Lewis Associates e-Newsletter

Volume 3 Issue 7
July, 2004

Published by Lewis Associates. Dr. Cynthia Lewis, Phd., Editor
Email imaclewis@lewisassoc.com with your comments. Enjoy!

=> Welcome to Success Stories Newsletter!

=> Important News: Dr. Lewis attends conference; Additional Osteopathic schools; AMCAS Statistics; financial lures from drug companies

=> Useful Links: ADEA; CASPA; PharmCAS

=>Dates and Reminder: AMCAS 2005 Helpful Hints

=>Success Story of the Month: Ariel Chairez --- California Premedical Student
Entering Class 2004

=> Question for this Month – 5 medical school admissions mistakes to avoid? -- Assumption that the verbal reasoning part of the MCAT doesn't have anything to do with science, so it isn't important

=> Our Services

=> Contact

 

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Welcome to Lewis Associates!

July is the month when applications should have been submitted, all letters are now in place and ready for secondary/supplemental applications to be submitted upon request, and a time of waiting for the application services and schools to respond to the initial application. It is time that Class of 2005 applicants who are serious about their applications press that "SUBMIT" button. A VERY busy time!

See this month's Success Story about Ariel Chairez. He wrote the following in May 2004:

"Dr. Lewis, I would like to thank you for all of your help. I have decided to attend the University of Wisconsin at Madison. I have withdrawn my applications to the other medical schools. I will be taking anatomy in the summer to lessen my course load for the first semester. Without your guidance, I would not have been accepted into medical school this year. Though at times I questioned your instructions, the advice you have given me has definitely worked out for the best. I am extremely happy to have been accepted to one the top medical schools in the country, and on top of that, to have received a scholarship of $130,000. For any student who questions the value of your services, I can say that they have saved me $130,000 in tuition! If I can help you in any way in the future, I would be more than happy to do so. I would also like to thank Alice for always being so exceptionally friendly and helpful. Thank you, Ariel Chairez"

Keeping in contact with our alumni is one of the most fulfilling things that I do! I flew to Arizona to attend the medical school graduation of one of my 40-something Alumni, Dr. Sherri Price, who now has a 5-year old son and is doing her internship year in the Phoenix area with her very supportive husband. I was able to meet some of her friends and family. She says, "I have my new schedule. I begin with General Surgery and will end my intern year with the same. I have 4 months of inpt IM with Q4 call, one month of inpt Peds with Q3 call and one month of outpt Peds, OB, Path, Podiatry, ER, ambulatory Family Med, and one elective." Sherri and family did her last rotation in rural Montana prior to starting the internship year.

For Class of 2005 applicants, you are now very behind if you have not established a well-thought out strategy to carry you through the difficult application process coming up. This is the most intense time you will experience as a pre-health student. It is a roller coaster ride. Let us know how we can assist you ...... sooner is now!

For Class of 2006 applicants, we have TIME ...... a precious commodity. Time to plan, to locate and use new opportunities, time to live up to your potential! If you are serious about making your dreams to become a physician, dentist, PA, veterinarian, optometrist or pharmacist a reality --- Lewis Associates can help you. We have made the difference for over 700 students over almost 20 years.

If you are serious about making your dreams to become a physician, dentist, PA, veterinarian, optometrist or pharmacist a reality --- Lewis Associates can help you. We have made the difference for over 700 students over almost 20 years.


What are your chances?
If you want to change your career or reach your career goal, but do not know how to begin or how to jump over all those hurdles, Lewis Associates will implement strategies to change your life. Read about it in our newsletter and website, then phone or email us directly to get started!

You may be like our Lewis Associates Advisees---highly motivated and intelligent, but needing focus, guidance and specific technical expertise. She solves problems for her Advisees and finds opportunities for them. Dr. Lewis is a trained biologist, having taught and directed her own research programs for many years at two universities. She earned two postdoctoral fellowships (one at NIH) and received the 1990 NACADA Outstanding Institutional Advising Program in the U.S. She teaches Professionalism, Leadership, and Quality, and sets high standards for her Advisees.

What's new at Lewis Associates? EVERYTHING!! Two new computers, a new printer, new cable modem high speed internet access, new web hosting ... application class handouts are updated in their protected site on our website ... and we are READY for this application season! Are you?

Lewis Associates will save you money and heartache on your application process. Contact us for more information imaclewis@lewisassoc.com 805-226-9669.

