RegGuheert Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 DD17 will graduate from high school this June. The current plan is for her to get her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry two years later, in May 2012. (It looks like her graduation will be the same DAY as DS19, but from a different school! :tongue_smilie:) The hope is that she will then enter The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) in the fall of 2012. Of course, for that to happen, she will need to gain acceptance into VCOM! Neither MomsintheGarden nor I are doctors, so this process is new to us. Of course MomsintheGarden has researched this *very* thoroughly and we have made a visit to VCOM, so we have most of our questions answered. However, it would be great to hear others' thoughts on a few subjects where we are still somewhat tentative and we would love to have input from others who have BTDT: 1) MCAT preparation - Given the accelerated schedule, it looks like DD17 will need to take the MCAT in MAY 2011! :scared: At this point, we have learned what is on the MCAT and have scheduled DD17's first year at college to cover the most critical courses, but we only have a vague notion of how she will prepare for this all-critical test while going to school. We plan to have her take her first practice MCAT in a couple of weeks so that we can know where the biggest hurdles will be, but beyond that, we aren't sure of the best approach. Can anyone offer advice on the most effective MCAT study programs that you or your DC have used? Other ideas here? 2) Medical school entrance interview - DD17 will be taking a speech class at school this fall, but I think she may benefit from more specialized training in this area. Can anyone recommend Toastmasters or some other type of personal development program to improve interviewing skills? 3) Shadowing a doctor - DD17 has started the process of finding a DO to shadow, but she is having some difficulty setting this up right now partly due to her age and the dearth of DOs in our area. Can anyone provide tips on successfully achieving a shadowing arrangement? In other words, do you have do/don't suggestions on how to approach a doctor with such a request? 4) Paying for medical school - We are only now starting to investigate scholarships available for medical school, but I know this is very competitive and there are very few available. Our firm goal is to have her complete her medical education without incurring any debt. Fortunately, given the age distribution of our DC, the plan is for her to complete medical school before DS11 enters college, so this might be possible. But maximizing her scholarships would certainly be very helpful. Can you please provide us with tips on finding appropriate medical school scholarships and grooming our DD to have the best chance to earn them? Any thoughts on these subjects, or other thoughts on medical school in general would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance for any ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Regarding point 4: my sister-in-law who is a doctor spent a summer working on an Indian reservation. In exchange certain loans were forgiven. A podiatrist I know established her practice in a rural area. Again, certain loans were forgiven. This may not be the route your daughter wishes to go, but I thought that I should point out that if scholarships do not entirely fund her education, there are (or used to be) opportunities for loan forgiveness. Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabanana1992 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 :bigear: - b/c my son wants to be a doctor... btw - Marion Bradley Via funded my EE education at VT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 (edited) Regarding point 4: my sister-in-law who is a doctor spent a summer working on an Indian reservation. In exchange certain loans were forgiven. A podiatrist I know established her practice in a rural area. Again, certain loans were forgiven. This may not be the route your daughter wishes to go, but I thought that I should point out that if scholarships do not entirely fund her education, there are (or used to be) opportunities for loan forgiveness. Jane Thanks, Jane! Yes, we have heard of this type of arrangement. It sounds something like indentured servitude to me! Still, DD17 is interested in missionary medicine. Since that is also a focus for VCOM, this may be a possibility. We will certainly prayerfully consider this option!:bigear: - b/c my son wants to be a doctor...I haven't read it, but MomsintheGarden scoured Med School Rx and loved it! If you are looking for a good primer on this subject, she wholeheartedly recommends this book!btw - Marion Bradley Via funded my EE education at VT!That's cool! We both graduated from VT, as well! Perhaps Marion Bradley Via lived in Blacksburg? Since it is the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering I would guess this is the same Bradley family. Perhaps the fact that VT and VCOM have some of the same benefactors explains their close relationship, despite the fact that VCOM is a private institution. Interesting! Edited January 7, 2010 by RegGuheert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabanana1992 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 (edited) Perhaps Marion Bradly Via lived in Blacksburg? Since it is the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering I would guess this is the same Bradley family. Perhaps the fact that VT and VCOM have some of the same benefactors explains their close relationship, despite the fact that VCOM is a private institution. Interesting! I believe she lived in Roanoke. Her father was the Bradley of the Allen-Bradley Company. She gave 