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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Who is this site for?
- Where do I get more information?
- When is the best time to get started?
- Why is this site important?
- How do I use this site?
- What is a Master's degree?
- What is a Ph.D.?
- How do I become a Medical Doctor?
- What is the difference between an M.D. and D.O.?
- What is the best major for law school?
- What is the LSAT?
- What is the MCAT?
- Have more questions?
- Who is this site for?
- This site is for first generation college students like you who want to pursue higher levels of education and lack the support normally provided by parents or relatives who have been to college. We have found that there is a wide range of topics that are not discussed or addressed that are critical to the success of college students and are specific to first generation college students. Back to top.
- Where do I get more information?
- To learn more about general issues that are not covered on this site, visit our Web Links page. There, you will find links to other online resources containing a wealth of information on graduate school rankings, help with your writing sample, financial aid and much more...
- Back to top.
- When is the best time to get started?
- Ideally, Freshman year. Use the Step-By-Step Guide provided in this website to see what you need to do. If you are an upperclassman, it's not too late. Back to top.
- Why is this site important?
- This site is important, because it is one of a few, if not the only, website dedicated specifically towards first generation college students. Back to top.
- How do I use this site?
- Start by taking a look at the Step-By-Step Guide. Print out the pages, fill them out and put in a binder to keep track of your progress. Then visit the Community & Forums section to find out more information via weblinks and forum discussions. You can post your own questions and one of our web mentors will help answer it.
- As you click through the guide, you will see this icon
 . Click on it to go to a discussion on that article. We would love to hear from you. Back to top.
- What is a Master's degree?
- A Master's degree is a degree that is earned for a specific course of study after completing a baccalaureate degree. A Master's degree can open up more job opportunities and/or advancement in your current job. Back to top.
- What is a Ph.D.?
- A Ph.D.(Doctor of Philosophy) is a doctoral degree. It is the highest academic degree awarded by a university. The Ph.D is awarded to students who have completed studies beyond the baccalaureate and/or master's degrees. Students who have completed a Ph.D. have demonstrated their expertise in particular field and their academic abilities through oral and written examinations. The Ph.D. course of study culminates in a doctoral dissertation (thesis) that presents an original piece of research in the field of study. A typical Ph.D. program requires at least 3 years of full-time study. Back to top.
- How do I become a Medical Doctor?
- http://people.howstuffworks.com/becoming-a-doctor4.htm
- Requirements for Medical School Here are the required courses for most medical schools:
- * 1 year of Biology with lab
* 1 year of Inorganic Chemistry with lab
* 1 year of Organic Chemistry with lab
* 1 year of English
* Many schools require 1 year of calculus or college level math
* Some medical schools request a course in Biochemistry
- Most pre-med students try to spread out the science courses required for medical school so that they are not overwhelmed all at once. It is also helpful if some of the material is fresh when taking the MCAT.
- The book Medical School Admission Requirements published by the Association of American Medical Colleges (www.aamc.org) provides the specific requirements for admission to each medical school.
- Grades
Needless to say, getting good grades in college is absolutely necessary. Your GPA (grade point average) is probably the most important factor in being accepted into medical school. Most medical students have GPA's of 3.5 to 4.0 (on the standard 4.0 scale used in the U.S.). When you apply to medical school, the standard application requests your GPA for your science courses, your GPA for non-science courses and your overall GPA. For those students who entered medical school in 1998, the average science GPA was 3.52, the average non-science GPA was 3.64, and the average overall GPA was 3.57. If you do poorly on one of the required courses it is probably a good idea to take another course in that field to improve your grades and show that you can handle that subject. It is also important to do well in college from the beginning. After all, if you only get a 2.0 in your first year and then get a 4.0 the next 2 years your GPA will still be under 3.5. However, medical schools do consider the fact that you are improving. Doing well at a college with an outstanding reputation goes a long way. Try not to fall behind in your class work. This leads to cramming, poor grades and, more importantly, poor learning.
