Now that it’s finally summer, my annual let’s-get-productive-and-create-a-schedule-and-study-habits effort is in full swing. To celebrate this almost always failing effort (but not this year! hopefully…) I’ve compiled a list of my five favorite productivity blogs. All of these blogs I read/use on a frequent basis, and of course some are more helpful than others, but I find each of them to be reliable and valuable tools when trying to deal with pretty much anything school related. There are actually a lot more blogs/YouTube channels I follow (cause I’m obsessed with these kind of productivity/student help websites - why I started this blog in the first place) but I’ve pared them down to the ones I find most helpful most frequently.
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6/21/2017 0 Comments Contributed Post: 7-Year Medical Programs: Why an Accelerated Program was right for me (and might be for you too)This is an article contributed by a high school senior who will be attending a 7 year Medical Program next year, in response to my post on "7 Year Medical Programs: Why I Don’t Like Them (But Why You Might)".
I am 100% sure that I want to become a doctor, and I want to make the most out of my life. I selected to attend an accelerated seven-year medical program because I wanted to do what was right for my career and future, not just what would fulfill my ego. If you need one year to understand yourself and to discover your true goals in life, by all means, take it. These programs are for those who know that they are cut out to be doctors. There will always be times in life where you will have the opportunity to make commitments. If you feel as if you are mature enough to make a commitment to such a program, make it. However, if you are wary of making such a life-determining commitment at this age, the path of attending a normal undergraduate program still remains. Even if you are not sure at the beginning of senior year, it does not hurt to apply to these programs so that you can increase your options when you are making a final decision. 10%... 10%... 6%... 3.6%... 3%!
These are the acceptance rates for the incredibly competitive accelerated/guaranteed medical programs. Seven-year programs seem to be the new Ivies these days, considering how highly they are regarded by some students (especially those in my school, which is centered on medicine). I, personally, don’t share in the hype, although I do understand it. But just a quick disclaimer before I get into the meat of this one: I am by no means discouraging or looking down on 7 year programs. I am just detailing why I don’t like them. Everyone has a different opinion and different priorities and different outlooks on life, and I don’t want anyone who likes these programs to take this post personally, because this is just how I feel about them. And remember, my cons could be your pros - consider your personal situation before making any decision. Every year, there are those programs whose application due dates are like a good 2-3 weeks after the majority of the applications I fill out, and if I don’t fill out the later applications with the earlier ones, well there’s an almost 100% chance I will not get around to filling out the ones that have a later due date. Now of course, I’m just a lazy person like that, and I’m not saying everyone is like that (props to you if you aren’t!), but I really really wish I would’ve filled these applications out, I might have gotten something out of it. Well, it’s too late for me, but please guys, don’t abandon applications just because they have a later due date and you just wanna be done with them. Learn from my mistakes.
Here is the second part of this post.
Junior Year Now, this is when sh*t got real. If I didn’t find a productive way to spend this summer, I was pretty much going to be a failure (in my own eyes). So I sat down, did some real research, regaled in the fact that I was finally old enough for all these programs, and set up a plan for everything I was going to apply to. This is the year, where along with research and similar programs, I applied for pre-college programs, where I would be getting credits at a particular university while studying alongside their undergrads. We’ve all heard the spiel, “the summer of your junior year is the most important one in high school! It’s your one chance to show colleges you do something other than sleep 14 hours a day and binge watch How I Met Your Mother during those days in July and August.” Doing something productive in the summer (and no, getting through a season of House in a day does not count as productive) is also a great way to separate yourself from the pack when it comes to college and applications.
I am a firm believer in applying to selective summer programs to try and get a leg up over most of your peers, and more than just that, to give yourself an opportunity to experience things beyond the regular high schooler. Whether that be through high school summer research, shadowing, or interning, every opportunity allows you to grow as a student and applicant. |
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