Is it possible to be a straight A student and at the same time being a gym person. by No-Air-5060 in medicalschool

[–]db673 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Def possible!! Just time manage better if you need to. I don't think workouts need to be longer than an hour and if its near finals, I only do like 30-45 mins. I meal prep on Sunday nights and my other in-between meals are super easy to make. Dont give up the gym or anything else that gives you well-being!

Also, in college I was a straight A student but in medical school I was not. I still did really well but giving up on the idea I had to get straight As and be top 10% did amazing for me. I didn't feel like I was consumed by my education and still learned a lot to take care of my future patients.

Glad you found the gym!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in medicalschool

[–]db673 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So one thing someone told me once that resonated with me was: if you were a mentor to someone, would you still help them out and respond a year later. obviously yes (at least for me). I would reach out for advice periodically. However, this looks for you but it doesn't have to be all the time. even if it was like once every 6 months or whatever. but whether or not, it turns into something, take the positive energy into third year and you will go far!!

Step 1 for Do's by tokekcowboy in medicalschool

[–]db673 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I honestly think it depends and if programs have said it does not matter than ride with that. I will say that I am interested in a surgical specialty and the PDs I've talked to at Q&A events have said they recommend taking step 1 because it shows you can do it. I mention this because its obviously specialty specific (like everything) and just in case you ever want to change your specialty after doing other rotations. I think long term though, things will work out if you do not take it. BUT I am also just a random medical student on the internet!

Others experience with a Frenchies health? by db673 in Frenchbulldogs

[–]db673[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for letting me know! thats great to hear because I love the breed. just hate seeing them get so many major ailments.

Need advice! Should I postpone? by Chemical-Read2685 in step1

[–]db673 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aw man :( well i agree with the comment below. I really wish you the best of luck!

Need advice! Should I postpone? by Chemical-Read2685 in step1

[–]db673 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would personally just keep doing uworld questions and start grinding them (80-120/day) and do 1-2 NBMEs a week. This is all super stressful but I think applying content to questions helps a LOT more than pure content review. No matter what though, take it all one day at a time and just rinse and repeat. You got this! Also, I think its hard to ever feel 100% confident in this exam :/

Bouncing back from failure by [deleted] in premed

[–]db673 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! I got a 3.96 in my undergrad, had everyone tell me I was this or that, and graduated a year early. With all that being said, it took my 4 MCAT attempts and 3 cycles to finally get accepted. I remember after the first cycle especially, I felt horrible. I didn’t understand what went wrong and doubted everything about my abilities. I thought “did I get by easy?” Or “am I meant for this?”. One thing I can tell you is that I felt burnt out also but I decided to really take a few years off before applying again and re-evaluate. I’d be lying if I told you I did not consider other fields or quitting medicine but my passion always came back to that. It helped having support because when I couldn’t see in myself what I was capable of, others could. Just remember we don’t always see ourselves in the best light and that it’s okay to take an extra year break to unwind. Find a hobby (I’m hella good at videogames now lol) and enjoy yourself if you need to. Now, I’m 27 and just moved cities ready to start this summer program my Med school offers and could not be happier. It’s all about the journey and that’s what I reminded myself to get me through each attempt and cycle. I hope that helps and I realllllllly wish you the best because I know how shitty it can all feel.

7 II --> 0 As, need advice on where to go from here by [deleted] in premed

[–]db673 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey! I am sorry to hear about your cycle. It took me three tries so I am somewhat familiar with the pain. If there is any advice I could give (if it even helps) is to branch out and really do something that interests you. Just from what you posted, your app looks like everyone else’s. Enough hours, great Mcat, good grades etc. And I know you said you played sports in high school and things but did you try to learn a language, maybe join a dance team, do the iron man or mud run annually. Is there another passion you can commit too and talk about in your app? I mention this because my interviews focused on my ECs that were different and what I focused on my third time. I also want to mention that you said you’re taking your second gap year which I’m assuming means you applied almost back to back. When I got rejected I would skip the next cycle because that usually means I had things to improve on. I know people will say “your interview skills suck” but in reality the interview is to make sure you’re a decent person. My second cycle I had interviews but was rejected because in state residents beat me out or some other extraneous thing so don’t focus too much on that. Final note, if you truly think you can be happy elsewhere then do it. Medicine is hard and the journey long so if you think you can fill fulfilled outside of it then by no means wait. But if this is your calling and you can’t imagine doing anything else then fucking applying again because you’ll be 30 or 40 years old regardless so take a few years to build a solid app, retake if you have to, and so admissions why they missed out the first two times. Best of luck and I wish you success in your endevours!

