<p>Hello all, I’m new here. This is sort of a bad first post, and I hope it’s not considered spam, but I need a few individuals (preferrably current med students and doctors) to answer an interview type questionaire that I need to incorporate into an English paper. I figured I could write a paper on this topic to get some preliminary research done for my college apps next year. Here are the questions:</p>
<li><p>Name/Title/Degree.</p></li>
<li><p>Please provide a little bit of background information (current academic status, current position/job, general location)</p></li>
<li><p>What college did you attend for undergrad?</p></li>
<li><p>What medical school did/are you attend/attending?</p></li>
<li><p>Please explain any preparations you made in high school to be able to enroll in a medical school?</p></li>
<li><p>The most common path to medical school is to attend an undergraduate university first, and then apply for medical school. Were you aware of any alternative pathways such as applying for a BA/MD program straight out of high school? If so, what were they?</p></li>
<li><p>If you took the conventional approach to attend medical school, why? Would you have preferred an alternative approach (e.g. BA/MD program)? Please explain.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>or</p>
<p>If you chose an alternative approach to attend medical school, why? Would you have preferred to take the conventional approach? Please explain.</p>
<p>Feel free to ask for further clarification on any of the questions and/or add additional comments and advice not specified in the questions. I would like express my thanks in advance to anyone who actually takes the time and effort to do this.</p>
<p>I'll help, but if you don't mind I'm not going to supply my name.</p>
<p>1) I have a BS in Sociology with a minor in Biological Sciences
2) Currently at the end of my M1 year at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in Omaha. I have two jobs, one doing clinical qualitative research at the Med Center, and I teach MCAT prep courses for Kaplan.
3) University of Nebraska-Lincoln
4) I took Anatomy and Physiology at the HS level (not that it helped now, but at the time it was exciting) and I was lucky enough to garner a shadowing opportunity with a local orthopedic surgeon. I also attended a Mini-Medical School lecture series put on by the University of Kansas School of Medicine (basically a 6 week program with 2 hour long lectures once a week about some sort of aspect of medical care or research - supposed to be for the lay person but some of the science was over everyone's head).
5) Wasn't aware of combined BA/MD programs until well into October when I got a interest card from UMKC's program. I jokingly showed it to my mother because of the cost being so high (we were argueing at the time on whether I should go to Nebraska or KU b/c of cost). She suggested I apply, I did and was accepted. By that time I had won over my mom's wishes and was certain I was going to Nebraska. My mom again suggested I consider UMKC and only after talking to my Ortho I was shadowing and to the retired MD who helped out in our anatomy class was I able to again convince my mom I should go to Nebraska. I of course found a number of things fishy about the place, like how all the MD's I met on my interview day were from UMKC and no where else, and the idea of possibly deciding medicine wasn't for me (even though I had wanted to be a doctor since I was three and a half years old), plus the costs made going to Nebraska my decision.</p>
<p>Now that I've been in medical school for a year and can look back at the process, there is NO WAY I would ever prefer taking an alternative approach. There are so many things and people that are a big part of my life that would be absent if I had gone to UMKC. I'm not just talking about little things, but things that I cherish so deeply that I know would have been impossible by going to UMKC - my fraternity and my pledge brothers, a summer as a space camp counselor, my relationship with my second cousin who I didn't know going into college but now is probably my best friend, getting to see my little brother follow me to Nebraska and just a lot of other little things like the nights at the bars, all the people I've met, leadership conferences the fraternity opened doors to, and Husker football (going to all the games I've been to).</p>
<p>Now I will say that when I was applying I did think back on that UMKC acceptance and thought "hmmm" but it wasn't anything more than that. There were definitely no regrets - and part of that might be due to the fact that I got in via the traditional route, but I'd still have reapplied probably 2 more times if I hadn't gotten in last year.</p>
<p>yeah, so that's my story. Feel free to ask any questions.</p>
<p>thanks, bigredmed. please check your PM.</p>