lekarza Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 Hey guys! I was wondering if anyone was planning on buying books to help them during the application process, like for the essays, casper, or for the interviews. I've heard that the book Doing right by Philip C. Hebert is good for the interview. I would love to hear what everyone else is planning to use! Also, could you specify if the book you are using comes in an ebook format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OIC Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 I found that for my cycle reading Doing Right really helped me in understanding the basics of medical ethics. The little nuances from the book are more a matter of opinion but the big things like informed consent and beneficience etc were things that I got from it. You would typically learn this in a regular ethics class but I didn't have a background in it and definitely used what I gained from the reading in my interviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lekarza Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 I found that for my cycle reading Doing Right really helped me in understanding the basics of medical ethics. The little nuances from the book are more a matter of opinion but the big things like informed consent and beneficience etc were things that I got from it. You would typically learn this in a regular ethics class but I didn't have a background in it and definitely used what I gained from the reading in my interviews. Thanks that's very helpful! I am considering buying that book but am debating whether I should buy two more related books as well. They are: So, You Want to Be a Doctor, Eh? a Guidebook to Canadian Medical School by Anne Berndl and The Medical School Interview: Secrets and a System for Success by Jeremiah Fleenor. Do you or anyone else know if these other books are worth getting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obi Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 I personally found "So you want to be a doctor eh" to be a useless book.... she doesn't offer anything really insightful that you cant easily find here on the forums. And a lot of her "quotes from students!" are really annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 I personally found "So you want to be a doctor eh" to be a useless book.... she doesn't offer anything really insightful that you cant easily find here on the forums. And a lot of her "quotes from students!" are really annoying. It's true. There are tidbits of wisdom here and there, but yeah...some of the quotes were a little irksome - not to mention it's sorely out of date. Someone should take the time to write a better, more up to date version... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psqu Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 The book really isn't targeted towards people that would post here on this forum. However, I do have friends who just came to Canada to do their undergrads and are unfamiliar with the system that would benefit greatly from the general information provided. Nowadays the lag time between a book going to press and the ever-changing admissions process makes the format a bit dated. The book is pretty much made redundant by a little google-fu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OIC Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 Thanks that's very helpful! I am considering buying that book but am debating whether I should buy two more related books as well. They are: So, You Want to Be a Doctor, Eh? a Guidebook to Canadian Medical School by Anne Berndl and The Medical School Interview: Secrets and a System for Success by Jeremiah Fleenor. Do you or anyone else know if these other books are worth getting? Glad I could help, as for the other two I never read the one by Anne Berndl so I can't say anything but point to the fact that other users here seem to have read it and haven't found it useful. Now, as for the one by Jeremiah Fleenor I can tell you that this was the only other book I used. It is fairly obvious in some instances and is quickly becoming obsolete because it not only focuses on the american method of interviewing but also there is no mention of MMI (since it is still mostly a Canadian thing) so you might not necessarily get what you are looking for. That being said, I still found it very useful as it gave me a list of things to explore about myself including remembering nice anecdotal stories that portray certain traits you may be asked about and even tips such as asking your friends to tell you what they think your weaknesses are (and I actually used what I collected from that question in 3/4 interviews I had). Like I said, the book is largely obvious but it certainly guided me in building a Coles Notes of my own life experiences which put every single relevant story I needed right at the forefront of my mind. Having that arsenal of ideas/stories/notes I compiled while reading was a huge asset in my interviewing experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 I'm sure there are many of us willing to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lekarza Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 Thanks for everyones advice! it was very helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 Just in case anyone is unaware (as I was): The UBC Deadline for application is August 15 2011, as opposed to Sept 1 2010 last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted July 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Just in case anyone is unaware (as I was): The UBC Deadline for application is August 15 2011, as opposed to Sept 1 2010 last year. Thanks for posting this, Leon. I was completely unaware of this until you PMed me earlier. If you hadn't, I mean I rarely check the address UBC admissions emails me at. And, my application probably would have been thrown out. You totally saved my application this cycle. Can't thank you enough for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FacelessMage Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 I need to get cracking on my applications after Thursday. It's those essays that I'm worried about. I still need to track down some verifiers that I've fallen out of touch with and contact potential referees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Once you get the first draft of the essay behind you, you are on your way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikki dale Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Once you get the first draft of the essay behind you, you are on your way. the hardest thing i find with writing this essay, is that every example i have seen contains something 'dramatic' along these lines that become the main focus of the essay: -an individual who knows someone with a medical illness -someone who went overseas on a volunteer mission -someone who had a different career first like a paramedic I'm not one of these people who have done something humongous. So it's hard for me to pick a main focus on my essay..I wish I could find an example out there of someone who just graduated, got in to med, who wrote about something more..normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obi Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 the hardest thing i find with writing this essay, is that every example i have seen contains something 'dramatic' along these lines that become the main focus of the essay: -an individual who knows someone with a medical illness -someone who went overseas on a volunteer mission -someone who had a different career first like a paramedic I'm not one of these people who have done something humongous. So it's hard for me to pick a main focus on my essay..I wish I could find an example out there of someone who just graduated, got in to med, who wrote about something more..normal. Going overseas to volunteer is just as meaningful as staying in the country to volunteer... it just means