Premed of Color is a site dedicated to premed students of color. The site is an online resource for minority students, with articles about applying to medical school and excelling as future physicians. The blog provides updates on the different topics of interest for premed students. These include Grad School Fairs, conferences, and scholarship news.
The strengths
The site says it is a “A resource for those who are and once were Premeds of Color.” This is a very excellent way to encourage premeds of colors to explore the site. This phrase gives a colored reader a sense of belonging. What I like most about the site is the variety of content. The blog seems to be about everything that could be of interest to colored premed students. Despite the variety of the topics, the entries are united by the goal of becoming very informative and useful resources for premed students. Another thing I like about the site is that it provides the readers with various options. When I first visited the blog, my first impression is that, I could do a lot of things in the site because the options seem to be plentiful. The “Top Post” and “Recent Post” also add to the ease of navigating the site for more entries.
The weaknesses
I don’t really like the theme used for the site. I understand why Da Vinci’s Vitruve Luc Viatour was chosen as the theme. It is probably for the obvious reason that it is related to medicine. But I think the effect is not that appealing. The site appears a bit boring. It even makes the blog a bit daunting, because it seems like almost everything you see is text. There should be a balance between the text and the design of the blog.
Med School Rehab contains articles about medical school and other medical school-related topics. The site has entries on how to survive medical school. The purpose of this blog is to help medical school students cope with the difficulties and problems commonly encountered in medical school.
What’s to like about this blog
One of the strengths of this blog is the content. The choice of topics, such as the Pre-Emptive All Nighter is intuitive and truly helpful. Topics such as this would really interest a lot of medical school students. The content itself is great. The entries are informative and excellently written. The points are made clear for all readers. I see no problem with the way the writer communicates ideas to the audience. It is also obvious that all the entries are written by a single person. The light tone and the obvious wit are found in all the entries.
What’s not to like about this blog
One of the things I don’t like about this blog is its very simple layout. It does not encourage readers to navigate further. It is actually bare. After reading a single article, I don’t know what to do next. There are no appealing buttons to click on. Remember that content alone is not enough to achieve blog success. Design-wise, this site is not interesting. The colors are boring, and it seems like there’s nothing much you can do when you visit the site.
Another major drawback is the number of posts in the site. The entries are very limited. Overall, the site does not really give the audience much options. In order for it to generate traffic, it should encourage readers to come back for more. And readers will be encouraged if this site is navigable and if they are left with lots of options. I believe this blog still has to go a long way.
Your Experience in Writing for a School Journal as a Topic for Your Personal Statement Medical School
Effective writing is not a skill everyone has. Some people find it difficult to even start an introduction for their writings; what more draft the entire essay. Just remember, it’s always the same for any kind of writing. If you are a college student and you’re asked to write an essay for your medical school admission, you could write about your real experiences writing for a journal in your previous school. This would be a very good opportunity to sell yourself to the medical school admissions committee that you have the qualifications and skills to make it to their school. But first, below are some guiding tips on how students could write effectively about your experiences writing for your school journal or school paper.
Organize your ideas
First and foremost, write down on the first paragraph all your experiences as a school journal writer. Then, you must collect relevant information pertaining to what you were writing then, and how you wrote them. Highlight your writing experiences and skills and organize them into an outline. Always think of what message you want to send to your audience. First, that you aim to convince them to grant a slot in their medical school, and second, that you will contribute your skills and experiences when you’re made a part of their school. After this, sort and filter all information about your writing experiences for a school journal, getting those that are extremely significant to your school journal experiences. Use these details to support your original statement.
Now that you have narrowed them down to the most important details, make sure you will write them in a clear and concise mannner, so as to develop unity and coherence in your essay. Be brief in your writing, because brevity is essential for coming up with an effective essay. Avoid wordiness and unnecessary long statements.
Know your audience
You should focus on identifying your audience so that you can adapt the tone or style of writing you will employ. Make sure you are able to grab the attention of your readers and maintain their interests until the end. Aside from handling their interests, you must also be concerned about your credibility at all times. Master the art of editing and proofreading your work. Always check for your grammar and punctuation usage, because the writer’s credibility also relies heavily on a writer’s grammar and punctuation errors. Emphasize how you apply these things when you write so that you are able to convince them that you truly deserve a place in their medical school.
Conclude with conviction
Present you writing experiences for a school journal in an interesting and unique manner. And do not forget to end your essay with conviction, enthusiasm, and authority so as to add depth to it. And most importantly, you should discuss how such writing experiences have helped you as a student and as a person and how you will be willing to continue this passion for writing even as a medical student. Highlight how such events, gave you realizations ushering you to a new direction in life. If you take this tips to heart, you’re on your way to becoming a medical student.
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Aside from the pressure and stress of medical school and residency, doctors confront another rigid challenge in their medical career – to select medical specializations. Listed below are some of the most popular medical specializations:
* Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is one of the most popular medical specializations. Medical students need to understand however that it is the specialization that it is also one of the most difficult to excel in. This is because it involves enhancement of physical assets and reconstruction of physical deformities, which are complex medical procedures. Plastic surgery is a highly techical field and is always coupled with a lot of risks that can include paralysis and death.
