Lewis Associates e-Newsletter
Volume
5 Issue 6
June 2006
Published by Lewis Associates. Dr. Cynthia Lewis, Phd., Editor
Email imaclewis@lewisassoc.com
with your comments. Enjoy!
Congratulations
to our 2 Class of 2006 applicants who were accepted to Harvard Med!
What's inside:
Welcome to Success Stories Newsletter!
Important News: Dr. Lewis continues to provide long term Advising packages; Flowers Personal MCAT Preparation Course
Useful Links: New Anesthesiologist Assistant Program; Students for Organ Donation
Alumni Updates: Michael Nevarez Entering Class of 2006, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Joseph Allen; Marina Stavchanskiy Entering Class of (May) 2006 Ross University
Dates and Reminders: VMCAS 2007
Success Story of the Month: Ashley Pistorio, Pennsylvania State University School of Medicine Entering Class of 2006
Question of the Month: How do I get a fee waiver for application to health professions school?
Welcome to Lewis Associates!
In June, our thoughts turn to APPLICATION SEASON!! For those in the process
of applying to medical school in the Class of 2007, the MCAT exam scores from
April will be available in mid June (agonizingly slow for those waiting) or
the August exam is in your future. . . or possibly the DAT or the GRE. In
any case, this is a very busy time for all pre-health students.
Thanks from the President of the San Diego State University Pre-Physician
Assistant Society:
Dear Dr. Lewis,
"You were very gracious with your time and I really enjoyed your candid
answers to all of our questions. I wish that I had found you earlier in my
college career."
Thanks From a Parent of a High School Senior
"Dear Dr. Lewis, Thank you so much for your help. We made the final decision
last night. Matt will be attending Cal Poly. Your advice was critical in that
decision as was the professionalism of the staff at the open house weekend
when compared to the --- staff. . . Again, thanks for your guidance."
Comment from an Alumnus
"Wow! What a website. Are you sure you want to retire? Based
on what I've seen, you have to be the most successful Advisor on the planet!
I owe a great debt of gratitude to your ability to encourage young people
to achieve their goals. If there is anything you ever need, no matter what
time of day, I'll take care of it, just call me. Joe"
Joseph E. Allen, MD, MS, FAAFP, CAQSM
Family Practice and Sports Medicine
What's New?
Long term Advising packages back by popular demand! Lewis
Associates will continue long-term advising for the next couple of years based
on overwhelming requests. We are also focusing on Personal Assessments, essay
and interview packages, our new Medical Residency essay package, and hourly
problem-solving advising.
NEW FREE teleconferencing and videoconferencing. You need
to register for free AOL Instant Messaging, and will get free audio and/or
video contact with us!! Talk with Zakiya to set up your computer for this
NOW!!
We now have e-billing and will have more online services. In fact, we will
establish an online Blog in the near future!
In a couple of years, some new books and CD's will be out by Dr. Lewis about
preparing for medical and other health professions schools. . . keep on the
lookout!!
Coming this summer
July 22, 2006 we are hosting a gala Alumni Reunion in San Diego for
our over 700 alumni. We are trying to locate them now. If you have contact
information about any alumni, please email it to imaclewis@lewisassoc.com.
Our goal is to locate as many as possible. If you wish to be invited and you
are not an alumnus, but wish to meet some of our wonderful alumni, please
let Zakiya know in our office. We will try to include as many as we can on
a first-come basis.
Harvard Medical School Track Record
We are proud that 2 of our Class of 2006 applicants were interviewed at Harvard
Medical School this year and both are accepted! This brings Dr. Lewis' record
to 29 Advisees accepted to Harvard Medical and Dental Schools in the past
20 years!
100% of our Class of
2005 applicants were accepted!
100% of our Class of 2004 applicants were accepted!
Class of 2007 applicants
We are preparing for your applications to be submitted EARLY this summer.
We now have little time, a very precious commodity. We can help you sidestep
the mistakes and jump over roadblocks that everyone seems to face.
In order to be a competitive Class of 2007 applicant, you
need to submit a quality application as evaluated by your clinical, service
and other experiences and your GPA/MCAT/DAT/GRE, etc. profile--in a timely
fashion. This requires a well thought-out strategy to carry you through the
difficult year-long application process.
What are your chances?
