BYU-Hawaii Pre Med: Haiti Disaster Relief

Welcome To the Official BYU Hawaii Pre Medical site

The BYU Hawaii Premedical resource and events guide is designed with the future medical school student in mind. The information contained on this website will aid applicants in preparing for a career in medicine. You will find everything you need to know from information regarding the application process, medical schools, career exploration, the MCAT as well as advice to realize your dream of practicing medicine. Comments and suggestions are encouraged to help us help one another find success in such a competitive field.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Haiti Disaster Relief

This post is dedicated to ways in which you can contribute to the relief efforts taking place in wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. There are several organizations which are doing a lot of good and could use your help both on large and small scales. As many of you know Haiti is the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere and the death toll is projected to be in the tens of thousands. Please share these links with your friends and family so that the help can get to where it needs to be. Also if you know of any other ways to help please leave a comment below (no need to sign in or register).

PARTNERS IN HEALTH

If you are interested in learning more about this organization you should pick up the previously recommended book Mountains Beyond Mountains which was inspired by PIH founder Dr. Paul Farmer who falls in love with the Haitian people, so much that during medical school at Harvard he took his books with him to Haiti only returning to Boston to take tests.

PIH has been working on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years. We urgently need your support to help those affected by the recent earthquake.

Partners In Health (PIH) works to bring modern medical care to poor communities in nine countries around the world. The work of PIH has three goals: to care for our patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world.

Based in Boston, PIH employs more than 11,000 people worldwide, including doctors, nurses and community health workers. The vast majority of PIH staff are local nationals based in the communities we serve.

http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti

Haitian Health Foundation

The Haitian Health Foundation (HHF) relies on the support of individuals like you to provide health and social services to more than 100 impoverished mountain villages in and around Jérémie—increasing the health and well-being of 225,000 needy Haitians
http://www.haitianhealthfoundation.org/

UNICEF

Unicef is a charitable organization which specializes in providing aid to Children.
http://www.unicefusa.org/

American RED CROSS

One of the biggest relief organization in the world which does a lot of everything.
http://www.redcross.org/

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Medical School personal statement NO NOs!

A bad personal statement can put your medical school application on life support. Don't negate an otherwise impressive application with an innocent mistep. Avoid these approaches like a virus:

1. Don’t repeat information from other parts of your application. Take this unique opportunity to provide some deeper insight into who you are; don’t regurgitate your resume.
2. Avoid generalities. Admissions officers read an enormous number of (probably boring) essays. If you want to be remembered, the devil is in the details. Use specific incidents and examples from your life.
3. Maintain the proper tone. You don't need to be ultra-formal, but remember that this is a professional document, not a post on your blog. Skip the outrageous stories and casual slang.
4. Be careful with humor. Only a select few can pull off humor in this context. Keep it subtle and restrained, and have someone else read your essay and tell you if you’re as funny as you think. If you are successful, you won’t soon be forgotten.
5. Don’t get (too) political. Medical schools want students committed to the preservation of human life. Left or right, blue or red doesn’t matter as much. If you opt to write about a controversial issue, tread with care and respect.
6. No gimmicks, no gambles. Standing out is a far cry from going off the deep end. Don't write a satire or a mocked-up front-page newspaper article. Don't rhyme. Gimmicky personal statements often appear contrived and usually fall flat. Stick to a straightforward narrative.
7. Don’t revisit grades or test scores. They speak for themselves. Trying to explain away bad credentials just draws unnecessary attention to them.
8. “I want to become a doctor to help people.” Duh. A statement like this seems insincere unless you back it up with evidence. Demonstrate your commitment through the example of your work and your life.

Advice to stregthen your application

1. Medical Experience
The majority of successful applicants have some experience in a hospital, clinic, hospice or other health care setting. You should aim to hold a volunteer or paid position for at least six months.

2. Diverse Interests
medical schools admit students who have displayed a strong aptitude for science. But they also look for applicants with an interest in the wider world. Diversity comes in all flavors: academic, extracurriculars, experience.

3. Commitment
Medical school is lengthy, challenging, and physically strenuous. Admissions committees want to know if you can commit to something over a long period of time. (RM's this is where you talk about your mission)

4. Altruism
Altruism distinguishes a strong medical school applicant from a mediocre one. Volunteer work and community service are vital.Many schools expect you to explain how service to others has informed your decision to become a doctor.
Teaching experience is always an asset to a medical school application because it suggests an ability to communicate clearly and confidently. How have you demonstrated a genuine concern for the well-being of other people? In other words you must be able to show through experiences compassion and ultimately why you wish to persue a carreer in medicine.

5. The Whole Picture
Medical schools look for individuals who have a strong interest in science and a wide-ranging intellect. They want to graduate physicians who listen to their patients and use their acquired talents to heal them. There is no magic combination of scores or personal qualities that will create an unbroken path into medical school, so sell yourself, not someone else. Admissions personel can tell when you aren't genuine.

6. Don't Make Excuses
In order to mitigate your weaknesses own up to your mistakes and explain how you learned and grew from them. Excuses show a lack of responibility and deficit in charactor two charactoristics which stand out more so than your bad grade or low MCAT score.

Welcome To the Official BYU Hawaii Pre Medical site

Friday, January 15, 2010

Haiti Disaster Relief

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Medical School personal statement NO NOs!

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