Last Day As An MS1

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Nearly eleven months after beginning orientation at Baylor Med, I’m proud to say that I’ve lived to see my last day of classes as a first year medical student (MS-1). This afternoon, we had a “professor/TA appreciation ceremony” where we honored our beloved teachers for inundating us with knowledge regarding all aspects of the human body. It was a great opportunity to reflect on an amazing year.

Yesterday, the board of trustees unanimously voted on Dr. Paul Klotman to serve as the next president and CEO of Baylor College of Medicine after months of searching and selecting from over fifty incredibly qualified candidates. Based on Dr. Klotman’s press conference, it seems that he wants to place more emphasis on research (always a good thing for those ranks ;-)), so I’m looking forward to his agenda over the next few years.

Only three exams stand between me and claiming the title of “MS2.” Heh, better not fail. 😯

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4 responses to “Last Day As An MS1”

  1. L'Shaunda Avatar
    L’Shaunda

    What advice do you have for a non-traditional student. I am 32, I have a M.S. degree, and I presently teach at a community college here in Houston. My gpa is 3.45, science gpa is 2.90 ( undergrad was not so pleasing on the sciences), and I plan to apply the next application cycle (2013). I was wondering if I should do a post- bac program or should I just apply and see what happens. BCM is my first choice but do to your background with interviewing, I wanted your opinion. Great blog by the way.

    Reply
    1. Rishi Avatar
      Rishi

      Happy holidays, L’Shaunda! I’m going to be very frank, but it’ll be extremely difficult to even receive an interview without bumping up those GPAs. Keep in mind that med schools also consider undergraduate and graduate GPAs separately. Have you taken the MCAT? A 30+ score is becoming more important as applicants are getting better and more plentiful each cycle.

      A colleague of mine offered a suggestion – schools like TCOM have special masters programs where you take classes with their med students, and if you do well, that sort of gives you a foot-in-the-door during applications; however, if you do poorly, that’ll likely be disastrous. Additionally, it probably won’t be the cheapest route. 🙁

      Furthermore, with med schools applications, you never want to “apply and see what happens.” You need to apply at your best. Statistically, reapplicants have a very difficult time getting in.

      Overall (again, I’m trying to be honest and realistic), if you can’t get those GPAs and/or MCAT score up through post-bac programs or some other means, I can’t guarantee you’ll get a spot at an M.D. program. D.O. programs are something to consider applying to simultaneously if you’re interested in the holistic approach that osteopathic medicine offers. Maybe some other health profession like nursing, PA, technician, etc.

      Thanks for the inquiry! 🙂

      Reply
      1. L'Shaunda Avatar
        L’Shaunda

        Thanks for the quick reply. However, being a doctor is my calling and those other professions are great but not for me. I like the honesty from your reply and I will also take it to heart. I already have a masters degree so I will pursue the post-bach option instead. I know your alma-mater has a great program for this. Thanks again.

        Reply

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