In addition to your list of being a future MD/PhD holder, a TA, a Chem major, etc. consider yourself as a role model because you are certainly mine. :)
Aww thanks! I'm glad. :)
Latest answers from Hanna
Hi Hanna, I am a junior and I have finally decided I definitely want to apply to MD/PhD programs. Did you take the MCAT and apply in your junior year or senior year? Thanks! I love your blog, by the way :)
Awesome! I'm glad you like the blog! I took the MCAT and applied the summer after my junior year.
I want to apply to Urbana Champaign's MSP, but it's December and I don't know if it's too late to apply. Do you know if the program accepts students on a rolling basis? Would I be at a big disadvantage if I applied now? The official deadline is Dec 31. Also, does the program guarantee funding?
I'm glad you're interested! The MSP is great!
The MSP usually doesn't start interviewing students until after the deadline since they coordinate with the graduate programs, which have later deadlines. This year, though, they have interviewed some earlier (but not too many that I'm aware of). I have friends in the program who applied pretty close to the official deadline and still made it in, so it doesn't hurt to try!
As for funding, MSP students are funded just like any graduate student during the PhD portion (tuition waved and a stipend). They may have to TA or they get an RA each semester, but either way, they will be funded (how depends more on the graduate department and the specific advisor). For the last three years of medical school (aka after completing the PhD), MSPs receive about 60% of the stipend they received as a PhD student. Sometimes this is provided freely or as a TAship depending on funding available.
The MSP usually doesn't start interviewing students until after the deadline since they coordinate with the graduate programs, which have later deadlines. This year, though, they have interviewed some earlier (but not too many that I'm aware of). I have friends in the program who applied pretty close to the official deadline and still made it in, so it doesn't hurt to try!
As for funding, MSP students are funded just like any graduate student during the PhD portion (tuition waved and a stipend). They may have to TA or they get an RA each semester, but either way, they will be funded (how depends more on the graduate department and the specific advisor). For the last three years of medical school (aka after completing the PhD), MSPs receive about 60% of the stipend they received as a PhD student. Sometimes this is provided freely or as a TAship depending on funding available.
As a MD/PhD student, do you have any time for yourself? For family and friends? To just take a break? I would like to do a MD/PhD program, but I want to enjoy my 20s...
Of course! Check out my full response here: http://mdphdtobe.com/2014/08/05/time-balance-as-a-mdphd-student/
Hi Hanna. I am applying to medical schools this year. For the AMCAS activities experience/description section, what did you discuss besides the "what did I do?" Also, did you write it in narrative or a resume format? Any help would be appreciated! Thank you : )
Since the activities/experiences section descriptions are rather brief, I retained a resume format for my basic descriptions. First, I did my best to explain each activity. For example, I explained that my marching band was a 300-member ensemble that performed at home football games and parades, and I explained that the purpose of my sorority was to promote an appreciation of music, develop leadership, and empower women. After establishing what the activity itself was, I then explained my specific role within the activity. On the other hand, my most meaningful essays took on a more narrative format.
Should I contact a few professors about being interested in pursuing the PhD part of my MD-PhD in their lab? I am very sure about the department I want to join for my PhD. I know that people contact PIs for PhD programs and didn't know if that was common practice for the MD-PhD as well.
As an MD/PhD you are still a PhD, so what applies to PhD students applies to you. If you connect with potential PIs before applying, you can then possibly include in your secondary application (especially for the "Why this school?" question) that you are interested in a certain lab or labs and have corresponded with the PI(s). It can show that you're serious about attending the school, which will definitely help!
Have you ever had a proffessor who disliked you, and by discouraging you (bad grades, not acceppting my lab reports even thought they are similar to others, saying discouraging comments to be) made you stop loving the subject he/she teaches? I feel like I´m losing motivation to study :/
I can't say I've ever had a professor that didn't like me, but going to a large university, I didn't really get a chance to know my professors anyway.
If this is happening to you, your options seem to be notify someone that you're being mistreated by this professor, drop the course and retake it with a different professor, or try to push through and perhaps speak with the professor about how you can do better/try to create a better relationship with the professor (though risking the chance of getting a bad grade in the course by continuing in this situation.) It is definitely challenging to succeed when your environment is discouraging you from studying, so I would suggest doing something to make the course better for you so that you will get the most out of it. Good luck!
If this is happening to you, your options seem to be notify someone that you're being mistreated by this professor, drop the course and retake it with a different professor, or try to push through and perhaps speak with the professor about how you can do better/try to create a better relationship with the professor (though risking the chance of getting a bad grade in the course by continuing in this situation.) It is definitely challenging to succeed when your environment is discouraging you from studying, so I would suggest doing something to make the course better for you so that you will get the most out of it. Good luck!
Hi :) I was wondering, how important is volunteering for med school? Can you compensate volunteering with other extracurriculars? What were your extracurriculars (the ones that you listed on your med application) if you don't mind me asking. Thank you :)
Extracurricular activities in general are incredibly important for medical school. They allow the admissions committees to know a little bit more about you other than your GPA and MCAT and they can show that you can be dedicated to an organization or a cause, which is incredibly important since medical school requires extreme dedication. Volunteer work specifically helps to show your dedication to the community, that you can deal with people, and that you're willing to do so without a financial reward. If you can find other extracurriculars that show all of these things, then that could likely substitute for volunteer work but it's generally easiest to do through volunteering. Even if it's not specifically a volunteer position, you can still get such an experience. For example, my sorority did a lot of volunteer work so I emphasized that in my application.