 

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n e w s   &   l i n k s

N E W S :

Dr. Lewis attended the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions biennial meeting in Washington DC last week and met with many Directors of medical, dental and other school programs as well as having breakfast with two of her own advisees, one a Class of 2005 applicant and one an alumni attending George Washington University medical school.

Here are some of the things Dr. Lewis learned that helps her Advisees:

More money is spent on US healthcare than on US defense programs!

70% of the medical problems in the US are preventable!! Chronic illnesses such as obesity, AIDS, smoking caused disease, etc, and $40 million or more are uninsured!

Students currently applying to health professions schools will likely have a life span to age 100! (Based on each generation living longer, than the previous generation.)

Osteopathic medicine now has 23 sites in 20 schools, with Philadelphia COM opening a new campus in Atlanta. There is no increase of application cost this year and for the first time in 2004, there were more female than male applicants! The COMLEX (comparable to the USMLE Board exams) added a comparable clinical skills test too. A new research center opened for Osteopathic medicine at the Texas COM in Fort Worth, studying such things as headache, manual medicine with NIH funding. It is estimated that the number of applicants will increase about 8-10% in 2005 over the 2004 pool and there was an increase of 7% in 2004 over 2003, with an average of 5 schools selected by each applicant. In 2003, the average GPA of matriculants was 3.48 overall, 3.25 science. California has the most applicants of any state.

AMCAS went LIVE June 2, 2004. As of 6/29/04, there were 32,451 applications initiated and over 6000 submitted (processed) where there were only 28,000 initiated and 4,000 submitted at the same time last year.

AMCAS no longer provides an underrepresented minority indicator to medical schools; each school will define what is underrepresented in medicine for them.
www.aamc.org/students/amcas/amcas2005.htm

An investigation has shed light on the system of financial lures that drug companies use to persuade doctors to favor their products.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/27/business/27DRUG.final.html?ex=1089534856&ei=1&en=e45001aebb0bab87
(You will have to register to view --free)

L I N KS:

ADEA announces AADSAS 2005 is Launched
The application service sponsored by the American Dental Education Association, was successfully launched Tuesday, May 18. In the first week of operations, over 2,500 individuals initiated their web-based applications, and more than 150 submitted completed applications to AADSAS. They began processing applications at the end of May, and will initiate delivery of applications to dental schools starting June 10. The 2005 InfoSource website, where applicants can monitor application status, started operation June 10. AADSAS still provides a pdf paper version, probably for the last time this year ... but I do not advise using it. There was a 17% increase in 2003 applications and the 2004 applicants had an average of 3.1 science and 3.3 overall GPA's; 44% of all applicants were female in 2004!
https://aadsas.adea.org/

CASPA
CASPA: see the traffic rules at
http://www.apap.org

PharmCAS
PharmCAS opened June 15th for the 2005 application class for 43 pharmacy schools (which is about half of all pharmacy schools). There were 13,505 applicants for the Class 2004; 3 applicants for each position in pharmacy school!
www.pharmcas.org

 

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d a t e s   &   r e m i n d e r s

AMCAS 2005 Helpful Hints
1. Review your official college transcript BEFORE submission
2. AMCAS will not accept NEW transcripts
3. If you already submitted and now need a new transcript request form, request it by email
4. Do not enter your courses by memory
5. Check for errors PRIOR to submission
6. Check application status on the first page of the AMCAS (dynamic welcome page) or call auto-response and enter your ID and SSN.
7. Check your email frequently and disable spam filters

AMCAS status begins at Not Transmitted, then to Hold while waiting for your transcripts, then Active when all transcripts are in your file, then Verification which usually TAKES 4 TO 6 WEEKS!!!! Then finally "Processed" when they are forwarded to your selected schools.

Dr. Lewis actually toured the hallowed halls of the AAMC, visiting the MCAT and AMCAS offices and speaking to some of the staff who actually process those applications. There are 10 fulltime staff and temporary staff during times of peak use to answer student calls, now 9 AM to 7 PM M-F EST April through November. On deadlines dates, hours extend to midnight.

 

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s u c c e s s s t o r i e s

Ariel Chairez --- California Premedical Student Entering Class 2004

Ariel Chairez was referred to Dr. Cynthia Lewis by Sandra P. Daley, M.D., Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Assistant Dean of Diversity and Community Partnerships, UCSD School of Medicine because he did not successfully complete the Conditional Acceptance Post-bac Program at UCSD in 2002-3. Dr. Lewis helped Ariel successfully reapply to medical school for the Class of 2004. He was accepted into 2 schools that offered him substantial scholarships and has selected the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine over 2 other acceptances and 2 waitlisted schools after interviewing at 7 schools.

