Grammar, Usage & Style Cheat Sheet

Noun: Names a person, place, or thing-either abstract (Love is wonderful.) or concrete (The flower bloomed.)

Verb: Expresses action (He jumped.) or state of being (She will be late.)

Pronoun: Replaces a noun or pronoun (Tom found his watch.)

Adjective: Describes or limits nouns or pronouns (She is a pretty girl).

Adverb: Describes or limits verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs (He runs quickly.)

Preposition: Shows relationships between a noun or pronoun and another noun or pronoun (The towel was on the floor.)

Conjunction: Links words, phrases, or clauses (Mary and I went home.)

Tips For Using the Parts of Speech

• Capitalize proper nouns: My uncle was in Desert Storm.
• Make nouns plural by adding -s or -es in most cases: The bears awoke.
• Make nouns possessive by adding -'s to singular nouns (dog's bone) or the apostrophe alone if the noun is plural (the Smiths' home).
• Singular nouns require singular verbs: My sister laughs often.
• Plural nouns require plural verbs: My sisters laugh often.
• A verb tense indicates the action of the verb.

Six Most Common Verb Tenses

Present (I walk.)	Present Perfect (I have walked.)
Past (I walked.)	Past Perfect (I had walked.)
Future (I will walk.)	Future Perfect (I will have walked.)

Sentence Review

A predicate is the part of a sentence that tells what the subject does or is, or what is done to the subject.

Phrases are groups of related words that are missing either a subject or a predicate.

Clauses are groups of related words, with a subject or predicate, that are part of a longer sentence.

Sentences express a complete thought and have a subject and predicate.

Tips for Writing Good Sentences

• Fix run-on sentences by rewriting the sentence or adding punctuation between two independent clauses.
• Correct sentence fragments by adding the missing subject or predicate to phrases or subordinate clauses.
• Eliminate faulty agreement by making subjects and predicates agree in person and number.
• Avoid misplaced modifiers by keeping them near the word they modify.
• Prevent faulty parallelism by matching grammatical structures in a sentence.
• Combine short, choppy sentences and vary word order for a smooth style.

Tips for Better Punctuation

• Commas should be used to join introductory clauses, after introductory clauses and phrases, to set off interrupting elements, with restrictive and nonrestrictive elements, with appositives, and between items or modifiers in a series.
• Semicolons are used to join closely connected independent clauses and between items in a series.
• Colons are used to introduce a list, formal statement, or restatement in a sentence.
• The dash, used to add interrupting phrases or clauses, and the parentheses, which sets off incidental information, should be used sparingly.
• Use quotation marks to identify quotes.
• Punctuation usually belongs inside the quotation marks.

Tips for Word Usage

• Watch out for frequently confused words.
• Hyphenate most compound adjectives that appear before a noun.
• Generally, spell compound adjectives that follow a noun and words with prefixes or suffixes as one word.
• Most compound adverbs are spelled as two words.
• Experience and a dictionary can help you choose the correct idiom when writing.
• Eliminate clichés, jargon, faddish words, and slang in your writing.
• Avoid redundant expressions and wordiness in writing.

Improving the Writing Process

• Be aware of your audience.
• Choose a topic that is narrowly defined and interesting to you.
• Begin by writing a thesis, an assertion about your topic.
• Develop several logical main ideas to support your thesis statements.
• Avoid plagiarism by identifying other writers' research and words with citations.
• Paraphrase long passages or main ideas in your own words.
• Organize your main ideas and outline them in writing before you begin drafting.
• Introductions should catch the reader's attention and provide a general orientation.
• Paragraphs should be unified around a central idea and connected to one another and to other paragraphs through transitional devices.
• Conclusions should bring all your main ideas together and leave the reader thinking.
• Never bring up new points or apologize in the conclusion.
• Always carefully edit and revise your drafts.

Don't Play with Plagiarism

When you write your paper, you must cite any sources you use. As you research and take notes, write down the information you'll need for footnotes. Check a style guide for the right way to style your footnotes and prepare a bibliography. You'll be guilty of plagiarism if you don't give credit for words or ideas that you borrow from others. Deciding what to footnote is sometimes a tough call, but play it safe. If you have doubts, cite your source.

