Kubrick
11.04.11 | Anyone else applying/attending? |
Trebor.
11.04.11 | Dr. Jan Itor |
Ignimbrite
11.04.11 | I'm applying for colleges to go to next year...
You have to take a crazy 9-hour exam, right? |
someguest
11.04.11 | lol
I'm thinking about grad school for business. I should probably get an English or journalism degree though. |
iFghtffyrdmns
11.04.11 | congrats man, that takes a lot of hard work and that's pretty fucking awesome.
you ought to be proud of yourself |
Cells
11.04.11 | Kill People Burn Shit Fuck School |
Eclecticist
11.04.11 | Let me guess, you will be the one to find the cure for liking shitty music? |
aok
11.04.11 | looking to specialize in anything? |
aok
11.04.11 | (kubrick length comments regarding exactly what you hope to be doing in the next 4-8 years acceptable) |
foreverendeared
11.04.11 | haha^
congratulations! |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | "You have to take a crazy 9-hour exam, right?"
Not quite 9 haha. You have to take the MCAT... it's a 5 hour exam. Trust me those 5 hours are the shortest of your life after you've been studying for 3+ months.
"congrats man, that takes a lot of hard work and that's pretty fucking awesome.
you ought to be proud of yourself"
Thanks dude :D |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | "looking to specialize in anything?"
Haha this is one of the few times I don't have much to say. I really have no idea. I've always thought surgery would be fucking awesome though. |
iFghtffyrdmns
11.04.11 | be an ear nose and throat surgeon.
that mother fucker who took my tonsils out makes fucking bank for like a 40 minute surgery and he can knock off like 10 of them in a day. better have a steady hand though haha |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | Haha yeah no doubt. I'm think I do.. I mean I play guitar which builds up fine motor skills like nobody's business. Plus I was ranked 400 something in the world at Halo 2 FFA at one point... should put that one on my resume eh? |
someguest
11.04.11 | lol
I like how most users here are actually intelligent. |
foreverendeared
11.04.11 | Not me, my shit's all faux. |
UnnamedOcean
11.04.11 | I get to apply for grad school eventually. Until then I just sit around and take a shit for the next 3 years. |
bloc
11.04.11 | I knew you were intelligent based on the fact that each of your review comments are essays haha |
klap
11.04.11 | someguest that was one of the worst things youve said all year |
Transient
11.04.11 | I thought I wanted to be a surgeon when I started too man (it's the dream haha), but now that I've been hanging out in hospitals and stuff, internal medicine is where it's at. Surgeons do the same operation over and over again for most of their lives and see the same things over and over again and it's boring as shit. In my surgery rotation, I was with a team that pretty much only did gallbladder removals and hernia repairs. In 4 weeks, I saw 12 hernia repairs and that shit is fucking BORING dude. Internal medicine sees all kinds of weird shit though, and there's a better process and the medicine is better idk. |
Transient
11.04.11 | Oh, and congratulations. |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | "I like how most users here are actually intelligent."
Yeah totally. I've been on this site since about sophomore year of high school.. so about 5-6 years. I know a lot of people like to bash the userbase and say that this site has really been overrun by trolls. Of course every site is going to have some of that, but there's also an abundance of articulate and insightful users here. If that wasn't true I wouldn't have kept coming back this long.
"I knew you were intelligent based on the fact that each of your review comments are essays haha"
Hah, yeah. A lot of people seem to like to give me shit for that. |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | @Transient
That's really interesting to hear. Yeah I'm definitely not set on surgery at all (it would be pretty stupid to be set on anything at this stage). I'm glad you posted though, it's cool to hear from someone who's in the field. Idk, I'm one of those people that would rather be really proficient at one thing than get involved in a lot of different ones. So I feel like getting a specific surgical procedure down to the point where I know it like the back of my hand would be more fulfilling than boring for me. But that's obviously speculation and I can't possibly know that until I'm actually there. I'm definitely going to go in with an open mind and see what clicks. |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | Oh, and thanks.
