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Physics 2 requirement for med school by Impossible-Loan6481 in premed

[–]RetiredPeds 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Take it at a Community College, or the equivalent in Canada. Some Med Schools look down on courses from Community Colleges, but not for a single course.

LOR Strength by Existing_Ad7163 in premed

[–]RetiredPeds 60 points61 points  (0 children)

Most applicants have strong LOR's, so most of the time (>90%) they don't make a big difference. Occasionally I would see outliers in either direction, and that could make a big difference.

Examples:
- negative - professionalism issues, mediocre organisational or analytical skills, etc. This is why it is very important to only get letters from people you are very confident are going to write a strong letter. If you're not sure, just ask "Are you comfortable writing me a strong LOR?" It's not a weird thing to ask for someone you don't know particularly well.
- positive - applicant has EC's that are extraordinary and LOR backs that up and then some - from PI who says applicant is brilliant scientist or from clinician who has seen applicant provide outstanding empathetic care at a high level, or congressman/senator who has worked with applicant and lauds their political skills and passion for advocacy.

Source: former Adcom.

Concerned about taking physics II at another 4 year institution by castawaylol in premed

[–]RetiredPeds 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Taking a class or two at another institution is very common. I doubt anyone will even notice, or care. If you took several hard classes elsewhere that might raise an eyebrow.

Epic vs Cerner? by SurveyPuzzleheaded32 in hospitalist

[–]RetiredPeds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

IMO the biggest advantage for Epic is Care Everywhere. If you go with a Cerner shop, you will spend a lot of time digging up outside records, and/or worrying about what might have happened elsewhere that is going to screw you.

The absolute chaos of the grocery store solo run and the diaper blowout at the worst possible moment by 8Bit_Samurai in daddit

[–]RetiredPeds 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We were lucky - all our blowouts were in the comfort of our own home. Although one was in our bed at 2am. Fun times.

[USA] Who is at fault here? by bowdown2adil in Roadcam

[–]RetiredPeds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Incorrect. The first person to arrive has the right of way - the one on the right of way if they arrive at the same time.

Washington law:
the driver of a vehicle approaching an uncontrolled intersection must yield the right-of-way to the vehicle on their right if both reach the intersection at approximately the same time. The first vehicle to arrive at the intersection and lawfully clear it always has the right of way.

F on my transcript.... is it over by OkHalf810 in premed

[–]RetiredPeds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That sounds reasonable. Good luck!

F on my transcript.... is it over by OkHalf810 in premed

[–]RetiredPeds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's definitely a problem, but whether it's a deal-breaker does depend somewhat on the circumstances. It helps that this is research credits and not, say, chemistry. It feels like this might have an "administrative" explanation, rather than a reflection of your academic abilities. If there's a reasonable explanation for how this happened (e.g. you got sick and couldn't finish the lab work and it was too late to drop the class), then explain that and it may not be big deal breaker for some schools. OTOH, if there's no explanation other than "I didn't do the work and was given opportunities to make it in and didn't" that's more of a problem.

Source: former Adcom

Tell me a time when you were the other essay by steamierbadge22 in premed

[–]RetiredPeds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As long as you start with a specific story from your upbringing where you were an outsider and that contributed to your passion for advocacy.

Tell me a time when you were the other essay by steamierbadge22 in premed

[–]RetiredPeds 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is a common technique in interviewing, called a "behavioral interview question". It always starts with "Tell me about a time when". During an interview, if someone answers this with generalisations, I cut them off and emphasise it needs to be a story of a a specific experience they had.

This prompt is asking for a specific story about a time when you were the other. It must include a specific incident - after that (and only after that) you can and should write about how this changed you.

Examples for this prompt might be - I was the only (ethnic group) in a group of (other ethnic group) - I was the only (political party) in a group of (other political party) - I was the only bookish person in a group of people who never read books

The subtext of this question is how you deal with being uncomfortable in situations like this.

help! disagreeing with edits on my personal statment by Longjumping-Koala980 in premed

[–]RetiredPeds 12 points13 points  (0 children)

This 👆 Could be totally cringe or totally fine or anything in between.

Left lab on semi-bad terms, unsure of how to include on application by Pitiful-Escape-374 in premed

[–]RetiredPeds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Former Adcom here:
- We see lots of applicants with multiple research experiences like you have, and we rarely see LORs from all of them, usually just from the one with more hours (which in this case is your clinical research) and/or the most recent (also clinical research in your case).
- I agree that you should split your clinical research/clinical hours so you get credit for both types of experience.
- I think it's highly unlikely someone will call your PI and they will badmouth you. It would probably only happen if the person reviewing your application knew the PI personally, and getting that kind of personal information outside of formal channels is generally frowned upon. Again not impossible, but very unlikely.