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/Section/Grammar-Usage-Style-Cheat-Sheet.id-305499,articleId-30163.html

Creeping Oobleck

How To Structure A Chem Lab Report

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chemlab/info/notebooks/sample.html

Density of an Unknown Liquid Objective To determine the identity of an unknown liquid by measuring its density. Reference "Dartmouth College, Chemistry 3/5 Lab Manual", pp. 25 - 37. Prelab Procedure Outline 1. Obtain sample of unknown liquid. Note physical properties such as odor, viscosity, and color. 2. Record the mass of clean, dry 10.00 mL volumetric flask and stopper. 3. Carefully transfer unknown liquid to volumetric flask. Fill to mark exactly. Stopper flask. 4. Measure mass of filled flask. 5. Empty and dry flask. 6. Repeat steps 2 - 5 for additional liquid sample. or Prelab Procedure Flowchart Obtain unknown sample in beaker note odor, color, viscosity Weigh clean, dry 10 mL volumetric flask and stopper record Transfer liquid to flask fill to mark, use dropper, stopper flask Weigh filled flask record Empty, dry flask. Repeat for additional liquids. Sample Calculations: If flask is 10.0 g and flask + liquid is 15.0 g Mass liquid = 15.0 g - 10.0 g = 5.0 g Density liquid = 5.0 g / 10.00 mL = 0.50 g/mL Prelab Analysis Outline 1. Subtract mass of empty flask from mass of filled flask to calculate mass of liquid. mLiquid = mflask & liquid - mflask 2. Divide liquid mass by liquid volume to calculate density. D=mliquid/10.00 mL 3. Compare to known densities to indentify liquid. or Flowchart Calculate Mass Liquid mLiquid = mflask & liquid - mflask Calculate Density D=mLiquid/10.00 mL Compare to known density values Procedure, Data and Results Empty Volumetric Flask Washed two 10.0 mL volumetric flasks and dried with KimWipes, inside and out. Labeled A and B with pencil. Weighed flasks A and B on analytical balance Flask A 11.2571 g Flask B 11.3921 g Filled flasks to mark with unknown liquid 1. Weighed on analytical balance. Emptied and dried flasks A and B. Weighed empty flasks. Filled to mark with unknown liquid 2. Weighed on analytical balance. Unknown liquid 1 Flask A Flask B mass empty flask 11.2571 g 11.3921 g mass flask & liquid 19.2571 g 19.6124 g mass liquid 8.0000 g 8.2203 g Density liquid 0.8000 g/mL 0.8220 g/mL Average density liquid: 0.8110 g/mL Probable Identity: methanol Unknown liquid 2 Flask A Flask B mass empty flask 11.2575 g 11.3918 g mass flask & liquid 21.3308 g 21.5086 g mass liquid 10.0733 g 10.1168 g Density liquid 1.0073 g/mL 1.0117 g/mL Average density liquid 2: 1.010 g/mL Probable Identity: water The first liquid unknown was determined to be methanol from its experimental density of 0.8110 g/mL. This compares to the literature value of 0.7914 g/mL (CRC Handbook, 66th ed., p. C-351). Methanol is colorless, slightly less viscous than water, and has a slightly sweet odor. The second liquid was determined to be water from its experimental density of 1.010 g/mL. The literature value for the density of water at 25 °C is 0.997 g/mL (CRC Handbook, 66th ed., p. F-10). The water sample looked and smelled like water. This method of determining densities was accurate to within 2% for methanol and to within 1% for water. Limitations on the precision of the determination were the ability of the experimenter to correctly fill the volumetric flask, the accuracy of the flask itself, and the accuracy of the balance. The balance is accurate to 0.0001 g out of 19 g (0.0005%) and the flask is accurate to 0.02 mL out of 10 mL (0.2%). Since both of these values are less than the discrepancy between the experimental and literature density values in this experiment, they were not the limiting factors in the precision of the results. Possible error by the experimenter that would account for the experimental precision being less than expected are not filling the flask to the mark properly or having droplets of liquid in the neck of the flask or on the outside of the flask. Handling the flask with bare hands could have introduced an error in the mass by adding fingerprints. Finally, the densities of liquids vary slightly with temperature and this could account for the discrepancy between the experimental results and literature values. If the temperature in the lab was not 25 °C, the true values of the densities of the liquids may have differed from the literature values for 25 °C.

