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MSK9's Medical School Thread & Guide
#51
(12-30-2019, 08:44 PM)indigoshuffle Wrote: Just an interesting side note about a conversation I had with a resident at my hospital.
I colleague of mine told me about medical programs in the Philippines. He says they are around $2000 - $3000 a semester and that many of their students are able to get residency at hospitals in the US. Sounds very interesting except that he says there are about 3 additional tests one would have to take to come to the US.

I did give that a bit of consideration early on. I follow a guy on Instagram from Canada who's doing it. Thanks! Big Grin
Doctor of Medicine candidate (MD) - anticipated complete '24
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#52
(10-20-2019, 11:35 PM)Thank you so very much for sharing your amazing and dedicated journey. You are such a positive and well meaning person. I feel so uplifted reading your post.. cheers to you and best of luck in 2020! You are going to be one heckuva fantastic doctor! Wrote:  Exclamation Long post ahead. Exclamation

Undergrad:
I came to this forum in November 2017 looking for help on how to finish my undergraduate degree. While I wanted to pursue medicine, I didn't know enough about the application process to know if it was something that was feasible for me as thirty-something working full-time in law enforcement.

With the help of our DegreeForum community, I scraped together a TESU Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies: Humanities & Literature using a combination of old brick and mortar credits, independent course provider ACE credits and CLEP tests (paid for by Modern States).

I finished my liberal studies capstone around July 2018 and began my post-baccalaureate online science prereqs. After some research, I discovered many medical schools were accepting online, regionally-accredited science courses for the required "hard science" prerequisites and more still were preparing to accept them in the coming application cycle. I also learned that some schools were accepting Advanced Placement, and other forms of credit too.

After researching the topic through a major pre-health online community and reaching out to medical school admissions directors for verification, I chose the University of New England just ahead of TESU commencement in September 2018.

Post-Bac:
Through the University of New England's Science Prerequisites for Health Professionals program, I began Medical Biology 2 (BIOL 1011). It took me a week or two to get used to the format and it was basically a "run and gun" -type course where you could finish as quickly as you wanted to, or within the window of time they gave you (three months if I remember right). The courses start certain times of the month and the schedule can be found on their site. This course (and other UNE courses) utilized ProctorU for testing and featured heavily-weighted mid-terms and finals. It also featured a physical lab component which requires a separate science kit to be ordered. The labs are conducted at home and results are entered into a companion website.

After completing Medical Biology II, I began Medical General Chemistry with Lab (CHEM 1010 & 1010L). Like with Biology II, a lab kit (Hands-on-Labs) was required and experiment results were entered in the same type of companion site. Tests were administered by ProctorU. I found the pre-recorded, audio-only lectures extremely dry and not helpful. After finishing the course, I began to wonder if there were any alternatives to UNE's offerings.

I came across Doane University's Open Learning Academy. Doane University is a private Christian University in Nebraska. Doane had a wide selection of online, regionally-accredited science prerequisites in the same vein as UNE but with a different and more consistent format. I gave them a try, beginning with General Chemistry 2 with Lab (CHEM-126). While the course exams were not proctored, the coursework was more demanding and more challenging, with some assignments taking hours and hours to complete and others requiring you to record presentations on class topics. Unlike the UNE equivalents, Doane classes were/are on a much more regimented and tightly scheduled 8-week timeline. Assignments are due nearly every day of the week and getting behind in the class is not an option if you want to pass.

I passed Doane's General Chemistry 2 and began Organic Chemistry 1 with Lab (CHEM-205), followed by Biochemistry with Lab (CHEM- 330) and Physics 1 with Lab (PHYS-107, algebra-based). At the time of this writing, I am finishing Organic Chemistry 2 with Lab (CHEM-206) and Physics 2 with Lab (PHYS-108, algebra-based).

Tests:
After finishing Organic Chemistry 1, I signed up for and took the CASPer, a Canadian social judgment test used by certain medical schools as a pre-screening tool (6/2019).

While still in Biochemistry and Physics I, I signed-up and began studying for the MCAT, or the Medical College Admissions Test, administered by the American Association of Medical Colleges. The MCAT is mandatory for medical school admission.

I, like many others, didn't have the luxury of being able to study full-time for the MCAT. As a full-time student and cop on a permanent night shift, I did the best I could with the time available. I took the MCAT in September 2019 and scored on/near the national average score. While not impressive overall, I did well on the section often judged the harshest by admissions committees (CARS - 90th percentile) and scored high enough to apply to plenty of programs (side note: applying and acceptance are very different things!).

Applications:
As of this first post (10/20/19), I've applied to twenty-two programs and may apply yet to a twenty-third. While I'll leave admissions requirements research to the reader, the best tools one can use to find this information are: 1.) The school's own admission page, 2.) AAMC's MSAR 3.) AACOM's ChooseDO Explorer.

When applying to medical school during an admissions cycle, a person needs to first fill out the respective centralized applications of whatever type of school they wish to attend. For example, AAMC administers the allopathic applications (AMCAS) and AACOM does the same for osteopathic applications (AACOMAS). Once the applications are completed (transcripts ordered, etc.), the applicant adds their chosen schools to the application, attaches any relevant letters of evaluation/recommendation and submits the application, paying a total made up of application fees from each individual school. The application is then verified by each service prior to being sent to schools.