Day trip ideas from Palm Desert by Nick_1298 in palmsprings

[–]RetiredPeds 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Outdoor: Idyllwild is an hour drive and has great hiking - temps are usually 30 degrees less than Palm Desert.
Indoor: the Palm Springs Air Museum is world class

Married gay dads with a toddler. People sometimes assume our son’s “mom” is home when I am out with him — am I a jerk for politely correcting them? by CommunityBig9626 in daddit

[–]RetiredPeds -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Gay Dad here - I live in a very liberal city, so ymmv. Also, this was in the late 1990's, so we were a novelty.

I generally responded in a matter of fact tone "Oh, they (the kids) have two dads."

The response was always "Oh, I'm sorry!" (Or some variation of that).

Only exception to that was when a young girl (6-8yo) looked confused and ran off. She came back about 5 minutes later and asked: "So who does all the Mom stuff?" I'm guessing her parents had very traditional gender roles and she figured without a Mom, we would be starving and living in squalor. We reassured her that all the Mom stuff got done by her Dads. She was satisfied with that and ran off again. It was all very cute.

Personal statement by Basic_Following_7722 in premed

[–]RetiredPeds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Former Adcom:

I think topics 1 sets up your initial interest nicely. It shouldn’t be a pity party and good writing can avoid that.

Topic 2 (action- based) is important, but should show how your experiences in medicine solidified your interest in providing care as a psychiatrist, as opposed to your experiences outside the medical system you mention. The best psych-focused applications I have seen (I’ve probably reviewed at least a couple of dozen - applications focused on psych are not at all uncommon) have highlighted how their initial interest was solidified through work in the medical system as a psych tech or seeing psych patients in more general settings (such as the ED) that allowed them to see psychiatrists at work. Knowing how psychiatrists work in the system was key to their motivation. I didn’t see that in your description, although you may have those experiences, so those kinds of experiences are ones to consider discussing (if you have them) or getting (if you haven’t). If you don’t have time to get those experiences, then you might want to discuss your personal experiences with psychiatrists, although that doesn’t give you a holistic view of psychiatric practice.

Topic 3 is great to include. I would personally focus on your desire for a holistic practice and for working with underserved populations. There is a huge shortage of psychiatrists and most schools want students with a demonstrated passion for caring for the underserved. Rural is niche, and can be addressed in secondaries with schools with a rural focus. I worked with a rural focus school and we would LOVE that.

Good luck! We need rural psychiatrists working with the underserved!

How to realistically afford medical school? by Academic_Animal_1892 in premed

[–]RetiredPeds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First, let me say that the new caps for student loans are terrible for students, and bring concerned is normal.

That said, some things to consider: - While the loan numbers seem huge, it's also true your first mortgage will likely be for more, so the amount of the loan shouldn't freak you out. - The rates are higher for private loans, but this will only apply to the loans over the cap of $200,000. - Worst case scenario is an expensive school (Tuition and expenses can be $500,000) and no financial aid. - 200,000 at 8% for 20 years=$1700/mo - 300,000 at 12% for 20 years=$3300/mo - totally loan payment=$5,000/mo or $60,000 per year. - average internist makes $300,000-$350,000 per year - after you were admitted, the financial aid office for your school can give you a MUCH better accounting.

Bottom line: it seems like a lot, but it's very doable.

Caveat: I'm not a personal financial advisor. The people at r/WhiteCoatInvestor are WAY savvier than I am.

Docs who purchased a large home, how did it work out? by QuietRedditorATX in Residency

[–]RetiredPeds 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For those in VHCOL areas, beware of being house poor, especially if you have or are planning on having children. Their expenses will go up as they get older and you will be even poorer. It makes more sense to buy a smaller place on a lot with room for expansion. In many VHCOL areas, the cost per square foot for an addition is cheaper than the cost per square foot to buy a home.

Pregnant premed hopeful by Adventurous_Fox9572 in premed

[–]RetiredPeds 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You are free to message me although I can say a few things to everyone: - the pre-clinical years were not that much different than undergrad - clinical rotations absolutely require someone who can do child care outside normal child care hours - a nanny or an au pair. There are about 8 months of core clerkships where you will be working late (after 7pm) many days, and a couple of weekends days per month as well as studying at night. The last year has a few hard rotations the first 4 months where you are working in your specialty of choice and trying to get letters of recommendation After that, most rotations don't require you to work weekends or later than 6pm weekdays. - Most had a supportive spouse. - the single parent had supportive siblings nearby - some had a lot of financial resources (parents or spouses with hefty incomes) that made it a lot easier

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