How to Fail Chemistry

1.	Don't buy the text book until after the first test.
2.	Don't study the text book until after the second exam.
3.	Make sure you SKIP CLASS at least once a week. - Invent good excuses to give your instructor. - See your instructor if you need great-sounding excuses.
4.	DON'T TAKE NOTES in class. Don't even bring paper & pencil.
5.	On test day, leave your calculator and pencil at home
6.	If you study, be sure no one sees you doing it. STUDY ALONE!
7.	Do all studying in one day; don't spread out your study time. Study only when you feel like it.
8.	Sign up for more classes than you can handle, then drop the one that actually require you to work (like Chemistry).
9.	SKIP LAB at least the two time you're allowed--that'll drop you at least a letter grade
10.	When you go to lab, be sure you haven't read the experiment, then tell the instructor you couldn't do the advance study assignments because the questions were too hard.
11.	Never do your own homework. If you feel compelled to hand something in, make a photocopy of someone else's.
12.	Learn to smoke if you don't already. Then be sure to puff away before each test.
13.	Skip the first exam. The make-up exam will be a breeze anyway (in your dreams).
14.	NEVER EVER go see your instructor if you don't understand.
15.	Assume you won't pass, so there's no need to exert any effort. Just plan to withdraw when the going gets rough.

There is no gain in life without some pain.

Believe you can succeed. Be willing to pay the price. The price is always what you don't want to pay. Make success in college your number one goal. You cannot have multiple goals. Everything comes in its own season. There is a time to learn; a time to play; and a time to work.

Failure begins in an excuse, a short cut. There is no royal road to learning or achieving excellence.

How To Study Chemistry

The inventory below lists behaviors that you should exhibit in order to excel in chemistry. Write true or false beside each of the following statements describing the way you study. The scoring scale at the end

1. I always read the lecture material before I go to lecture.

2. I go over my lecture notes as soon as possible after lecture to rework them and mark problem areas.

3. I try to work the homework problems without looking at the example problems or my notes from class.

4. I go to office hours or tutoring regularly to discuss problems on the homework.

5. I rework all of the homework problems before the test or quiz.

6. I spend some time studying chemistry at least five days per week (outside of class time).

7. I make mnemonics for myself to help me remember facts and equations.

8. I make diagrams or draw mental pictures of the concepts discussed in class.

9. I participate in a study group where we do homework and quiz ourselves on the material

10. I rework all of the quiz and test items I have missed before the next class session.

11. I realize that I can still do well in this class even if I have done poorly on the quizzes and tests up to this point.

The predicted grade for your performance in chemistry is provided below:
Number of True Responses	Predicted Grade
9 or more 6 – 8 4 – 5 2 – 3 less than 2	A B C D F

Note that you can change your predicted grade at any point by changing your behavior such that more of the statements are true.

http://appl003.lsu.edu/slas/cas.nsf/$Content/Chemistry+Study+Strategies+Inventory?OpenDocument

A Wasted Day

The most thoroughly wasted of all days is that on which one has not laughed. Nicolas Chamfort

A Scientific Dissection of the MCAT

The MCAT is sold as this enormous, all knowing, all encompassing test that not only tests every single bit of information you've ever learned about biology, chemistry, and physics. It's also sold as a test that takes all day long to take. But let's take a closer look and find out how much of each of the sciences are really involved in this sucker.

1. The Essay Section is just a pair of 30 minute essays where you'll have to present a well out-lined 5 paragraph essay in each, with a central idea and 3 points to back up that idea. Subjects on biology, chemistry, and physics are excluded purposefully.

2. The Verbal Reasoning Section is akin to every other stardardized passage based test you've ever taken in your life. It's curved harder that the other multiple choice sections, so you'll still be pulling your hair out from the stress but again, subjects on biology, chemistry, and physics aren't the emphasis.

4. The Physical Science Section includes subjects on General Chemistry & Physics. Take in the fact that this section only has 52 questions, break that down a little more, and you get roughly (exactly?) 26 multiple choice General Chemistry questions and 26 multiple choice Physics questions.

5. The Biological Science Section includes subjects on Biology & Organic Chemistry. The same is true for this section as was true for the Physical Science section, 26 questions for each. But from what I can tell, this section will be the most loaded.

"Biology."

