Getting Your MD in Italy?

Sounds pretty good to me if you are interested in going internationally. It's a 6-year program in Milan at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. Taught in ENGLISH. Yay! No MCAT needed but you have to take an entrance exam which is only given in the USA in NYC. And it's on April 28th. So if you're interested you better get on that. Anyway, just thought it was a cool option for those of you who might be interested.

Here's the link:

Cool Med School in Italy

When Should You "Give Up" on trying to become a doctor?

Yucky question huh?

Well, contrary to popular belief, I don't think it has anything to do with taking the MCAT a certain number of times, or with how many times you've applied to med school. I personally know a physician that I used to work with that applied 12 times to medical school. Granted, that must have been at least 20 years ago... I am not even sure if you can do that now... but the point is that the time to give up has nothing to do with how many times or how long you've tried to get in.

But there is a time when you SHOULD give up. I bet you didn't think I was going to say that, did you? Well, there is. It's when you know, in your gut, that your priorities in life have changed... and pursuing doctordom is more about ego and proving you can do it than it is about actually becoming a doctor. The main thing I want to convey is that THAT IS OK! Nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone changes everyday... as do your wants and goals. I look back on lists of things I said I wanted to do in life. Many of them I've done. Many I haven't. Like "get my pilot's license". I haven't done that. But I don't consider it a failure because I no longer have any desire to do it. What-so-ever.

I think it takes true courage to be able to detect the difference between being determined and feeding your ego. I struggled with this alot because I think I was on the cusp when I applied the last time. Thankfully, I still really want to be a physician and I am loving it. But maybe 5 years from now I wouldn't have felt the same about the admissions process.

So ask yourself the tough questions. And assess your true desires. The REAL ones. Would you rather get married asap? Have a family now? Let things stay simple? Pursue a creative or entrepreneurial career? Do you REALLY want to give up the next 10 years for this? Any answer is ok... as long as it really reflects you and not your ego.

How To Keep On Truckin'

I've received a few emails asking how on earth I managed to keep my morale up when I failed as a pre-med. Like failing an exam, bombing an MCAT, hearing disparaging "advice", and whatnot. I guess the answer is that I didn't. I mean everytime something happened, I was distraught. And totally devastated. I started combing through my back up plans, applying to random grad school programs, looking up internships, and fantasizing about running away to the peace corps or becoming a writer or a chef or an FBI agent. It was awful. Awful because I had little perspective or knowledge that the path to becoming a physician is a long journey... marked by failures and successes. I'd see a few classmates or colleagues get right into med school with no sweat, and so I thought it wasn't meant to be for me. And so I'd head in another direction... like research, or public health, or epidemiology.... something that I THOUGHT would make me happy... as these are parallel fields to medicine.

And sure enough, these fields would keep me interested for about 10 months. Then I was bored. Soon I'd find myself back in the med school mode... tagging along with physicians, fantasizing about med school, plotting my next attempt at the MCAT or applying to med school. It was a series of try, fail, hibernate, heal, plot, try, fail, hibernate, heal, plot, try, sort of succeed (YAY!), try harder, fail, blah blah.

So I guess the answer is this.

1) Try to keep "success" in perspective. Know that when you're "up" you should enjoy it while it lasts because there will be "downs" too. And when you are "down" know that it's just temporary until the next "up".

2) After a "down"... don't be too hard on yourself, and don't make any drastic decisions that will alter your med school plans. The feeling of wanting to quit is soooo intense you can often fool yourself into thinking that you don't want to do medicine anymore.... even if you actually do. Give yourself some time to really regroup, re-evaluate, and make a better plan of attack. Immersing yourself in "parallel" fields like public health, etc. are great because they help strengthen your application while you regroup and get your ducks in a row.

How to get a BANGING Letter of Recommendation

In order to get a great letter of recommendation, there are a few things that you have to do....

1) Pick the RIGHT person. Someone who REALLY likes you is way better than someone who just sorta knows you and has an MD. Also, pick someone articulate who you know likes to write. Don't pick Mr. Unenthusiastic or Ms. Monotone. Choose someone who is really into you.... and will make you seem like the best thing since sliced bread.

2) Ask the person for a letter with plenty of lead time. I guarantee if you ask a professor or a physician for a letter that is due in a week is just asking for trouble. You should ask for a letter at the least a month in advance, ideally more, and then give nice consistent reminders.

3) Tell the person what you want them to write (see below). In some cases, with people I'm close to, I've even offered to "draft" a letter if it makes things easier for them. 9 times out of 10, they are relieved that you've offered... and bam! you now have the BEST letter of rec you could possibly get.