:D |
ZombicidalMan
11.04.11 | That's awesome man, best of luck wherever your life takes you. Hopefully to an interesting job you can boast about later in life |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | You too! |
Butkuiss
11.04.11 | Congratulations, man! I was considering going into med during junior school, but I didn't really have the dedication or application, or marks to follow through with it. So meh. Clueless as to what to do right now though.
But congratulations. You've achieved far more than I have! Let that be the first foundation of your soapbox. :) |
toxin.
11.04.11 | Congratulations, man! Where are you studying? (I hope I don't look creepy.)
|
cirq
11.04.11 | congrats |
sifFlammable
11.04.11 | congrats mate, lots of respect for being one of the few here who always speaks sense too btw |
FreePizzaDay
11.04.11 | What school did you get into? |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | Thanks everyone! :D
"Where are you studying? (I hope I don't look creepy.)"
Haha not at all. I'm assuming you mean in college? I'm not actually in Med School yet- starts next fall. But in terms of college I'm a bio major and a music minor.
"What school did you get into?"
UB. I don't actually know if I'll end up there yet. It's the first and only school I've interviewed at so far. I have potentially 6 more interviews to go (actually have one this coming Wednesday) so depending on how those go and which schools I like better I could very well end up somewhere else. It's still such a relief to be in somewhere though.. takes a lot of the pressure off because now I know I'll at least be somewhere for sure. |
BigHans
11.04.11 | Dude be a Proctologist so you can call yourself "The Ass man"
Also, congrats. |
Sanders
11.04.11 | Congrats mate, I'm currently at med school in the UK. It's tough, but good fun. |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | @Hans
Thanks haha. Glad there's no hard feelings :D I know I can be kinda blunt.. whenever I have something to say I just try to be as honest about it as possible. You're clearly one of the mature users on this site that can take criticism in stride.. I really respect that.
@Sanders
Oh nice, what year? And any tips about what to expect? (although I don't know how different the UK and US schools are from one another) |
DominionMM1
11.04.11 | Congrats, dude. just make sure you don't get that inflated sense of self-importance like most physicians. |
klap
11.04.11 | two of my roommates from last year are in med school (einstein college in brooklyn and georgetown) and they say it's rough as hell. but i'm sure you knew that already - having to live with people who were studying for the MCAT and taking upper level chem/bio classes was stressful haha. |
Sanders
11.04.11 | I'm halfway through my 2nd year, approaching my last set of exams before we get unleashed on the wards. I'm not sure how the US med schools work, and ours is slightly different to the rest of the UK because it's a graduate-entry course, but we spend the first 18 months mostly in lectures learning the ropes and practical skills, then spend the next 2 and a half years on the wards gaining experience and taking end of block exams.
I'd say expect to be worked very hard, but don't let the stress get to you (easier said than done) and more importantly don't let other people stressing affect you. They'll be working their asses off and bitching about how hard it is, but if you just work steadily and don't let their study methods change the way you work, you'll be fine! Most importantly, have a bit of time off every so often, there's no point running yourself into the ground. One of my best mates has just had to quit because of a combination of circumstances that included never taking a break. |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | "having to live with people who were studying for the MCAT and taking upper level chem/bio classes was stressful haha."
Haha yeah, it can get pretty crazy at times. Studying for the MCAT was the worst. It's just so hard to balance that and school work at the same time.
@Sanders
Thanks for the advice! Yeah being at the school and seeing all the students there studying definitely made things more real than they have been yet. I kind of have a bad procrastination habit and I know I need to kick that if I'm going to survive. Do you have a certain amount of time that you try to study every day? I get into habits where I work all day some days and then crash on others and do nothing. I feel like that's not a good strategy for med school.. it's probably much more practical to spread everything out. As a second year student what have you found works best for you? |
Sanders
11.04.11 | I am the worst for procrastination, it's practically a disability (I'm currently in the med school, trying to revise!). I know some people who work a certain amount every day, but I've found that I work best closer to the time of exams. It does depend on how best you learn, whether it be through writing up lectures and condensing them down, or purely through reading the material, or even discussing it with other people? I'm still trying to work out what's best for me, so the best advice I can give is to work out how you work best asap, then stick to it.
