Comments on: 2008-2009 Medical School Application Process http://rk.md -- welcome to the life of a tech-savvy medical student -- Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:11:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Rishi http://rk.md/medicine/medical-school-application-process/#comment-7667 Rishi Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:52:39 +0000 http://www.rishi-kumar.com/?page_id=154#comment-7667 UT-Houston didn't show me any love. :-| It seems that was the case for most of my fellow classmates. As for Tech, I didn't actually apply there. Haha, UTMB <i>did</i> take me and offered me some money... but after I received my BCM acceptance. I've never been so indifferent rejecting a sum of money, lol. I think UTSW was put off when I mentioned BCM during one of my interviews. Oh well, both schools train great physicians, so I'm happy I got one of them. UT-Houston didn’t show me any love. :-| It seems that was the case for most of my fellow classmates. As for Tech, I didn’t actually apply there.

Haha, UTMB did take me and offered me some money… but after I received my BCM acceptance. I’ve never been so indifferent rejecting a sum of money, lol. I think UTSW was put off when I mentioned BCM during one of my interviews. Oh well, both schools train great physicians, so I’m happy I got one of them.

]]> By: recyclingbinh http://rk.md/medicine/medical-school-application-process/#comment-7661 recyclingbinh Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:03:19 +0000 http://www.rishi-kumar.com/?page_id=154#comment-7661 Rishi, just out of curiosity, did you interview at UT-Houston? Or did you not apply there and TX Tech? i'm surprised that UTMB and UTSW didn't accept you. It's their loss :) Rishi,

just out of curiosity, did you interview at UT-Houston? Or did you not apply there and TX Tech? i’m surprised that UTMB and UTSW didn’t accept you. It’s their loss :)

]]> By: recyclingbinh http://rk.md/medicine/medical-school-application-process/#comment-6772 recyclingbinh Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:30:47 +0000 http://www.rishi-kumar.com/?page_id=154#comment-6772 sup! I go to UH and saw your comment on SDN. Great stats and CV. i will apply this cycle 2010. hopefully i can get in with my subpar stats. i will defnitely need your help with TMDSAS and the whole process. my chem tutor at Princeton Review went to HBU and he's an MS1 at BCM. sup!

I go to UH and saw your comment on SDN. Great stats and CV. i will apply this cycle 2010. hopefully i can get in with my subpar stats. i will defnitely need your help with TMDSAS and the whole process.

my chem tutor at Princeton Review went to HBU and he’s an MS1 at BCM.

]]> By: Rishi http://rk.md/medicine/medical-school-application-process/#comment-2326 Rishi Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:05:38 +0000 http://www.rishi-kumar.com/?page_id=154#comment-2326 Best of luck to you, buddy! Haha, we'll be across the street from each other. :-) Best of luck to you, buddy! Haha, we’ll be across the street from each other. :-)

]]> By: Cancerkiller007 http://rk.md/medicine/medical-school-application-process/#comment-2323 Cancerkiller007 Sat, 03 Jan 2009 22:36:44 +0000 http://www.rishi-kumar.com/?page_id=154#comment-2323 Congrats on BCM. I applied to UTH, and been praying for it. I should find out in about 3 weeks *crossing fingers* Congrats on BCM. I applied to UTH, and been praying for it. I should find out in about 3 weeks *crossing fingers*

]]> By: Rishi http://rk.md/medicine/medical-school-application-process/#comment-2705 Rishi Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:52:18 +0000 http://www.rishi-kumar.com/?page_id=154#comment-2705 I went to a MUCH smaller school than Texas A&M, so my on-campus extracurricular involvement was limited. Rather than listing my involvement in everything, here’s my vita. I’m an Internet junkie, so I obtained the majority of my medical knowledge from sources like PubMed and Google Health News. I’m glad you had a chance to look through those posts and find some similarities in the interview questions. As far as “hours” spent doing everything, this is going to get you in trouble. I remember some people at my interviews bragging that they had spent hundreds of hours in some hospital or received a thousands of dollars in research grants. Never did the phrase “it’s quality, not quantity” mean so much. Choose activities in which you’ll be exposed to valuable, productive activities. Anyone can sit in a hospital for hours a week doing nothing but sorting papers or restocking glove boxes, but the individual who witnessed even one neurosurgery will overshadow all those hours in an instant. Where’d you get the idea that I was in two frats? Lol, I was in Alpha Phi Omega which was a co-ed “frat”, but not the stereotypical “party frat.” It’s an organization dedicated to service, and quite frankly, the most important organization I was involved in as far as life experience goes. I talked a lot about APO experiences during my interviews. I went to a MUCH smaller school than Texas A&M, so my on-campus extracurricular involvement was limited. Rather than listing my involvement in everything, here’s my vita. I’m an Internet junkie, so I obtained the majority of my medical knowledge from sources like PubMed and Google Health News. I’m glad you had a chance to look through those posts and find some similarities in the interview questions. As far as “hours” spent doing everything, this is going to get you in trouble. I remember some people at my interviews bragging that they had spent hundreds of hours in some hospital or received a thousands of dollars in research grants. Never did the phrase “it’s quality, not quantity” mean so much. Choose activities in which you’ll be exposed to valuable, productive activities. Anyone can sit in a hospital for hours a week doing nothing but sorting papers or restocking glove boxes, but the individual who witnessed even one neurosurgery will overshadow all those hours in an instant.

Where’d you get the idea that I was in two frats? Lol, I was in Alpha Phi Omega which was a co-ed “frat”, but not the stereotypical “party frat.” It’s an organization dedicated to service, and quite frankly, the most important organization I was involved in as far as life experience goes. I talked a lot about APO experiences during my interviews.

