cuatmedschool

[cuatmedschool]

Technology alone is not enough. We must engage with our hearts also.

Dr. Jane Goodall

[cuatmedschool]

Hi! I am an HBHS major interested in doing a summer internship at the NIH this summer or junior summer. I am interested in translational research and social aspects of health. Do you have any tips for the application process? I know it's super competitive. Is it feasible to do this while studying for the MCAT?

Hey! The NIH is such an awesome place to work, and I’m so excited that you’re thinking about working there! I worked in Building 10, the Clinical Center, which was half a hospital and half research labs, so translational (or even clinical) work is definitely a possibility. As for social aspects of health, there are some developmental psychology/psychiatry related labs (look into the National Institute of Mental Health), but I’m not sure how many labs look into psychological/sociological determinants of health. The Framingham Heart Study (NHLBI) looks into some social risks of heart disease, but that campus is located in Framingham, Massachusetts. That’s something you’ll have to look into.

I got really lucky and had a connection in the lab I joined (a prior mentor got me the position). From what I’ve heard, though, the best way to get a position is to contact PI’s in labs that you’re interested in. I would find at least 10 labs and contact the PI’s. The application process works by you submitting your application to an online portal where PI’s are able to view the applications. However, thousands of people apply (for many many lab positions), so the chances of a PI just scrolling through applications and finding yours are slim. Make sure you find a lab whose research you’re very interested in - this is super important! You’ll be miserable if you don’t like your work.

It definitely is feasible to study for the MCAT, but you might not have that great of a summer. The NIH expects you to work full time (35-40 hours a week), and if you’re only studying for the MCAT for 10 weeks, you’ll have to study 5-6 hours a day. Trust me when I say that after a full day, the last thing you’ll want to do after work is study until you go to sleep. If you start studying a month or two beforehand, you’ll probably have an easier time over the summer. Washington DC is such an awesome place that I would hate to think you’re spending all your time studying. Hope this helps!

DS

[cuatmedschool]

As you set out for Ithaka hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery. Laistrygonians, Cyclops, angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them: you’ll never find things like that on your way as long as you keep your thoughts raised high, as long as a rare excitement stirs your spirit and your body.

C.P. Cafavy

Rest In Peace, Elizabeth Garrett, 13th President of Cornell University

[cuatmedschool]

hey! which professors from which classes did you ask for letters of rec for med school? like a bio prof, research prof, etc? I've heard it's so hard to get to know profs here

For HCEC (which allows only 3 letters), I asked my research advisor, my PI from the NIH, and a bio professor whose class I took (and did well in) and TAed for as well. I will also submit 2 additional letters - one from my PI from my internship in San Antonio and the Dean of my college (who I’ve worked with extensively in the past). It may seem like I have a lot of letters, but keep in mind that MD/PhD programs require more letters in general.

DS

[cuatmedschool]

do you have any advice on avoiding a gap year and making it clear to advisors that I don't want to take one? I understand gap years are advantageous for admissions, but I really do not want to take one and I feel that the cornell pre med advisors are really pushing it. I'd be fine with attending my in state med school.

Hey! I have been hearing lately that many Cornell advisors almost force their students to take a gap year. Though yes they are advantageous in many ways, the decision is (and should be) entirely personal. I would ask the advisor why he/she is pushing for one so hard (perhaps it’s scores, grades, extracurriculars, research they feel you could improve on). If they don’t seem to have one, tell them that you’ve discussed the option extensively with your family and have though about it for a while, and you just don’t feel that the gap year is right for you. You can tell them that you feel Cornell has adequately prepared you to go straight through, and that your ultimate goal is not to attend the best medical school but just to get in medical school. Also remember that no matter what, the advisor cannot force you to take a gap year. If you start the application and fulfill all the requirements, they will have to write you a committee letter anyway (and they wouldn’t write you a bad letter just because you decided not to take a gap year).

DS

[cuatmedschool]

when did you guys take the MCAT? Dr. O Neil said that you can't take it august of your senior year without taking a gap year. Is this true?

I took the MCAT in January of my senior year, and I plan on taking only one gap year. If you do NOT want to take a gap year, you should plan on taking the MCAT in April or May of your junior year. Technically, you could take it in June/August but remember med school admissions are rolling. By the time you get and submit your scores, you’ll already be at a huge disadvantage since 99% of applicants will have already submitted their applications. If you take the MCAT anytime during your senior year, you have to take at least one gap year. I talk a lot about the process and my preparation here.

DS

[cuatmedschool]

did you take the tutorial physics course or the lecture based one? which would you recommend? also, kinda unrelated but when did you take the mcat?