4) Put together a "LOR Packet" so that they are less likely to forget about your request, you have an official deadline, and they have all the info they need about you. This packet should include several things....

• A Letter of Recommendation "Information" Sheet (see the sample below)
• An updated version of your resume or CV
• A LOR writer specific sheet listing everything connecting you and the writer (see sample below)
• An addressed envelope (if required) with postage for the writer's convenience

Below are 2 sample letters I drafted as a hypothetical re-applicant non-traditional student. Please feel free to use them if you think they will help you!

SAMPLE - Letter of Recommendation Info

Hello Everyone!

First, I’d like to say thank you SO much for agreeing to write a letter for me. I’ve chosen you to write my letters because somewhere along the way you have helped or inspired me in my academic pursuits… and now in my next endeavor of becoming a physician. You all know that I’ve worked FOREVER to get to this point, and I’m thrilled that you are all helping me reach my ultimate goal.

About my career plans

Just so that everyone is on the same page, I’m applying to medical school. I’m only applying to the M.D. programs, no fancy-schmancy joint-degree programs or anything like that… so that is pretty straight-forward.

I’m interested in eventually pursuing medical training in pediatrics… and I’d like to use that to work in rural underserved areas, locally or internationally. Ideally I’d love to work as a physician on the development of childhood vaccines (more on the clinical side vs. research), with malaria being my primary interest.

A little background about me

I’m originally from Charlotte, and I graduated from Vanderbilt with a BA in studio arts in 2004. I decided a little too late that I wanted to become a physician, so I completed my pre-med requirements after I graduated. I finished my Post-bacc pre-med program at Georgetown in 2006, and since then I have been working full time as an EMT. I am a re-applicant to medical school (original application in 2006), and am looking forward to re-applying with my improved application.

What I have done in improve my medical school re-application

1. Full time EMT work for 2 ½ years

2. Improved my MCAT score from a 26 to a 32

3. Worked part time at Georgetown doing Parkinson’s research

4. Volunteer for St. Paul’s Charity Hospital

5. Visiting presentor for elementary school students on healthy behaviors and dental hygiene.

Letter Logistics

• I’m using the Georgetown letter service, so you just need to submit one generic letter that they will distribute electronically to the schools that I am applying to. The waiver sheet states that I have waived the right to see the letter. You will then send the letter and the waiver sheet to Georgetown letter service for processing.

• Please use department letterhead if you have it available.

• The stamped envelope (included) gets returned to Georgetown letter service.

Deadlines

I would like to have all letters at the Georgetown office by the beginning of June. So, as an unofficial deadline, lets say June 1^st. If this is problematic for anyone, please don’t hesitate to tell me if you need more time.

Letter Specifics

Since I am a re-applicant (with previous LOW scores and undergrad gpa), I know medical schools are specifically looking for an evaluation of my ability to survive the rigors of medical school. If possible please comment on the work-load, course content, and my ability to succeed in medical school.

Included is a copy of my resume/cv so that you have more information should you need it.

Just for your information

You don’t have to send any letters to these places, but for those of you who are curious, this is my tentative list of schools that I am contemplating applying to… in no particular order

1. University of Arizona
2. New York Medical College Valhalla
3. SUNY Downstate
4. University of Miami
5. University of Hawaii
6. UCSD
7. UCLA
8. UC Irvine
9. George Washington
10. Georgetown
11. NYU
12. University of Southern California
13. Stanford
14. Cornell
15. Mount Sinai School of Medicine
16. University of Illinois at Chicago

SAMPLE - Writer Specific Letter

Dear Dr. Filmore,

Here is some information for my letter,

Specific Dates, Etc.

Program Post-Bacc Pre- Med Program Graduated summer 2006

Cumm. Gpa at Georgetown: 3.45

Courses I’ve taken with you: Course Name, Date, Grade Received

Immunology, Spring 2006, A-

General Biology I, Fall 2005, A

What I’d like you to include/mention (if possible)… in addition to all the “normal” stuff

• What I’ve done to improve my medical school application
• The paper that I published with you and Dr. Nelson
• My specific interest in malaria and childhood vaccine development
• Rigors of PBPM as preparation for medical school
• Assessment of my ability to handle medical school

Ok, so sorry if the formatting on this post shows up a little strange... but I was cutting and pasting from WORD and you know how that goes. Anyway, everytime I've ever asked anyone for a LOR, I've received really positive feedback for being organized in my request, and for being considerate for asking for a letter long before I actually needed it. Hopefully if you use this same method it will result in what I got... which was a whole slew of fabulous letters.