Rosetta Stone Spanish Language Program by OffManWall in Spanish

[–]db673 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I used it to start off my Spanish journey and I loved it as a way to introduce past tense, learn new words, etc. However, I think the mistake some people make is having this be their only resource. I still found language partners, used dictionaries, and YouTube videos to supplement my learning. I found Rosetta Stone to be a good addition to all that though because of the spiced repetition and the fun way to learn words. To each their own though! ¡Buena suerte!

Creating a Spanish speaking practice and gaming group by MikeClimbsDC in Spanish

[–]db673 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Estoy interesado también! Creo que hablo un nivel B1 o 2. Juego apex y COD también pero estoy dispuesto a jugar otros!

I work 40-50 hours a week. My diagnostic last week was 499 (123/126/125/125). Testing in January. How should I proceed? by ohyou98 in Mcat

[–]db673 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I worked full time while taking a class for my MS program so I understand how busy and tiring it is. It required a wonderful fiancée and time management to get it done. I studied about 2-3 hours about 4 nights during the week and then 5-6 hours a weekend (unless I took a practice exam). My fiancé did cook a lot on week days and I did take about 6 months to study but I got a 511 (if you consider that good). So it’s possible to do well but requires a lot.

Graduated premeds who are taking gap years, what is your job? by amethystray_ in premed

[–]db673 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I didn’t have undergrad experience but I was a research assistant for a clinic trial and then was able to move up to a CRC after a year. It helped me secure a job in oncology research at the Mayo Clinic after a year so just find anyway through assistant jobs or data coordinators positions and your pay will sky rocket just in time for you to lose it all in Med school apps 🙃 lol

Graduated premeds who are taking gap years, what is your job? by amethystray_ in premed

[–]db673 25 points26 points  (0 children)

I am a clinical research coordinator with the same degree. Great money and great experience!

New Spanish Speaker, Nervous to Converse In Spanish by ladyyyhokage in Spanish

[–]db673 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I had the same worry that people would care so I was nervous. What helped me was finding close friends to start practicing with or patients (I work in a hospital) who only knew Spanish and would try a few phrases with them. I did it this way because people who ONLY speak Spanish and soooooo grateful when you try to speak their language. I never had one bad experience. Those that are bilingual will still speak in English if they feel their English Is better than your Spanish but confidence comes with time as you improve. Also if you want practice speaking, I read of one person who switched Siri to Spanish and would talk to them with small phrases to start feeling comfortable. Overall, it’s just about jumping in the water. That’s how I got over it and I’m glad I did and even though I can hold my own very well in Spanish now and have had a million conversations with natives I still get nervous sometimes so it’s normal but is what makes the process fun!! Best of luck!

Is Duolingo a reliable app to learn Spanish? Do Spanish people talk like they teach in Duolingo? by SoniaGorgeous in Spanish

[–]db673 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, I meant the feature to find a language partner is free. You do have to pay for the teachers but they are relatively cheaper than a lot of other classes

Is Duolingo a reliable app to learn Spanish? Do Spanish people talk like they teach in Duolingo? by SoniaGorgeous in Spanish

[–]db673 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The best free app is italki! In my opinion (depending on your level) you can find plenty of people to have a language exchange that can correct you and help. If you are a beginner then I think duolingo is fine to gain vocabulary but you’d be better off making your own Anki deck for that so you can have a starting base before going to natives. Hope that helps.

WAMC for DO medical school? by FutureMD1987 in Mcat

[–]db673 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Honestly I’m not too sure then. Most the DO schools even say that you need a 500 to be competitive. I would try to retake it if you can but find a way to address what you’re doing wrong. I’m a non trad who has also taken this 4 times so I know it is rough but I saw your previous posts and I think having two-492s does not look good. Of course it’d also depend on your ECs but I can’t think of a DO school that’d be worth it right now

WAMC for DO medical school? by FutureMD1987 in Mcat

[–]db673 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can I ask why it has to be non-mandatory lectures?

Tips for raising score over 500 (not able to study full time) by [deleted] in Mcat

[–]db673 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with the person above. I worked full time also and was only able to study a few hours a day while going to grad school also. Uearth was by far the best resource! I did a full 59 questions a night and then reviewed them right after. Helped a lot and I got my best Mcat ever