Important Information and Documents
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Important Messages from Dr. Donna Heald:
*MCAT INFORMATION (3/19/07)*
 Students planning to take the August/September MCAT, The AAMC
recently changed the opening day of registration for the August/September
MCAT to an earlier date than originally planned. Registration will begin
on March 26 for those planning to take the exam in the Northeast United States.
If you plan to take the exam in another part of the country, please note the
dates given in the message below (registration begins on March 22 for the
central US). I hope that most of you have registered to take the exam before
August, but if you have decided to take the MCAT in August, please be sure
to register early so that you have some assurance of finding a seat.
Best regards, Donna Heald
"Registration for the August and September administrations of the Medical
College Admission Test (MCAT) will begin Thursday, March 22. As with the
June and July dates, we will have a regional roll-out of registration according
to the following schedule. All openings begin at 9 am Eastern.
March 22: Central US
March 23: Southern US
March 26: Northeastern US
March 27: Western US
March 28: Canadian & Other International
August/September registration was originally schedule to begin in mid-April.
Due to unexpectedly light registration for our June/July administrations,
and interest in our summer/fall dates, we have decided to open registration for
our remaining administrations a bit earlier than we had originally planned.
We will update the Registration page of our Web site by close of business
tomorrow to reflect this new schedule."
Cordially yours,
Michelle
Michelle Sparacino
Director, MCAT Test Administration & Operations
Registration for the June/July exams will NOT open on February 14th as
originally announced, unless you plan to take the exam in Canada or another
international site. MCAT has decided to open registration on a rolling basis,
depending on the geographic location of where you plan to take the exam. If
you plan to take the exam in a Northeastern state, registration opens on
February 22. Please click here for more details.
Please note that the MCAT schedule is subject to change. For the most
current information, please visit the MCAT Web site: www.aamc.org/mcat .
Please pay particular attention to the MCAT Essentials. In addition, MCAT
examinee relations specialists are available to assist you: (202) 828-0690,
mcat@aamc.org.
I have been asked by the AAMC to distribute this message to you regarding
the upcoming registration for the MCAT. Please carefully read the information
so that your experience with the online registration goes more smoothly that the
previous group of students who registered for the April/May exams. If you plan
to register for the June/July exams, please check your email regularly. I will be sure
to pass along any messages I have from the AAMC.
*Other Opportunities and Messages*
Part-time volunteer laboratory technician in experimental bone marrow
transplantation at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Student will
have an opportunity to take over a paid, full-time research technician
position in June 2007. One such position will be available. In addition
to technician duties, we offer our full-time technicians the opportunity
to undertake their own research project if desired. Past technicians
have published first-author papers in J. Exp. Med. and Blood.
Position: Lab Track (Non-Tenure)
Application Requirements:
Applicant must be a college student majoring in biology or allied
disciplines, or premedical. Laboratory experience, especially in tissue
culture and animal handling is preferred, but not a requisite.
IMPORTANT: Please include estimated availability (e.g., total available
hours per week and a possible sample schedule) with your application.
How To Apply:
Mail David Suh
Research Technician
Medicine/Immunology
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital410 East 69th Street, Room Z-1419
New York, NY 10021
Phone
646-888-2317
Fax
646.422.0452
E-mail
suhd@mskcc.org
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~Freshman Pre-med Symposium~ |
The Symposium is a one-credit course offered in the first semester of freshman year. In this symposium, students will read widely about diverse issues facing the medical professions. They will also explore ways to engage fully in the academic and extracurricular life of the university. In addition, they will work in small groups to discuss challenges common to first-year students in pre-professional programs and to propose in writing ways to meet such challenges. First-year students in this symposium will work with upper-division peer mentors and they will participate in the Laennec Pre-Health Society's general meetings and meetings targeted to first-year students. |
~Frequently Asked Questions~ |
Q: What factors are considered in admission to health professions schools?
- In addition to strong test scores and a high GPA , health profession schools expect an applicant to have compiled a clear and genuine record of service, whether on-campus, in the local community, and/or in the area where their family lives. All applicants are expected to have obtained clinical experience in their field of interest . Indeed, all professional schools other than allopathic schools expect (or require) a letter from a preceptor that a student has shadowed; it doesn't hurt M.D. applicants to have such a letter as well.
- Students seeking acceptance to M.D./Ph.D. programs need to develop an extensive record of undergraduate research , and they need a letter from their research mentor.
- All pre-professional students are expected to read widely , both in class and out of class, in journals, in newspapers, and in classic texts, as well as basic resources in their field(s) of study.
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Q: What is the most common cause of academic difficulty experienced by pre-health professions students?
In most cases, students who experience great difficulty in science courses share several common behaviors:
- They do not read their textbooks before a professor discusses a topic.
- They take no notes when they read their books
- They don't ask questions when they become confused.
- They
do not belong to a study group, or the study group is too large, or too unstructured.
- They miss class.
- They try to study in their dorms.
- They do not take time after class to integrate class notes with their own reading and problem solving.
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Q: If students do not take chemistry during the first semester, won't they fall behind?
- They may end up having to delay their standardized test, and consequently their application, but this would happen anyway if a student unprepared for chemistry took chemistry and did poorly in it. It is preferable to delay a course until the point at which the student has adequate preparation to do well in it, rather than taking a course for which a student does not have adequate preparation.
- In addition, beginning in 2007, the MCAT will be offered twenty times per year rather than two, so students will have more flexibility in planning their preparation for this exam.
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Q: Should students who have AP credits apply them towards pre-med requirements?
- Most medical schools recommend that students take the pre-requisite science courses at their undergraduate institution, even if their AP scores grant credit for prerequisite courses. If they wish to retain AP credit for prerequisite courses, they should take upper-division coursework in the discipline in which they have AP credit.
- AP credit is acceptable for calculus and for non-science courses.
- N.B. If students satisfy most of their humanities credits with AP courses, they should still take textually rigorous courses in order to be prepared for the written and verbal portions of the MCAT.
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Q: Why do first-year students have so much difficulty with labs?
- Many students fail to do the pre-labs fully.
- They show up late for lab.
- They do not pay close enough attention to detail.
- They do not ask for clarification of instructions they do not understand.
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Q: What is a good pre-health course of study?
- Students should choose the major in which they have the greatest interest. Any life-sciences major, any major in the humanities or social sciences that permits a large number of elective choices, and any science major that permits a student to study biology as well as chemistry and physics is appropriate. Students must take certain required courses: a year of biology with laboratory; a year of general chemistry with laboratory; a year of organic chemistry with laboratory; a year of physics with laboratory; a year of English, including literature, a course or two in mathematics (schools vary in their requirements), including calculus. Breadth of education is expected. Advanced studies in the humanities and in the social and behavioral sciences and opportunities for the development of effective writing skills are strongly suggested, as are advanced language training for students who plan to work with LEP patients.
- The selection of an undergraduate major area of study should be a careful and considered decision. Students often assume that there is a “best pre-med” major, and others assume that they can choose an “easy” major that will allow them to (they believe) compile a higher GPA (they ignore the fact that the science GPA is calculated separately by the professional schools). I invariably recommend that they select a major area of study that will be of continuing interest to them and that will provide a foundation of knowledge necessary for the pursuit of several career alternatives. A science major is not a prerequisite for admission to a health professions school. These schools are most concerned with the overall quality and scope of undergraduate work even while they expect a high “BCPM” science GPA.
- In addition to the minimum science requirements for health professions schools, I recommend that students take a course in biochemistry and/or molecular biology, as well as courses in physiology, microbiology, or any other area of science that interests them.
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