Four semesters of chemistry (2 semesters of Gen. Chem. and 2 semesters of O. Chem) have been split in half, but Biology stands alone. How many biology classes have you taken? Off of the top of my head I've taken: Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, Microbiology, Introduction to Biology, Organismal Biology, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Ecology & Evolution, Comparative Anatomy, Immunology, and Histology (and Animal Physiology & Epidemiology to be taken this semester). Now take all that and squeeze it all down into 26 multiple choice questions.

!!!

As far as your scientific career as a student and as far as all your scientific knowledge is concerned, your fate on the MCAT, and potential future as a doctor hinges on 104 multiple choice questions.

http://2medschool.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-01-14T15%3A16%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=50

Med School Questions

• How many letters of recommendation do they require?
  
• Do they have a maximum number of letters of recommendation they want sent to them?
  
• How many words/pages do they want your personal statement?
  
• How old can your MCAT scores be?
  
• Do they accept applications before your MCAT scores are in?
  
• Do they require additional applications specific to their school?
  
• Do they have a minimum GPA requirement?
  
• Do they have a minimum MCAT requirement?

Med School Schedule

It was a table breaking down the courses that you'll be taking during the first four semesters of medical school. It's also one of those pieces of information that you wonder why you haven't stumbled upon before.

This is just one school's curriculum. I'm not certain that every school is exactly the same, but I'm sure they're similar. After all, the information they'll all be teaching you must contain the information necessary to pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).

Semesters 1 and 2

• Developmental and Microscopic Anatomy I
  
• Developmental and Microscopic Anatomy II
  
• Biochemistry and Genetics I
  
• Biochemistry and Genetics II
  
• Doctor, Patient, and Society I
  
• Doctor, Patient, and Society II
  
• Neuroscience
  
• Gross Anatomy I
  
• Gross Anatomy II
  
• Medical Physiology I
  
• Medical Physiology II
  

Semester 3

• Microbiology and Immunology I
  
• Pathology I: General
  
• Medical Pharmacology I
  
• Behavioral Sciences
  

Semester 4

• Microbiology and Immunology II
  
• Pathology II: Systemic and Clinical
  
• Medical Pharmacology II
  
• Introduction to Clinical Medicine

"On avg, how many hours are spent studying for MCAT"

I figure if I spend 8 hours a day dedicated to MCAT prep (which is the same as a full day's work), reviewing the basic sciences is easily within reason. And at that time, I'll take a practice MCAT and begin the Kaplan course and begin again -- this time over a longer period of time, with in-class tutors, online resources, and time in between to take even more practice MCATs.

My Summer Schedule (with information included from Kaplan's Sample Syllabus which you can find at their website HERE.

• Week 1: Examkrackers MCAT Physics
• Week 2: Examkrackers MCAT General Chemistry
• Week 3: Examkrackers MCAT Organic Chemistry
• Week 4: Examkrackers MCAT Biology
• Practice Test 1
• Kaplan course begins.
• MCAT Strategy & Critical Thinking I
• Physics I
• General Chemistry I
• Verbal Reasoning & Writing Sample I
• Organic Chemistry II
• Biology I
• MCAT Strategy & Critical Thinking II
• Physics II
• General Chemistry II
• Verbal Reasoning & Writing Sample II
• Organic Chemistry I
• Biology II
• Practice Test 2
• Physics III
• General Chemistry III
• Verbal Reasoning & Writing Sample III
• Organic Chemistry III
• Biology III
• Practice Test 3
• MCAT Strategy & Critical Thinking III
• Practice Test 4
• Practice Test 5
• August 22: MCAT Test Date

Crazy?

No one ever said getting into Medical School was going to be easy.

A little quick math in my head says that I have approximately 14 weeks of this Summer Schedule. I have 5 days a week (plus 2 days break) with 8 hours a day spent studying (with 16 hours for sleeping, eating, and re-gaining sanity) and that gives me roughly 560 hours studying for the MCAT.

