Six Premed Buckets

Another great article from PreMedLife is about the six buckets of premed. By filling all of them, you become the perfect medical school applicant. 

1. ACADEMICS

You should have expected this one to be first. Your GPA and MCAT scores fall into this bucket and are often the basis of a school's first impression of you. Some schools screen applicants through GPA and MCAT alone! Most schools also look for upper level classes, a challenging major, and a well-rounded application.

2. RESEARCH

 Being involved in research demonstrates two things: critical thinking and problem solving. The research topic, while best if medically related, can be almost about anything.

3. COMMUNITY SERVICE

The bottom line of this bucket is helping other people. Think commitment and leadership. Be creative because this doesn't necessarily have to be in a medical setting either.

4. EXTRACURRICULARS

 This bucket entails anything outside of the classroom, which can be clubs, sports, arts, hobbies, etc. The sky is the limit. Creativity will get you far in this bucket as well.

5. CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

 This category must be in a medical setting, obviously. Clinical experience can be gained by shadowing, volunteering or working in a hospital, clinical research, and medical missions traveling. The important thing is to see diverse environments and get an idea of day to day life in each setting.

6. APPLICATION SKILLS

This bucket is somewhat of a catch-all and abstract. This bucket holds your creativity, writing skills, and interviewing skills. Look back over your life experiences and see how they form a unified story leading you to a medical career. 

PreMedLife

So I recently discovered PreMedLife magazine. 

It's an online magazine for pre medical students. 

I'm glad I found it. They have some pretty interesting articles.

Click here for a link.

I found it on Twitter first and they had asked for feedback from anyone that's already taken the MCAT. I sent an email saying I would love to give some feedback.  

This is the response I received: "We're putting together a short piece on things you wish you would have known before taking the MCAT.
 Is there anything in particular you wish you would have know beforehand?"

 

I thought about things for a few days and replied with this: 

Mainly, I wish I had known beforehand that there would be so much anatomy and physiology (especially circulation, gas exchange, and the kidneys). My major doesn't require them so I had not taken those classes and I had a professor even tell me that I wouldn't need them for the MCAT. He turned out to be really wrong It also would have been nice to know that the testing room was chilly. I would have liked to know about the security measures. I was expecting tight security, but not to that extent. There were cameras everywhere, audio recording devices, finger scans, metal detectors, and more. That alone was a little nerve racking. I was so afraid I would do something wrong and get in trouble! I also was caught off guard that not everyone started testing at the same time, which meant everyone was on breaks at different times. There was always people shuffling around and going out for breaks. I was told constants would be giving to you. They were not, which crippled me some in the physical science section. It would have saved me so much stress if I had known the real MCAT was simpler than the Kaplan practice tests I took. Also as a side note, I can't remember my essay topics and it's driving me crazy, especially now that I have my score. I wish I would have written them down afterward.

 

Now I suppose I will be obsessively checking their website to find an article published about the MCAT to see if they actually used anything I said. 

The Med School Interview: Get ready for Anything!

“We spent forty-five minutes talking about fly-fishing!” Sound like a med school interview?  When I hear from applicants that the interview digressed into a discussion of basketball, ballet or bird-watching, the next thing they usually say is: “I didn’t get to tell the interviewer about ___” (fill in the blank: my idea for a cure for AIDS,  my poster presentation on gastroenteritis in chinchillas…you get the idea).  Knowing your stuff is absolutely necessary, but don’t be surprised if the topics don’t stick to “typical” interview fare. If the interview is going in a different direction, well then, just go along and enjoy the ride. After all, you’ll be more excited talking about fly-fishing than reciting your clinical experiences for the tenth time, and the interviewer will still get the information they need. Here’s a rundown on how to be ready for any interview:

Buy a nice suit – and wear it to the interview – After telling me of their plans to wear khakis with a polo shirt or a casual skirt with a cute top, applicants explain that suits are too stiff and boring, it’s not their style, etc. My simple fashion advice:  “Wear a suit!” A suit looks polished and professional and helps the interviewer to see you as a future physician.

Know your Medical School Application – You’ve spent the last four years taking chemistry, physics and bio, so what does the interviewer ask you about? The “C” you got in the “Intro to Synchronized Swimming Course” that you took your freshman year and hoped to forget. You could be asked about anything on your application. Be ready.

Keep on top of current events affecting healthcare – Proposed reforms to healthcare, the swine flu, the aging of the population; you should know at least the basics about topics such as these.  Read news sources on the Internet or newspaper or watch the news, and dig a bit deeper, just in case.

Know the school – Be prepared to explain why you want to attend this school. Research the school and talk to current medical students or alumni if you have the opportunity. Does the school have problem based learning or a traditional lecture format? Do they emphasize primary care or specializing? Is it a major research center? The answers to these questions can help you convey your interest in a particular program.

So you’ve done all this and you’re ready to go. You show up looking sharp in your new suit, smile confidently and are ready to discuss the nuances of healthcare reform. You shake the interviewer’s hand, take a deep breath ….and get asked about the bird-watching hobby you had listed on your “Work/Activities” section.  Great! Use your response to show that you are poised, personable and would have a fantastic bedside manner. Be prepared, but be ready to change course and succeed in any situation.

This article is by Carleen Eaton, M.D. 

It was taken from Kaplan's Med School Pulse.

Do You Know Your Learning Style?