The sciences courses, in particular Organic Chemistry, are traditionally the "weed out" courses that eliminate students who will not make it into medical school. I remember my first major exam in Chemistry. Many students failed. As a result, a large percentage of students dropped the course, stopped their pursuit of a medical career and changed majors. All this occurred in the first few weeks of college. Back to top.
- What is the difference between an M.D. and D.O.?
- http://www.stronghealth.com/services/primarycare/domd.cfm
- If you are like most people, you probably don't know the difference between a medical doctor, MD, and an osteopathic doctor, DO.
- DOs and MDs are alike in many ways:
- * Applicants to both DO and MD colleges typically have a four-year undergraduate degree with an emphasis on science courses.
* Both DOs and MDs complete four years of basic medical education.
* After medical school, both DOs and MDs can choose to practice in a specialty area of medicine—such as psychiatry, surgery, obstetrics, or sports medicine—after completing a residency program (typically two to six years of additional training).
* Both DOs and MDs must pass comparable state licensing examinations.
* DOs and MDs both practice in fully accredited and licensed hospitals and medical centers.
* Both are medical doctors; MD is specifically Doctor of Medicine and DO is Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Back to top.
- What Makes DOs Different?
* DOs can perform surgery, child delivery, treat patients, and prescribe medications in hospitals and clinic settings.
* DOs look at the "total person." Osteopathic physicians focus on preventive care. Instead of just treating specific symptoms or illnesses, they look at the whole body.
* DOs receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system, which is comprised of the nerves, muscles, and bones. This training gives DOs a better understanding of how an injury or illness in one part of the body can affect another part of the body; therefore, DOs have a therapeutic and diagnostic advantage.
* DOs use what is called osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). OMT is a technique in which the DOs use their hands to diagnose injury and illness, giving special attention to the joints, bones, muscles, and nerves. Manipulations improve circulation, which in turn, creates a normal nerve and blood supply, enabling the body to heal itself. Back to top.
- What is the best major for law school?
- http://learning.ucmerced.edu
- Law schools, unlike medical schools and some graduate programs, do not require that a student take a certain set of courses. Instead, law schools accept a diverse pool of applicants who major in anything from engineering to political science to film and television. Law schools do not focus on what your major is but rather look at your cumulative grade point average as an indicator of a person's likelihood of succeeding in law school. (GPA is a big factor involved in getting accepted to law schools!) Do not major in political science solely because you think the admission committee will look more favorably on this major than another. Choose a major that you find interesting and intellectually stimulating. If you choose a major that does not entail much writing, we strongly suggest you take writing courses as electives. Otherwise, you will be at a disadvantage in law school, especially in your legal writing classes. Back to top.
- What is the LSAT?
- http://learning.ucmerced.edu/2.asp?uc=1&lvl2=26&lvl3=26&lvl4=29&contentid=27
- The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a half-day standardized test required for admission to all law schools that are members of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). It provides a standard measure of acquired reading and verbal reasoning skills that law schools can use as one of several factors in assessing applicants. The test is administered four times a year (February, June, October, and December) at hundreds of locations around the world.
- Many law schools require that the LSAT be taken by December (at the latest!) for admission the following fall. However, taking the test earlier—in June or October—is often strongly advised. Many students opt to take the October test because studying for it does not conflict with the academic year. Also, taking the October test gives you the summer months to prepare.
- You can register for the LSAT at the LSAC website. The cost is approx. $112. Signing up early will give you a better chance of getting your top choice test location site.
- Can you take the LSAT more than once? Yes, but typically it's recommended that you only take it once. How the law schools interpret multiple scores varies. You cannot assume they will simply accept the highest score. Be advised that the LSAC recommends that schools interpret multiple scores by averaging them. Back to top.
- What is the MCAT?
- http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/about/start.htm
- The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized, multiple-choice examination designed to assess problem solving, critical thinking, and writing skills in addition to the examinee's knowledge of science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine.
- Scores are reported in each of the following areas: Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, Writing Sample, and Biological Sciences. Medical college admission committees consider MCAT scores as part of their admission decision process.
- Almost all U.S. medical schools require applicants to submit MCAT scores during the application process. Many schools do not accept MCAT scores if taken more than three years ago. Back to top.
- Have more questions?
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