i play with retarded yeast. maybe it will cure cancer someday.

i spent 3 years of my undergraduate college summers learning how to make yeast retarded.

for you science nerds i am interested in genes, chromosomes, and genomes: how they contribute to the traits of an organism, how they are transmitted during cell division, and how they can change from generation to generation.

my research made use of the brewer's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model eukaryotic organism.

i was attempting to understand how a common mistake in cell division--resulting in an extra chromosome--affects phenotype, genome stability, and ultimately, fitness.

i used a variety of methods, including recombinant DNA techniques, microbial genetics, and whole-genome microarrays.

i know.

i'm a huge nerd.

instead of wakeboarding and working on my tan, i worked on making yeast retarded.

hopefully it pays off :)

http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=06b36600854dd110VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD&vgnextchannel=002392d79e557110VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD

Common Pre-Med Requirements

1 year of Biology + Lab
1 year of Physics + Lab
1 year of Organic Chemistry + Lab
1 year of Inorganic Chemistry + Lab
1 year of Math (calculus preferred)
1 year of English

these are the classes most commonly required by most medical schools in the country.

each medical school, however, has additional requirements beyond these which include but are not limited to: biochemistry, psychology, and also some non-science related coursework.

be sure to check each schools individual requirements.

study smarter, not harder!

‘Scrubs’ Near the D Train

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/nyregion/thecity/11hosp.html?_r=1&ex=1211169600&en=0ebbacd789d3b1c1&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin

Writing Your Personal Statement

The term "Personal Statement" brings a shiver to the spine of many a potential medical student.

You should think of the personal statement, however, as an opportunity to show admissions officers what you're made of.

They want to know why you want to attend their medical school and this is your chance to tell them as clearly and compellingly as you can.


Two Basic Purposes

Personal statements can serve two basic purposes.

First, they show whether or not you can write a clear, coherent essay that's logically and grammatically correct.

Second, they provide you with the opportunity to present the admissions committee with more of a "three-dimensional" portrait of yourself as a deserving candidate than GPA and MCAT numbers possibly can.

What you choose to write sends clear signals about what's important to you and what your values are.

You can explain why you really want to pursue grad work and the career path it will enable you to follow.

Your essay also enables you explain things like a bad grade or term in an otherwise creditable record.

Read more about writing your personal statement here:

http://www.kaptest.com/Kaplan/Article/Pre-Med/Medical-School/Apply-to-Medical-School/Plan/PM_admiss_essays.html?cid=677E&pid=180540904

Medical School Spotlight: Jefferson Medical College

Location: Philadelphia, PA

U.S. News Rank (research): 57

Average GPA: 3.57

Average MCAT score (composite): 10.4

Acceptance rate: 6.7%

Tuition: $38,316

Required fees: $0

Room and board: $15,609

Website: http://www.tju.edu/

Founded in 1824, Jefferson Medical College has awarded more than 27,000 medical degrees and has more living graduates than any other medical school in the nation.

It offers both traditional medical education programs and innovative joint degree programs to its enrollment of approximately 900 students each year.

Jefferson Medical College is situated on a thirteen-acre urban campus in Center City, Philadelphia.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is one of the area's largest medical centers with 701 beds.

Recent renovations resulted in a state-of-the-art emergency and trauma center with its own operating room.

Jefferson students and Jefferson residents perform well as judged by the United States Medical Licensing Examination, residency positions obtained, and subsequent academic appointments.

The personal contact between students and faculty, an integral part of all programs, is especially important during clinical rotations where there is often a one-to-one relationship.

Excellent opportunities are available for basic and clinical research at Jefferson Medical College and at both University and Affiliated Hospitals.

MCAT Verbal Strategy: Cross-Outs

Your graders know that the writing samples they are looking at are first-draft essays.

You don't have time (and shouldn't try to make time) to recopy your essay.

Legibility is important, but it's perfectly all right to cross items out or make corrections.

You should write your essay on every line, however, because of the very limited space to write in the test booklet.

Prerequisites for Med School

The key to medical school admissions success is planning based on correct information.

Research the schools in which you are interested.

What are their admissions requirements?

And, keep in close contact with your pre-med advisor.

