Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Things I Wish For/Schools

I wish the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) still came in a book form, even though this does save paper (and saves having to throw it out later).

I wish the MSAR had a fancier user interface. I'd like to be able to click on a link to read more about a school, but still have access to the search functions to start a new search without having to click the "Back" button or "Back to search results" link. At least the MSAR lets me view school information on a separate tab....but tabs tend to pile up after a while. It's inelegant, I say! Inelegant!

I also wish it would list each school's requirement for letters of recommendations (like, X number of letters from a science professor, X number from non-science, additional letters, etc...Because even though it's pretty standard, some of them vary by a teensie bit. It's much easier for a staff of, say, 10 people to look it up on a school's website for everyone, than it is for tens of thousands of people to look up the same information for their own use. Just sayin, it would save a lot of collective hours.

I also wish the American Medical College Application Service was set up to be more like a spreadsheet, or a Microsoft Access database. I'd like to just hit "Tab" key to move through different entries and add all my Work/Activities information on one distinct webpage, instead of clicking "Add another Work/Activity" 10-15 times to add all my info. It's not that I'm lazy (even though I am lazy), I just like things to be practical. I like to do things with the fewest number of steps so I can focus on more important things. 


I wish for a lot of things, though. 


I'm finalizing my list of schools. I'm debating whether to apply for a Canadian school...I know next to nothing about them, but maybe if there's time, I'll look into them. I think I have a good number of "back-up" and "in-my-range" schools, based on my gpa and test scores. My list is too long for my comfort. It's both expensive, and I may not have enough time to give every secondary application the time it deserves. There are a few that I am rather "meh" about, but feel like I should apply because my scores fall within their ranges. 


I have some time to mull over the 1-2 schools that I may/may not keep, since I'm still waiting for a few people to proofread my essays, but I'm hoping to submit soon. Argh. It's tempting to think that, once I submit it, I can go "woohoo it's done!!" But in reality, I've only just started. 

5 comments:

  1. WHAT it's online now?! That would have been so much more helpful. I used to lug that big book around all over campus. Because I'm crazy like that.

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    1. Yup! I think this is the first year they decided to sell it as an online-only thing. It's pretty nice, easy to use and it doesn't take forever to load. I'm just being a nerd about it :P

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    2. I'm sure I would have the same complaints :) The hospital I worked for actually had THE WORST website set up. It drove me insane because I know I could have built it better!

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  2. In terms of applying to schools you're unsure about, I feel like a lot of schools really kind of reveal their personality at the interview... ie I thought I'd LOVE SUNY downstate but ended up hating it at the interview and withdrew my app the second I got an acceptance. So, if your scores are in the range, go for it... you never know. Good luck, and feel free to email me if you have any questions :)

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    1. From the anecdotes I hear, that seems to be the common train of thought. Honestly, just looking at each school's websites is so boring...all of them basically have some variation of "FOR THE PEOPLEZ"

      My hope is to be able to win a few interviews so I can get an impression of the school's attitudes and atmosphere :P

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