I took autotutorial physics (PHYS 1101 and 1102). I’m good with self-studying and time management, which are essential to doing well in the course. Though overall I would say you end up spending the same amount of time doing work in both, the advantage of autotutorial is that you don’t have to go to class yet there are still tons of TA’s that can help you understand material you find confusing.

I just took the MCAT this past January (1/22/16). I started studying in mid-December. If you’d like to read more about it, I made a pretty detailed post here.

DS

[cuatmedschool]

is the Cornell Child Care Center walking distance from North Campus or is there a tcat that goes there? thinking of volunteering there but don't know if it'd be too inconvenient!

Yes! Any TCAT that goes to A Lot goes to the Child Care Center (81, 82). Otherwise, it’s about a 7-8 minute walk from Risley. Definitely volunteer - it’s a great opportunity!

DS

[cuatmedschool]

How to Kill the MCAT in 5 Weeks

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of posting these past few months. It’s been a whirlwind, with schoolwork, starting to apply to medical school (HCEC >__>), studying and taking the MCAT, writing an honors thesis, preparing another manuscript for publication, etc. I’m happy to say that I’m (mostly) back and will be trying to answer all of your questions! But this post is mostly dedicated to how I studied and prepared for the MCAT. While a lot of people spend months preparing for the exam, I didn’t start studying until the beginning of winter break and spent only 5 weeks (albeit a brutal 5 weeks) preparing for the exam. Scores were released yesterday, and I’ll just say that I’m very happy with my score. I’ll be discussing many aspects of how I prepared, and hopefully it’ll help someone out there.

1. Classes

If you really think about it, studying for the MCAT should really just be review. You’ve learned 95% of the material in your classes before, so re-learning it shouldn’t be as hard as the first time. In my opinion, the new MCAT really favors students who work in research labs since there are a lot of passages that require data interpretation. The exam seems also to focus heavily on biochemistry. I was lucky and took biochem just this past fall, along with another course called “Nutrition and Disease” (NS4410). Surprisingly, a lot of the content in NS4410 ended up being on the MCAT as well. Having taken biochem so recently, most of it was fresh in my head so it was not nearly as difficult to learn as it should have been. Realistically, you probably will only really remember material from classes you took from the past year - anything past that you’ll likely have to re-learn. My recommendation would be to take biochemistry right before the exam, since it is such an important component on the MCAT and you want it fresh in your mind. What is on the MCAT is really just a watered down version of all your premed classes - don’t forget that. It may seem like a monster to study for, but all the knowledge is somewhere in your brain - you just have to dust it off.

2. Study Materials

Personally, I am a self-studier. I’ve never done well with prep courses. I don’t really know why, but for some reason I think there’s always a part of me that feels like I’m getting ripped off since they are so expensive. There’s no reason you can’t self-study, especially since that’s what you do during the school year. As for me, I decided to go with the full set of books from ExamKrackers (EK) and Kaplan, which together totaled around $350 (vs. a $2000 Kaplan course). EK, in my opinion, is great because they explain everything so well and succinctly and are able to cover 95% of what is on the exam in half the length of other prep material. EK splits each book into chapters, and each book consists of anywhere from 4-7 chapters (each 60-70 pages long). For example, chemistry (organic and inorganic were combined) had 7 chapters and consisted of around 450 pages of content. The organic chemistry book alone for Kaplan, on the other hand, was 400 pages (general chemistry was ~600 pages). Since I was trying to get through all of the content within 2-3 weeks, EK was great because it was so short. EK also had practice passages in the back, which aren’t the same as the actual exam (they’re a bit more difficult) but are good for practice. I used Kaplan mostly for practice, since the full book set also came with online materials (including 3 full length tests). What I didn’t like about Kaplan was how long it was (as I mentioned before) and how detailed it went. They seemed to focus much more on facts unlike EK which focused on concepts. I also bought both full-length tests from AAMC (which together cost $60).

The one comment I have is about the psychology and sociology section is that I felt neither really adequately covered what I was tested. I had bought the Kaplan books because I heard they covered the psych/soc sections much better, but in the end there were a ton of terms on the actual test that weren’t covered in the books. I think this will improve as time goes on and more tests are released, as the test companies will get a better understanding of what is actually on the test.