My AMCAS activities were: Volunteering at a hospital for 6 years*, University of Minnesota Men's Hockey Band, research in a genetic engineering lab, working as a cashier at Target, receiving an undergraduate research fellowship, earning an undergraduate research grant, being a leader in a sorority, working as a receptionist at an apartment building, research in a medicinal chemistry lab*, and being a leader in the University of Minnesota Marching Band* (*listed as most meaningful experience.)
My AMCAS activities were: Volunteering at a hospital for 6 years*, University of Minnesota Men's Hockey Band, research in a genetic engineering lab, working as a cashier at Target, receiving an undergraduate research fellowship, earning an undergraduate research grant, being a leader in a sorority, working as a receptionist at an apartment building, research in a medicinal chemistry lab*, and being a leader in the University of Minnesota Marching Band* (*listed as most meaningful experience.)
Hi! How do you prevent yourself from feeling jealous of your classmates who have better grades? Grades are so important in med schools, and I do my best, I study, work hard but my grades are not that great as some of my classmates...and I get super jalous, think I´m more stupid than them etc..thanks
Grades are important, yes, but how comfortable YOU feel with the information is what really matters. I try not to compare myself with the rest of the students, especially in medical school. As long as you're in the same range of scores as the others, that's definitely ok! Obviously, the higher the grade the better, but sometimes you're just not going to be the best. It's medical school, so you're surrounded by a ton of other people who are also incredibly smart, which means keeping up is doing pretty darn great when you realize the sheer awesomeness and intelligence of the great group of students that you're comparing yourself to. Rather than being jealous and perhaps giving yourself a hard time about it, use it as motivation!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Hopefully not in Champaign anymore! Assuming I'll be done with my dual degrees in 7 years (4 more for PhD & M1 plus 3 for M2-M4), I'll *hopefully* be finishing up an internal medicine residency and moving on to an oncology fellowship at a major research hospital as I prepare for my career in academic medicine.
That being said, I've learned that serendipity is a recurring theme for many of the people who I've heard speak about their successful careers. Therefore, it is with an open mind that I approach my future because who knows what opportunities will arise or where my interests will lead. All I can hope is that I will be somewhere doing what I love.
That being said, I've learned that serendipity is a recurring theme for many of the people who I've heard speak about their successful careers. Therefore, it is with an open mind that I approach my future because who knows what opportunities will arise or where my interests will lead. All I can hope is that I will be somewhere doing what I love.
How do you have the time to do EVERYTHING??? Like writing, studying, teaching, going to classes/seminars, etc. etc. Don't you get tired? Burnt out? Any tips to prevent that?
I get asked this all of the time, and honestly, I don’t know. There are just too many things that I’m excited about doing and so I just work hard to get everything done!
I guess it starts with being organized to make sure that everything gets done on time. To do this, I have an extensively filled out agenda including color-coded highlights for everything that I cross off as I complete them. You can see an example week from earlier this semester in the attached photo. Orange is class. Yellow is other events (mainly hockey games – can’t miss watching those!) Green is TAing. Blue is book chapters that I’m not required to read but that I want to keep on schedule to read. Purple is seminars and lab related things. Oh and the numbered days in boxes are me keeping track of where I am in an experiment.
I don’t really get tired from all of this other than the fact that caffeine does little to help me stay awake anymore and I can’t go on four hours of sleep like I did as an undergrad. As for burning out, I think my chances of burning out would be MORE likely if I was doing LESS things – but that’s just me. I like doing so many things because it makes life more exciting. I’m not just focusing on research or medical school or writing but I can hop between all of these things and when I get sick of one and I can work on another.
My best tip for preventing burning out is do what you love. If you’re involved in an activity that’s just not your thing but it’s something to put on your resume, I’d rethink doing it. Or if it’s something that you absolutely must be doing (like class), try to find the good in it (I am an extreme optimist so that probably helps me.) Also, make time for yourself! I have a rule that I will not study or do work on Friday or Saturday nights; those nights are for friends and it makes getting through the rest of the time that much better.
I guess it starts with being organized to make sure that everything gets done on time. To do this, I have an extensively filled out agenda including color-coded highlights for everything that I cross off as I complete them. You can see an example week from earlier this semester in the attached photo. Orange is class. Yellow is other events (mainly hockey games – can’t miss watching those!) Green is TAing. Blue is book chapters that I’m not required to read but that I want to keep on schedule to read. Purple is seminars and lab related things. Oh and the numbered days in boxes are me keeping track of where I am in an experiment.
I don’t really get tired from all of this other than the fact that caffeine does little to help me stay awake anymore and I can’t go on four hours of sleep like I did as an undergrad. As for burning out, I think my chances of burning out would be MORE likely if I was doing LESS things – but that’s just me. I like doing so many things because it makes life more exciting. I’m not just focusing on research or medical school or writing but I can hop between all of these things and when I get sick of one and I can work on another.
My best tip for preventing burning out is do what you love. If you’re involved in an activity that’s just not your thing but it’s something to put on your resume, I’d rethink doing it. Or if it’s something that you absolutely must be doing (like class), try to find the good in it (I am an extreme optimist so that probably helps me.) Also, make time for yourself! I have a rule that I will not study or do work on Friday or Saturday nights; those nights are for friends and it makes getting through the rest of the time that much better.