Do as much work as you're comfortable with in one go, but there's no point doing hours and hours if it's not going in. It also depends on what your extracurricular activities are; if you do some form of sport or other activity, don't give it up, because you'll go stir crazy if you only socialise with medics. Cut down the amount you do by all means, but don't stop altogether, you need somewhere to go when you're sick of work... (plus it's hard to bitch about people you don't like when everyone knows them!)
Let me know if you need any advice or help with the material you're set too, I'm always around on here, procrastinating... |
coneren
11.04.11 | gay list stupid name too that guy is a retard he makes gay movies that arent even good hope you get into a collision one that is head on maybe you will realize after that, that you are only good for taking a wiener in the butt |
Tikicobra
11.04.11 | Have fun sawing stuff in half. |
coneren
11.04.11 | tiki wanna cyber whats your email |
theacademy
11.04.11 | congrats brother |
MO
11.04.11 | Wow well done dood congrats. I have a friend who just got in as well and if what she had to go through is any gauge then holy shit! |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | @Sanders
Thanks dude, I really appreciate advice. I'll totally hit you up on that offer if I ever need to haha. And yeah I totally get what you mean about needing be involved in things outside of medicine. I'm kind of a loner most of the time... like I spend a lot of my down time just chilling on my own either listening to music, playing guitar, watching films, running/biking, occasionally videogames etc. I don't really enjoy parties/drinking or anything so hopefully the other stuff will be enough to relax my mind haha.
@Baseline
5 headphones before apartment? I like your style. |
Sanders
11.04.11 | No worries pal, anytime! Is that more to do with just being happy with your own company, rather than meeting new people? If you're happiest relaxing on your own, then that's fine, but everyone else around you might be pretty intense, so you might end up wanting to find some people who are a little more chilled. People'll stop partying and drinking as soon as they realise what they have to do anyway, you'll be fine :) |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | "congrats brother"
"Wow well done dood congrats. I have a friend who just got in as well and if what she had to go through is any gauge then holy shit!"
Thanks guys :D
Yeah I pretty much sacrificed this whole past summer studying for the MCAT... 4 hr/day for like 2.5 months. It was rough for sure. There's definitely days where it doesn't seem worth it but I'm hoping once I finally get into practice I won't regret it. |
Sanders
11.04.11 | "Yeah I pretty much sacrificed this whole past summer studying for the MCAT... 4 hr/day for like 2.5 months."
Holy shit. The test we have to sit you can't really revise for, which I'm glad for, but that must have sucked. We had a few groupwork tasks, interviews and essays for the uni that I'm at though, so that might balance it out...? |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | "Is that more to do with just being happy with your own company, rather than meeting new people?"
Not really sure to be honest... I've always been pretty independent. I guess I'm just really content doing my own thing. I wouldn't say that I isolate myself.. I'm actually pretty outgoing in social situations. But I'm also one of those people that really needs their alone time to kinda get away from everything (friends included). I do think you'll be right though about most people being pretty intense.. I hope there will be some people with similar personalities that would rather relax than party haha. |
Sanders
11.04.11 | I wouldn't worry, there's always people like yourself around, and those party animals will soon learn that they can't miss too many classes/lectures, and being hungover constantly is a recipe for disaster! |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | "Sarcasm?"
Nope. I'm such an audiophile haha. |
klap
11.04.11 | my friends were putting in like 8 hours days on the MCAT haha. psychos. the LSAT is not nearly as bad (more analytical than memorization), but that was a bitch too. |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | "Holy shit. The test we have to sit you can't really revise for, which I'm glad for, but that must have sucked. We had a few groupwork tasks, interviews and essays for the uni that I'm at though, so that might balance it out...?"
You guys don't have like a standardized entrance exam?? The MCAT is such a bitch. It's a 5 hour exam that encompasses basically all undergrad science plus verbal and 2 essays. So you basically have to study/memorize everything from physics, general chem, organic chem, and bio, as well as practicing verbal (it's reading comprehension.. and it's not easy). Also, they ask questions that require math but you can't use a calculator. So you have to be able to work with logarithms and division involving fractional values accurately all on paper or mentally.
