25 Life Lessons I've Learned in 25 Years

This post was blowing up my facebook newsfeed this morning: 39 Life Lessons I've Learned in 39 Years and apparently the guy got his inspiration from another guy: 38 Life Lessons I've Learned in 28 Years, so taking my inspiration from both of them, here are 25 Life Lessons I've Learned in 25 Years.

Disclaimer: #7 from Jason Wachob is that you should only take advice from experts...so maybe keep that in mind when reading this post because I'm not an expert...in anything. ;)

1. Fall is the prettiest time of year.  This is a fact.
2. The right amount of sleep can be life-changing. 
3. Exercise is the worst.  You also have to do it.
4. Music makes everything better.  
5. Everybody can dance/Dance parties can change your mood.  If your day sucks, just jam out in your car/room.  Full volume.  Brownie points if someone joins you!
6. Kisses are great!  All kinds! We don't kiss as much as we should.  The world would be a better place if there were more forehead kisses, hand kisses, and cheek kisses.  
7. When you're in a bad mood, put some good in the world.
8. Fall in love with someone who makes you better.  I was in love with someone who made me jealous; I would get so jealous that I would be angry.  At everyone. All the time.  Then I met someone who made me want to be better, who inspires me with his kindness, who always did the right thing, and who genuinely put others first.  Fall in love with someone who makes you better. 
9. Don't swear.  It's not professional.  If you do swear, do it when no one is looking and make it an F-bomb.  
10. Don't do something you don't love.  If you have to do something you don't love, it should be on your way to doing something you do love.  How can you tell if you're doing something you love? When you're doing what you love, you don't need sleep; if you need sleep, you're not doing what you love.
11. Anger can be a great motivator, but don't let it consume you.  Channel that break-up sadness to something constructive.
12. Everybody's got something.  We all have our cross to bear, so bear yours and remember that others are bearing theirs.
13. When you're really mad at someone, light a candle for them and when it's burned out, let it go.
14. Don't give homeless people money, give them food, make eye contact, and say God Bless You.  
15. Sometimes, you don't have to say anything, just sit there.  We're taught to do this with patients.  Doctors are bad at it, but it's amazing when you just shut up and listen to someone.  I had a pulm professor who would say "God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason."  
16. Getting drunk is fun.  Getting stupid drunk is stupid. 
17. People will treat you the way you let them treat you.  Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."  There's compassion for others and there's letting people walk all over you.  You matter.  You is kind. You is smart. You is important.
18. Sometimes you just need to do the hermit thing (even if you're an extrovert) just to recharge.
19. Are you who you want to be?  Why the hell not?  Go be that person.
20. What do you want people to say about you?  Is that what they're saying?  If not, you got some 'splaining to do.
21. Find people to admire and to inspire you, surround yourself with them and learn from them. 
22. Inspire others.
23. Waking up is the worst.  Coffee is the best.
24. Forgive. 
25. Everything works out the way it's supposed to.  I believe this one.  Even when it seems like it will never work out.  

How I Failed the MCAT and got into Medical School

Today, one of my friends mailed me an article she had read that helped her construct her USMLE Step 1 study schedule.  I started immediately panicking; this is the most important exam of my career!  Then again, before I was a medical student, the MCAT was the most important exam.  In any case, I felt really grateful for the advice.  Some of my friends are still applying to medical school and some of them are re-taking the MCAT.  I improved my MCAT score from a 25 to a 30 and I got into medical school.  I wasn't a science major and I actually got a C in Chemistry.  If I can do it, you can definitely do it.  I've seen a lot of advice floating around from people who got a 39 or 37, but if you're retaking the MCAT, that's probably not the advice you're after; the people who got 35+ are cray.  In any case, here's some advice for those of you taking the MCAT this year.  I hope it helps! Good Luck! 

1.) On Scheduling:  The first time I took the MCAT I was fresh out of college.  Read: burned out.  It seemed like a good idea at the time because I thought would have organic chemistry and physics fresh in my mind.  Wrong.  After graduation, I was just sad about graduating and distracted by job applications.  The second time I took the MCAT I scheduled about four months to study for it.  I had a full time job so these weren't full study days. 

2.) On Study Materials: Your choice of study materials does matter.  Everybody swears by something different and it is entirely dependent on you.  I have friends who did Kaplan/Princeton and did really well, and others who didn't.  I didn't take a course because it seemed too pricey to me.  I took a Kaplan SAT course in high school and it was a waste of time/money.  If you need structure or you procrastinate, take a course.  If you can self-study, then buy materials and set your own schedule; it's cheaper.  I used ExamKrackers and I think they do a nice job.  People complain about the errors, but every book has errors and it didn't take me very long to correct my books.  I also bought 1001 physics questions from ExamKrackers because I was so terrible at physics I needed all the extra practice I could get. I didn't find the audio osmosis set they sell all that helpful.  If you can learn from listening, then I recommend buying it.  I tend to learn best from reading/highlighting/writing, so listening to the audio when on the treadmill/commuting to work wasn't useful.  I also used the Kaplan MCAT flash cards and I thought these were really useful for biology.   Whatever you use, don't buy it based on reputation or what worked for someone who got a 35+, go look at the material, flip through it and see which is going to work best for you.

