.... is writing a book????
Recently, an idea occurred to me that I thought was worth sharing. Many premeds out there are very unsure of what it takes to make it into medicine. Although resources regarding medical admission are widely available, most of such resources provide scattered pieces of information that require significant amount of time to piece together. Even when you've acquired a thorough sense of how one can gain acceptance and work accordingly, it’s still difficult to gauge your own competitiveness when so many factors come into play.
So I thought to myself - wouldn’t it be great to have a collection of detailed profiles of students who’ve either made it to medical school, made it to the interview stage, or gotten rejected? Not only would the profiles include GPA/MCAT stats, volunteering history, research experience, courses taken, schools applied to, etc…. it would also include each applicant’s personal description of self-perceived strengths and weaknesses of his/her own application.
This way, premeds can get a much better idea of what makes a competitive applicant. Then I asked myself - what would be the ideal medium to deliver such material? Of course the ideal way is to provide it for free over MedChatter.com. However, this is not feasible since no one would want to contribute to such a project. No one would want to disclose their own personal information online in such a manner, at least for no personal gains. So I thought maybe I should write a book. Basically, I would recruit medical students from all across Canada to contribute to such a project. It would be a collaborative effort. The book would then be sold over MedChatter and other distribution media at a low price. All profits would go to charity. This way, contributors get authorship, and we all get the satisfaction in knowing that all of our efforts benefit everyone.
This idea is fairly new and I’m still working on the details, but I’d be glad to hear all of your thoughts/opinions.
KeVan2
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... I think this is an awesome idea! I for one will gladly purchase a copy. Hopefully it'll be out before 4 years from now, haha (as I am in gr12). Anyway, best wishes in your success. Hopefully, the book doesn't become obsolete too quickly. Because techniques that might have work back then, may not work now. However, I think something like application to med school stay relatively the same. But, it is still something to keep in mind. An idea for charity should be scholarships for high school students, haha, cause I am having trouble finding some, and maybe future students won't be in the same dilemma. |
Kevin L
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... Thanks for the support! I promise you that it won't take 4 years  I hope that it can be updated annually so that it doesn't become obsolete. Scholarship is a pretty good idea. Maybe it can be awarded to students who aspire to become physicians. I just need to find some spare time to get this project rolling. I'll keep you posted. |
Joe....
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... i think this is a pretty good idea. lots of books are out there right now about US admissions, but very few (i haven't personally come across any) on canadian admissions. sounds like a good plan to me! |
Phan
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... I think this is such a good idea. Not sure if you guys have read "so you want to be a doctor eh ?" by Dr. Anne Berndl. But the book itself is pretty much the similar idea as what Kevin is planning to do. The setback for books for med-hopefuls is that you have to update the books pretty quickly, because the requirements are CHANGING EVERY YEAR; as people are becoming more and more competitive. I definitely support this idea,  thanks, |
beriberi
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... I don't want to be the pessimist in the group, but I have always hated the question "what did you do to get into medical school"? Publishing extracurriculars may inspire some, but it is also dangerous because it is furthering the "checklist" idea of things you must do to get into meds. |
Kevin L
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... Hey Beriberi, I know what you mean. I had similar concerns regarding this. After putting much thoughts into this, I'm beginning to believe that it would actually have the opposite effect of giving applicants the "checklist" mentality. After getting to know my classmates, I realize that people have achieved so much throughout their premed years in so many areas. There really isn't a single "checklist" for medical admission. There is a list of "should do", but they are by no means required. However, many premeds are not convinced of this fact and believe that there is a specific formula to medical school admission. I held this belief when I was a undergrad and therefore affected many of my decisions. I hope that this book can dispel these misconceptions and illustrate the various unique accomplishments of medical students. I further hope that it can motivate students to strive for achievements in their own unique ways. Kevin |
KAMA
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... I think is very good idea. I will support you 100%  . I am a parent and I would like to know the process of getting in to the medical school so I could guide my children if they are interested in medicine. I know many people want to be a doctor but they don't have proper guidance or advice in very early stage and they could not able to accomplish their dreams  . I refer this website to lot of peoples and sometime an internet is not accessible. The book might be easy to carry with me wherever I go. I would like to thank you for the new idea and keep think everyday to help us and we all benefit from the genius. |
Kevin L
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... Thank you for the support! It's pretty awesome that even parents visit this site, and I'm certainly glad that I can be of help. I have so many ideas for MedChatter, but it's certainly difficult to find time to implement many of the ideas. There are many areas that need improvement, and I will certainly work harder in the future in making MedChatter the best premed website in Canada. Just out of curiosity, how did you come across this site? |
KAMA
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... Hi Kevin Most will admit its tough being a parent. Try being a parent to a kid who knew she wanted to be a doctor at the age of 4. We have read so many medical books and websites, it's not even laughable. Some may say that 4 years old is too young to know what you want to do. Try telling that to my daughter, who is now 13 years old and still firm in her decision. Her inspiration and determination make me happy at the same time make me worry and wonder too. Since I don’t have any med school experience not even my family members or friends. How can I help my daughter to achieve her goal and dream? I have to plan a learning plan for her future and promptly guide her to the right destination, but I have nobody to ask or help. I was feeling quite dilemma and I felt like kite without air. I use the internet to research and search variety of subjects using Google. Finally Joshua Liu link came up with an open hand to help me. A good heart is better than all the heads in the world and thankfully medhopeful.com was born. I read through his articles everyday and I gather information and knowledge from it every moment. As Soon as he went to the med school and Joshua introduced you from medchatter.com. Since we were immigrated to this country we have very limited opportunity become who we want to become and the more we care the stronger we can be. |
Kevin L
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... That's a very impressive daughter you have there. It's so rare to find a 13 year old who has clearly identified a goal in life and determined to attain it. I don't think I was determined to pursue medicine until second year undergrad, so I think your daughter will definitely have an advantage given the head start. But make sure that medicine is really what she wants to do. Make sure that her drive isn't run on preconceived notions regarding the career. I immigrated to Canada in 1997, and I can understand what you mean by your last statement. Before coming to Canada, my father was a physician and my mother held a fairly powerful position in the government. When we first came to Canada though, there were numerous challenges - language problems, employment issues, cultural shock, etc. My father could no longer work as a physician, so he had to start with job as a laboratory technician. My mother's professional skills couldn't be put to use, so she went from job to job. I got my first job when I was 10, selling various types of mushrooms for this vegetable wholesaler. I think I made less than minimum wage, but it was fun. It was hard times, but at the same time, the adversity helped to build character. You are absolutely right about limited opportunity --> wanting/caring more --> progress. |
