[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by 1fastdoc

That first point is a great one. It helps with letters of recommendation and can also help in class.

An example: I spent plenty of time in Organic Chem class and lab and knew the professor well. I tutored a lot in college including some of the students in my own classes.

We had an exam towards the end of the year and the prof usually deducted 1/4 point if you miss showing electron transfers during reactions. On one of the problems I forgot to put them in at a step and he marked them in for me. Another student, who was less than studious, saw that and noticed that he got docked points for the same offense. So after class he asked about it. The prof replied that it was clear this student didn't know what he was doing and he knew that I knew the material and it was just an oversight. The other guy was pissed. lol. Sometimes it's the little things.

And as he also said, don't forget to have fun. Work hard, play hard. Work hard enough and you'll get to live your life that way.

+1

This past semester one of my classes had a brutal grading scheme.

94-100 = A
90-93 = A-
88-90 = B+

so on and so forth.

I had a 93.1 prior to the (optional) final exam, which is an A-. I had developed a really good rapport with the teacher throughout the semester. I went to her office hours before the final and facetiously brought up the fact that I was so close to not having to take the final exam (but that I would take it because I really wanted an A for the course).

After I left, she sent out an email to everyone in the class stating "I almost never do this, but I'm going to curve everyone's last exam by 5 points"

She then sent me a personal email saying "Now you don't have to take the final " (smiley face included)

I was really touched. She essentially curved the previous exam just so I would have an A for the course without having to take the final.

Strictly speaking this move was fair to the entire class because everyone got the 5 points, but it was my situation that sparked it. Would I call this favoritism? Meh, maybe but it was fair for the entire class as far as I'm concerned

Prior to the curve, only one person had an A in the class (before the final). I was rank 2 in the class @ 93.1.

[hatton]

Iowa State. Came for Football and Army Rotc and Mechanical Engineering. We sucked this year in Football. It's really cold here. And one of our professors just got busted for running a prostitution ring. Don't come here. Go somewhere warm.

[Gop-Dogg]

Georgia Tech for undergrad (BS Chemical Engineering)
Purdue for Graduate School (MS Chemical Engineering)

[adobeee]

uc berkeley, haas school of business - undergrad
harvard mba (in process)

[MattMD]

I was accepted to the Healthcare Management and Policy major at Georgetown University. Anyone care to chime in on doing this program vs a normal pre-med program at a state school honors college w/ scholarship?

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by MattMD

I was accepted to the Healthcare Management and Policy major at Georgetown University. Anyone care to chime in on doing this program vs a normal pre-med program at a state school honors college w/ scholarship?

We don't have a pre-med major at our school. There are universal pre-med requirements for any medical school (general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, etc.) that you'll have to complete at bare minimum.

I would not recommend a healthcare management major if you intend on going to medical school. It sounds great in principle, but it seems like it would help in more of an auxiliary role. In other words, majoring in a rigorous STEM field and then having a healthcare management certificate on the side (if such a program exists) might boost your chances.

Alternatively, if your immediate goal is to simply get accepted, then certain medical schools prefer, for example, english and philosophy majors who meet pre-med requirements, or sociology majors, or german studies majors (my parents' neighbor is a plastic surgeon who majored in german studies at the undergraduate level). Why? Because it contributes to the diversity of the matriculant pool.

Something like 70 or 80% of medical school applicants are some form of biology major (cell biology, neurobiology, biochemistry, etc.) and it's really easy to get lost in the mix.

Personally, I went the chemical engineering/neuroscience/pre-med route. The neuroscience major gives me a solid foundation in basic biology, but the chemical engineering major (probably) helped to distinguish me from the pack, especially given the prestige and rigor of our chemical engineering curriculum.

I think you should do healthcare management if that's actually what you want to do - not if you intend on pursuing your M.D.

[NemesisX]

But congratulations on being accepted to Georgetown!

[MattMD]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

We don't have a pre-med major at our school. There are universal pre-med requirements for any medical school (general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, etc.) that you'll have to complete at bare minimum.

I would not recommend a healthcare management major if you intend on going to medical school. It sounds great in principle, but it seems like it would help in more of an auxiliary role. In other words, majoring in a rigorous STEM field and then having a healthcare management certificate on the side (if such a program exists) might boost your chances.

