Term 2 at SGU

It's been a while since my last post. I'll update you on what has been going on. Looking back to Term 1, it seems as though time flew by.  It didn't feel like that into about half of term 1 though. I got to a point where I felt burnt out. I was sick of going to lectures and labs, I was sick of studying after lectures and having to keep up with the material. But I pressed on and got through it and ended up doing well, a B for my first term, not too bad. Terms 1 and 2 are considered to be essentially 1 class. You take 1 test about every 3-4 wks and this includes   anatomy, biochemistry, genetics, histology, physiology. You get 1 grade for the test, instead of taking multiple different tests throughout the week. I like it this way rather than having a whole entire week of stress, you're pretty much done it two to three hours and then its party time or sleep time. Most students look forward to after the test and plan many activities together. This mainly consists of Banana's the night after the test to get drunk, and the next day is usually involving going to the beach, waterfall, or snorkeling, and finding time to pick up groceries for the next week, that is if IGA is stocked. Many times IGA will be out of many things, or they'll be missing a shipment or something of the like. Anyways, you just learn to deal with it, or eat out for a couple of days, ha!

So now to talk about Term 2, what has changed, what is the same?
In general it is the same....as far as the scheduling of tests and how they are spaced out, the labs/small group sessions. The three blocks this term are Endocrine/Reproductive, Digestive/Metabolism, Neuroscience/Behavioral. The first 3 weeks are Endo/Repro. It wasn't too bad actually I enjoyed this block, it's basically review of your Anterior and Posterior pituitary hormones, their functions, where they act and so on. The reproduction part isn't so bad either, it's basically learning the anatomy of repro organs, hormones, etc. Then comes Digestive/Metabolism block. This one was tough, I have to admit. It was basically anatomy of digestive system and biochem. We had to learn many pathways back to back and it got really overwhelming at times. The good things was we had a whole week to prepare for our test which was nice. Pathways covered were: Glycolysis, TCA cycle, ETC, Urea cycle, Heme synthesis, Pentose Phosphate pathway. Overall I was really scared about the test and ended up with an 86%, not too bad. Now i'm in the final block which is the longest, 10 weeks, of Neuro and Behavioral. So far everything is pretty new for me as I haven't taken neuro before. We're learning about anatomy in DETAIL! Let me tell you it is SUPER detailed and I have to go to wet lab for this one. There's so many nerves and blood vessels and fossas to learn! But i'll take neuro over biochem pathways anyday. I literally had no break at all when I was studying the pathways,. Now I go home, have lunch, rewatch the lectures and maybe do a few practice questions and have the rest of the night off. So, so far less stressful. It's hard to believe that Term 2 is over halfway over! Word of advice: Do YOUR best, but also live YOUR life. Find time to do something you like to do. It isn't all about studying, yeah you should study but not to the point where you've forgotten yourself. Till next time! :)

The First Month of Medical school, how to survive.

Well it's been about 5 weeks since medical school started. Let me just say that when people say you will be busy, it's the TRUTH! Let me take you on a recap of the last 5 weeks/ orientation week.

Orientation week: So we got here on August 8th flying in from Miami. Going through passport control was a breeze for us because we were with our two kids, they let families go into a separate line, an it took us literally 10 minutes to get through. However......for those of you who do NOT have children, expect this to be a long night for you. There are only about 3 or 4 control officers working and they like to take their time with each person...just saying. Next we went to pick up our bags ( note: we each brought only 1 checked bag each) I think there is a baggage limit at this time of the year, so check with the airlines. Many students had issues with this; some had damaged bags, others had to pay hefty fees for an extra bag..For us we were fine, none of our bags were lost (phew). So after we got our bags, we had to get in another line for baggage check or something, I don't quite remember. I handed them my acceptance letter, my electronics page and my immigration letter (you get this all once you're accepted). There is a limit as to how many electronics you can take as as a student. It is 1 laptop, 1 tablet, 1 smartphone. Our girls had their ipads in hand and my husband had his laptop. They said nothing about this and we didn't have to pay any taxes on them. We finally got outside and there are SGU reps waiting out there to give you your first weeks orientation schedule and to take you to wherever you will be living. For us, we are off campus in Mont Tout, so away we went. 

The first week of orientation isn't too bad, but you are expected to be at every session, it's mandatory, unless you are unable to get a flight and have to arrive later.. You go and pick up ALL of your books, class notes, PD kit, clicker, ID in one location. There are many books such as histology, biochemistry, genetics, anatomy, pharmacology, embryology. I recommend coming with a carry-on suitcase or even full sized sturdy suitcase to lug these, and if you can have a friend help you that would be even better because you need to lug it down the stairs and then maybe up the hill depending on where you live on campus (just a suggestion). 