We have interviews too yeah. Nothing really group-work related.. but applications also involve essays for many schools. |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | "my friends were putting in like 8 hours days on the MCAT"
Yeah I probably hit close to that number a couple of days over the summer (especially when I skipped a few days and realized how far I was behind my schedule). But I could never study that much regularly haha. I don't have the willpower. |
Sanders
11.04.11 | We have the UKCAT and GAMSAT tests, which are used for different universities. The UKCAT you can't revise for, is about 90 minutes long and is just a test of your aptitude with respect to mathematical ability, verbal and abstract reasoning. The GAMSAT is more expensive, requires more revision and is about 4 hours, and has A-level standard maths, physics and biology I believe. I only sat the UKCAT, because as a graduate I could only apply to a select few med schools and it was cheaper. The unis then take your result and interview only the candidates with the highest scores. The uni I'm at now had a selection centre day where we had multiple tasks to do. Their policy seemed to be to recruit people who were pretty intelligent but didn't have to be geniuses, as long as their people skills and reasoning were sound. It works pretty well and seems pretty fair, but as always some horrendous candidates have slipped through the net. |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | That still sounds pretty intense. I feel like the group-work part of admissions would be nerve wracking because it seems like it would depend on the people you're working with as much as it would depend on you. What did they have you guys doing exactly? |
Sanders
11.04.11 | The group work involved team-building tasks. We had to, as a group of strangers, make a working bridge that was a metre off the floor and a metre long. I suggested using the tables in the room, which apparently would have been fine, but there were a couple of real pushy people who pushed a naff idea through. They didn't get on the course! |
Kubrick
11.04.11 | Hahaha that's pretty interesting actually. They definitely don't have anything like that in the States.. at least not anywhere I applied (as far as I know). It's mostly just the interview at that point.. but also sometimes they hit you with like an impromptu essay. Like at mine the other day they just handed out an essay without warning and gave us 10 minutes to write it (not really an "essay" I guess.. just a paragraph or two response). |
InAbsentia
11.04.11 | That's awesome. Congratulations, man. |
Zorak
11.04.11 | congrats man! And by the list, it must have sounded badass |
lobby
11.04.11 | As someone going through the application process for these specialised degrees (dent for me, not med), I offer you my congratulations. I'm glad all your hard work payed off. |
StrangerofSorts
11.04.11 | Ahh well done man. Good luck with it (: |
Sanders
11.04.11 | Yeah those kinds of essays sort out the strong candidates from the weak. We didn't have a straight essay, more of a written task where we had to prioritise different scenarios and explain our reasoning. All ends up with the same results though! |
Kubrick
11.05.11 | Thanks guys!
"As someone going through the application process for these specialised degrees (dent for me, not med), I offer you my congratulations. I'm glad all your hard work payed off."
Applications suck don't they? So fucking stressful. I have some friends that are going into dental too. Good luck man :D |
GoatsOnABoat
11.05.11 | Congratulations, man.
In Australia, entrance from high school requires a 4 hour exam, (UMAT = The Devil), but you're
right, It did go really quickly. It's funny, I got grades high enough in that, and then decided
that I wanted to do IT first and then medicine. But still, its nice to know that I did pass. Pretty
sure that my school marks wouldn't have been up to scratch, because it needs an OP 1 (the top 2% of
the state).
For interest sake, the UMAT consisted of three sections, all multiple choice, verbal reasoning (word
problems), understanding people (as it sounds), and non-verbal reasoning (graphic puzzles, like the
ones in IQ tests). Understanding people was the easiest shit I have ever done, the non-verbal
reasoning, however, was horrible. But still, I passed each category.
It is great to hear from people already in the profession, and people that are going through the
same process as me. |
Transient
11.06.11 | UMAT was easy dude. |
Transient
11.06.11 | And I just finished 4th year, so in 2 years I'll be Dr. Transient. :D |
Liberi Fatali
11.06.11 | First thing my mind jumped to was that you had been signed by Med School Music label.
