July 1st
Today is a big day for a bunch of new physicians. New interns all across the country will be called “doctor” by patients, colleagues, and staff, for the first time today. At most residency programs, new interns start on July …
Author: Melanin Mentor, MD
What if I Bomb a BCPM Course?
I know I’ve mentioned in a previous post how organic chemistry was not my friend. But God was determined to make us get along, so He blessed me to take it twice. From repeating it, I learned a few valuable …
Taking BCPM Courses at Another College/University
BCPM GPA Did you know that for medical school consideration, both your overall and BCPM GPA will be taken into account? Your BCPM GPA includes all biology, chemistry, physics, and math classes that you take as an undergraduate. A list …
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Avoiding and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
This past week, the residents in my program selected me as Attending of the Year. In case you don’t already know (from shadowing or watching Grey’s, E.R., or other medical shows on TV), “attending” is a common name used for physicians …
Your Personal Statement
Your personal statement for your medical school application is very important. It’s usually the first thing I read when reviewing an application (even before looking at grades, MCAT scores, and letters of recommendation) because it gives me a really good …
AC and Lessons
I came home from a very long and quite stressful day of work yesterday evening to a house with no air conditioning. Just broken for no reason. It was working fine when I left home that morning, but was not …
Plan to Succeed
As much as I like to talk (…write), this post will be fairly short because the message is very simple. You need to have a plan to get to medical school. Truly, you should have a plan to succeed in …
Paying for Medical School
Medical school is not cheap. As a matter of fact, it’s quite expensive. According to AMCAS, the median 4-year cost of attendance for the class of 2021 was $259,347 (public school) and $346,955 (private school). While there are 7 medical …
The Pandemic’s Impact on Your Application
What impact, if any, has the COVID-19 pandemic had on your preparation for medical school? For the next few years, this question—or some variation of it—will be on medical school secondary applications. You can count on it. Last year when …
Write the Vision
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a total believer in writing down my goals, dreams, aspirations, etc. They also know that I am very much my mother’s child and, like her, I keep important things under my …