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[I]
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2002 19:46:09 -0400
Hi Rich,
Thanks for creating such an infomative site. The website is quite
informative for the premed student. I'm a 1997 grad of the University
of
Miami (B.A.-environmental science). I did not take all of the
premed
requirements at the time because I had no plans of attending
med school.
Due to a poor performance freshman year, I only ended up with
a 3.1 GPA.
I've worked for the past three years in the environmental consulting
business for the U.S. EPA and private industry. Due in part to
exposure to
the environmental health field, I decided to pursue a medical
degree. While
working, I retook the Biology courses (C's freshman year at UM)
at Tulane
University and got A's. I'm currently enrolled in my second semester
of
Columbia University's post-bacc program. However, last fall,
I got a C in
General Chemistry I, dropped Physics I lecture, and got an A
in Physics I
lab. The exposure to large amounts of math after having been
away from it
for so long proved very difficult. I'm looking at B's in Gen.
Chemistry II
and Physics I this spring. Do you think I have any legitimate
chance of
getting into a U.S. allopathic program with my performance so
far? What
options should I consider? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Paul
Hi Paul,
You need some A's to have a legitimate chance of getting into
a U.S.
allopathic program. You may want to polish up your math background
before
taking physics again, either by taking a class, getting some
help from a
tutor, or working through a study guide. The amount of math in
Physics I and
II w/o calculus is actually very little, but w/o a good background
in
algebra and trig physics seem a lot harder. When the time comes
for Orgo,
I'd advice sitting in on a class before taking it. Only thing
is you really
don't want the fact the you sat in on the class on your record.
There are
various solutions to this problem, all of which I will leave
up to you.
Finally, whenever possible, find out who is the "best"
Orgo teacher and make
every effort to sign up for his/her course--and get the old tests!
Best,
-Rich
[II]
Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 22:22:24 EDT
Hi Rich,
I am 31 years old and have just taken the MCAT. I have a B.A.
degree in
Journalism, with a 3.0 GPA, but with no science course, except
the core
requirement. I recently just finished all my medical school prerquisites
with all A's, while at the same time completed my Master's degree
in
Exercise Science. I finished these all these courses with a 3.97
GPA. I
run my own personal training business dealing with many special
population
clientele (Parkinson's, Vertigo, Addison's, etc.), while also
working at a
community center that has many older members with a variety of
functional
disabilities. I previously worked for a Physiatrist, administering
all
sorts of treatments (cervical traction, ultrasound, etc.), and
also
completed a summer internship with an Orthopaedic Surgeon. If
i score a 30
or above on the MCAT, what do u think my chances are of getting
in? In
addition, since there are many forms of the exam, with various
testing
material, how do they normalize these scores to take into account
the
differences in difficulty of testing material? Thanks in advance
for your
input.
Hi,
If you score a 30 and interview well, your chances, based
on the info you
have provided, is excellent--I'd be very surprised if you were
not accepted.
Each form of the MCAT is normalized based only on the individuals
that took
that form. No adjustments are made to compensate for differing
difficulty
levels from one form to another.
Best,
-Rich
[III]
Date: Wed, 8 May 2002 15:31:50 EDT
Hi - I am so sorry to bother you, but
I have a question. I am currently a
pre-med student. I was curious what the standards were for applicants
with
a felony on their legal record. The felony isn't a bad one -
possession of
mushrooms - and it was a while ago when I was a stupid kid -
1995. I have
been trying to find out what the stipulations were before I got
too involved
in my schooling. Even though, I am a junior, so I need to hurry
up and find
out. Again, thank you for your time.
Hi ,
Possession of shrooms is no deal breaker if you handle it
right. You could
get hammered about it by some interviewers (depending on their
style). Be
straight forward and honest about the matter. Treat it as an
unfortunate
mistake long in your past. Don't get baited into being overly
defensive and
it shouldn't be a big deal.
Best,
-Rich
[IV]
Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 10:36:32 EDT
Hello,
I'm currently a senior, chemistry major. My GPA is 2.75. I've
just decided
that I want to be a doctor. I've taken most of the prereqisetes.
Would a
Masters or a Post bacc program be better for me?
Thank you
Since you have all that chemistry under your belt a Masters
program might
make more sense. Post bac programs are best for students who
have not taken
any "premed" courses. I'm assuming you have taken physics
as well. If you
have not taken any physics or biology, than a Post bac program
might work,
if it was loaded with loads of "nasty" courses where
you can prove you can
hold your own -- Post bac GPA > 3.5.
Best,
-Rich
[V]
> Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 18:34:56 -0700
> Subject: accelerated programs
>
> I am currently in high school and interested in a medical career. I heard of
> a few programs that offer an accelerated premed and med school option. I was
> on a website that said go to http://www.premed411.com/pages/home, but that
> link does not work on my computer. It was said to have a list of all colleges
> that offer similar programs. As of now I am only searching on the internet,
> and would greatly appreciate it if you know of a similar website (with a list
> of schools that offer similar programs).