If you want to change your career or reach your new career goal, but do not
know how to begin or how to jump over all those hurdles, Lewis Associates
will advise and implement strategies to change your life.
Getting Started
Read about your Personal Assessment in our newsletter
and website, then phone or email
us directly to get started! We spend on average 7 hours working to develop
an effective strategy of taking you from where you are to where you want to
be.
You may be like our other Lewis Associates Advisees--highly motivated and
intelligent, but needing focus, guidance and specific technical expertise.
Dr. Lewis solves problems for her Advisees and finds opportunities for them.
Maybe you wish to use our hourly advising to solve a specific problem.
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), received the 1990 NACADA Outstanding Institutional Advising
Program in the U.S. and directed her own Health Careers Opportunity Program
grant for 6 years, bringing $1 million to her university.
If you are serious about making your dreams to become a physician,
dentist, physician assistant, veterinarian, optometrist, podiatrist, naturopathic
physician, or pharmacist a reality--Lewis Associates can help you.
We have made the difference for over 700 alumni now practicing in medicine
during the last 20 years.
Dr. Lewis teaches Professionalism, Leadership, and Quality, and sets high
standards for her Advisees.
Lewis Associates will save you money and heartache on your application
process.
Contact the health career experts! For more information
email imaclewis@lewisassoc.com
or call 805-226-9669 and ask to set up your first appointment.
n e w s & l i n k s
N E W S
Dr. Lewis continues to provide long term Advising packages. . . for a few more years. Dr. Lewis says, "Although, I would like to focus on short term advising and writing books, the demand has been overwhelming to continue to provide long-term advising."
Application Season. . . Coming Soon!!
2007 AMCAS Application will become available for submission on Monday, June 5, 2006.
AACOMAS has already launched.
The Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) web application for fall 2007 enrollment is now available to applicants!
Flowers Personal MCAT Preparation Course--Special offer extended through June 30, 2006
www.drflowersmcat.com Dr. Flowers used the real AAMC released MCAT exams to develop his course and you are provided a specific list of skills to learn between testing, so you know exactly what you must do to improve. No matter if you take the last paper-based MCAT in August, or choose to take the August exam by computer (YES...you have a choice!), Dr. Flowers' course will prepare you the best you can be prepared.
The retail price of Dr. Flowers MCAT is $1,235. Anyone who signs up now through June 30, 2006 is eligible for the special introductory price of $695. However, Dr. Flowers has kindly agreed to make the course available to my Advisees for $590.75. Starting July 1, the price will revert to $1,235. Additionally, the $695 price gives students access to the website through August 2006. However, I have negotiated with Dr. Flowers to provide access through November 30, 2006 for any of my Advisees who register in June.
In order to qualify for the price of $590.75, sign up directly at Dr. Flowers' office. Click this link to e-mail karl@ghpwi.com, with a copy to mfmenter@earthlink.net. In the subject line, write “Dr. Lewis – MCAT Prep”. The business office staff will register you.
MCAT: Computer-based test warnings
* MCAT WILL NOT be available on the traditional last Saturdays of April or August.* MCAT WILL NOT be offered at the same locations where it was given in the past. In 2007, this will no longer be an option; where is the nearest Thomson ProMetric center for you? How many seats are there?
* Most MCAT test dates will be on WEEKDAYS, not Saturdays. Most test dates will necessitate either missing classes or arranging time off from work.
* MCAT test sites will have LESS CAPACITY than the current sites. There is a good chance that students will not get their first choice of location, and that they will have to travel further to an alternate test site than current examinees do.
* Students will have to PLAN AHEAD and will need to REGISTER MUCH MORE IN ADVANCE than is currently the case. MCAT registration will open six months in advance of each test date. Those who delay until two months before the test date probably WILL NOT get in, because test centers can begin reserving seats for other types of tests.
* MCAT will be offered on Saturday, April 7, 2007. This is the ONLY Saturday test date available during the spring 2007 semester. Since most college students traditionally have taken MCAT in the spring of their junior or senior year, and since this is the only spring Saturday test date, it is certain that there will be FAR MORE APPLICANTS for this date than can be accommodated. Students who expect to test on a Saturday in April had better register BEFORE fall midterm break.
* There are several available test dates in August 2007, but NONE ARE SATURDAYS.