3.) Don't mix and match study materials.  I know that I said in #2 that I used Kaplan's flashcards, but companies have different strategies and it's best to just follow one of them.  I know that Princeton recommends skimming for easy questions while ExamKrackers is pretty adamant about going straight through; again, pick which one is going to work best for you and stick to it.

4.) On Practice Exams: Buy yourself all the AAMC practice exams.  I don't know if these are old exams, but they are a good approximation of how you'll do on the exam.  They go for $35 each (or used to) for a year's access.  I think it's worth it.  Buy your study books from half or from the amazon marketplace to save money, and splurge on these--these are a MUST!  

5.) My Study Schedule (for a 16 week block).  I based this off the ExamKrackers at home study schedule, which is 10 weeks.  Since I had already taken the MCAT (and you should at least take a practice exam to see where you're at), I knew that I was strongest in verbal and weakest in physics and structured my studying accordingly.  If you're re-taking, don't waste your time on things you're already good at.  I knew that it wasn't my "physical sciences" that was bad, it was just physics.  And once I focused on that, I could focus on the specific topics in physics that gave me trouble.

Week 1-10 I worked through all the ExamKrackers books, I didn't go through each book individually because after two physics lectures I felt frustrated, so I tried to alternate. Additionally, each subject doesn't have the same number of lectures.  As long as you get through all the material in the books in these 10 weeks, you're good.  I took a practice exam every other week (on Saturday) and took one day off each week.  My work schedule was chaotic so it wasn't always the same day.  This prevents burn out.  I would work from 8-5 pm, take a break for dinner and then study until I finished whatever was on schedule for the day.  It's definitely important to make a schedule and stick to it. 

Week 11-14 Based on how I was doing on the practice tests, I knew what I needed to work on.  Outside of practice exams, I didn't do any verbal, and I spent a lot of time doing physics practice problems and reading for biology.  Biology is mostly memorization of key concepts, whereas physics consists of knowing how to do different types of problems. During these weeks I tried to narrow down what in each subject gave me trouble.  For example, I am good at genetics so I didn't do any punnett squares or pedigrees.  For physics I had trouble with projectile motion so I spent a lot of time doing these problems.  I took a practice exam every week during these four weeks. 

Week 15 and 16 were full-time study, so I took two weeks off work (I had a job in a research laboratory and they had had students before, so they understood my position and I had worked hard enough leading up to my MCAT that they supported me.)
Week 15 I was studying from about 10 am to 6 pm.  I took two exams during the week. Then I would spend time going over biology facts that I had missed, or practicing physics problem.  Then I would spend about 3 hours on the Kaplan Flashcards.  

Week 16 I did a practice exam every day and went through each question (right or wrong) making sure I understood it.  You'll take so many practice tests and you'll eventually have to re-take some.  Don't grade your exams until the last two weeks, otherwise you'll remember the answers.  The computer practice exams are nice because it gives you a score and you don't have to go through the answers.  Taking a practice test every day helped me build up my stamina and made me feel comfortable so that the day of the exam felt like just another day.  

Two days before the exam: I took a practice exam I hadn't taken before and graded it.  I scored a 30 on this exam, which was the score I got on the real MCAT.  Again, I went through every single question making sure I understood it.   

The day before the exam: I made sure I woke up early and worked out really hard so that I would be tired.  I did a few flashcards at bedtime to keep my mind sharp and reviewed some things, but no heavy studying.  I went to bed early, but not so early that I would wake up at 3 am with anxiety.   

The day of the exam: I packed sweet and salty.  I packed water and red bull, a spicy trail mix and a luna bar.  People make a big deal out of what you pack, but really you're not going to be all that hungry.  You'll be out a little after lunch so you don't need to pack a lunch really.  Take all your breaks and make sure to leave the room.  Get your blood pumping and forget the section you just took.  Put it out of your mind.  Move on.  Psych yourself up for the next session.  Plan something fun for that night regardless of how you feel. Go out for a movie or hit up happy hour because you've earned it.  Then plan for a month of anxiety while you wait for scores.  Don't worry about how you feel after the exam, the exam is curved and if you thought a section/passage was hard, it probably was and this will be factored in.  I thought I had done worse than the first time, but I actually hadn't, so take heart!  Good luck!

Wake Forest Reject

It's happened.  The first rejection of the season.  :(

No secondary application here, which on the bright side: no secondary application!

I'm a glass is half full kind of girl...that is of course unless I don't get in to medical school...