]]> By: GigEm91 http://rk.md/medicine/medical-school-application-process/#comment-1741 GigEm91 Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:26:07 +0000 http://www.rishi-kumar.com/?page_id=154#comment-1741 What kind of organizations were you in, and what were some that you may or may not have been in that you would recommend? how may hours of volunteering and shadowing did you do? Also from reading your posts about your different interviews, it seems a pre-med student must be very knowledgeable about the landscape of medicine. You seemed to be fully prepared for many of the questions that were asked about contemporary medicine. What site did you look at or what were some things you did that helped you learn about medical news. What are some specific things that one should research and know before they go to an interview. Were you really in two frats? thats awesome haha What kind of organizations were you in, and what were some that you may or may not have been in that you would recommend? how may hours of volunteering and shadowing did you do? Also from reading your posts about your different interviews, it seems a pre-med student must be very knowledgeable about the landscape of medicine. You seemed to be fully prepared for many of the questions that were asked about contemporary medicine. What site did you look at or what were some things you did that helped you learn about medical news. What are some specific things that one should research and know before they go to an interview.
Were you really in two frats? thats awesome haha

]]> By: Rishi http://rk.md/medicine/medical-school-application-process/#comment-2706 Rishi Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:04:28 +0000 http://www.rishi-kumar.com/?page_id=154#comment-2706 Haha, thanks for the kind words buddy. I’m not the type of person who can sit down and focus for a month or two and be ready for an exam like the MCAT. Instead, I started studying on and off about a year before the exam. Mind you, I did take it twice. This is my first piece of advice - study for the MCAT like you’re going to take it ONCE. Trust me, from first hand experience, it’s the most annoying thing you’ll do in your undergrad. Second, get involved in as many things as possible. Use your extracurriculars to gain valuable life experiences rather than to fill your application. For example, BCM is particularly interested in what makes each candidate unique, so you really need exposure to a wide variety of things. Since you’re still a freshman, you have plenty of time to get involved in school-based organizations, volunteer/shadow at hospitals, take on officer positions, TA for classes, etc. At the same time, as any pre-med knows, your GPA is kind of important. Find a balance which will allow you to maintain a high GPA but also excel in worthwhile extracurriculars. All of us have an intuitive idea of what it takes to get into medical school, and while the competition you will face during your application year will be undeniable, you still have time to outdo them. If you have anymore specific questions, feel free to leave another comment! Haha, thanks for the kind words buddy. I’m not the type of person who can sit down and focus for a month or two and be ready for an exam like the MCAT. Instead, I started studying on and off about a year before the exam. Mind you, I did take it twice. This is my first piece of advice – study for the MCAT like you’re going to take it ONCE. Trust me, from first hand experience, it’s the most annoying thing you’ll do in your undergrad. Second, get involved in as many things as possible. Use your extracurriculars to gain valuable life experiences rather than to fill your application. For example, BCM is particularly interested in what makes each candidate unique, so you really need exposure to a wide variety of things. Since you’re still a freshman, you have plenty of time to get involved in school-based organizations, volunteer/shadow at hospitals, take on officer positions, TA for classes, etc. At the same time, as any pre-med knows, your GPA is kind of important. Find a balance which will allow you to maintain a high GPA but also excel in worthwhile extracurriculars. All of us have an intuitive idea of what it takes to get into medical school, and while the competition you will face during your application year will be undeniable, you still have time to outdo them. If you have anymore specific questions, feel free to leave another comment!

]]> By: GigEm91 http://rk.md/medicine/medical-school-application-process/#comment-1739 GigEm91 Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:44:00 +0000 http://www.rishi-kumar.com/?page_id=154#comment-1739 Wow man, i can see you really had your mind set on your goal. Great job man. Any tips on how u prepared for the MCAT. When did you start prepping. Im a freshman at Texas A&M so i wanted to know when someone w/ experience like you did. Any other advice you can offer me would be great btw my name's Yash and i've seen a lot of your stuff on this site and it was really cool because many of your beliefs are things i share. I especially loved the one about quantifying intelligence. Your are one of the few people who realizes there is more to life than satisfying ones senses/pleasures. Wow man,

i can see you really had your mind set on your goal. Great job man.

Any tips on how u prepared for the MCAT. When did you start prepping. Im a freshman at Texas A&M so i wanted to know when someone w/ experience like you did.

Any other advice you can offer me would be great

btw my name’s Yash and i’ve seen a lot of your stuff on this site and it was really cool because many of your beliefs are things i share. I especially loved the one about quantifying intelligence. Your are one of the few people who realizes there is more to life than satisfying ones senses/pleasures.

]]> By: Rishi http://rk.md/medicine/medical-school-application-process/#comment-1723 Rishi Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:24:21 +0000 http://www.rishi-kumar.com/?page_id=154#comment-1723 Hey Natalie! Thanks for the comment! In short, I would definitely take UTMB over UTHSCSA because a four letter acronym is easier to memorize. ;-) Personally, I like UTMB's program and facilities (yes, even after Ike) more than SA. Also, being a Houstonian, Galveston is closer to home than SA. Truth be told, the fact that UTMB is on an island is also appealing. :-D If I were pre-dent, I'd take SA in a heart beat; however, as a pre-med, UTMB is my pick. Hey Natalie! Thanks for the comment! In short, I would definitely take UTMB over UTHSCSA because a four letter acronym is easier to memorize. ;-) Personally, I like UTMB’s program and facilities (yes, even after Ike) more than SA. Also, being a Houstonian, Galveston is closer to home than SA. Truth be told, the fact that UTMB is on an island is also appealing. :-D If I were pre-dent, I’d take SA in a heart beat; however, as a pre-med, UTMB is my pick.

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