades suffer. When describing your 15 activities, make sure you include why it will make you a better physician (even if the activity has nothing to do with medicine, it could have helped you develop characteristics that are important to have as a doctor). I highly suggest that you have at least one shadowing experience and one clinical volunteering experience. A lot of pre-med students are also involved in research, though it is very possible to get into med school without research.

o They want to see personal development and the skills you will bring to their school and your practice. Choose activities that have a growing impact on you. Make sure you will be able to talk about them in your interviews.

o You should have a letter of recommendation from all of the activities you said were the most meaningful. You might not submit them to some schools, but some schools ask for those letters.

o If possible, try to have at least one activity in 6-8 categories (not a requirement though):
- Paid employment
- Community service/volunteer (both medical and non-medical)
- Research/lab
- Teaching/tutoring
- Honors/awards/recognitions
- Conferences
- Presentations
- Posters
- Publications
- Extracurricular/hobbies/advocations
- Leadership
- Athletics
- Other


Letters of Recommendation

o You can submit up to 10 letters of rec on AMCAS. For each school, you’ll have to select which letters you want them to receive. Every school has their own letter requirements so look on their websites before selecting what letters to send to them.

o GET THEM EARLY! It can take a long time for the letter writers to complete a good letter for you (one of my letter writers took almost an entire year!). Talk to them about potentially writing a letter for you as soon as you’re done with the class or experience so that they don’t forget about you.

o Not getting a letter is better than a getting a bad letter. Keep that in mind if you decide to ask someone last minute for a letter. Give them time to write the best letter possible.

o Most schools require two science professor and one non-science professor so be sure to ask those teachers.

o Give them your CV (CV essentials coming soon) and personal statement

o Go to office hours and get to know them

o Opt not to read the LOR even if they end up sending it to you


MCAT

o I took the old MCAT (the one with three sections and out of 45 points). I started studying three months before taking it and did as many practice tests as possible.

o I took Berkeley Review classes and also used Examkrackers to self-study. I can’t say if these companies are better than others. They worked well for me but of course you can always go to Kaplan or Princeton or any other company. I suggest taking a class though along with self studying.

o KHAN ACADEMY! It’s free :) you can use this along with your other MCAT study resources.


Choosing where to apply:

o I found MSAR to be the most important resource when picking schools. It's only $25 for a year's subscription and it tells you almost everything you need to know about a school before applying including, but not limited to:
- Mission statement and contact information
- Student life, research, and cost of attendance
- Combined degrees and special programs
- Matriculant demographics by race and gender
- Application deadlines and requirements (remember how I said schools vary in their required classes? You can find the classes on this website and whether or not they accept AP credit. You will still have to contact them to ask about studying abroad thought).
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY (in my opinion)
- Selection factors: this is the freshman profile. It tells you the range and median of MCAT scores and GPAs and compares them to the national range and median.
*Note: don't let the numbers scare you though! There are always exceptions. I know a few myself*

o Most people apply to about 10-25 schools (depending on their confidence level and financial situation). The reason I said knowing the selection factors is important is because applicants need to be realistic. I highly encourage applying to a couple dream schools even if your numbers are up to par (I did!). But I also suggest applying to some back up schools (schools with average MCAT scores and GPAs near or lower than yours) along with schools exactly in your range.
- I applied to a few "out-of-reach" schools and I ended up getting accepted into one really early and getting interview invites for some of the others (I'll keep you guys updated on those). So I'm an advocate for occasionally ignoring the freshman profile. Just limit the number of "out-of-reach" schools (unless of course you have enough money to apply everywhere).

o The primary application is $160 for the first school and $36 for each additional school (keep in mind you'll have to pay for secondary applications and plane tickets/hotels for interviews also)

o Look into their grading system. Do you prefer letter grades? Pass/no pass? Honors/high pass/pass/fail? I personally prefer pass/no pass because it facilitates team work and minimizes competition. But everyone has their own preference

o Public vs. Private. Private schools tend to be smaller and more intimate. But public schools are usually less expensive. There are other pros and cons to both types of schools. Decide which kind you'd rather attend and apply to more of those schools

o I know I mentioned cost in the previous bullet point but I personally don't think cost should be a factor. One of my interviewers told me, "You'll be a doctor. You're gonna pay it off." But if money concerns you, include it in your decision making process

o For me, the biggest factor in deciding where to go was location and weather. I unfortunately was limited to certain states. I actually looked up "most racist states in America" and stayed away from those lol. In addition, I NEED sunshine. I don't care if it's cold or hot as long as the sun shines. Prolonged cloudy weather gets me down and demotivates me. I can't afford to lose motivation as a med student because I know I will need a drive to be able to keep up with the rigorous curriculum. Some of you might be in the same boat. Some of you might consider location for different reasons (getting away from home or staying close to home etc.) but regardless, location is usually a factor.

o I didn't include prestige for a reason. The goal should be to be HAPPY wherever you end up. Whether you like big or small or out of state or in state or sun or clouds. Pick a place where you will be happy. You'll be spending four years of your life there. You don't want to be miserable.


You're all done right?

Not exactly

o Proofread EVERYTHING! People tend to only proofread their personal statements and forget about activity descriptions, courses, and background information. Make sure your ENTIRE application is accurate and paints an accurate (and positive) picture of you

o Ask other people to proofread. People who know you well, doctors, med students, English majors etc.