* MCAT will be offered on Saturday, September 8, 2007. Since many examinees expect to take MCAT on a Saturday to avoid conflicting with classes or work, or just because a Saturday test has been traditional in the past, this test date can also be expected to sell out quickly. Students who expect to test on September 8 had better register BEFORE spring break.
L I N K S :
New Anesthesiologist Assistant Program Offers State-of-the-Art Learning,
Leading to Solution for Anesthesia Provider Shortage
A South Florida university is taking a step toward solving the critical shortage
of anesthesia providers. Nova Southeastern University, the seventh largest
independent institution in the US, is opening a program for anesthesiologist
assistants (AA), an intense training program for a highly skilled anesthesia
provider. Contact: (866) 636-3342, aaaa@rothsteinmedia.com
For general information on doulas: http://doulanetwork.com
Students for Organ Donation is a national student-run nonprofit
organization dedicated to promoting organ donation awareness and registration.
Over 87,000 Americans are currently in need of an organ transplant, and while
the vast majority of Americans support organ donation, less than half of eligible
donors actually donate their organs at death. We believe that a focused effort
on the part of college students can make a measured impact in raising awareness
and working to solve this problem. If there is any student interested in helping
to found a chapter, please email aaron.kolb@yale.edu and ask for information.
Learn more at www.studentdonor.org
Find this and other useful links on Lewisassoc.com's
Links Page.
a l u m n i u p d a t e s
| Michael Nevarez Entering Class of
2006, Harvard Medical School (Coming in July 2006 -- Michael's Success Story)
May 19, 2006 |
| Marina Stavchanskiy, Entering Class
of (May) 2006 Ross University Medical School
First Year Medical Student
May 24, 2006 |
| Joseph Allen, MD, Return to Paradise!!
(St. Georges University Medical School) Family Practice and Sports Medicine (see September 2002 for his Success Story)
April 2006 |
d a t e s & r e m i n d e r s
Start of another application cycle for colleges of veterinary medicine.
Below are key updates to prepare you for VMCAS 2007.
VMCAS Website
The VMCAS website is ready for the approaching application cycle http://www.aavmc.org/vmcas/vmcas.htm.
Check out several resources that should help you, including the General School
Information Chart, Prerequisite Comparison Chart, and School Descriptor Pages.
VMCAS Application Systems Launch
In just 3 years, the usage of this secure easy-to-use system by evaluators
has doubled.
VMSAR
The 2006 Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements (VMSAR) publication
became available in May.
John E. Roane, Jr. Chief Operating Officer
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
1-877-862-2740 Student & Advisor Hotline
www.aavmc.org
email vmcas@aavmc.org
When to submit your AMCAS application:
From AMCAS: Note that we do not send
any application data to medical schools until test scores from the April administration
of the MCAT have been received in the AMCAS database; last year, we began
making applications available to medical schools during the first week of
July. For the 2007 entering class, we anticipate that we will begin making
applications available to medical schools during the final week of June.
Although it can take up to six weeks for the application to be processed,
many applications are processed more quickly. The date of submission on its
own (without considering transcript receipt) can be misleading when attempting
to predict the date by which a medical school will receive a complete application.
If an applicant's transcripts have been received in advance of the submitted
application, the application will enter the queue to be processed once the
application is submitted.
From a Med School: Early is good, correct
is better, and early & correct is best. I would encourage applicants to
shoot for submission around mid-July. That will usually give us sufficient
time to get letters of recommendation and initiate the evaluation process.
However, the trick is to get the secondaries in on time. I must praise AMCAS
for including the MD-PhD essays on the common application last application
year. Before last year, we could count on ~30% of applications to our MD-PhD
program being initiated within two weeks of our application deadline (November
30). Because AMCAS 2006 eliminated the need for an extensive supplementary
MD-PhD application for our program, we saw the percentage of applications
received in the final two weeks decline to 17%.
The earlier submission of applications last year made life easier for my staff
during the holiday season and I was able to take a couple of vacation days
around Christmas for the first time in a decade. More importantly, the earlier
receipt of applications meant that our admissions committee was able to devote
more time to reviewing applications with appropriate diligence, rather than
hastily pushing through the bolus that came at the deadline.