Are you taking the proper classes now?

By knowing all of the information beforehand, you will avoid the extra scrambling and aggravation upon finding out that you did not meet all of the necessary prerequisites.


Par for the Courses

During your pre-medical education, you will be required to fulfill certain coursework prerequisites.

In addition, you should think about taking some additional courses to supplement this core curriculum, enhancing your education and your application to medical school.


Specific Course Requirements

Most schools agree on the basic elements for pre-medical education.

Minimum course requirements for most U.S. medical schools include one year each of biology, general (inorganic) chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and related lab work for each science course.

In addition, about two-thirds require English and about 25 percent require calculus. A small number of schools have no specific course requirements.

Bear in mind that since the MCAT covers material from the commonly required courses, you will need to include those courses in your program of study whether they are required by medical schools or not.

Nevertheless, many students are surprised to learn that the list of courses required by medical schools is so small.

The best sources for admissions requirements for specific medical schools are the Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) and the College Information Booklet.

Medical School Spotlight: UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Location: New Brunswick, New Jersey

U.S. News Rank (research): 59

Average GPA: 3.63

Average MCAT score (composite): 9.8

Acceptance rate: 12.5%

In-State Tuition: $20,567

Out-of-State Tuition: $32,185

Website: http://rwjms.umdnj.edu/

As one of the nation's leading comprehensive medical schools, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, with campuses in New Brunswick, Piscataway and Camden, is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery and the promotion of community health for the residents of New Jersey.

With 2,500 full-time and volunteer faculty, the medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students, as well as continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs.

As one of eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, the medical school encompasses 21 basic science and clinical departments and also integrates diverse clinical programs conducted at its 34 hospital affiliates and numerous ambulatory care sites in the region.

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School also hosts 85 centers and institutes; among them are The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey.

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Get Started on your MCAT Prep

Students often wonder when is a good time to start preparing for the MCAT.

Regardless of whether you opt for self-study or the structure of a formal review program, create a study plan for the 4 months leading up to test day, and pick a milestone by which you would like to have your Content review completed (Pre- Med students typically need two months of content review for the MCAT).

After you set a realistic content review milestone, create a plan to tackle the Critical Thinking component of the MCAT.

As a passage-based exam, you will want to practice on the MCAT with as much passage-based material as available to you.

Be sure to dedicate at least 4 weeks to practicing MCAT material in the passage-based format.

Finally, set a plan of action for the full-length simulations.

Students who underestimate the endurance challenge of the test end up performing poorly on the Biological Sciences section at the end of the exam.

Allow yourself enough time to complete at least 5 simulation full-lengths, with enough days in between for review and rest.

Platon's MCAT Classroom Course concludes the teaching component about 4 weeks before MCAT test day to allow you to take up to 11 full-length exams, which are available at the Platon Study Center.

Whether you decide to prepare for the MCAT with Platon's Classroom Course, Online Course, Private Tutoring Program, or even our new 320-hour MCAT Summer Intensive Program , your success on the MCAT depends on good planning well before of Test Day.

Early class start options are now available in most locations. ]

Enroll now or learn more about our MCAT preparation options.

Medical School Spotlight: Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine

Location: St. Louis, MO

USNews Rank: Research: 3; Primary Care: 46

Average overall MCAT score (composite): 12.2

2004 Acceptance Rate: 10.6%

Tuition: $38,330

Website: medschool.wustl.edu

Washington University has a rich history of excellence in patient care, education and research that dates back to the early part of the 20th century.

Its instructors have been pioneers in bedside teaching and leaders in the transformation of empirical medical knowledge into medical practice.

Today, students and faculty work together to advance knowledge and practice medicine at the cutting edge.

Students are offered outstanding preparation for a rewarding career in medicine.

Graduates advance to train at top university-affiliated hospitals.

Eighty percent of the class of 2001 earned residencies at one of their top three hospitals of choice.

Graduates pursue successful careers in primary care, medical specialties, academic medicine, and clinical and basic research.

The Washington University Medical Center comprises one of the nation's largest clinical and biomedical research facilities.

The campus includes more than 60 buildings on nearly 230 acres, and the combined, on-site hospital affiliates provide more than 1,600 beds.