> Thank you very much,
Hi,
Here's where you can start to look:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22accelerated+programs%22+premed&btnG=
Google+Search
Variations of the above Google.com search will provide even
more
information.
The correct link, to which you referred below is
http://premed411.com/home.html
Best,
-Rich
TOP ^
[VI]
Date: Sun, 19 May 2002 14:29:30 -0400
Dear Rich,
I am in dire need of some advice. I have taken the MCAT 3 times
now. My
first two times were horrendous, a 19 and a 18. I am 35 and I
just graduated
from undergrad last year with a 3.8 (overall) in biology. I do
not know how
I did on the past MCAT. My question is do I wait for my scores
to apply or
do I go ahead and start the application process. A bunch of people
have
suggested that I apply to schools outside the US since they do
not weigh the
MCAT as much (is this true?) I feel like I am in a very long
holding
pattern. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you very much
Maureen
Hi Maureen,
The only reason for waiting for your scores, would be if you
had some
compelling reason to expect that you would score significantly
better on the
August MCAT then you anticipate you did on the April test. You
probably
do want to consider D.O. schools and schools outside the US--they
do not
require as high MCAT scores.
Good Luck,
-Rich
[VII]
> Date: Sun, 19 May 2002 02:40:31 EDT
> hi rich, I would like to know if
a foreigner with a bachelors in biochemistry
> can apply for medical school in the u.s
>
Hi,
Yes, but only a few. Check in MSAR*
Best,
-Rich
*MSAR info is at http://www.premed411.com/home.html
[VII]
> Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 15:00:35 -0400
> Hi Rich! I was interested in taking
my classes for the MCAT Exam with you,
> and I wanted to know what is required in order for me to
take these classes?
> I have not been to College ever. I want to be a Clinical
Pathologist. I went
> to ST. Thomas to speak with an advisor and ask what I should
take as a major
> in order to become a Pathologist, I was thinking I had to
major in Biology but
> she told me that I should just take some preparatory classes
for the MCATS, to
> then go into Medical School. Is this the way to go? Please
advise.......
>
> Thanks!
Hi Lilly,
While it is possible to take some shortcuts if you wish to
go to a school
outside of the US, its usually not a good idea. Considering your
goals,
obtaining a degree in biology sounds appropriate. You should
complete, or be
close to completing, two years of chemistry, one year of physics
and one
year of biology before taking an MCAT prep course.
Best,
-Rich
[VIII]
> Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 23:53:34 -0400
>
> Hello Rich, This is Pablo again, I just have one last and quick
> question: How much time does it take for the MCAT to be received by the AMCAS?
> Say that I take the april mcat... Thanks for everything, Pablo
Hi Pablo,
In the past it has taken about50 days--the bottleneck, of course,
is the writing sample
scores.
Best,
-Rich
[IX]
Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 17:59:32 EDT
Hello:
I dont know if youd be able to answer my questions, but maybe
you know
someone who may. I am a high school student and I am thinking
about what
colleges to apply to. I know I want to become a doctor, but I
hvae no idea
which schools have good premed programs... If you have any information
on
this for example maybe which schools have better mcat scores,
please contact
me.
Thank you,
Caroline
Hi Caroline,
You can find most, if not all, of the info you seek online.
US News and
World Reports and Newsweek both have sites that rate schools,
and there are
lots of other online resources available, including the sites
of the schools
themselves. While only some of this material will be directly
applicable to
a premed student, you still should be able to learn quite a lot.
I highly recommend Google.com as THE search engine to use
for your
investigations. After you have a good idea of how various schools
stack up
you may wish to seek the advice of a competent guidance counselor
to help
you sort though your choices.
Best,
-Rich
[X]
Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 16:04:03 -0400
Hi Rich,
I am interested in attending medical school and need some tips,
advice, etc.
Currently, I am a second year law student and have become disillusioned
about the "Legal Profession." My first choice has always
been the medical
field and I probably should have followed my gut on this one.
Unfortunately
I didn't; I am regretting it now. What is the procedure to apply
for med
school and would my credits be transferrable from law school?
I consider
myself quite intelligent and a quick study for most anything.
However,
medicine is my first love and I would love to pursue a career
in medicine.
Any hints, advice, etc. you can give will be much appreciated.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks,
Lee-Ann
Hi Lee-Ann,
Yes, your credits from law school can/should be transferred.
You may also
need to take a post-bac program if you have not completed two
years of chem,
one year of physics, and at least one year of biology. You may
also
wish/need to take a year of calculus, depending on which med
schools you
apply to. You will find hints and advice at http://premed411.com.
More info
at http://www.aamc.org, and detailed application instructions
in MSAR*.
Good Luck,
Rich Hochstim
http://premed411.com
*MSAR info is at http://www.premed411.com/home.html
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