Once primary applications (1*) are verified and submitted, some schools automatically send out secondary applications, some schools review primaries before sending out secondaries. Secondary applications (2*) have an additional cost for submission. Once schools have reviewed submitted secondaries, they may grant you an interview invitation (II). From here you will receive either a rejection ®, WL (waitlist) or Acceptance. At this stage in my application (which is late for the allopathic cycle but still decent for the osteopathic cycle), I've received and submitted eight secondary applications.

Based on everything I mentioned above, here are my 2020 applications:

Osteopathic (D.O.) Medical Schools - 17, Allopathic (M.D.) - 5:

PCOM South Georgia
Primary

UIWSOM
Primary

NYITCOM @ ASU
Primary, Secondary

WVCOM
Primary

UP-KYCOM
Primary, Secondary

MUCOM
Primary

OUHCOM
Primary

LECOM-Bradenton
Primary

PCOM Georgia
Primary

MSUCOM
Primary, Secondary

ARCOM
Primary

UNECOM
Primary

DMU
Primary, Secondary

LECOM
Primary

ACOM
Primary

PCOM
Primary

VCOM at Auburn
Primary

U. North Dakota MD
Primary

WV MD
Primary, Secondary

U. Oklahoma MD
Primary, Secondary

Michigan State MD
Primary, Secondary

Tulane MD
Primary, Secondary
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#53
(01-01-2020, 08:19 PM)cyndigee Wrote: Thank you so very much for sharing your amazing and dedicated journey. You are such a positive and well meaning person. I feel so uplifted reading your post.. cheers to you and best of luck in 2020! You are going to be one heckuva fantastic doctor!
Thank you very much! Shy
Doctor of Medicine candidate (MD) - anticipated complete '24
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#54
Very cool! Congrats on the acceptance. Any further updates to share?
BS, Behavioral Science | Bellevue University
AS, Liberal Studies | Excelsior College

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.  

- Calvin Coolidge
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#55
Now seeing this great job! Here in the Caribbean St. Georges is very respected and persons I know have gone on to practice in the UK, Canada and US. There is also the University of the West Indies which is also very respected and produces good doctors.

The Doane program makes the TESU BA in Biology seem more doable, especially the online labs part.
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Master of Business Administration, Robert Cavelier University (2024-2025)

MS Information and Communication Technology (UK IET Accredited) (On Hold)
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UNDERGRAD : 184 Credits

BA Computer Science, TESU  '19
BA Liberal Studies, TESU  '19
AS  Natural Science and Mathematics, TESU  '19

StraighterLine (27 Cr)   Shmoop (18 Cr)  Sophia (11 Cr)
TEEX (5 Cr) Aleks (9 Cr)  ED4Credit (3 Cr) CPCU (2 Cr)   Study.com (39 Cr)

TESU (4 cr)
TT B&M (46 Cr)  Nations University  (9 cr)  UoPeople: (3 cr) Penn Foster: (8 cr)  

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#56
(02-06-2020, 02:08 PM)japhy4529 Wrote: Very cool! Congrats on the acceptance. Any further updates to share?

Still waiting! Recently got a rejection from Tulane, which was expected given the number of applicants they get.  I'm waiting on eleven schools.

(02-06-2020, 04:15 PM)armstrongsubero Wrote: Now seeing this great job! Here in the Caribbean St. Georges is very respected and persons I know have gone on to practice in the UK, Canada and US. There is also the University of the West Indies which is also very respected and produces good doctors.

The Doane program makes the TESU BA in Biology seem more doable, especially the online labs part.

I've always heard pretty good things about St. George's. The Doane classes aren't easy but are certainly doable. I'm glad I invested in them.
Doctor of Medicine candidate (MD) - anticipated complete '24
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#57
This very interesting. Thank you for sharing your journey and good luck!
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#58
First, let me add my congratulations.  

Second, did your instructors at the University of New England or Doane University write letters of recommendation for you?  
What was the process of asking for them, and did any of the instructors refuse? 
Also would you elaborate on what the coursework was like at the two schools and what you liked and disliked about the different systems?  

Thank you, and best of luck in medical school and beyond.
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#59
(02-10-2020, 07:14 AM)tussive Wrote: First, let me add my congratulations.  

Second, did your instructors at the University of New England or Doane University write letters of recommendation for you?  
What was the process of asking for them, and did any of the instructors refuse? 
Also would you elaborate on what the coursework was like at the two schools and what you liked and disliked about the different systems?  

Thank you, and best of luck in medical school and beyond.

Thank you very much.

Yes, at both schools. I approached the professors at the beginning of the term and asked if they'd consider it if I performed well in class. Each professor I asked wrote me a letter by the end of the term. No instructors refused, though the letters were contingent upon performance.

The course work was challenging and there was a lot of during each class. I took two classes at UNE and didn't care for the format. The UNE classes are self-paced over a three or four month period (can't remember which).

The Doane classes are on a strict eight week schedule with heavy coursework. Doane recommends having 20+ hours a week available to do class work per one class. I liked just about everything better about Doane's program; the format, the time frame, the assignments. In cost, the programs are comparable.

Hope this helps!
Doctor of Medicine candidate (MD) - anticipated complete '24
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#60
Hi there,
I want to say thank very much for sharing all this nice information. I am really thankful for it. I want to go into the PA field. Are UNE and Doane the only places to get "hard sciences" from? I called Doane and they stated that on the transcript they will not indicate whether it was done online or in person. Which is nice. Is this the reason why you chose Doane?

Thank you
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