Not quite as cool. |
lobby
11.06.11 | "understanding people (as it sounds)"
shudder. this section has nothing to do with what it sounds like. worst bullshit requirement needed
|
Sanders
11.06.11 | How do they test "understanding people"? |
lobby
11.06.11 | give u a paragraph, ask u what certain characters are feeling, what they actually mean when they say something. sometimes it's just basic reading comprehension, other times it's knowing how "strong" a word conveys a certain emotion. Other times it's about being able to read into what people are feeling based on only a couple of relevant sentences. |
Sanders
11.06.11 | That's a ridiculous test. Surely they're better doing that with a video that you can answer questions on. It's impossible to accurately read emotion from a paragraph of text... |
Kubrick
11.06.11 | "First thing my mind jumped to was that you had been signed by Med School Music label. "
Wait is that a real thing? That would be hilarious hahaha.
"For interest sake, the UMAT consisted of three sections, all multiple choice, verbal reasoning (word problems), understanding people (as it sounds), and non-verbal reasoning (graphic puzzles, like the ones in IQ tests). Understanding people was the easiest shit I have ever done, the non-verbal reasoning, however, was horrible."
Ok so it sounds like your guys' tests are much more logic/reasoning based than the MCAT. 75% of the MCAT is just science passages and multiple choice questions that test your knowledge of physics, chem (including organic chem) and biology. Most of the time you can't arrive at the answer using the information in the passage alone. The passage provides background and then you have to apply formulas/concepts that you already know to answers questions related to the passage. So basically the MCAT is mainly a science test that combines all four sciences into one exam and questions on potentially any concept from those classes. So needless to say, studying for it is essential... and an enormous pain in the ass.
|
GoatsOnABoat
11.06.11 | Wow, that sounds horrible. I was glad that I couldn't study for UMAT. And I personally found understanding people easier because I guess I can read people pretty well. Intellectual capacity, perchance not my speciality. meh. Again, congrats on your awesome achievement. I hope you enjoy your time there.
|
lobby
11.07.11 | "studying for it is essential... and an enormous pain in the ass. "
a pain in the ass indeed, but give me that kind of test any day of the week over the UMAT. There are
people that receive stellar grades and miss out on med/dent because maybe just one of the umat
sections are difficult to them, and studying for it usually does no good (except section 3, can be
studied for). I would rather be put ina situation where I know I can work hard and my hard work will
pay off, compared to Aussie, where you can work your guts out and still not be good enough. |
aok
11.07.11 | engineering man. just 4-5 years of pain as an undergrad and you'll probably get a job |
Kubrick
11.07.11 | Hm. That's an interesting point. I guess it's like screening for medical school based on IQ, which isn't something you can control very easily. With that kind of system those with inherently better logic/reasoning capabilities are given preferential treatment even if they aren't necessarily the ones with the determination and work ethic. So yeah, that definitely seems a bit unfair to those who are willing to work harder but just lack the natural ability.
Honestly though you can kind of see it both ways. The MCAT is basically a test of how well you can retain very large amounts of information and apply that information. Even more importantly, it's a test of how well you can manage your time and move from question to question. There are very strict time limits and it's very easy to not finish a section just by spending too much time on a single passage.
In essence, the MCAT is really a test of how good you are at taking tests. You could potentially be a person who would make the best doctor in the world but are unable to get into medical school because you're not good at standardized tests. Like I'm sure there's MANY people out there that could study for 3 months for the MCAT but still wouldn't be capable of scoring in the range they would need to score... and some of those people would probably make better doctors than those who can seeing as being a doctor doesn't require you to be able to do math without a calculator or recall physics formulas from memory. So honestly it seems like the UMAT might hit the qualities that it takes to be a good physician a little more squarely than the MCAT. There's definitely people who will slip through the cracks (in both directions) with either exam. |
spillingmercury
11.07.11 | In essence, the MCAT is really a test of how good you are at taking tests.
