APA Premed Workshop Spring 2015

Required Courses CourseHoursCourses Biology14 (12 lecture hrs + 2 lab hrs) BIO 311C, 311D, 325 or BIO 315H, 325H and 3hr BIO elective + BIO206L General Chemistry8 (6 lecture hrs + 2 lab hrs)CH 301, 302, 204 Organic Chemistry8 (6 lecture hrs + 2 lab hrs)CH 320M/N, CH220C Biochemistry3 hrsBCH 369 Physics8 (6 lecture hrs + 2 lab)PHY 317K/L, 117M/N (calculus based) or PHY 302K/L, 102M/N (algebra based) English6 hrsE 316L, E 316M, E 316N, or E 316P and RHE 306 Calculus3 hrsM 408N, M 408K, or M 408C

Course Timeline MC AT Applications MCAT

MCAT 2015  Exam Time: 7 hrs, 30 min  Sections:  Biology and Biochemistry  Chemistry and Physics  Psychology and Sociology (Social Sciences)  Critical Analysis and Reasoning  Scoring:  Each section: (125 is the center of the bell curve)  Overall: (500 is the center of the bell curve)  For more information: ials.pdf ials.pdf

MCAT Prep  Self-study  In-class preparatory class  Online preparatory class  Private Tutoring The recommended time to prepare and take the MCAT? Prepare summer before Junior year and take MCAT late August.

Registering for the MCAT  Go to the website: /register/ /register/  Click on “Register for the MCAT”  Create an account on AAMC  Select your test date, time, and location  Pay the $300 registration fee

MCAT 2015 Sections

Extracurricular activities  Do something that interests you that is not science related or premed related ( BE UNIQUE ).  Join organizations of interest  Does not have to be premed/science related  (e.g. Magic Club)  Run for officer positions  Leadership  Be active and social; do not seem to live under a rock

Doctor Shadowing  What is it?  Why should you obtain some?  Why is it difficult to obtain?

Doctor Shadowing  Three primary ways to find doctors to shadow:  Connections  Family, friends, or through someone you know well  Brute-force way  Contacting the doctor’s offices by phone, , or visitations  Be persistent, but not clingy  Programs and organizations  APA, HCMP, and other premed orgs  Some tips

Clinical Volunteering  These settings provide insight into the service portion of the medical world.  Experiences obtained in these settings can offer good stories for interviews or statements.  General info  Perspective  ER IS AWESOME

Popular hospitals for clinical volunteering  Hospitals:  University Medical Center Brackenridge  Dell Children’s Medical Center  St. David’s Medical Center  North Austin Medical Center

Research Add-on  Provides deeper understanding in a specific scientific field, and scientific method.  Adds perspective to your application  Publications = this kid knows how to get stuff done, puts in work, knows what they’re doing, and knows about what they’re doing.  Experiences here are translatable to medical practice  Working with EKG, MRI, cell cultures, surgery, animals, paperwork, etc.

Finding Research  Professors  Looking up faculty  Picking a lab  To publish or not publish?

Scholarships  It’s an award; an honor  Go to  HPO  Office of Student Financial Services  College of Natural Sciences Office  Departmental scholarships/awards  Online sites  Ex: fastweb

GPA and MCAT Stats  2014 applied  ~3.7  29  2014 accepted (thus far)  ~3.78  32  Don’t feel discouraged

TMDSAS  Only state with its own medical school application service  Eight medical schools (includes TCOM) - more to come  Requires that 90% of incoming class be Texas residents = GREAT CHANCE of being accepted

AMCAS  Every other MD program (includes Baylor College of Medicine)  134 medical schools

AACOMAS  All DO medical schools (except TCOM)  33 medical schools

General application tips  Apply early!  TMDSAS opens on May 1. Ideally, submit in June. Latest July.  Plan ahead (personal statement, recommendation letters, keeping track of volunteer/research/extracurricular hours)  Apply broadly!  Save up some money (Application + Interviewing = expensive)

Things you might not know…  Every college class you’ve taken counts (includes dual credits in high school and community college credits)  A - = A (YAYYY!!)  You don’t have to be a science major  You don’t need 200 hours of doctor shadowing  Quality and consistency matters  Make sure you shadow some primary care physicians  You don’t need 200 hours of research  Academic/extracurricular balance (well rounded?)

Interview  Practice and practice!  Not on even playing fields with everyone else  Conversation vs Interrogation  Expect the unexpected

TMDSAS-Prematch and Match  Prematch  Nov. 15 – Dec. 31  Multiple non-binding acceptances  Match  Jan. 21 = Ranking schools you’ve interviewed at  Feb. 2 = match day  Will come out with one acceptance  If no acceptance, waitlist

Last step  Go to med school and become an awesome doctor!

Questions?