3. Study Schedule

I set a very strict schedule for myself. I began studying the day after I got home from my last final. I studied every single day of winter break, 10-12 hours a day for 5 weeks straight (there were about 3 days [holidays] where I only studied ~4 hours). It’s brutal and takes discipline, but for me, this was the right decision since I knew spreading it out over the course of 3 months would be excruciating and I wouldn’t be able to retain the information as well. I promised myself that I would work through 2 chapters of EK each day, which is around 120-140 pages of content and I thought was very reasonable (I’m also a bit of a slow reader). At this rate, I was able to finish all the content in 2.5 weeks. After going through all the material, I took a single full-length practice test from Kaplan. The next day, I reviewed the test and spent the next week and a half going over every single subject again (doing 1 subject, like physics, every day). This entailed redoing all the practice passages in EK, all the book problems in the Kaplan books, and all the practice online passages for Kaplan that pertained to that subject. I spent the entire last week doing the other passages (the remaining 2 full-length Kaplan and the 2 full-length AAMC). I did a test every other day, and every day in-between I would go over the previous day’s test. On days that I did tests, I would watch a movie afterwards (as a reward for having just taken a 7.5 hour test), eat, and then go straight to sleep.

4. Practice

The best way you can study is practice. A realization I had while studying for the MCAT was that this, like many other standardized tests, is one that can be learned. There are very obvious patterns to questions (especially in CARS), and EK was great at giving you pointers for choosing the right answer. It’s tricky because something as simple as a single word could mean that an answer is wrong. So much of the MCAT is strategy and endurance, so be sure to take multiple full-length tests. Diversifying your study materials will help you adapt to different types of tests. For me, CARS was my weakest section, and I needed tons of additional help on it. I used Khan Academy’s free materials (they have 50+ passages you can practice on). Also be sure to review answers you got right (and why you got them right) in addition to the answers you got wrong. The two AAMC full-length tests are very good predictors of how you will do, in my opinion. There aren’t many full-length tests out there, so treat them preciously. Once you take one, you can’t really take it again as if it were “new.” It’s important that you don’t take a full-length test until you finish reviewing all the material at least once because there’s really no point in taking it if you’re going to get a bunch of questions wrong. On days that you take full-length tests, try to emulate test day. Go to sleep early the night before, wake up early, eat breakfast, find a quiet spot you can work for several hours, and begin your test before 8AM. Do NOT go on your phone or on the internet during your breaks. Treating the test as if it were real helps with mental preparation for the actual test along with time management.

To put things in perspective, I scored a 506 on my full-length Kaplan test, which was 2.5 weeks before my actual test. Following a week of review of all the content, I scored another 506 on a Kaplan test (which was pretty discouraging). I next took the scored AAMC test, which I scored a 513 on. I took another Kaplan test and scored a 510, and my final AAMC test I scored ~518 (it’s not scored, but that’s the approximate score according to the percentages). Improvement can be quick and drastic when you’re taking multiple full length tests.

5. Test Day

How you treat test day plays a large part in how well you will do. This is where taking practice tests and treating it like the real thing helps. For me, I had been taking practice tests for the entire week so it was kind of like just waking up and taking another practice test. Trust that you’re prepared, even if you don’t 100% feel it (no one ever feels 100% prepared going into these tests!). I went to bed early, but was pretty nervous and woke up a few times during the night. I didn’t feel particularly tired, however, and I felt surprisingly calm going into the testing center (besides the normal level of nerves). I know it’s easy to say “stay calm” when it feels like your future is on the line, but just take a deep breath every time you feel your heart beat getting a bit faster. Mentality is everything. There will be a surprising amount of security at the test center, but just roll with it. The testing center will have noise cancelling headphones, but since you’re in a pretty quiet room I didn’t find them necessary (I actually put them on for a second but found them to be quite uncomfortable, and I had been studying at a noisy Barnes & Noble so I was used to any noise). People may be coming in and out of the room (quietly), so try to request a computer farther away from the door. Once you start, just let your instincts take over. You’ve been preparing for this - you know how to do it, you’ve just spent weeks/months studying!

Here’s my biggest piece of advice: realize that every single question on that test has an answer and can be answered. If you read a question and are very confused because nothing in your studies covered the topic, then the answer is in the passage. The MCAT will NOT give you a question that cannot be answered. If the question seems to be discrete but you just seemingly can’t figure out the answer, refer back to the passage and look for the answer. It’s there! I promise!

At the end of the MCAT, you will have the option to void your score. Resist your temptation to void your score. No one ever feels good coming out of that test - it’s absolutely normal. You’ve worked so hard for the test - trust that your preparation was sufficient. Unless you actually like fell asleep and didn’t answer 50% of the test, do NOT void your score.