Ariel was born in California and his family established to a 20 acre avocado ranch when he was about age 7. His father is from Zacateca, a rural agricultural area in Mexico and his mother is from Juanojato in central Mexico, also agricultural. They both had some high school education, married in Mexico. They immigrated to the US in 1974 where his father began a landscaping business. His mother earned an LVN and took a distance learning RN program. Ariel's first language is Spanish, which is spoken at home.

Ariel began helping with the avocado farm when he was young. By age 12, he was working in the family landscaping business 20 hr/wk. By 8th grade, he did this 60 hr/wk! Ariel learned English in kindergarten. In 8th grade, when he began working 60 hr/wk (age 14), his grades declined from A's to C's. He attended Moorpark HS and enjoyed writing, English and calculus at a community college and was working 70 hr/wk between the avocado ranch and landscaping business. Ariel actually lived with a friend for 2 months in high school so he could study for an academic decathlon. He graduated in 1997 with 1.6 GPA, and average SAT scores. High school was not "really" important to him and he thought that he could "do well" in college to become a doctor without having established strong study or time management skills.

Ariel attended the local community college and lived at home for 1.5 years. His goal was to transfer to a UC campus as a premedical student while working 10-70 hr/wk for his father; all earnings went to the family. He tried living with a friend for a month so he could study more effectively. In his second year, he applied to UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley. UCSC allowed a midyear transfer and he selected a philosophy major because he liked logic. For the first time, Ariel lived on campus, took out grants and loans and did not work. He took a full course load and learned how to study collaboratively.

Ariel selected UC Berkeley to complete his degree, but classes were much larger than at UC Santa Cruz, with higher expectations for writing ability. He continued the philosophy major, shadowed a doctor in Oakland and did clinical research, but still did not know how to study for biology. He still memorized rather than learned. And, he focused on community service programs more than studying science. He tried to take 19 units, dropping 8 of them due to overload because he wanted to "catch up" and graduated in fall 2001 with a BA in philosophy overall and science GPA's under 3.0. He was accepted into the UCSD SOM Post-baccalaureate Program '02-3, where he took 31 units of upper division difficult science courses and earned a wonderful 3.6 GPA.

At UC Berkeley, Ariel tutored in the STEP program for K-8th grade students and shadowed Dr. Edward Chu at Children's Hospital Oakland. In his 4th year, he worked in Faces for the Future and, became a Mentor for high schoolkids in Oakland via an NIH grant (tutored in math and English and Mentored for 2 students). He also worked in the SHINE program to inform MediCal and Healthy Families about medical access 3 hr/wk via a city grant. However, Ariel's heart was most captured by Kerry's Kids mobile clinic for homeless kids in Berkeley and Oakland, helping volunteer doctors take health histories, stocking medicine and doing record entry. He also was a liaison with Spanish speaking parents, forming parent support groups at Children's Hospital Oakland.

Why medicine?
When Ariel was a child, his oldest brother wanted to be a doctor and during high school, his father was diagnosed with lymphoma, had a bone marrow transplant, went into remission for about 6 years, then it recurred. During that time, his father could not work and all the children had to work more. Ariel attended doctors with his father and appreciated the problem-solving that they did. When asked why Ariel is interested in an MPH, he told me, "When I worked at Oakland, I noticed that the physicians who made the larger changes in the community had MPH's. I began talking to them about public health. Most of them told me that their MD degree or DO did not teach them about the community and the MPH did. I want to practice medicine to make larger changes in the community. Public Health offers those tools."

Strengths: Ariel is intelligent (post-bac 3.6 GPA) and motivated to become a doctor by his father's illness and wanting to help the underserved especially Hispanic community. He is persistent and hard working. His thirst to graduate from college and become educated began in high school when he left home to live with friends just so he could study. He had significant financial and cultural pressure from his parents to earn money for the family and education was not deemed as important. Thus, he worked up to 70 hr/wk in high school and early in college. Ariel had significant and meaningful community service via the FACES, Kerry's Kids, SHINE and Spanish speaking parents' groups and well as long term physician shadowing with Dr. Chu. These experiences were supported by very strong letters of recommendation. He is focused, motivated, a leader and a nurturing person.