THUS: Early as possible does not mean
submit on the first day it is possible. Do not sacrifice the quality of the
application for speed. It is much better that the application is completed
free of errors, done well, than to submit it so early that there are lots
of careless errors. Attention to detail is important. The verification processing
time determines when the schools receive the processed AMCAS application.
Even though someone submits right on the day it is the earliest possible,
the processing time is determined by when transcripts are submitted to AMCAS.
It will then take anywhere from 4-6 weeks, sometimes it has stretched out
to 8 weeks for the application to be verified. Once the application is verified,
it still takes a couple of weeks for the schools to actually see any given
application.
Early as possible-- anytime between when April MCAT scores become available
(2nd to 3rd week of June)
to the middle of July are the most ideal times.
s u c c e s s s t o r i e s
by Dr. Cynthia Lewis
Ashley Pistorio
Pennsylvania State University School of Medicine Entering Class of 2006
When Dr. Lewis kept saying, “Ashley, this is your year,” I was not as sure as she seemed to be. Sure, I had done just about everything I could have done to prepare and strengthen my application for matriculating at medical school in 2006. I just didn't know if it would be enough.
I am a non-traditional student and will be turning 31 during my orientation week this August. Ah, but I'm jumping ahead too soon. . . I should first mention what brought me to Dr. Lewis in the first place. It's a long and complicated story, but I'll try to hit the highlights.
When I was in high school, I became very ill physically and was unable to eat more than one meal per day (which was only a bit of white rice with cheese melted over it—the only thing my stomach would tolerate). I dropped a bunch of weight, doctors were stumped, and everything seemed to lead to a dead end. Because it was a small school and I had great teachers, I was able to do much of my work at home. I managed to graduate with honors and earn 9 AP credits and left for college, thinking I'd get by just as I had in high school.
College was a different story. At U of Maryland, which for those who don't know is a very large university, I was just a social security number. Nobody would be there to send my homework in; nobody would let me make up exams. I started out well enough with a mid-3.0 range my first semester, but my health degraded to a point where I was missing more classes than I was attending. By the time I reached my sophomore year, I was on a downward trend and too proud and stubborn to ask for help or leave. Finally, after dropping nearly every course in my 4th semester, I decided I needed to leave. Part of what finally brought me to this conclusion was financial need. I had been trying to work 20 hrs/wk while maintaining a full course load and it was obvious I could not continue that way for long.
When I returned home to my parents' house, I began looking for a full time job with health benefits. It's amazing how things worked out, and I've always thought there must be a higher power watching over me. Things were just too coincidental and convenient to be random. Two things enabled me to finally get well. First, I did land a full time job in medical research, which had decent health benefits that allowed me to see physicians. But, remember, I had been seeing physician after physician for 5 years with no luck and no answers.
My sister had converted to Islam (we were raised by a Unitarian and an ex-Catholic who wanted us both to make our own choices about religion) and was learning from the imam of a local mosque. I also earned some extra money babysitting the imam's two children when my sister went with them to mosque, so they knew about the events in my life and my needing to leave school. There is a circle of Muslim physicians in that mosque, and my sister and a female member of the mosque who previously had similar symptoms as I did (but she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer) urged me to see a particular physician in that circle. Seeing him was the beginning of the rest of my life, or so it felt.
I ended up being fortunate enough to not have cancer, but I do have an incurable condition that required surgery and still requires constant maintenance and monitoring to keep it in check. It might sound horrible, and at the height of my illness, it had been horrible enough for me to sometimes feel I must be slowly dying. These days, and since early in 2002, I have not had any major symptoms and am pain-free, eating whatever I want, and just happy to be well. So my health issues had a happy ending.
I continued to work in research and took a job in a neuroscience lab at a major medical school in 1998, where I will be working until matriculation at my new medical school this August. Part of my story for choosing medicine is seeing it from the side as the patient first, seeing doctors of all calibers, and seeing specialists in nearly every field. I thought, "I can do that!" I could make someone well the way they did for me. I would listen to my patients the way that my earlier doctors didn't, and the way my favorite doctors do now.