Two large components of the Medical Center—Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital—are members of BJC HealthCare, the first integrated health care system in the country to couple academic teaching hospitals with community hospitals.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital earned "Honor Roll" distinction in the 2001 U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals," placing among the top 10 hospitals in five of 17 specialties studied and in the top 20 in an additional seven specialties.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital was ranked as the nation's seventh-best hospital overall.

St. Louis Children's Hospital consistently ranks as one of the nation's best in pediatric care and offers a complete range of primary care subspecialty services.

MCAT Verbal Strategy: Hold that Scan!

You usually won't save time by scanning the questions before reading the passage, since most of the questions are based on a holistic understanding of the passage.

Besides, having the questions in mind can distract you from focusing on the passage.

The Admissions Decision

Contrary to popular opinion, medical school admissions is not just a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" decision-making process.

Since there are so many qualified applicants and so few spaces, who ends up getting in?


First Factors

The process works differently at each school and program, but certain things remain roughly the same.

A group will make an initial review of the applications, making a first cut at separating possible acceptances from clear rejections.

At this stage, there are several reasons for rejection.

The application might not be complete, the grades or MCAT scores are way too low for the program's standards, the personal essay does not explain mitigating circumstances elsewhere in the application, or the applicant seriously lacks preparation for the program.

The first cut will eliminate candidates who fall below the school's standards for both GPA and MCAT scores.

Those left for the secondary review are those who have demonstrated sufficient proof of their academic skill...

Medical School Spotlight: Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Website URL: www1.wfubmc.edu/school

U.S. News Rank: 30 (primary care)

Average Undergraduate GPA: 3.60

Average Composite MCAT Score: 10

Acceptance Rate: 4.9%

Out-of-State Tuition: $33,016

Application Deadline: 11/01

Brief Description:

Celebrating 100 years in existence, the Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSM) is the centerpiece of Wake Forest University Health Sciences, a $100-million research community that maintains nationally recognized research centers in cancer, human genomics, investigative neuroscience, stroke, women's health, and many other disciplines including the newly established Maya Angelou Research Center on Minority Health.

This stimulating environment provides an ideal situation for the study of medicine, anchored by a renowned medical curriculum and a commitment to endow students with an understanding of the awesome role and responsibility of physicians in society.

WFUSM students study the basic and clinical sciences in a variety of settings including classroom lectures, core clinical clerkships, small-group problem-based learning, laboratory sessions, and more.

Acclaimed nationally as a model for medical education reform, the WFUSM curriculum aims to educate students according to seven core goals:

1) Proficiency in self-directed learning and lifelong learning skills,

2) Appropriate core biomedical science knowledge,

3) Clinical skills,

4) Problem solving/clinical reasoning skills,

5) Interviewing and communication skills,

6) Information management skills, and

7) Professional attitudes and behavior.

Community-based clinical experiences in the first year, as well as a focus on general population health, are hallmarks of the curriculum.

Furthermore WFUSM, recognized as one of America's "most-wired" campuses, integrates information technology into its program, and all incoming students are provided with a laptop computer.

WFUSM students have access to a number of cultural and athletic resources in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina area.

Winston-Salem is located less than an hour from the mountains, has a vibrant science and arts community and is right in the center of ACC basketball and football, as well as world-class golf.

MCAT Verbal Strategy: Questions of Tone

Questions of Tone require you to identify the author's attitude or opinion.

Such questions may be focused on a detail or may refer to the tone of the whole passage.

Go with the answer choice that is consistent with your "gut feel" from the passage: positive, neutral, or negative.

Interview Mystique

There is a fair amount of mythology surrounding the medical school interview.

Much of this stems from the legacy of the "stress interview."

One of our favorite tales is this classic passed from one generation of premeds to the next:

The interviewer asks our unsuspecting candidate to open a window.

As hard as he tries, he can't open it.

Why?

Because it's nailed shut!

Rest assured that stress interviews are the exception, not the rule.

But the interview is an assessment of your composure and maturity.

If something weird or stressful does happen, just keep your cool.

(For example, if the window test happened to you, an appropriate response would be, "It appears to be stuck.")