Time Mgt Worksheet

Considering Osteopathic Medicine

"In the United States, there are only two types of medical schools – allopathic (grants M.D. degree) and osteopathic (grants D.O. degree). The Osteopathic profession is a minority profession and consists of approximately 16% of the practicing clinicians in our country. In the past, a majority of osteopathic physicians practiced primary care (family medicine, general internal medicine, and pediatrics) and tended to establish clinics in under served or rural areas. Although this is slowly changing today, many schools of osteopathic medicine still lead the nation in the development of primary care physicians. All schools of osteopathic medicine continue to embrace the basic tenets of Dr. Andrew Taylor Still and incorporate these concepts within the curriculum. All students in osteopathic medicine learn the traditional medicine curriculum plus develop competencies in osteopathic manipulative medicine, a form of manual medicine originally developed by Dr. Still and continuously enhanced by the profession. The philosophy of osteopathic medicine, first enunciated by Dr. Still in 1874, is still true today. Osteopathic medicine continues to emphasize preventative medicine, a holistic approach to patient care, and empowering the patient to strive toward health and not disease."

Family and General Practitioners

Interview Feedback

1. Tell me about your family?
2. What interests you about becoming a doctor?
3. When did you first hear about Ross?
4. What does your family think about becoming a doctor?
5. What does your family think about going to school in the Caribbean?
6. Why do you want to go to Ross?
7. Why didn't you pursue Nursing instead of Medicine?
8. How would you describe your academic career?
9. How would your friends describe you?
10. Do you have research experience?
11. Do you have any clinical experience?
12. Did you work while in college?
13. Name one quality that you have that will help you as a doctor?
14. How was your MCAT experience?
15. If there was one thing you could improve about yourself, what would it be?
16. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
17. Is there anything else you want to tell me?
18. Do you have any questions for me?

http://more.studentdoctor.net/viewinterview.php?interview=26816

Books Every Premed Student Must Read:

http://www.amazon.com/Montaigne-Essays-Michel/dp/014017897X/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_0_12?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=in+the+land+of+invisible+women&sprefix=in+the+land+
If I could do it all over again, as a premed student if I could only read four books these are the books I wouldn't live without::

• Med School Confidential - This is your guide from high school through residency. I can't recommend this book enough. Forget four books. If you could only buy and read one book, this is the book that will get you into and through medical school.
  
• Essays That Will Get You into Medical School - This is your primary reference when approaching your personal statement. It begins with tips, how to's, and strategies, but then goes into a section that has actual essays written by actual students listed with the medical schools who accepted them. (Note: Currently out of stock @ Amazon.)
  
• The Medical School Interview - This is your glimpse into the medical school interview from two perspectives: from the student being interviewed and from the person doing the interviewing. Both of them are important to have a better understanding of how the interview really works.
  
• Complications - This is the best first hand account of a doctor's days and nights that I've ever read (and I've read a lot). He's a great writer and he has a great story. This is the book that I added to the old list. If your goal is to become a doctor and you want to know more about what goes on inside the mind of a doctor, this is the book you want to read. I think it's important to know this stuff. It's pleasure reading and... it's not. This is what you're getting yourself into after all.

I consider these four books required reading for all premed students. Feel free to disagree. But above all others, these books helped me to accomplish my goals. I'm sure they can do the same for you. Good luck.

Insightful Studying

In addition to capturing the basics of the subject matter, you need to develop insight.

I am now ready to reveal the big dark secret about technical class studying: If you want to do well in a technical class all you have to do is develop insight for every single concept covered in lecture.

That’s the whole ballgame.

That’s how every high-scoring technical student does it.

There’s no shortcut.

It’s the only way.

"Top 10 List: Pieces of advice for pre-med students"

10. Have a backup plan...
9. but don't give up if you don't get in your first time.
8. If you do get in, don't do anything the summer before you start classes.
7. Know what doctors do before you decide you want to be one.
6. Know what other health care professionals do before you decide on medicine.
5. Don't kid yourself: Training to become a doctor is one of the most difficult things you can do.
4. There is much value in reading the online medical blogosphere.
3. Make sure that going into medicine is your own decision.
2. Marks come first. You can always add volunteer activities after you graduate; you can't go back and increase your undergraduate GPA.
1. Be 1000% sure that medicine is what you want to do.

How to Ace Calculus

Tangent Troubles

Calculus is easy. Or at least, it can be. The key is how you digest the material. Here’s an example: when you’re first taught derivatives in calculus class, do you remember it like this…

Or do you intuit this image…

As I will argue in this post, for any technical course — be it calculus, physics, or microeconomics — the key between an ‘A’ and a struggle comes down to this distinction. Below I’ll explain exactly what I mean and reveal how top technical students use this realization to consistently ace their classes.

