Preparing for the committee letter interview

The pre-health advising office at the university at which I'm doing my post-baccalaureate courses (what a mouthful!) writes an all-encompassing "report" on us called a committee letter that is sent along with our letters of recommendation to all the medical schools to which we apply. It's kind of an overall assessment of our candidacy for medical school and includes their take on whether we have the qualities of a good doctor.

As part of the process of getting a committee letter written, we had to complete an appraisal packet that was composed of questions such as the following:

• What characteristics do you have that will make you good at your chosen profession?
• From what situation, experience or interaction have you learned the most about yourself?
• Describe an example of a time when you showed intellectual curiosity, problem-solving and/or self-directed learning in any area.

These allow our committee to get to know us better and write a more effective and complete letter.

Anywhos, my interview is in two days and I'm starting to prepare my responses to common questions I know they'll ask, such as "Why do you want to be a doctor?" and ethical dilemmas, as well as greatest strengths and weaknesses questions.

Most of these answers are pretty straightforward but I'm having a really difficult time thinking up a 5-minute speech on why I want to be a doctor. Mostly, this problem stems from the fact that I have answered this question in my personal essay and in two questions on the self-appraisal packet, so I can't think of anything original to add to that. Obviously I want to bring in some new information so it's not just a regurgitation of the things the interviewers have in front of them, but I went all out on that packet and don't have much more to give, at least not convincingly.

I think the solution is to stick with what I've written previously and just organize my response well. Hopefully I'll think of a few examples that are different enough from my earlier answers that the interviewers get some new ammo for that committee letter. In short, it's time to wrack my brain!

MCAT issues

Sometimes this blog is written just for me to figure out plans of doing things a certain way in order to simplify my life. This is one of those posts, so feel free to ignore it.

I'm having some major problems retaining all the information needed for the MCAT. Reactants and conditions are not staying in my head for organic chemistry, and concepts I found easy in my general chemistry class are just not sticking. So I've formulated a new plan to make me remember all this stuff.

Here it is:

• Compile one-page "cheat sheets" for each chapter of each subject that include vital conceptual information as well as equations and tricks for solving MCAT problems quickly.
• Create examples of how to solve recurring types of problems unique to each chapter, with worked out solutions.
• Write up all the organic chemistry equations that are necessary for the MCAT.
• Review one chapter a day of all subjects. Rinse and repeat.

Since I do best when I have to do things over and over again, I hope that going over these home-made worksheets daily will help me retain this large volume of information, and will provide a great way to organize everything in my head. And 1 - 2 pages for each subject turns into ~8 pages total a day. That shouldn't be too hard.

Now if studying for the verbal section was this simple, I'd be set!

Something has to change

Lately I've been feeling like I constantly have my nose in a book and that my life is class, study, sleep, and repeat. Work should be in there as well, but I just haven't been able to fit it in. And even with such a bare-bones schedule, I've been sleeping very little so clearly this isn't working for me.

I thought about this last night and realized that I actually do have enough hours in the day to accomplish everything and still have a reasonable life. I just have to be more efficient and not waste so much time.

So I've proposed a new schedule for myself where I am super productive from 9 to 6 and then can be as lazy as I want. I think I need that separation of life and school/work to be sane, otherwise I'm going to go crazy with stress, as has been the case these past few weeks. With dedicated relaxation time that won't be interrupted by school and/or work, I won't feel the need to squeeze in a show here or there, which is my downfall with regards to productivity.

And of course, like every other plan I commit to, this will have to start after this series of exams is done. So until next Wednesday, I continue to have no life.

!!!

Received tonight at 11:44 pm*:

Looks like Option 1 from my previous post is actually going to happen. Happy days!

*Pardon the stars and redactions. One of the forms we have to sign deals with not releasing the location of the ship until we have left the area. And another one says we need to run everything we plan to write about the trip by the coordinator. The details omitted from the copied email aren't pertinent to this blog post and thus have been removed.

Summer abroad

Originally I had planned to apply to only one summer program abroad and leave it at that. If I didn't get in, then I'd enjoy the peace and freedom of this summer here in town. But, a friend of mine has forwarded another opportunity on to me about a group leader position in a huge number of countries that would last about 5 weeks. It'd be a great reason for me to go back to Europe and visit my family, because it doesn't look like the sailing trip is going to happen the way I had hoped.

So here are the two programs I'm applying or have applied to:

1. A humanitarian mission aboard the USNS Mercy, run by the UCSD Pre-Dental Society
   This organization partners with the U.S. Navy to provide medical staff and volunteer assistants for missions abroad aboard a hospital ship. This summer they will be traveling to Southeast Asia, visiting Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia for about 4 months total (2 weeks at each site plus a few days of transit between countries). I've applied for the whole summer but if I am chosen for only two sites then I requested Vietnam and Cambodia because it would give me more time and lee-way for MCAT studying (in case I have to push it back...again), AMCAS submission, and writing secondaries. I've been told by someone who does these kinds of missions regularly that I should go for the duration of whole thing if I have the opportunity because it's a once in a lifetime experience, but I would also like to have some time to be at home during the summer. It's fun over here. As of a week ago, they had received my application and now it's a waiting game. If I don't hear back within the next 2 - 3 weeks then I'll email them for an update but for now, I sit and wait and fret. I REALLY want to do this. It's right up my alley!
2. The Experiment in International Living, as a group leader for high school students
   This group plans homestays for high school students in countries around the world, and is in need of group leaders to be the contacts for these students when they're abroad. It would be the perfect opportunity to go back to Europe (or maybe even Australia) and live with a family and experience the international life I've been missing since I moved back to the States. I wish my Italian was better because then I could go to Florence, too!

Those are the plans, at least the international ones, for the summer. If I do end up staying here in town, I may volunteer at a summer camp for cancer kids, which is something I've been wanting to do since undergrad but just haven't had the time to do. Or, I may take an Italian summer course so I can take the more advanced language classes during fall and spring. Or I may just go camping a lot. Man, I'm already dreaming of the freedom I'll have once my MCAT and AMCAS are done!