APPLY EARLY!!

o The earlier you apply, the higher your chances are of getting in because most med schools do rolling admissions.

o I think one of the main reasons I am where I am is because I started the AMCAS app as soon as it opened and I submitted it only 4 days after they began accepting applications.

o HOWEVER, it's better for you to submit a perfect application a little late than to submit a rushed application on the first day.


*Note: most allopathic schools use AMCAS but some schools have other application processes so look that up before you start applying

If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment section below. Or you can email me directly using the “contact me” section at the bottom of my blog.

Stick around for more posts about other things like personal statements, CV essentials, interviews, secondaries, etc.
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November 4, 2015

Getting Into Med School

November 04, 2015 2
The Primary Application Part 1
This series is going to be VERY long so brace yourselves!


I decided to do a few posts about the med school application process because I found it extremely helpful to read about other people’s experiences and helpful tips while I was applying. If you’re not pre-med or interested in the pre-med journey, you can skip this lol
Before I start, here’s a little bit about my experience so far:
I applied to medical school this cycle and I'm currently at the interview stage. I tend to doubt myself a lot so I was uncertain about my chances of getting into med school. I applied to every school in California and I was apprehensive because it's well known that California schools are some of the hardest to get into. But my application must have been better than I thought because off the bat, I started getting secondary applications and interview invites. Apparently AMCAS doesn't allow schools to send out acceptances before October 15th but I received an acceptance on October 7th and the 15th from another. And they're both California schools!
The first school: Because it’s a UC school, they screen applicants before sending out secondary invitations. After I finished my secondary, I asked Will to look at it and write his corrections separately. Unfortunately, he wrote all his corrections in parentheses within my answers. So an example would be: “I didn’t (did not) realize that…” And I submitted the secondary like that! After I submitted and paid I freaked out (understatement of the year). Every website was clear that typos are a huge no-no. I counted that school as a loss. But to my surprise, they invited me for an interview. After the interview, I was sure I didn’t get into the school. In fact, most of my texts from that day say a variation of “well… bombed that one. I don’t expect to get in.” But I ended up receiving my acceptance email only 11 days after the interview.

The second school: Because of my lack of financial resources, I almost didn't complete my secondary for this school, even though it was among my top 5 dream schools. I saw their freshman profile for last year's class and my GPA was nowhere near the average. Also, I knew that they were selective. But after meeting a girl who was about to start school there, I went home and finished my secondary immediately. Only 16 hours later, I got an interview invite from them. I left the interview knowing that I did well but I didn't want to get my hopes up so I prepared for a rejection. On October 15th, the official first day schools can send out acceptances, I received my acceptance email from them.

Because I have already gotten into one school in my top 5 list, I have declined 3/8 interview invites and I only plan on going to a few other schools to interview (two of which have already invited me). I unfortunately don’t have enough money to fly to a lot of interviews. I will keep you all updated about future acceptances (and rejections) :) I wanted to share how I got this far in such short amount of time. I hope this helps everyone reading who plans on becoming a physician!
So without further ado, here is:



*Disclaimer: these tips all worked for me but everyone will have a different journey to med school and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.*
  • The most important quality of a pre-med student: PASSION! It’s so much work and it can be exhausting. But if you’re really passionate about being a doctor, it won’t overwhelm you. The entire foundation of your future rests on your passion.
Here’s the timeline I followed:


What makes up the primary application

- Identifying, contact, and biographic information
- Languages - what you speak and how well. If you’re applying to California schools, I recommend learning Spanish.
- Childhood information - try to answer all the questions and stay away from the “do not know” answer
- Disadvantaged Statement - explained below
- Family information and some applicant information (like were you in the military etc.)
- EVERY class and EVERY grade. Yes, EVERY. Including high school AP classes. It’s so tedious
- High school and University information
- GPA
- MCAT and other test scores
- Experiences - explained in the next post
- Personal Statement - Advice on this will be its own post (coming soon!)
- Letters of Recommendation
- Medical Schools


    AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP)

    Whether or not you think you'll be approved, I suggest applying for FAP. The worst that could happen is that they'll say no.

    They’ll waive one AMCAS application for up to 15 schools ($664 value) and give you a free MSAR ($25 value, I’ll explain what MSAR is under the “how to pick schools” section). Also, MCAT registration will only be $115 (discounted from $300 per exam) for up to four exams. You’ll receive complimentary MCAT exam prep products ($125 value) and some other MCAT resources.

      Disadvantaged applicant (1325 characters)

      Applicants who consider themselves disadvantaged should fill out the additional short essay. I know it helps with financial aid and scholarships when schools start but I'm not completely sure what each school does with that information. It does not negatively affect your chances of being accepted though. It can only help :)

      I think when writing about your disadvantages, you should end with what you learned. How will these challenges help you become a better physician?

      A few examples:
      • - Lack of opportunity growing up
      • - Having to overcome significant obstacles which may have adversely affected you
      • - Financial problems and low socioeconomic status
      • - Grew up in a low-income community
      • - Underrepresented in medicine
      • - Worked 30+ hours a week during college to support yourself and your family
      • - First generation college student
      • - High school had a low API score when you graduated
      • - Immigrant/English is not your first language
      • - Mental/learning/psychological disability (should be getting treatment for it)


        Primary Application tips to be continued :)

        If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment section below. Or you can email me directly using the “contact me” section at the bottom of my blog.
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