How Every Technical Class is Taught

Technical classes have a simple structure. In each lecture, the professor presents a series of concepts. Depending on the difficulty of the material, she may cover anywhere from one to more than a dozen. For each concept, the professor will derive the result from concepts you already know and/or provide an example of the concept in practice.

That’s it.

This simplicity is good. It will make it easier for us to develop a strategy to conquer the material…

The Magic of Insight

What do you do with the concepts being spewed by the professor? Most students dutifully copy them down along with their accompanying examples. For example, if it’s the first week of calculus, you might record the standard derivative equation I reproduced above.

This is fine, but it’s not enough….

In addition to capture, you need to develop insight.

What do I mean by insight? That click in your brain — the moment when the tumblers of your mental locks align, the door swings opens, and an intuitive sense of what and why come flooding out. Forget the equations you copied from the blackboard, I’m talking about developing an understanding deep down in your bones.

For our example of the derivative, this might mean having a solid mental grasp of this image:

A derivative at a given point is just the slope of the tangent line that kisses that point. Even more intuitively: it can be though of as the “steepness” of the graph at that point. That’s all. The complicated equation from above is just a way to calculate a specific number that describes this steepness.

If you understand this graph — really understand it — you understand the insight behind derivatives. If all you know is the equation from above, then you’re screwed.

Insightful Studying

I am now ready to reveal the big dark secret about technical class studying: If you want to do well in a technical class all you have to do is develop insight for every single concept covered in lecture.

That’s the whole ballgame.

That’s how every high-scoring technical student does it.

There’s no shortcut.

It’s the only way.

Here’s what I commonly observe: the students who struggle in technical courses are those who skip the insight-developing phase. They capture concepts in their notes and they study by reproducing their notes. Then, when they sit down for the exam and are faced with problems that apply the ideas in novel ways, they have no idea what to do. They panic. They do poorly. They proclaim that they are “not math people.” They switch to a philosophy major.

Without insight you can’t do well.

How to Develop Insight

Developing insight can be hard. (Though it gets easier with practice.) Especially when you’re given a dozen new concepts per lecture. The implication: you have to invest a lot of effort during the semester — not just right before the exam — to keep up with a technical course. Every one of those concepts described in lecture has to be translated from symbols on a blackboard to a shiver-inducing deep comprehension. It’s not easy, but at least the challenge is now well-defined.

Here are some tips that can help:

1. If you have a hard time understanding the material as the professor presents it, prep the concepts before class by reading the textbook.
   
2. Ask questions when the professor loses you. Often their answer can knock you back on track to insightful understanding.
3. Ask the professor or TA for clarifications immediately following lecture.
4. Try to review your notes as soon as possible after class to cement insights while the information is still fresh in your brain.
5. Always go to office hours. But before you show up, spend time with the troublesome concepts trying to build insight. Figure out exactly where you get stuck. This will help the TA or professor give you targeted, useful advice. Never just say: I don’t get it.”
6. Keep a running list of every concept taught so far in the semester. Mark the ones that you have an insight for and the ones you don’t understand. It helps to see clearly exactly what insights you still need.

The Practice Factor

Once you’ve developed an insight for every concept in a technical course, the final step before a test is to do a small number of practice problems for each to practice applying it. (This is where the mega-problem sets of Straight-A come into play.)

Here’s the crucial observation: if you skip the insight-generating phase, no amount of practice problems will help you side-step exam disaster. If it’s a week before the exam, and you lack insights on most of the concepts: you’re out of luck.

It’s Not Easy, But It’s Also Not Complicated

It’s hard to do well in technical courses. But it’s not complicated.

During the semester, you have to see yourself like a lone soldier trying to fight back the tide of encroaching concepts. Do everything you can to build insights in the heat of battle. Become obsessive about conquering concepts.

Once you’ve turned your attention to the real battle needed to do well in technical classes, you can invest your time and energy exactly where it’s needed.

And if not, there’s always philosophy…

http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/11/14/how-to-ace-calculus-the-art-of-doing-well-in-technical-courses/

"How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper" by Robert A. Day

Undergraduate Research

This is a topic that will seem like review to some of you. But it's also a topic that I was unaware of (for the most) part, even through high school. It's important to know, it's significance is stressed in just about every single document I've come across, and it's something you have to do, whether or not you decide to continue with medical research or not.