that you have money to spend on flights and food. The only reason it makes for a cool story is that people are thrown completely out of their comfort zone overseas, so it essentially "forces" an impactful situation to occur. Pick a particularly meaningful volunteering experience that changed you for the better and use that as your thesis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 You do not need to be dramatic. Pick a theme, e.g., striving for excellence. Then, think about moments or activities in your life where you slowly achieved this, be it baseball, ballet, swimming, basket weaving, whatever. Tell about your curiosity, how it led to your course of study, discuss activities in which you were involved where you learned to collaborate with others, where you showed leadership, etc. Forget about what others write. I'll send you a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 It is like preparing a delicious meal for important guests without a recipe. We are on our own and need to use our gut and best judgment. It is best if your P.S. has a theme and your stories will continue with the thread until your summary and conclusion. Better to give fewer experiences with more depth showing who you are than more experiences with less depth. You story should capture the attention of the reader so that he/she will want to meet you. Don't use any of the laundry list of self-serving attributes they are looking for. These should just jump off the pages from your desricption. And don't be so tight with words so that it does not read well, better to leave out a sentence and have the essay flow. Structure, organization and flow are very important. So, I start with my theme and brief intro. I tell of as a young teen, I regularly visited a wheelchair bound junior diabetic middle aged kindly lady, failed double organ transplant, always saved by EMS, who ultimately dies of diabetic coma all alone at age 58, all she needed was orange juice to save her life. First funeral I ever attended and her courage, dignity and joie de vivre changed my life forever. This lady of blessed memory is my inspiration and motivated me to help others as physician. I had two other die on my watch, altho not in my presence, a cancer victim and an Alzheinmer's victim. I studied Clinical Exercise Physiology, so I attended to chronic elderly patients suffering from MS, stroke, Parkinson's etc and have learned so much from practical experience, especially in communication skills with elderly patients with neurological and phyiscial problems. There is a thread in all I do. My activities such as piano, horse riding and others are all clean cut, require devotion, focus, expertise....ooops, I never used this laundry list of words as it comes out in my stories. I bring it all together in a summary and then I conclude as to my future. The natural progression of my life and studies lead naturally toward medicine. Every sentence is effectively structured for part of the para. and each para is linked to the other. I also discuss my role model so they understand where I am coming from. You just have to think about your life and do your first draft, forgetting about length and not trying to write the final essay on your first shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikki dale Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 WOW, thanks for that PM future_doc, your help (and it came fast!) means a lot to me, and is helping me plan out my own essay (I like how you divided out the experiences and talk about them, and generally the way you planned it to get started). Thank you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikki dale Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Going overseas to volunteer is just as meaningful as staying in the country to volunteer... it just means that you have money to spend on flights and food. The only reason it makes for a cool story is that people are thrown completely out of their comfort zone overseas, so it essentially "forces" an impactful situation to occur. Pick a particularly meaningful volunteering experience that changed you for the better and use that as your thesis. Cool, thanks, this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 WOW, thanks for that PM future_doc, your help (and it came fast!) means a lot to me, and is helping me plan out my own essay (I like how you divided out the experiences and talk about them, and generally the way you planned it to get started). Thank you!! As you see theme, structure, organization, content are all important in creating an interesting essay that flows throughout. I have edited in excess of 100 essays and would be delighted to give you my views when needed. Thank Carena who had the wisdom and initiative to create this wonderful thread as a one stop shopping place to benefit current applicants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted July 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 As you see theme, structure, organization, content are all important in creating an interesting essay that flows throughout. I have edited in excess of 100 essays and would be delighted to give you my views when needed. Thank Carena who had the wisdom and initiative to create this wonderful thread as a one stop shopping place to benefit current applicants. (You're the one providing the help Merci pour votre travail). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemist11 Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Hey everyone how's it going? I just wanted to get some help/examples regarding the autobiographical sketch. First question - as long as you aren't close to the 48 activity limit, in general are more activities better? I totally understand about how qualify is important but my contention is, 10 good activities + 10 simple straightforward ECs is better than 10 good activities alone and nothing else. Am I right in thinking this? Secondly, I've seen a couple people on this site mention how their details regarding their autobiographical sketch were not written very well, which could possibly be the reason for their lack of interviews and whatnot. Can someone explain what they did to improve the "details" portion? What was so bad about it the first time? Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Let's call it our collaboration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 I just wanted to get some help/examples regarding the autobiographical sketch. First question - as long as you aren't close to the 48 activity limit, in general are more activities better? I totally understand about how qualify is important but my contention is, 10 good activities + 10 simple straightforward ECs is better than 10 good activities alone and nothing else. Am I right in thinking this? Secondly, I've seen a couple people on this site mention how their details regarding their autobiographical sketch were not written very well, which could possibly be the reason for their lack of interviews and whatnot. Can someone explain what they did to improve the "details" portion? What was so bad about it the first time? There is no good and no bad. It is what it is. So, list your activities and don't worry about it. Lets say one volunteering activitiy is being a horseback riding counselor at sleepover camp. You could simply describe your activities as I helped kids with their responsibilities or you could say, I slept with campers, ensuring their safety, helped tack up the horses, prepare the meals, assisted teachers, entertained the kids, resolved conflicts and acted as role model. In whatever you are describing, you can market yourself in the best light while being accurate, thereby demonstrating specific traits such as collaboration, responsibility, leadership and so forth without using these words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 This thread has taken a breather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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