10 million to VT (half to EE and half to CE - her husband was a CE) Part of her bequest set up full scholarships for engineering students... She was quite a generous woman... She did come to the campus once to meet her "benefactorees"... quite a lady... and sorry for highjacking your thread with VT trivia... Edited January 7, 2010 by annabanana1992 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Yes, there are some options to get medical school paid for by promising to work in Indian Reservations, Remote US areas with lack of doctors, inner cities, or for the Military. I am not sure about this but I do believe that most medical school scholarships have clauses to them like service later or research or something of this sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkTulip Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 (edited) I don't know specific answers to your questions, but http://forums.studentdoctor.net/index.php is to a great group of forums where a lot of your questions could be answered. (My boys want to be dentists, so I have browsed the dental forums) Edited January 9, 2010 by my4cowboys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Two things - the first will sound great, the second like a party pooper. 1. The Uniformed Health Services College (think: public health service) will put your kid through med school in exchange for a time debt to the federal government. This is usually spent in underserved areas like Appalachia. (sp?) 2. Your child is going to face an uphill battle applying to medical school as a 19 year old. Despite her obvious academic accomplishments, she is going to be viewed as immature and lacking in life experience. I would strongly suggest that you have an informal conversation with some admissions officers about her desire to attend medical school at 19. They will probably suggest that she take some time between undergrad and med school to volunteer at local clinics to "solidify" her life choice. She is also going to have to broaden her horizons as to *where* she wishes to attend school. While it is possible that she will be accepted at her first choice (VCOM), most students are not accepted at their first choice school. The link provided by the previous poster can indeed be an eye opener. a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nissi Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 How about looking at BS/MD programs which allow your child to enter 6-7 year programs straight after highschool? My ds is interested in medical school and we are also looking at several options. I have not investigated scholarships but if your child is sure they want to go to medical school they seem like a good option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Full scholarships were nonexistent at that time. I don't know about now. Most students who cannot pay out of pocket (many can, believe it or not!) rely on military payback programs or loan forgiveness programs, and there are many, not just on reservations. Our city has one. The fact is, scholarship aid for medical students is not a priority for schools, because graduates can typically pay back their loans quickly if they are disciplined and work hard. Even if they aren't, the payment schedule is ten years and it's usually not a problem for even heavy borrowers to pay it back on that schedule. Between dh and I, we had a mortgage's worth of debt, and we paid it back in four years on my part-time schedule and his work as a resident and fellow (my residency training was shorter than his). We just lived cheap and bought our babies used toys and clothes. 19 IMO is likely to be perceived as too young for medical school. It may not be impossible, but conventional MD schools are so swamped with applications that they can be choosy, and are not likely to choose someone so young when there are so many older students who are qualified. IMO, even mature 19 year olds are not ready for the "scene" of med school, partly because they will have no same-age peers, but mostly because the nature of medical education is mature-familiarity with human sexuality is assumed, death and cadavers are usually the very first topics covered in detail (anatomy is often the first subject done at the beginning of first year) and life experience is a big help, IMO, in preparing one for this. Four years of college are poor preparation for this, if you ask me-the most successful students in my class were people who had already had jobs and done something other than be students. I think your daughter would be very well served by a year or two working, in almost any capacity, before starting med school. There was a former teacher, EMT, business person, museum curator (!) and scientist in my class. The realities in a hospital (3rd and 4th years) are....sobering. Regarding MCATs-much may have changed since my time, but a good college class, plus a Princeton Review-style study guide were all I did. Recommendations are very important, particularly for any nontraditional student. If she does try to go at 19, your daughter will need iron-clad, five star letters from people who know her well. It used to be true that at least one letter had to be from a science professor-don't know if that's changed or is different in her chosen school. Shadowing time will be very important for her. In our city with 2 medical schools, DOs are relegated to ER work , mostly. She should contact hospitals and DO schools to get the name of someone who is willing to do this-many graduates are. It's just a matter of finding them and if I had to guess, alumni offices would be a good place to start. Best wishes to your daughter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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