 

If you've ever wondered how "smart" student study thinking that whatever it is that they're doing, you could do the same and join them at the high end of the learning curve, then you've got it all wrong! Just because you see the highest scoring student in your p-chem class shuffling through his stack of flashcards in the library doesn't mean that you go and run to make your own set of cards. Little do you know (or maybe you do know and you're just denying it) you may not be the visual-repetitive learning type. You'll go ahead, make your flash cards, spend hours giving your wrist a workout flipping them over and over, and then test day comes and you don't recall a single piece of information from your flash cards.

So here's the deal…experts say that each person has a unique learning profile that consists of various components. Once you discover your brains unique preferred way of absorbing, storing, and retrieving information, you will begin to study more effectively and perform better on exams. You may have already identified your preferred way of absorbing knowledge but have yet to see it at its maximum potential. So what it comes down to is that you can be a "smart" student if you just take the time to identify and strengthen your learning style and not try to adapt someone else's. It may sound a bit corny but understanding your own learning style is the key to your success. You probably already know a lot about what works for you and what doesn't. Research on individual learning styles has lead to multiple ways to define how people learn differently. "There is no one way to define a learner and no one 'right' test to take to find out how you learn".

The following is information about learning characteristics and strategies for different types of learners. Students should think about what applies to them and how it can help them become "smart" students. Many studies have revealed that students who are able to identify their learning styles can use the information to improve comprehension and memory.What's your learning style? Take the quiz.

So the first step is to begin by identifying if you are a visual, audio, or kinesthetic/tactile learner.

Directions: To find out what you learning style is add 1 point for each statement that STRONGLY fits your personality.

I prefer to listen to books on tape or to read books aloud. The more I discuss a problem with my classmates, I find it easier to find a solution I remember what people have said before I remember who said it. I like to complete one task before starting a new one. A train could be passing through my living room and I would still be able to hold a good conversation with my Aunt Sally on the phone.

When I forget how to spell a word, I sound it out. My papers and notebooks always seem messy When I read, I need to use my index finger to tract my place on the line I would rather listen and learn than read and learn In school, I only needed to attend class lectures to perform fine on the tests.

TOTAL POINTS =

---

When I take on a project, I want to start doing instead of planning. When I need to take a break from studying, I have to get up and move around my room. I can work effectively in Starbucks or at a table in the cafeteria - I don't need to be at my desk to do homework. I would like to ride my bike to class, if I don't already. I am often aware of the temperature the classroom.

When I pick up something as ordinary as my stapler, my mind drifts to memories somehow associated with a stapler. I use the trial and error approach to problem-solving I enjoy sports and do well at several different types of sports I use my hands when describing things I have to rewrite or type my class notes to reinforce the material.

TOTAL POINTS =

---

I can remember that I need to do something if I write it down. I need to visualize myself wearing something to make a decision about what I want to wear. I take copious notes during class and often can remember what the page of notes looks like before I remember what the notes say. I need to look at a person when they're speaking. It has to be quiet for me to be able to complete my work.

I am horrible at remembering jokes. I can remember phone numbers if I can visualize typing them on a phone's key pad. I have trouble following lectures I doodle or draw pictures on the margins of my notebook pages When I take a test, I can see the textbook page of my notes in my head

TOTAL POINTS =

---

SO, WHAT TYPE OF LEARNER ARE YOU?

If you scored the most points in the FIRST box then you are an...
AUDITORY LEARNER and learn best when information is presented orally. You benefit from listening to lectures and participating in discussions. Audiobooks, reading material aloud, and reciting material aloud help you memorize and retain information. You do well working out solutions or problems by talking them out or role-playing.
 

Study strategies: Record class lectures to listen to repeatedly, such as in the car while traveling. Read text and notes out loud. You may also find it helpful to join a study group or work with a partner to discuss and review material orally. Study in a quiet place. Make up a song using subject matter or key words; rhymes also work well to remember facts, dates, names, etc.

 

If you scored the most points in the SECOND box then you are a...
TACTILE/KINESTHETIC learner and learn best when you are physically engaged in a hands-on activity. In the classroom, you benefit from lab settings, demonstrations, or projects where materials can be manipulated to discover and learn new information. You may take notes, but often need to draw or doodle to remember and retain information. You also learn well through field trips.

Study strategy: Incorporate physical activity into learning by moving around when studying, using fingers to name off ideas or items for review, reading aloud, listening to audio tapes of material while exercising. Sit near the front of the room and take notes throughout lectures. Jot down key words and draw pictures or make charts or diagrams to help remember information you are seeing and hearing. Take frequent breaks in study periods. Try to "beat the clock"-set up 30-minute study sessions and cover a specific amount of information in that time.

 

If you scored the most points in the THIRD box then you are a...
VISUAL LEARNER and learn best when information is presented visually through pictures, diagrams, charts, etc. You generally like professors who use visual aids such as charts, notes written on a board, or PowerPoint presentations. You prefer working in a quiet room and generally don't like to work in a study group.

Study strategies: Use graphics, including but not limited to, diagrams, charts, illustrations, slides, timelines, outlines, to reinforce learning. You may also find it useful to make flashcards of vocabulary words and concepts that need to be memorized - but limit the amount of information you put on each card so you can make a mental picture of the information. Translate words and ideas into symbols and pictures. Before an exam, make visual reminders using sticky notes containing key words and concepts and place them in highly visible places-on the bathroom mirror, notebook, car dashboard, car keys, glasses case, backpack, lunch sack. It will also help to study in a clutter-free space

 

This article is from PreMedLife magazine.