Alternatively, if your immediate goal is to simply get accepted, then certain medical schools prefer, for example, english and philosophy majors who meet pre-med requirements, or sociology majors, or german studies majors (my parents' neighbor is a plastic surgeon who majored in german studies at the undergraduate level). Why? Because it contributes to the diversity of the matriculant pool.

Something like 70 or 80% of medical school applicants are some form of biology major (cell biology, neurobiology, biochemistry, etc.) and it's really easy to get lost in the mix.

Personally, I went the chemical engineering/neuroscience/pre-med route. The neuroscience major gives me a solid foundation in basic biology, but the chemical engineering major (probably) helped to distinguish me from the pack, especially given the prestige and rigor of our chemical engineering curriculum.

I think you should do healthcare management if that's actually what you want to do - not if you intend on pursuing your M.D.

I was going to try to do economics if I went to the state school. The program is very highly ranked and it's a pretty versatile degree IMO. If I couldn't get the reqs in, I would switch to a typical major. But from what I've researched, it is possible to do with pre-med. I would be able to get every class I wanted since the honors students get priority registration. My dad wants me to major in something with good job security and it interests me, so that's my reasoning for that.

What has your workload been like with that route?

Healthcare management is one of their recommended pre-med majors. Graduates of it go on to top medical schools every year. This makes me eligible for auto-admission to Georgetown Medical School if my GPA is high enough and I get shadowing and all that in. There is no MCAT req. Gives me good job prospects for a management type job in healthcare or pharmaceuticals as a back up.

What is your reasoning behind thinking the program wouldn't be a good choice? I can get all of the pre-reqs in by default. I'm not getting why you would recommend a humanities major over it. Georgetown gives great opportunities to "stick out". It also isn't just a typical bio major.

Another thing I'm worried about is going to a top school like Georgetown. I don't want to go there and tank my GPA. Based on SAT scores I'm roughly average there, but top ~5% at the state school. How does this dynamic play out?

&thanks! I'm lucky to have the opportunity even if I go somewhere else.

Edit: I can pick any major in NHS. I think there's int'l health, human science, and nursing besides management. I wouldn't do nursing. Appears to have great placement to medical schools.

NHS graduates have gone on to study at a variety of schools, such as:

Georgetown University School of Medicine
Harvard School of Medicine
Feinberg School of Medicine - Northwestern University
Yale School of Public Health
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
University of Maryland Dental School
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
Ohio State University College of Medicine

ASU Barrett also claims to have great pre-med opportunities.

-Pre-health advising and application preparation with the Director of Pre--Professional Advising
-Summer internships at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN (Note: This is a selective program.)
-Physician shadow program at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ (Note: This is a selective program.)
-Invitations to special lectures and other events related to medicine
For more information about either of the Mayo Clinic programs, please contact Barrett Dean, Dr. Mark Jacobs, at mark.jacobs@asu.edu.

Barrett graduates historically gain entrance to the top medical schools in the nation. Recent graduates went on to Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Mayo, Duke, and Stanford, among others.

Additional guidance for pre-med honors students:
-Take a large number of honors courses and do honors contracts. These efforts will be permanently displayed on your transcript and many medical schools give weight to this.
-Consider doing an honors thesis project in something related to healthcare or the sciences.
- See more at: http://barretthonors.asu.edu/academi....DSmCnTsh.dpuf

[MattMD]

Help me choose, Bimmerpost!

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by MattMD

I was going to try to do economics if I went to the state school. The program is very highly ranked and it's a pretty versatile degree IMO. If I couldn't get the reqs in, I would switch to a typical major. But from what I've researched, it is possible to do with pre-med. I would be able to get every class I wanted since the honors students get priority registration. My dad wants me to major in something with good job security and it interests me, so that's my reasoning for that.

What has your workload been like with that route?

Healthcare management is one of their recommended pre-med majors. Graduates of it go on to top medical schools every year. This makes me eligible for auto-admission to Georgetown Medical School if my GPA is high enough and I get shadowing and all that in. There is no MCAT req. Gives me good job prospects for a management type job in healthcare or pharmaceuticals as a back up.

What is your reasoning behind thinking the program wouldn't be a good choice? I can get all of the pre-reqs in by default. I'm not getting why you would recommend a humanities major over it. Georgetown gives great opportunities to "stick out". It also isn't just a typical bio major.

Another thing I'm worried about is going to a top school like Georgetown. I don't want to go there and tank my GPA. Based on SAT scores I'm roughly average there, but top ~5% at the state school. How does this dynamic play out?