Okay so now you have your books, notes, you're starting to feel like a real student by now. 

If you're placed into AEP (academic enhancement program) as 80% of my class is, you will have to attend an introductory session. AEP is basically a small group of about 10 people and an instructor(upper termer) that meets once a week to go over important topics of the week. It is mandatory, and if you do not attend, you probably won't pass, because attendance is mandatory here at SGU.  

Now that orientation is over, enjoy this weekend before you start on Monday :)

WEEK 1 Excitement was building in the air orientation week. We couldn't to officially start med school and be med students. Our lecture schedule is 1-5pm mandatory you have to be in class at that time and nowhere else. The first day topics weren't that bad, I the first lecture was an introduction and then we did homeostasis and cellular organization. Pretty much a review... but 4 hours of back to back lecturing is a lot to get used to. Once the lectures were over I took a break, got something to eat, and then started reviewing the days lectures... This is what my days the first week were like. At the end of week 1 a quiz is posted that you have to complete by the following Thursday, you have a lot of time to do this, and it's relatively easy to pass. 

WEEK 2, Similar to week 1 but Labs started. The labs weren't in a "laboratory" but it is again a small group meeting, you have to prepare in advance for the lab.. and at the end of lab there is a very short quiz on the material. 

WEEK 3, Similar to week 2. This is the end of material for Exam 1. I know it's nice isn't it? Compared to previous terms that only had a midterm and final, I am glad I am in the class with the "new curriculum style", systems based. Our exams are about every 3 weeks, so it's really not that bad... I say that but the material is still a lot. You're looking at 80-100 questions that are from about 50 lectures..that's 1-2 questions PER lecture, and the lectures are usually 40-50 slides.

EXAM 1 was Monday Sep 5... 8-12pm, it only took about 2 hours to complete. I actually felt pretty good about it when it was done. And yes, I PASSED my first medical school exam!!!!

End of a vacation and head first into med school

It has been a glorious 4 months out of school. I have truly enjoyed not having to worry about thinking and studying for tests. For the last 5 weeks me and my husband and our two girls have been in Albania visiting family on my husband's side. Many have asked me what area of medicine I want to go into and the answer is the same every time, "I don't know yet, once I get experience during clinical rotations, that's when I'll really know what I'm interested in." The way to becoming a doctor is much more different in Europe than in the states, at least in Eastern Europe. Here when you finish high school and want to start college you have to take some sort of placement test, and if you are a top scorer then you can likely get into school to become a doctor. However, this country's educational system is corrupted and many times students whose families have money can often pay their child's way to "get into med school" and the smart students from less fortunate families often never get the chance to fulfill their dreams. It is really a shame, the political system here is completely corrupt and makes me thankful that I am from the USA, a land of true opportunity, a land where you can make your dreams a reality if you work hard. Yeah life gets in the way sometimes, but you're never to old to reach your dreams. Tomorrow morning we fly back to the states, and two days later we'll be flying to Grenada to start my first term of medical school. I am super exited to start this journey, and for the adventures that our family will have together on the island.

Planning trip down to the island of Grenada

Hey all happy April fools day! 
So as of right now my husband and I want to visit the island at the end of April. We want to of course have a tour of the school but also to check out housing and hopefully secure something off campus. We'll also be looking into schools for the girls. I've heard there's a Montessori school there which might be the best option, but we'll see other schools too.

Where I'm at in paperwork side of things.. I was sent by email all of mandatory health documents the university requires prior to term 1 start. I immediately made an appt with my doctor to begin filling the forms out. Since I didn't have all of my vaccination records, I had to draw blood to check for immunity. I tested negative for hep b and have started on the series of vaccines. The series is 6 months I believe but don't worry in the paperwork it states that if you don't have all the vaccines done prior to term one start that you can finish them off when you get to the island.

My passport expired this year so I'm in the process of getting a new passport and that's one of the things they also need to send in is a photocopy of my passport, so that's the next thing on my list.

Will update after trip to the island.
Goodnight

The process and timeframe to get into SGU (St George's University)

I will share with you how I went about applying to SGU and the amount of time it took to hear back from them.
SGU has a Part 1, Part 2 and "Part3", they don't have an official Part3 but I consider that your MCAT scores, transcripts, LORs, etc.


11/15/2015     I filled out the Part 1 Application on their website. Part one basically asks for some personal information including your address and some academic things such as your  graduation date and GPA. This will allow them to send some info to you about the school through mail and by email. You will then I believe be contact by an admissions person about completing Part 2.