Weaknesses: Ariel's low science and overall undergraduate GPAs were his biggest liabilities. He is smarter than his grades reflect; his MCAT scores were ok, but not wonderful. He attended a rigorous university (UC Berkeley), but did not have effective study skills and focused on community service instead of on studying. He did not understand how to study for biology and non-math based sciences -- he tried to memorize. He did not use university faculty much for academic help. He unrealistically planned to graduate (and did) after 2 transfers with a non-science major and taking all the premedical courses in 4 years. Unfortunately, this took a big toll on his grades.

I helped Ariel focus on developing cognitive learning skills to handle large amounts of sciences during his year of reapplication and with all secondary applications. And, we added schools to his list, 2 of which offered him substantial scholarships in 2004! His 2.8 science, 3.0 overall and 3.6 post-bac science GPAs (upward trend), MCAT score, social commitment to the Mexican American and underserved communities and leadership made him competitive for medical schools with my help. Our most important goal was to learn how to study, manage his time, prioritize and understand how to use assistance effectively. His focus on leadership and community service developed at the expense of maintaining academic strength. I provided Ariel medical school preparation and application support including: taking the right coursework, balancing it with a job, writing his application secondary essays, selecting schools, submitting all applications in a timely fashion, getting all the appropriate and supportive letters that showed all of his background to his advantage and practiced interview skills. I also advocated for him with schools where it would do him the most good.

Additionally, Ariel's family lost their farm and all possessions in the devasting California fires last fall. I (Dr. Lewis) even had to be evacuate my home at that time. I tried to provide Ariel moral support and Mentoring during that very difficult time when he was the anchor for his parents to rebound and rebuild.

Email to Dr. Lewis if you wish to communicate about medical schools or other issues or to contact Ariel: imaclewis@lewisassoc.com

 

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q u e s t i o n o f t h e m o n t h

"5 Medical School Admissions Mistakes"

This is excerpted from a chat last year. We will address one question each month for the next 5 months during the application season.

What are 5 medical school admissions mistakes to avoid?

1. Assumption that "deadlines" are the appropriate time for submitting applications ...WRONG!
(see May 2004 newsletter)
2. Assumption that "all is well" if you have not heard anything from AMCAS, other application services or a school
(see June 2004 newsletter)
3. Assumption that the verbal reasoning part of the MCAT doesn't have anything to do with science, so it isn't important
4. Assumption that I have enough funds to complete the process, but run out in the middle of secondary applications
5. Assumption that people who said they would write letters on your behalf intend to send them in the next "few weeks"

3. Assumption that the verbal reasoning part of the MCAT doesn't have anything to do with science, so it isn't important .... WRONG!

A common MCAT profile, is low VR, ok essay and 9-11 BS and PS, particularly for students for which English is a second language, and sometimes for those who did not study for the Verbal Reasoning section or take it seriously, for "science nerds", or if you did not read much outside of the classroom growing up, or your parents did not discuss literature or current events with you, then you may be "at risk" for doing poorly on the verbal reasoning exam.

Verbal reasoning takes MUCH more work than the sciences to prepare for, as it requires the development of skills that must be learned then practiced extensively over months and maybe a year or more for those with little skill in this area. Thus, this is NOT a quick fix - MCAT prep course process unless you have strong college English grades, feel comfortable reading large volumes of material with the ability to extract the main idea quickly, and have very strong reading, comprehension and vocabulary skills witha relatively fast speed. If those parts of your background are in good shape, then a "prep course" may help just by practicing the VR passages extensively to build your speed and understanding of how to approach the questions and gain confidence with the type of questions you will see. If not, you need to give yourself the time to develop those skills to get to that point.

We will feature an important question each month. Please submit one that interests you for Dr. Lewis to answer. Send your questions to imaclewis@lewisassoc.com

 

Lewis Associates specializes in personal, effective and professional premedical advising and placement for traditional and non-traditional applicants. Often, non-traditional students are older than 21 years of age, career changers, international applicants or second-round applicants for admission to health professions school.

Lewis Associates' services meet the needs of all types of students from pre-applicants to applicants, including hourly advising support for specific needs. Click here.

"It's never too late to be who you might have been."

If this is how YOU feel, then, maybe Lewis Associates is the place for you. Lewis Associates provides Mentoring and Coaching through the rigorous and often circuitous pre-health preparation and application process. Other consultants may support programs like Law and Business or graduate school -- not Lewis Associates. We are the experts in Health Professions based on 23 years of a successful track record.

Call or email today to set your first appointment!

805.226.9669 imaclewis@lewisassoc.com

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