6. Post-MCAT

Congratulations! You’re done!!! Go and celebrate! Do something to take your mind off all things MCAT! I went and saw a broadway show with a friend, and it was amazing. The next month of waiting will be excruciating, but you’ll get through it! The day of score release, I had such bad anxiety the entire day (I had woken up at least 8 times the night before). When my score came out, the website crashed and I wasn’t able to see my score for over an hour (which was the worst). When I finally saw my score, however, I was ecstatic. All my hard work had paid off, and to be perfectly honest, I was crying tears of joy. If you’ve worked as hard as you can, then be confident that you’ll be happy too.

I hope this helps someone out there. I won’t post my score right now (perhaps after I get accepted somewhere), but I will say that my score will allow me to be competitive at the top 10 schools. The MCAT is intimidating, but it’s possible to crush it if you work hard. Put things in perspective: this is only the first of many tests you’ll have to take if you want to be a doctor. It’s just a stepping stone in your career, and you’ve already made it this far.

DS

[cuatmedschool]

An Important Issue

It’s been a busy semester, which is why I haven’t really been posting (I promise to change that), but there’s an issue going across campuses that I can’t ignore. And as a scientist, person of color, American, and aspiring physician, racial intolerance is an injustice not only to the victims of it, but to the very institutions the people who are often racist claim they are trying to preserve.

In early 1951, Henrietta Lacks was referred to Johns Hopkins Hospital for abnormal bleeding after giving birth. Johns Hopkins was the only hospital at the time in her area that admitted black patients. A lump was found in her cervix, and the pathology lab confirmed cervical cancer. She was treated with radium tube inserts, the standard treatment of the time. On February 8th 1951 during her radiation treatment, a health and cancerous part of her cervix were removed by Dr. George Otto Gey without her permission. These cells were found to be immortal, meaning they could undergo cell division without ever stopping. These cells would eventually become the HeLa immortal cell line. Lacks would eventually return to Hopkins due to significant pain and remained there until her death in October of 1951.

HeLa cells would eventually become the corner stone of scientific research and is, to this day, the most commonly used human cell line in biomedical research. An immortal cell line overcame many of the obstacles present in biomedical research at the time, and provided an avenue for all types of research. HeLa cells were critical in the development of the polio vaccine, cancer research, AIDS research, determining the effects of radiation and toxic substances, and gene mapping. By 2009, over 60,000 scientific articles were published using HeLa cells. It was estimated that if the total weight of all HeLa cells could be measured, it would exceed 50 million metric tons.

A highly debated ethical dilemma is that neither Henrietta Lacks nor her family gave her physicians permission to harvest the cells, though patient consent was not commonly sought at this time. In the 1970s, the Lacks family received numerous phone calls requesting blood samples to learn more about the family’s genetic history, leading the family to learn about the harvesting of the cells. In March 2013, German researchers published the genome of a strain of HeLa cells without permission from the Lacks family.

Underlying this issue is the, to many, not-so-obvious issue of racism in medicine, and the pain brought upon the Lacks family with few caring enough to take action - a story that I think parallels what is happening on college campuses today. Millions of people who have benefited from HeLa cells owe this to Henrietta Lacks. People of every race, whether it be white, black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, yet few people seem to recognize the profound impact and role a person of color has had on the scientific community.

So the next time you work with HeLa cells, think of Henrietta Lacks. Think her sacrifice and the lives that have been saved because of her. Think about what’s happening across college campuses today and realize that racism exists, and it exists everywhere. To be complacent in an issue as important as this is a deliberate act of anti-progressivism and a clear transgression of social justice. We demand more not because we’re “coddled, narcissistic, self-absorbed, thin-skinned young people, permanent ‘victims,’ who will be ill-equipped to function effectively in the real world,” but because we recognize that in a society and country that prides itself on equality, there are too many people who feel anything but equal.

DS

[cuatmedschool]

Beatrice finally broke the awkward silence. 'I'm sorry.' She shrugged her shoulders and looked vacantly past us. 'I know we have reached an end.' We hung out heads, ashamed. It was, I suspected, not the first time that a patient had consoled a doctor about the ineffectuality of his discipline.

The Emperor of All Maladies Siddhartha Mukherjee

[cuatmedschool]

The First Last

Today was the last “first day” of our undergraduate careers. Though it sometimes feels like we’ve been at Cornell forever, I can’t help but to find it at least a bit surreal that the end of our adventure here is slowly creeping toward us. Watching the eager and anxious freshmen venture onto campus for the first time as students today flooded me with the curiosity and uncertainty I felt just three years ago as I attempted (unsuccessfully) to navigate my way through the sea of students. It’s easy to joke about how we’re now “senior citizens”, jaded by the reality of the pressure that burdens students on this hill. But no matter the stress, Cornell always finds a way to redeem itself - through the supportive friends, the endless fishbowls, or the peace of a gorge carving through campus. What a wonderful three years it’s been, and what a task it is to accept that this chapter is coming to a close in just one year more.  CS

[cuatmedschool]

Hi do you think it would be possible to major in atmospheric science and still do premed. I know everyone says "you can major in anything " but is this really possible?