Some Secondary Love

I received  my first couple of secondary requests from Medical Schools.  Now, these are all schools that don't screen applicants, they just send out secondary requests to every student they know is applying.  I don't think it gives anything away to name some of the schools--for example, Mayo.  This school is definitely a reach on my list, and they invited me to pay $100 so that they can process my primary application.  Then, if they're interested in just my GPA, MCAT, activities, and essay, they will ask me for my letters of recommendation, then the interview invites get sent out.  Now, I don't really enjoy filling out secondaries and writing out essays, but I think I like paying money for processing even less.  At least when schools charge me $125 to write an essay, I feel like at the least I'm able to show a different side of myself and strengthen my application.

On the bright side, I submitted one of my secondary applications--George Washington!  That was a bit odd because they asked what my "most significant non-academic achievement"  Hello, we're pre-meds! Every achievement is academic.  I'm not kidding myself--I'm not athletic, and every non-academic achievement of my life is still intellectual.  In any case, I jotted some things down because in the end, this question was asking, "Are you a pre-med robot, or a real person."  Everybody! Keep your fingers crossed that they like it!

Judgment Day

It's official.  June 17th has arrived and my application has been sent off to the medical schools.  20 schools now have my application (and letter of recommendation) Wish me luck & let the secondary application season begin!

How to Pick Your Schools

I just (a few days ago) finished applying to roughly twenty schools, and I spent a lot of time reading about the number of schools you should apply to, how you should pick which schools to apply to, etc, etc.  There's a lot of conflicting advice, and you really have to find out what works best for you.  Last year (the dark year) I applied to schools that had low stats for acceptance (i.e. lower MCAT scores, lower GPA requirements) and all-in-all, this didn't bode too well for me.  It wasn't a great strategy as I only received ONE interview invite and ZERO acceptances.  This has as much to do with my GPA, MCAT, lack of experience, and late application, as it does with my school list.  So as far as I can tell you can:

1.) Make up a list of schools based on your stats

2.) Apply to all the schools in your state + as many private schools as you can afford

3.) Pick your schools like you picked your colleges: safetys, good fits, and reaches

The third approach is a little bit trickier because who has "safetys" really...

I started out by making a list of schools that I felt were non-negotiable (i.e. no matter the stats, I was applying).  This list consisted of the school I'm doing my master's at, and my state schools.  Then I picked all the schools that my GPA and MCAT fit into.  My list in total consisted of approximately 40 schools at this point, so I pared it down by eliminating schools that I couldn't get into because I was missing a prerequisite.  That cut out a few, and then I took out schools that gave a strong preference to residents of that state.  I was down to about 28.  Finally, I started cutting it down based on the "selection factors" from the MSAR, some schools say they're looking for a lot of lab experience or clinical experience...or they strongly encourage people who have had time off/other careers to apply.  I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to go to any of the schools that I applied to because I really think they are good fits for me, and I hope the schools see that.  

The application process, (I hope) is more than just your stats, it's applying early, and writing an essay that shows your emotional maturity and passion, and it's demonstrating that you have something to offer that schools are looking for.  Now that the initial application is over, and my AMCAS is ready for verification, the panic and self-doubt has settled in.  June is an exciting month because it's so full of promise, but come November when I haven't been invited for an interview, or come April, when I haven't been accepted (again), it's really hard not to feel dejected.  June is also the month that SDN-ers start working on their secondaries before even receiving them...Send some good mojo/karma/prayers/thoughts my way and hope for secondaries for me from those schools that screen!!

Free Advice!!

I submitted my application to AMCAS yesterday!!  Last year I submitted it mid-July...maybe even late July because well first of all, I took the MCAT in June, and then thought I had to wait for my scores to come in.   I didn't get my scores until mid-July, and then my letter writer got a hernia so I had to wait for her letter...I didn't know that once you submitted it wasn't presto-bamo, schools automatically got your application; AMCAS has to verify it, so I wasn't "complete" until August something or other.  That and a bad MCAT kept me out of med school last year.

THIS time, I have a better, but still on the mediocre side, MCAT.  I submitted the AMCAS application on the very first day so that I can get verified ASAP, and start working on the joys that are secondaries.  While applying, the AMCAS started coming back to me, so here's some more free advice, which is kind of like "free air" at the gas station--take it for what it is.

1.) Start by requesting transcripts, a copy for you and a copy for AMCAS.

2.) Plan on spending as much time on the work/activities section as you do on your essay.

3.) Submit early,  but don't forgo quality in order to do so, if you need an extra couple of days, take it.

4.) For your school list, invest in the MSAR online, it's $15 for a year subscription, it's up to date, searchable, you can make a favorites list, and it's useful.

5.) Make a list of schools you would LOVE to go to, schools you could get into, and schools you SHOULD get into barring a meltdown of epic proportions then trim it based on which schools are best fits for what you want out of your education.

6.) Stay off SDN.

Wish me luck.  Lets hope this is the year I get in, otherwise I'll have to change the title of my blog.