12/01/2015  I printed out and filled in with pen Part 2. This is the actual application where you'll fill in questions pertaining to once again your personal information, employment, volunteer, research activities, personal essay, test scores. You sign in and then I scanned and emailed mine back to the admissions person in charge of my application. Along with my application, I had my letters of recommendation compiled into a committee letter from my school and my pred-med advisor mailed this to SGU's address in NY. I requested all of my transcripts by sent directly to SGU in NY along with my MCAT scores.
12/16/2015 I was contacted by a representative in NY that they hadn't received one of my transcripts. I'm not sure what happened, so I sent a request again.
1/10/2016 I was contact by phone from a representative in NY that I was to be invited to an interview. She said it would be with a former graduate from SGU and that the interviewer lived in Jacksonville, so I wouldn't have to travel anywhere, which was nice! She said once she received the contact information for the interviewer she would email me.
1/22/2016 Received email that I should contact the interviewer by email or phone and set up an interview. I email him right away and setup the interview for the 26th.
1/26/2016 11am I was at the interviewer(Former SGU grad, MD) at his clinic. He came out and greeted me and then took me back into his office. He was sitting at his desk facing his computer while I sat in a comfortable chair. The interview was not very stressful and he was very friendly.
Questions I got asked: ( He told me that I could ask him any questions that I liked at the same time)
1. How did you hear about SGU?
2. Do you know where the school is?
3. Do you know how much it will cost?
4. Where are you from, family history?
5. What did you get out of your volunteering experiences?
6. How does your family feel about this?
7. Why do you want to be a doctor?
8. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
9. How do you plan on paying for school?
10. Tell me about some ethical concerns in medicine at the moment.
He typed into a form every time I spoke, and I asked him questions while he was typing.
My questions to him were..
1. Have you been back to the school?
2. How did you like it?
3. What were some pros and cons about the school?
4. What is the attrition rate?
5. What areas to go for clinicals?
6. Can I do all of my clinicals in one town?
7. Is the island safe?
8. Do I need vaccinations or do my kids need vaccinations before going down?

After the interview I was given a piece of paper with 3 essay questions and had to answer one question in 10 minutes. The questions were:

1.  Describe 3 qualities that a doctor should have
2. Why do you want to be a doctor
3. Who influenced you the most


Overall the interview was fairly relaxed on his part. I showed up in an black pants and a blazer with heels. I felt overdressed but it's better to overdress than to underdress I think. Make your best impression, smile, ask questions, know things about the school such as the USMLE pass rate, the residencies obtained, tuition costs..
After I went home I emailed the interviewer saying thanks and how nice it was to meet him. He replied back in the same manner.


1/27/2016 In the morning I was emailed and they said that my application was being reviewed one final time by the Committee.
1/27/2016 I was called/emailed the same day around 5pm by Jessica DeAngelis an admissions officer notifying me that I was accepted for August 2016 and that I was being put into the Academic Enhancement Program. She told me that the program is for people with low MCAT/GPA scores or have been out of school for awhile. It is an extra help that the school offers she said in order for you to do well. This was likely from me having an excellent GPA with a mediocre MCAT score. I was super excited as that phone call literally changed my life. Knowing that I was finally accepted gave me relief but I also felt nervous, scared, happy, .. all of my emotions were laid out, but mostly happiness! Along with my acceptance email, were my instructions in reserving a seat. You have to send 1000$ deposit to the school in order to trigger you seat reservation and officially become a student of SGU.
2/1/2016 Today I sent a wire transfer in the amount 1000$ the SGU. Now I am just waiting for the receipt of being received.

First post

My first blog ever.
I want to become a doctor. I am graduating from UNF this spring, have taken the MCAT last year, have and am still involved in research, have volunteered at Mayo Clinic, shadowed local doctors....I've been interviewed just this week by both AUC and SGU, now I'm almost to a turning point in my life which is the realization of my dream. Keeping my fingers crossed for an acceptance. Although the island of Saint Maarten is more built up than Grenada, I'm leaning towards SGU simply from what I have "heard".  Better preparation for Step 1 and scheduling of your clinicals. It is expensive compared to other schools but you get what you pay for I suppose.
So that's my goal, to get into the Fall 2016 class.
Coming with me will be my husband and our two young girls. It won't be easy, especially the first two years, but I wouldn't have it any other way. We are a family first and foremost, that will always be most important. I'm excited for this adventure! When I get a decision, I will update. For now, goodnight.