There’s a reason why people say that, and that’s because it actually is true. You can major in anything you want and still be premed. Of course some majors have more overlap with the premed courses, like Biology, whereas for others, like English or History, you have to take classes completely outside your major (which for some people is also difficult). For atmospheric science, I’m sure you’d have some overlap with the physics requirement which could make things easier, but yes it is absolutely possible.

DS

[cuatmedschool]

EEEEFFFFFFF

So last week, my Mac did this thing where upon startup, the screen stays gray and a wonderful flashing folder with a big ‘ol question mark appears. I looked online, and people said that this means your computer can’t find its hard drive which could either mean: 1) your hard drive is broken (fuck) or 2) the cable connecting to your hard drive is broken. I began having a panic attack because I hadn’t backed up my stuff and ALL of my research (yes ALL of it) is on my computer. Along with all my thesis, schoolwork, music, and pictures.

I took it to work the next day and fortuitously, it turned on. This is good news, since I thought it meant that it was the cable that was broken. I backed up all my most important stuff, but wasn’t able to time capsule my computer since I didn’t have an external hard drive. I had to turn my computer off to bring it home. On Saturday, I turned it on again and same thing - flashing folder with the question mark. I decided to bring it in to the Apple store. Genius guy told me that he thinks it’s the cable too, but that they’ll have to replace the hard drive if it’s defective (and I thought, yea might as well since there’s probably nothing I could do if it’s broken anyway).

So turns out, it wasn’t just the cable... I jus got my Mac back, and they had to replace the hard drive. So I lost everything. Fuck. I mean, at least I have all my research stuff but still... :’( I’ve definitely learned my lesson... Why does technology hate me.

DS

[cuatmedschool]

Here We Go

Today’s my last day at the NIH

Over the next year, you guys will go on a journey with me. As I enter my last year of college, along with it comes a lot of things - getting my paper out, writing my thesis, studying for the MCAT, taking the MCAT, applying for med school, being ridiculously nostalgic about finishing college, figuring out what I’m going to do during my gap year, and graduation. It’s going to feel long, it’s going to be tough, but with the support of my friends and family, I’m looking forward to finding out more about myself and my future.

I hope you’ll all bear with me as I go on to start, without a doubt, the most exciting, stressful, nostalgic, emotional, and memorable year of my life thus far.

DS

[cuatmedschool]

Hello! This question mainly goes to DS because I know you are involved in greek life. Im a rising sophomore and was really looking to get involved in fraternity life this year. I rushed last winter and it really didnt work out. Is it harder to get into a fraternity when fall rushing, especially if you dont have too many friends in the greek world? Is formal rushing in the winter as a sophomore a thing? Is it looked down upon? Thanks so much!

Hey there! I’m glad you asked a question that I never really talk about, especially since I have a lot of opinions and thoughts on the Greek system at Cornell. I’ll begin by saying, no - it is not at all weird for sophomores to rush and join a fraternity (no matter the semester). My best friend in my pledge class (and my roommate) was a year older than me, and I know tons of other people (transfers and non-transfers) who join fraternities sophomore year. Some houses (including mine) also do Fall rush, though it’s difficult to tell which houses actually do it since not all of them do. I wouldn’t say it’s “easier” or “harder,” just different since the pledge classes are usually on the smaller size (~10 as opposed to 15-20 in the Spring).

When I rushed, I knew zero people in Greek life. For me, it was about branching out and making new friends. I guess my main advice would be to visit at least 4-5 fraternities so you really know where you fit in best. With over 35 fraternities in Interfraternity Council (IFC) and more in the Multicultural Greek Letter Council (MGLC), I’m a true believer that there’s a house for everyone who wants to join Greek life. You just have to take the time to seek out those houses.

Greek life is really what you make of it. For some people, their house is everything to them and they become very dedicated to all aspects of the house, whether it be social, philanthropic, or athletics. At least for me, my fraternity became more of people who I really enjoy spending time around and a place for me to always call home. I may not show up at every meeting or event, but that’s because I’m doing other things I like, and that’s ok too. Ultimately, I couldn’t imagine what my Cornell experience would have been like without it.

DS

[cuatmedschool]

Doctoring

The med student I was shadowing let me do the Doppler ultrasound on a person’s foot and take their blood pressure last week. If the feeling I had afterwards is any indication of what medicine is like, I can’t fucking wait.

DS