Stupid Premed Questions

There are some premed questions that are just plain stupid. Well, scratch that, rephrase many premed questions that are just plain stupid.

This one makes me nuts. Because it's a circular question, to which the answer is so plainly obvious that I don't understand why it generates SOOOO much talk.

Stupid question #1: Do adcoms frown on taking the MCAT more than once?

My gut response: SCREEEEECH (pterodactyl noise of irritation).

My rational (somewhat) response: Um, who cares? I mean, in every situation who cares?

If you bombed it and need to take the MCAT again, having more than one score is certainly better than having a low score.... as you won't even get considered. Better to be "frowned" upon than to have your application thrown into file 13, right? Duh.

If you got an OK score, lets say 29, and you're shooting for a better school and better score, take it! If you can't get in with a 29, you have to? Right? It's not like the school who wants a 32 would look at an application with just a 29 and say "oh GOOD, he only took the MCAT once!!!!!!!" vs seeing an application with a 29 and a 33 and saying "well, this applicant clearly sucks as he re-took the MCAT".

If you got a ROCK STAR score, why would you bother taking it again? This might be a problem better solved by counseling and a good psychiatrist. Besides, what if you got a LOWER score? Mwahahahahahahahaaaa.

If your scores EXPIRED, again, you don't really have a choice, right? Better than the app going in the trash.

If you are scheduled for the exam but not prepared, why purposely put a low score on your transcript that you will have to trump later anyways?

If you have a string of low scores... you're never going to get into med school without a good one... so what's another score??

Your Friends are OLD

So last night I'm out with some friends. Lolo was there of course (she and I are kinda inseparable), Lizzard, Lizzard's boyfriend M, and Ralph. For a re-cap, Lolo is an epidemiologist, Lizzard is getting her PhD in Epi, M is a fellow, and Ralph is an attending. Got it? Ok.

So we got some din-din (sushi, bleh), got caught up on the New Orleans real world episodes (bleh, bleh) and then headed out to get some drinks. The Bridge Lounge is an ok place, minus the smoke and the occasional piles of dog vomit you could step in bc it's a dog bar as well, but they have one thing going for them... that's that they make the most ridiculous key lime martinis on earth. So we went.

Upon arrival, it just so happens that a good portion of my class is there. Including my cutie patootie ex-lab partner Panda. Who admits to reading my blog (XOXO). So I chit chat a bit and begin to introduce him to my friends. To which he promptly denies me, peeking over my shoulder with a look of reluctance. "Who ARE they?" I then recount the above resume, to which he replies "Man, your friends are OLD!! I think I'm going to pass"

And seriously folks, he was serious. But I don't get it. When I was twenty-oh-something, I would have been totally stoked to be introduced to older people higher on the food chain in my field in a social setting. No?

Cheating

The New York Times posted an article about cheating today, albeit not in med schools, but it got me thinking. Is this really a problem in medical schools? I can honestly say I have never cheated on an exam. I would like to say I have never cheated ever, and although I can't remember any specific event, I wouldn't go so far as to say I never copied someone's homework in high school. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Sounds like something I probably would have done. But not in college. And not in my Master's work. And certainly, without a doubt, positively, never, never, ever, in medical school. Holy crap I worked so hard to get here I'd way rather fail an exam (or a whole class) than to be kicked out for cheating. The thought of it makes me cringe.

But I do hear of "situations". And we have an honor board judicial committee for just that. A grapevine story at my school (about a DIFFERENT school) is about a couple of friends, Jack and Jill, who had a professor that was apparently out to get them. During an exam, the professor thinks Jack is copying Jill's work, and essentially threatens Jill with "if you don't turn him in I will". Jill denies that Jack would ever do such a thing, and refuses to turn him in, and the whole thing blows up. They both get sent to committee, and their parents hire fancy attorneys and the school hires a "cheating specialist" who somehow can determine if cheating took place and who cheated off who. The specialist decides that no cheating has occurred, and Jack and Jill are invited back to med school, to which they both promptly reply "Fuck you" and transfer schools.

Anyway, anybody know how often cheating occurs in med schools? I'd like to know.

Caribbean Schools

So I'd like to get some discussion going about Caribbean schools. From people who WENT there. I can speculate all I want from people I know... but I'd like to hear about your experiences. Specifically.... which one you went to, if you'd do it again, if you think it's better than the DO option, the quality of the education, the attitude of the professors and administration, work ethic and dedication of the student body, overall living conditions, financial aid, clinical exposure... basically your overall experience.

I want real info. Not a-friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend kinda stuff (unless you are their BFF of course) :)

Gallbladder Schmallbladder... haha.

Eh, not dying. Gallbladder is fine. I just happen to be having intermittent excruciating pain exactly where my gallbladder is. Coincidentally.