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Postgraduate Study bioe 1010 Professional Development So you really love taking classes …
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| Date | 07.11.2016 | | Size | 11.67 Kb. | | #1109 |
| Postgraduate Study So you really love taking classes … - Majority of BioEs continue coursework with some form of graduate study
- Necessary to get ahead in many jobs
- Many options available – med school, grad school, business, law, etc.
- Keep an open mind (and pay attention …)
- Many students change their minds about what they want to do
- Just ask the graduating seniors what they plan on doing after graduation today vs. 2 – 3 years ago
Why medical school? - Required to practice medicine as a licensed M.D. or D.O.
- Both M.D.s and D.O.s can perform surgery and prescribe medication
- D.O.s typically use chiropractic or holistic methods for diagnosis and treatment of disease
- Perform basic or medical research in academic or industrial setting
- Health care administration and public policy
Medical school prerequisites - Complete the following courses
- One year of Biology
- One year of Physics
- One year of English
- Two years of Chemistry through Organic Chemistry
- Take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
- Volunteering, extracurricular activities or work experiences (industry or research)
MCAT - Standardized test (like ACT/SAT)
- Day long (8 hr) test with the following sections
- Verbal reasoning (comprehension, evaluation, etc)
- Physical sciences (physics, chemistry & math)
- Writing sample (grammar, logical thought, etc)
- Biological sciences (molecular, cellular and human biology; organic chemistry)
- 15 points / section + separate writing score
- http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/start.htm for more information
AMCAS application - Uniform application for medical school admission
- Can apply to many schools with one application
- Over 100 schools use AMCAS application
- Includes all OH & MI medical schools
- You should still check with individual schools for any additional application requirements
- Ex: MCO may request secondary application with recommendation letters
AMCAS application - Biographical information
- Essay (one page limit)
- Why you have selected the field of medicine
- What should medical schools know about you that is not mentioned elsewhere in the application
- Special hardships, challenges or obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits
- Explain significant fluctuations in your academic record not mentioned elsewhere in the application
- Post-secondary experiences – jobs, volunteer positions, awards, extracurricular activities
AMCAS application - List schools attended
- Request official transcripts - use AMCAS form
- List all post-secondary courses you enrolled in regardless if credit was received
- GPA calculation – includes transfer credits and repeated courses!
- See http://www.aamc.org for more details
- Instructions for students applying for Fall 2003 admission are already available
- See http://www.ada.org and http://www.adea.org for dental school admissions information
What to expect in medical school - First two years are spent in class 8 hours per day, 5 days per week
- First year courses are basic sciences
- Biochemistry and cell biology
- Anatomy, histology and immunology
- Neuroscience and physiology
- Clinical skills, ethics, etc.
- Second year courses are medical sciences
- Pathology, pathophysiology, pharmacology
- Take Part I of Board Exam after second year
What to expect in medical school - Last two years are spent in the clinic
- Clinical rotations are full-time positions
- Include nights and weekends on call
- Required clinical rotations in third year
- Medicine, surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry and obstetrics/gynecology
- Elective clinical rotations in fourth year
- Apply for residency and take Part II of Board Exam
Life after medical school - A minimum of three years spent in residency to receive further training in an area of specialization
- Take board exam for your area of specialization
- Can do fellowship after residency, usually for research or extreme area of specialization
- Then earn the big bucks and play golf every Thursday (yeah, right …)
Financial considerations - Money should not be your primary goal in becoming a physician
- Medical school is expensive
- First real paycheck comes 7 years after graduating from college
- Requires substantial commitment and desire to become a practicing physician
- Money should not be obstacle to attending medical school
- You can repay much of the debt when you are a resident
Why business school? - To learn management principles for supervising employees
- To understand the business aspects (such as finance and marketing) of product development
- Many engineers obtain M.B.A.s to pursue management positions in larger corporations
Business school prerequisites - Required coursework varies by school
- Your engineering education should be sufficient for most schools
- You may need an economics course
- Take the GMAT exam
- Industrial experience (co-op or full-time) is desirable
GMAT - Half day long (~4 hr) test with the following sections
- Analytical writing
- Quantitative reasoning
- Verbal reasoning
- Complex scoring - total scores range from 200 – 800
- See http://www.gmac.com for more information
Business school courses - Typically a 1 ½ - 2 year program
- Curriculum varies widely
- Investigate coursework before you apply
- Core courses
- Accounting, finance, marketing and management
- Elective courses to specialize in one of the core areas listed above
Why law school? - To practice criminal law
- To practice civil law
- To work on patents for new products
- To work on legal and tax issues for corporations
- Law school results in a J.D. degree
Law school prerequisites - A bachelor’s degree in just about any program
- Take the LSAT exam
- Standardized application – LSDAS
- See http://www.lsac.org/ for more information
LSAT - Half day long (~4 hour) test with the following sections
- Reading comprehension
- Analytical reasoning
- Writing sample
- Score ranges from 120 – 180
- See http://www.lsac.org/ for more information
Law school courses - Typically a 3 year program
- Core courses
- Electives for specialization
- Business, civil, criminal, labor, estates, patents, family, property and tax law
- Must take state bar exam to obtain license to practice law
Why graduate school? - To specialize in a technical area
- Allows you to do more technical work
- May help you advance in your job
- To do research in an academic or industrial setting
- Grad school results in a masters degree or a Ph.D.
Graduate school prerequisites - Varies with each program
- Many programs require the GRE exam
- Two sections: Verbal and Quantitative
- Also have engineering subject test
- Scoring ranges from 200 – 800 for each section, 200 – 1000 for subject test
- See http://www.gre.org/ for more information
Graduate school curriculum - Courses vary by program and school
- Two types of masters programs: coursework intensive and research intensive
- Research intensive masters program may require a thesis
- A PhD program is research intensive and requires a thesis
How do I decide on a graduate program? - Talk to the experts
- Students in various programs
- Professionals in your area of interest
- Advisors and counselors
- Visit schools, hospitals, etc.
- If the classes look interesting, the work probably will be too!
Timeline for graduate study - This is a general timeline to apply for graduate study
- Take home message – start thinking about this at least a year before you graduate
- Assumes graduation in Spring of 5th year
- April of 4th year – take the applicable standardized test(s)
- Summer of 4th year – retake test(s) if needed
- Fall of 5th year – obtain recommendation letters if needed
- Fall of 5th year - send out applications to various programs
- Fall of 5th year – apply for scholarships if applicable
- Spring of 5th year – interview and select program to enroll in
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