Hometown: Glenmora, LA High School: Glenmora
High School
Activities: Student Council, National Honors Society, FBLA, Track, Cross Country,Salutatorian,
FBLA, Literary Rally 1st, 2nd place awards, state and regional.
Undergraduate Major: Chemistry
premed
Scholarships/Awards:
Honors College Scholarship
Dean's List
Thurgood Marshall Scholar
Robert C. Byrd Scholarship
Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc. Scholarship
TOPS
D.A. Anderson Scholarship
LAMP Scholar and Chemistry Department Scholarship
Undergraduate Activities:
Bethany, Full Gospel Pentecostal Church
Combat Medic in Louisian Army
National Guard medic
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc
Health Editor for School Newspaper
MAPPS member
AWS officer
Black
History Club member
Resident Assistant
ROTC (two years)
Summer Activities:
During
my first summer off in college, I spent three weeks as a host student in Mexico, where I gained six credit hours for Southern.
Besides that and a two week National Guard training, I did nothing. The following summer, I did research under a physician
affiliated with Brown University in Rhode Island. This was through a program called the Leadership Alliance. The summer I
took the MCAT was unreal. I did nephrology research at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) and took
a watered-down neuroscience course at the medical school. In addition to all that (and frequencies to New York City!), I studied
for the MCAT. Needless to say, it was hard to concentrate on the material, therefore I do not recommend overworking yourself
during the time you study for the MCAT. As a matter of fact, do NOTHING but study whenever you alott time for that.
What I would tell a pre-medical student:
I would like to tell you that nothing is beyond your limits,
and that really is true. If you have motivation and confidence you can do whatever you want. TAKE AN MCAT PREP COURSE.
There are Kaplan, Princeton, and other preparatory courses you can take, but please believe most people in medical school
right now have taken one at LEAST ONCE. I would also advise you to never compare yourself to others, because that can be self-destructive.
I know many people at LSU who got over 30s on the MCAT and a some of them perform poorly. On the other hand, some students
who applied numerous times are at the top of the class. All that was just to say that test scores mean little if you have
the drive to achieve. It's never too late for motivation. It is important to beef up your application with research, social
and academic experiences. They consider all of these when evaluating how well-rounded a person may be. Also, please get clinical
experience! Many people do not get accepted for the lack of this valuable exposure; schools want to see a growing interest
in medicine and that you have been working toward that goal by taking a glimpse into the world of medicine. You shouldnt set
low standards for the MCAT, but if you have a score higher than a 21 and a STRONG application (including a competitive GPA)
you probably will not have a problem. You should definitely aim for at least a 27, but if it doesnt happen, dont flip. A high
score is valuable in that it dramatically increases your options for medical school and scholarship opportunities, but ONCE
YOU ARE IN all it means is that you studied hard for the MCAT. It has nothing at all to do with medical school itself(sorry!).
Applying early is just as important as the MCAT and is severly underrated. PLEASE APPLY EARLY!!
How
many schools I applied to:
I applied to 3 schools completely.
Why I chose to apply to these
few schools:
I applied to 8 schools through AAMCAS, but I only sent secondaries to 3 schools (one school did not
require secondaries). I procrastinated and only received 3 interviews, one of which I had to turn down due to an inconvenience.
Needless to say, I only had two schools as my options. This was risky, especially since I had a change of heart concerning
historically black medical schools, and I really wanted to attend one by the end of my application process. However, my application
either was too late or too unattractive (in the sense that I did not appear eager or serious enough) to be accepted by Morehouse
or Howard. With my credentials, though, I should have had no problem. The take home message is never disregard a school that
late in the application period. It may prove to serve as an important option later. To sum it all up: have confidence and
motivation; be committed to studying for the MCAT; APPLY EARLY; pretty up your application with nice credentials; have faith
that this is your calling! One more thing: As African-American and Black medical professionals we can not afford to be driven
by prestige and money. God Bless you with this process.
The classes that I am glad I took were: Comparative Anatomy, Biochemistry I & II, Microbiology.
These classes were more or less required for my pre-med degree, but I am thankful I took them.
Classes that I wish I
had taken were: Histology, Anatomy and Physiology, and did I say Histology?
My first semester in medical
school can be described as : I had to adjust to the fact that I was really on my own. In undergrad I had many
wonderful friends that I could turn to at any given time, including MY twinny twin-twin! Now Maria is in Dallas,
my other friends are scattered around the country, and I am in New Orleans pretty much on my own. This change in addition
to medical school is interesting. Another challenge for me was organization and giving up procrastination.
The biggest adjustment
for me was: Not having a support system in New Orleans. No twin, no happy. Just kidding- it wasn't that
bad, but it hard going from knowing everybody on campus and loving your professors to hardly knowing anyone. What
does this have to do with you? Most people say it is important to have a support system in medical school and I agree.
If you want to attend school in a land far, far away make sure that this is something that will not be a problem for you when
the going gets tough.
The type of study skills
that I believe should be developed in undergrad are: Organization and the completion of assignments\studying
in a timely fashion. Putting things off is not a good idea.
The advice I would give
someone who is wondering how to best prepare for medical school is: APPLY EARLY!! Be motivated, have confidence,
and have faith that you can succeed academically. There are lots of things in this life that we have no control over,
and they may or may not turn out the way we want. Your academics and future career, however, are something that YOU
have the power to shape. Take ADVANTAGE of this power! I wish you the best, and God bless you with this process!
You can contact me at:
Email: skolatunbosun@aol.com