Working at Johns Hopkins Medical School opened my eyes to a part of medicine I wasn't even aware of--academic medicine. I had no idea I could do research and patient care, and even have the benefits of teaching medical students and residents. The prospect of shaping future doctors and also making a difference in the lives of patients with some of the most extreme and complex illnesses, and patients from underserved populations who wouldn't normally be able to afford the best (much less anything, sadly), just made my heart race and my eyes widen. Finally, for me, there was somewhere I thought I'd fit in well and enjoy doing for the rest of my life.
I had completed my bachelor's part-time while working at my full-time job in research and had mostly completed my master's degree in the same fashion when I decided to apply for medical school in 02/03. I had no idea what I was doing. The only information I got about applications was anecdotal from some of the undergraduate pre-meds who worked in my lab, from some of my faculty friends, and from various internet sites. Basically, I was flying blind. I applied to 7 schools in DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. I got no interviews (yes, that is a big fat zero!). I had applied early and returned secondaries quickly, so I was assuming my undergrad GPA and average MCAT (as in “National Average of those taking the exam,” not average for matriculants!) were the main sticking points.
I happened across Dr. Lewis' website after a disappointing application season. I cautiously contacted her and researched her extensively, because I am always a bit wary of people who make money on pre-professional students. It wasn't that I was unwilling to pay for advice, but just that I needed to be certain she was the real deal and would give me worthwhile, constructive criticism and help me formulate a plan of action. I got her to do an Assessment for me, and I learned so much just in those few hours that I was certain she would make all the difference in the world.
We formulated a plan, and I got to see that it wasn't just my GPA and MCAT that was keeping me down. I had to:
1) complete more post-bac work, retaking some courses and taking all new ones
2) shadow physicians for at least 4-6 hrs/wk for several months
3) study, study, study for the MCAT and kick its butt
4) apply to more schools; apply to the right schools
I had a lot to do, and took some time doing it. In the meantime, I was still working and learning a great deal from my research. Working at a med school and having a really great PI made it easier for me to find physicians to shadow and the time away from the lab to do so. I finished my master's degree and completed most of the post-bac work Dr. Lewis and I had discussed.
It was two years later when I contacted Dr. Lewis again and planned on applying that year (2005) for the 2006 entering class. Together, we worked on essays. I had to answer to her for MCAT studying, which was useful to me since working 60+ hrs/wk makes me find excuses not to do studying or schoolwork! She helped me pick schools, and convinced me that Osteopathic schools were worth my time (I come from a state where DO's are not popular and I didn't really know much about them). We made a go of it as a team and it worked. I got my first acceptance in early October! It was finally happening!!! Best of all, I was able to choose which medical school to attend, which school fit me best and vice versa. I included both Allopathic and Osteopathic schools and was accepted to both.
I guess my take home message to all advisees and potential advisees is this:
A) Dr. Lewis is the real thing. She's awesome; she tells it like it is (even when you don't want to hear it; and she will be your strongest ally in the quest for an acceptance at any professional school.
B) No matter what you've been through and how bad of a candidate (on paper) you think you are, there is a path you can follow. It may take a few years, and it will take a lot of determination and courage, but you will get there.
Email to Dr. Lewis if you wish to communicate about medical schools or other issues or to contact those profiled in Success Stories: drlewis@lewisassoc.com
q u e s t i o n o f t h e m o n t h
by Dr. Cynthia Lewis, PhD
How do I get a fee waiver for application to health professions school?
AMCAS: http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/fap/start.htm Based on an informal survey of AMCAS schools, most of them waive their supplemental application fees for applicants who have been granted fee assistance by the AAMC. It is always a good idea, however, for applicants to contact each medical school to learn more about their policies.
AACOMAS: http://www.aacom.org/home-applicants/fee-waiver.html The waiver covers the application fee for 3 medical schools. Applications for additional colleges are at the standard price. Information indicating that a waiver has been granted is forwarded to the individual colleges for their determination of fee waivers for supplemental application fees.
AADSAS offers a Fee Reduction Program enabling qualified applicants to be refunded a portion of their AADSAS application fees.
CASPA granted 102 fee waivers for the 05-06 application cycle.
PharmCAS does not provide a fee waiver program.
VMCAS does not provide a program for fee waivers.
AACPMAS www.e-aacpmas.org does not have a fee waiver program, but there are no supplementary applications or fees to the colleges of podiatric medicine.
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 with newsletter question in the subject line.
lewis associates advising services
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.
contact
"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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