&thanks! I'm lucky to have the opportunity even if I go somewhere else.

Edit: I can pick any major in NHS. I think there's int'l health, human science, and nursing besides management. I wouldn't do nursing. Appears to have great placement to medical schools.



ASU Barrett also claims to have great pre-med opportunities.

Oh wow, if that healthcare management program gives you an opportunity for auto-admission into medical school then absolutely go for it!

To be perfectly honest, my criticism of that program was based off of the name and my preconceived notions of what the curriculum may entail based on other programs with similar sounding names.

As for humanities - personally I would not recommend a humanities major because I don't think the benefit of "standing out" in an admissions pool outweighs the cost of a relatively lackluster undergraduate science background.

But yeah if this healthcare management program has a good reputation and it gives you a chance for auto-admission then absolutely go for it.

[bretster]

I'm a freshman at villanova university

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by Bretster

I'm a freshman at villanova university

Nice. What's your major?

[MerchantSailor03]

Graduated Massachusetts Maritime Academy about 5 years ago. It costed roughy $20k a year, not bad considering most get a job after graduation making $60-70k a year. I'm currently working in the Gulf of Mexico with the oil and gas industry with almost all my loans paid off.

[fireline43]

Went to UCF(University of Central Florida).

i was the first person in my immediate family to go to college. Paid off my loans by 25. Have a job that pays 80-90k a year. Listen, i had a great time in college, but i don't feel it's needed for any job that isnt technical. Like engineers, doctors, lawyers, accountants. Those are the types of jobs that college is important to me. I didn't need a college degree for what I do. But i am prideful about it. If I was you, I'd go to Georgetown and not even think more about it. Why? because it's a well known school with alot of history. Alot of alumni in prestigious positions. You can't go wrong there. Plus it looks like hogwarts. And most retards like me will see a doctor with "Georgetown" on their diploma sitting behind them on their desk and think they really know something.

I work for the government btw.

[Billup]

Macomb Community College for a whopping year and a half. Was working 60/70 hour weeks, then taking night classes trying to get my associates. Ended up getting a new career with Eaton here in NC. Now that I've been here a year and have residency, I'd like to go back and actually finish.

[MattMD]

Final bump. Going to Georgetown!

[MBM6F]

Any other Hoos on here?

UVA 2011. I miss Charlottesville.

[PSUSMU]

Originally Posted by MattMD

Final bump. Going to Georgetown!

Welcome to D.C. - don't bring your car.

[RRGOO7]

I went to Miami and majored in Econ. Loved it. Any questions let me know

[John 070]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

2) You can't afford (or are unwilling to assume the debt for) 4 years of college tuition and so you try and stem the cost by taking your general education courses at community college for a fraction of the price

Off the top of my head, if your household income is $60k or less, these schools are free:

Columbia
Brown
Harvard
Yale
Penn

There is a sliding scale up to $180k. In which case Harvard is $18k.

We need to stop perpetuating the myth that elite schools are expensive, they are not. They are cheaper.

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by John 070

Off the top of my head, if your household income is $60k or less, these schools are free:

Columbia
Brown
Harvard
Yale
Penn

There is a sliding scale up to $180k. In which case Harvard is $18k.

We need to stop perpetuating the myth that elite schools are expensive, they are not. They are cheaper.

Yeah I think it's great that most of the ivy league schools offer significant financial assistance to families with lower class to middle class incomes (minimum wage - $180k/year). That's how it should be.

I think Harvard especially gets a bad reputation for being sort of a snobby, upper class school but this couldn't be further from the truth. They do more to accommodate deserving children from the lower classes than anyone. Children have no say in what family they are born into. Some lucky few are born into wealth and win the "genetic lottery" so to speak. In principle, children should never be held hostage to any sort of disadvantage in educational attainment that comes with being born lower class or middle class.

Then again, we have to be careful about the kinds of criteria we use to "normalize" the playing field. I'm not opposed to looking at socioeconomic status as a criterion for admission when you're comparing child A with a 2000 SAT score who came from a family making $25k/year versus child B with a 2300 SAT score who came from a family making $1M/year.

But race? I get a little queasy on the subject of race-based criteria in affirmative action.

[NemesisX]

Granted I kind of switched the subject from financial assistance to admissions assistance (affirmative action) but it's an important discussion to have.