Isn't that essentially what all tests end up doing? I understand where you're coming from though, but I figure if you've gotten as far as applying to med school, you have some inherent degree of competence when taking a test, so the point of where potential doctors are filtered out roots back pretty far. Congrats though, my cousin was studying for MCAT a year or so ago and it looked like hell. |
Kubrick
11.07.11 | " I figure if you've gotten as far as applying to med school, you have some inherent degree of competence when taking a test, so the point of where potential doctors are filtered out roots back pretty far"
You're absolutely right and that makes a lot of sense. But.. the MCAT isn't like any of the tests you've taken before. It's more of an endurance test than anything honestly. And also, I mentioned this before but time is an enormous factor. You could be a very intelligent person who does A-level work in college but does poorly on the MCAT just because you need a bit more time to think through questions and read passages than the average person. Sure, there's obviously a direct correlation between how well you've done in school up until the MCAT and how well you do on the MCAT. But it definitely is different than taking other tests and thus, there are people who will be inherently bad at it even if they have done well through high school/college. And, by the same token, there are people who are just really good at taking standardized tests like the MCAT and will score better than people who might actually make a better doctors than them.
I can see your point though. Tests like the MCAT definitely do serve a purpose and work in the majority of cases. They obviously ascertain mental aptitude in terms of logical thought, knowledge retention, and comprehension, which are all traits that are obviously really important for a physician to have.
I definitely wouldn't consider it a perfect method of screening though... then again can anything really be? There's basically infinite variation among people, so "standardized" anything will be inevitably futile. |
Kubrick
11.07.11 | And thanks btw :D |
spillingmercury
11.07.11 | Oh haha, I was actually agreeing that the way tests are set up in general, where one's actual aptitude in a certain field and one's ability to take tests and do well in a general academic set up don't necessarily correspond, and therefore as you said, filters out a lot of potential. I meant that such filter starts early on, so a lot of what's left over are kids who are just better prepared for the test because they have the money and time to afford that sort of discipline, or have naturally better abilities in test taking. But I honestly can't really think of a way to measure such a large number of candidates' capabilities in an efficient manner.
But yeah, I've never experienced anything quite as long or specific as the MCAT so the closest thing I can compare it to in regards to endurance is writing an in-class essay, or the way the SATs are set up.
you're welcome. :) |
Kubrick
11.07.11 | Ah, I see what you were saying now. Yeah I totally agree with everything you said.. there's always gonna be a degree of disconnect between test taking ability and the skills required for the actual profession you're testing for (unless you're a professional test taker I guess haha). But yeah, I can't think of a better way of doing it either. It's a necessary evil I guess.
Also a lot of the endurance aspect has to do with the fact that you're taking it on a computer. Ever tried intently reading text on a computer monitor for 5 hours straight? It starts to hurt after awhile... |
spillingmercury
11.07.11 | Oh gosh. I didn't realise it was on a computer, that's just pure torture. I could never understand the appeal of digital books because of that, but I guess it all boils down to lighting and such. On the bright side I guess it saves paper and ink, haha. |
Skoj
11.07.11 | First, congrats. As someone who is just beginning the medical school application process, I fully comprehend the breadth of your accomplishment. I wish you the best
And this sums up my feelings on internal medicine, it's exactly what I want to be and the reason why:
"Surgeons do the same operation over and over again for most of their lives and see the same things over and over again and it's boring as shit. In my surgery rotation, I was with a team that pretty much only did gallbladder removals and hernia repairs. In 4 weeks, I saw 12 hernia repairs and that shit is fucking BORING dude. Internal medicine sees all kinds of weird shit though, and there's a better process and the medicine is better idk.' |
Kubrick
11.07.11 | "On the bright side I guess it saves paper and ink, haha."
Haha yep, saving paper and sacrificing retinal neurons.. but who needs those anyway right? ^.^
@Skoj
Thanks and good luck!! Are you applying for the 2012 entering class? That's the one that I'm going to be entering. And yeah internal medicine is definitely an appealing field for sure. It's cool because it's almost the opposite of something like surgery. It isn't routine at all and is basically all case-by-case basis. So you're always going to be challenged and essentially learning something new. Whereas surgery is all about getting really, really good at performing a specific task so that you can repeatedly do it without error. Definitely two different worlds. That's honestly one of the things that drew me to the medical field.. it's just so diverse that you're bound to find something that really suits you. I'm hoping I figure out what that thing will be for me during med school haha.
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