In spite of the complexity and risks involved, the popularity of this medical specialization stems from the undeniable obsession of people to enhance their physical beauty. So, plastic surgeons will never run out of patients.
* Pediatrics
Pediatricians, aside from diagnosing signs and symptoms as well as checking possible infections, provide medical care to maintain the total health of children in all aspects. Treating children is not that simple especially if your patients cannot really say what and where it hurts. By the pediatrician’s experience, the pediatrician makes his or her diagnosis.
Aside from enjoying the treatment of children as patients, the popularity of this medical specialization is due to the fact that parents will definitely pay any amount for their children’s safety and health.
* Obstetrics and gynecology
This medical specialization is perhaps the most popular medical specialization among female doctors, but it is also open to male doctors. This medical specialization remains close to every female doctor’s heart due to its focus on parts of the anatomy that are found only in women. It deals with ensuring medical care for the reproductive health of pregnant including non-pregnant patients.
The basic fact that women get pregnant and babies are born every day assures the proliferation of medical practitioners on obstetrics and gynecology.
In the end, do not make the mistake of choosing a specialization because of its popularity or even based on the amount of salary involved. Choose a medical specialization that matches your skills, personality, and interests. If you’re not a “people person” and your dexterity is topnotch, you may want to be a surgeon.
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The good news is that foreign students like you have an equal chance to qualify for a US medical school. American medical schools are more interested in the student’s medical and academic potential, than in their religion and ethnicity. If you are an excellent student, especially in the sciences, you have a strong chance in getting into a US medical school. However, you need to read the following points to know what can further strengthen your application.
Speak the language
While race is not an issue, not being able to speak English can be a big problem. Even if you are gifted with a brilliant mind, you cannot learn in a US medical school if you do not speak or understand English. English is the language used for instruction, medical oral reports and written case studies. So, you have to practice your written and spoken English first before applying into medical school. Your English courses prior to medical school must be quite advanced. Note that you have to learn more technical terms; not knowing English in general will heighten your confusion. Even in practical exercises, such as dissections, you will deal with English instructions from your professor. You will be needing the language not only in keeping up with your lessons but also with socialization. Life in the US can be very lonely if you cannot communicate with its people.
State your case
Even your medical application essay requires proper understanding of English. Remember that you will be competing against American candidates who have the benefit of having English as their first language and of being used to an American education. Foreign students, on the other hand, have the advantage of being able to a show a different perspective. Write well to communicate your unique point of view. Express your reasons for choosing an American medical school instead of one from your own country. Give some insights as to the state of the medical profession in your own country. Your application essay must be unique, interesting, written well, and honest.
In the end, if equipped with the English language, you have as much chance as an American to get into a US medical school. Your origins will not be held against you. You can do your part by submitting an excellent medical application essay together with all other requirements.
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What sets an unsuccessful student apart from a successful one is this: habits. Below are just some of the habits that hinder a student from becoming successful. See if you have these habits; if you do, then it’s time to start undoing them and be more productive.
* Being content with producing mediocre output
Perhaps you have found yourself aiming for just a passing score instead of wanting to ace an exam or get an exceptionally high grade on a paper. Wouldn’t it be so much better if you actually did something that you labored over and would be proud of? Although mediocrity seems to be the norm, you can rise above it. Make an effort to do better in your studies. In time, you may find that you’ve cultivated the habit of striving for excellence instead of settling for mediocrity.
* Doing things at the last minute
Admittedly, there are students who produce better output when working under pressure. However, many students also use this as an excuse to procrastinate. Even if you still have weeks to go before you need to pass a research paper or submit a project, you can benefit by starting now. You can head over to the library and make a list of resources that you can consult later on when you start your draft. You can also arrange your files so that they are easy to locate later on when you need them. Make it a point to be productive most of the time.
* Making hasty decisions
Always being impulsive won’t work well when you’re dealing with your studies. You have to know which decisions need lengthy deliberation and which issues can be settled quickly. You might think that it’s okay to decide on something on a whim, but doing so can make things more complicated for you later on. For example, if you’re going to submit a thesis proposal, make sure that you already did preliminary research on the topic you want to work on. In case you’re having trouble making decisions, you can consult your parents or teachers.
* Failing to see the consequences of actions
A good example of this is not studying for an exam, thinking that one low score won’t affect your overall grade. What you have to realize is that getting low grades won’t help you get into top schools. If you’re already in college, it certainly won’t help to have failing or barely passing grades. When a prospective employer asks for your transcript of records, having low grades won’t bode well for you at all.
* Having a tendency for pessimism
If you always think that you can’t do better, this may just affect your productivity. Negative thoughts and self-perceived incompetence won’t help you. Instead, strive harder and do your best to prove to yourself that you can achieve more than you usually do. Don’t be discouraged by your failures or low grades. Instead, use these as your motivation to improve yourself.
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