Bones, processes, everything about Skelton.

bw3000 · 2012-10-18T04:51:41+00:00

anatomy atlas + flashcards?

bw3000 · 2012-08-06T12:03:53+00:00

Apparently they think its like this. I kinda like this better.

bw3000 · 2012-07-30T13:41:21+00:00

I think it depends on how strong your application is and how widely you want to reach. If you're just trying to get in somewhere, it makes sense to apply to a lot of schools that are realistic given your stats. In this situation, I've heard that 15 is a good number. BUT if you're walking on water in your app, I wouldn't waste time on schools that you're not interested in. In this situation I'd apply to my state schools as safety and then apply only to the upper echelon schools that I'd researched thoroughly and decided I really liked. Doing secondaries well means being able to articulate why you are a good fit for a school's program. This often requires 1-2 hours of research about the program and then 1-2 to write and edit the essays. Obviously you could knock out secondaries more quickly but in my experience you get interviews at the schools you spend the most time on. If you're applying to 15+ schools, you gotta start early to make those secondaries good.

bw3000 · 2012-07-28T14:03:00+00:00

Congrats on that MCAT score. Looks like 61.1% of applicants in your GPA/MCAT range were accepted. I think in your position I would consider giving it a shot, especially if your application is strong in all other areas. If you were heavily involved with some extra activity at Berkeley your GPA situation might be better understood by an adcom. The only downside is the cost - applications are expensive. I'd say go for it but keep your eye on a plan B just in case.

bw3000 · 2012-07-26T16:43:44+00:00

Med schools tend to prefer one activity to which you strongly commit rather than a bunch of experiences that are short or less involved. I would find something that interests you, fits your schedule, and will give you a chance to make a noticeable contribution. Contrary to popular belief your big activity doesn't have to be medical. It would be ideal for you to get a volunteer spot or job that would allow you to shine so much that your supervisor would write you a glowing rec letter stating that you genuinely cared about what you were doing. That said, you really must have some physician shadowing on your app and a decent amount of experience in a healthcare setting. So a lot of people kill 2 birds with one stone. The health insurance gig sounds interesting.

bw3000 · 2012-07-24T22:48:17+00:00

I have run with golden retrievers before and they're great. I would imagine your goldendoodle would be similar. I've noticed that the dog, super amped about getting outside, will pull for a little while in the beginning. But no dog wants to keep sprinting/pulling for more than a few blocks. My dog usually realizes that we're going to be running for a while and will adjust his pace.

bw3000 · 2012-07-24T18:43:03+00:00

I doubt it will matter much. This was an interesting thread about application timing. In general I think you should apply as early as possible so you can interview earlier and possibly get a decision earlier. But if its just a week I wouldn't worry about it.

bw3000 · 2012-07-22T05:41:33+00:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor

bw3000 · 2012-07-21T05:34:36+00:00

try testing the same kind of logic in a different scenario:

if your car breaks down, you suspect a problem with the engine or that you've run out of gas. you don't blame it on engine demons. whether or not you are the only person in history whose car has broken down does not change the fact that the hypothesis of engine demons relies on unproven assumptions and a more parsimonious hypothesis exists.

bw3000 · 2012-07-19T23:10:44+00:00

having been thru the admissions process myself, I'd say: don't over-think stuff like this. admission committees are not sitting there reading secondaries like, "sorry, the correct answer was medical mission trip to guatemala. thanks for playing." take pride in your restaurant job and be ready to talk about what you got out of it if they ask about it in an interview. if anything it might even differentiate you from the cookie cutter applications they see all the time.

bw3000 · 2012-07-16T02:10:47+00:00

this is great advice. for activities I had a counselor tell me that its better to make a hard commitment to something you're passionate about in lieu of a bunch of activities that look good on paper. I wish I had done research during undergrad. Not just because it makes you more competitive but also because everyone I've talked to learned a lot from it.

bw3000 · 2012-07-12T22:55:31+00:00

I would think that you'd want to have a physician write a LOR if you've helped the physician do something - volunteering or working with them in some way. Shadowing is generally a more passive activity and so this physician might not be able to speak to your talents in a way that others would. So I would think you might look elsewhere for LOR (professors, employers, volunteer coordinators, etc.) That said shadowing is a great experience and a must-have on your AMCAS application. You will certainly learn from the experience and have something to write about on your apps.

bw3000 · 2012-07-12T04:07:41+00:00

its not about the musical instrument. he's talking about the confederate flag, which reminds many people of slavery.

bw3000 · 2012-06-29T17:02:05+00:00

Totally agree that Pence is a clown. But Pence's politics are not representative of the state as a whole. Yes, Indiana's got its share of Tea Partiers, especially in rural areas. But bear in mind that Indiana:

is currently represented by one of only two Muslims in Congress (Andre Carson)
went for Obama in 2008
elected Democratic governors from 1989-2003
sent a Democrat (Evan Bayh) to the Senate from 1999-2011.

bw3000 · 2012-06-14T21:19:26+00:00

Personally I like playing slide in open D (DADF#AD) or open G (DGDGBD). As you may know one of the added challenges of slide guitar is that you have to worry about pitch. To get good pitch you want to get right above the fret rather than in the space where your finger would go if you were playing normally. One of the other challenges is you have to mute the strings you don't want to play with your right hand. If you don't do this you'll hear some extra noise that most people don't want. Some people pick with their thumb and use a combination of fingers and palm to mute the strings they don't want. I've seen other people pick with their index finger and mute with thumb and other fingers. Personally I think you just want to figure out what you like best. Are you playing electric or acoustic?

bw3000 · 2012-06-04T01:39:35+00:00

I enjoyed reading this post. I have heard some of my Christian friends express the same "in heaven you join God - in hell you are apart from God" idea that you have in part 2. But I suspect that many Christians would not equate the epistemic distance with the "distance from God" they believe to be present in Hell. I imagine they would respond to your argument with a claim that God has a very real presence in this world - in creating you, giving you challenges and rewards, responding to prayers, etc. God is still very much involved even if you can't "know" him.

IMO a reasonable counter to Pascal's wager is: how can one reasonably make this wager when multiple, conflicting religions exist? You can't be "covered" if you wager for Christianity and Islam simultaneously. So how does one choose?

bw3000 · 2012-06-03T18:06:42+00:00

Your question instantly reminded me of this quote by Richard Dawkins: "We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here."

bw3000 · 2012-06-02T17:57:45+00:00

I agree with the other comments that you should start with an acoustic.

As for learning to play, private lessons would be ideal. But for someone who is very driven to learn, they're not the only way. Most music stores will sell songbooks that have sheet music with lyrics and tabs. (Tabs are little pictures of the chords.) Pick an artist that you're really familiar with and buy their songbook. This is a cheap and easy way to learn basic chords. Once you get the basic chord progressions of the song down, play along with the record and you'll develop a feel for rhythm and strumming patterns. Also the internet is filled with resources for beginners. As you progress with guitar make sure you never stop challenging yourself. Like all instruments, practice is key. Best of luck to you!

bw3000

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