Among a few other subjects, 'Undergraduate Research' goes under my "absolutely, must, have to" category as far as getting accepted into Medical School is concerned. I've spoken on undergraduate research before, this won't be the last time, and here I am again. Let me inject a new thought into your brain: If you continue on to a successful medical career, even if you do not plan on participating in research, you can be sure that you will encounter it time and time again.

Knowing the research process from beginning to end and participating in it for yourself, you'll be able to better critique and analyze these research papers you'll come across. By experiencing the research process for yourself, you'll have a better scientific eye when reading and hearing about current and future studies.

Learning and experiencing scientific research is to your benefit whether you plan on doing the research as a scientist or implementing the science as a doctor.

Here's the book that we're currently using:



It's written like a high school text, but it's very good. It's a nice break from all of the very dense, college level and graduate level books that I find myself reading day in and day out. For those of you who already have experience, you'll want to pass on this. For the rest of us who are experiencing research for the first time, this is a good introductory book.

I'd say that this book has the greatest benefit for all of you high school students out there who are thinking about a career in science or medicine. I guarantee that if you read this book before you go to college, you'll have an edge over the rest of your peers.

Networking Into the Emergency Room

I called the Volunteer Department of St. Francis Memorial Hospital earlier this week. It looks like I'll have to do a couple things before I can start:

1. Pick up some paperwork to turn in later.
2. Get a series of TB shots.
3. Attended a 2 hour orientation.

The Moral of Today's Story: If you're looking to shadow a doctor in the emergency room (or wherever), begin early and plan ahead. It will take you upwards of one month to complete the process.

I've applied for an Emergency Room Technician position 7 times in 5 different hospitals (another story). The only time I ever got a call back was the time that my mom, a registered nurse, dropped my name to the Emergency Room Manager at Kaiser Permanente in Richmind, California.

One doctor and one letter down, four to go. That was one of the main advantages from having that job from the past. The Hyperbaric Unit is a very small unit. The one I worked at had a regular staff of one doctor, one nurse, and one transporter. This gave me ample time to get to know the doctors working there and ask questions. If everything goes well, I'll get at least 40 hours of shadowing experience in the Emergency Room in St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, CA.

Medical Student Hopeful Advice of the Day: Try an keep in touch with people in your field. Students & teachers at school, or doctors & nurses at work. It doesn't matter. Keeping in touch with anyone in your field is very important. You never know when it will pay off.

Note Taking

Assume I give you an interesting non-fiction book. You decide to take notes while you read it so you can later remember its key insights. You can’t record the raw information — that’s the entire book! Instead, you have to think about what you read, and record the big ideas that you find compelling. What affected you? What will you bring up at your next dinner party?

Think about a college lecture in the same way. To record the raw information so you can evaluate it later is a herculean task (like transcribing an entire book). Capture the insights. Not only is this easier, but it saves you the analysis step when you later study. Efficiency is king! Always be streamlining…and so on, and so forth.

Never Record Raw Information

Don’t record what the professor says, record the importance of what he says.

"Kaplan MCAT 45, 2008 Edition"

If you ever were in search of specific MCAT test taking skills, tips, and tricks this is the book you've been looking for you.

I've been thinking more and more about which books I would put into my "Five Books and Only Five Books" list for other aspiring medical students. This would be one of them. I've narrowed the list down into subjects that I think should be covered and the books that give thorough details and specific advice for tackling each subject:

1. A book that gives an overview and outline of the entire "Road to Medical School."
   
2. A book that covers the personal statement.
   
3. A book that covers the medical school interview.
   
4. A book that covers MCAT test taking skills.
   
5. And fifth book that I'm undecided on.

This book would be that MCAT book. It's that good. It's specific, it's detailed, it gives examples, it points out pitfalls, and it gives advice on how to best tackle those pitfalls. It spends a few pages dissecting the test itself and it spends even more time going through each section of the MCAT step-by-step.

Since reading this book, I've altered my own MCAT prep plans to include each section (Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics, and Verbal Reasoning) of this book as I finish reviewing each section of the review material. Stopping to answer each of the practice problems in the review material and then stopping to answer each of the practice problems in this book.

I can't recommend this book enough. Get it.

Most people will tell you to dedicate 3-6 months for studying for the MCAT. I'm starting (roughly) a year in advance. Your MCAT score is a huge factor when determining acceptance into Medical School or not, especially if you have a weak GPA.

http://2medschool.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=50