Sherly said, ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2009 ON 7:01 PM

Hey Joyce, Your blog is very informative. I wanted to know something about ROSS. What was your MCAT score with which you got into Ross? or otherwise, wht is the mcat score with which I can even apply thr?

Hi Sherly,

I apologize for my laggard response! Ross looks at your application in a holistic manner, which means that your MCAT score does not weigh too much like it would in the very in-demand and cramped up U.S. medical system. According to an information seminar I went to before attending school, the Assistant Dean of Admissions stated that the lowest MCAT score that they accepted was an 11. I know people who have gotten in with scores that range from 15-35. The MCAT score is still an important way to gauge your performance and competence in the core sciences, but don’t think it is the only major factor in your application. Hope this helps!

- Joyce

The Behavioral Sciences and Health Care 2nd Ed
Medical Genetics 3rd Ed
Netter’s Essential Histology
The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology 8th Edition
Principles of Medical Biochemistry 2nd Ed

8:30-9:00am
Eat a $3 breakfast at the Shacks, get coffee if I need it and take a multi-vitamin.

9:00-9:30am
Plant myself in Classroom 1. Start the day by checking e-mail, facebook etc. Download all lecture files for the day and wait until first lecture is put online.

9:30-12:30pm
Mediasiting every lecture. Make my study guides in between time lecture uploads.

1:00pm
Lunch break. Relax.

2:00-7:00pm
Studying. Go to gym at 7pm if it’s one of those days.

8:00-9:00pm
Go home. Take a shower. Study lightly.

11:00-12:00am
Watch news/bed time.

[ edit ] I should add a disclaimer to this routine for prospective students. This is perhaps not an ideal schedule to follow through a semester. I have a thyroid disorder for which I am currently untreated, and the only thing I can do for now is make sure I take care of my body so it doesn’t crash on me. With that said, I am a special case who needs multiple hours of sleep, a selective diet, forced physical activity (for psychological and hormonal reasons) and frequent breaks in order to avoid stressing my thyroid. Don’t use this as a template! Just use it as a reference.

ON JULY 10, 2009 ON 10:20 AM
Hi Joyce,
I am starting Ross this September and I am enjoying reading your blog. It is very informative. I was wondering if you can give me some pointers specifically about the Hotel Mi Amor. I have reserved an apartment there and I would like to know what else to bring. Could you comment specifically on Laundry facilities, cooking utensils (pots pans, knives, cutting board, dishes…) because I plan on cooking, and size of sheets to bring (twin, full..).
I am glad you like the landlord. Any additional information that you could supply about the apartments would be appreciated. Did you say they have a white board with markers?

- Pauline

Hi Pauline,

Congratulations on your acceptance! The apartments at Hotel Mi Amor should all come stocked with the same cooking utensils. My kitchen came with 2 flat plates, a mug, a few plastic cups and some eating utensils. For cooking, a cutting knife, skillet and pot are supplied. There is no cutting board here.

You can’t do your own laundry here, you have to rely on the local’s services. The maid here provides her own laundry service, but I frankly find it inadequate. You will invariably receive business cards from different taxi, shipping deliveries and laundry services as you arrive, so you will have plenty of locals to choose from. With that said, do not bring any laundry detergent unless you want to hand wash clothes.

Regardless of where you stay on the island, make sure to bring just queen-sized bed sheets. I have’t seen anything bigger than that around here. Every room here is stocked with a large white board mounted on the wall. Bring your own dry erase markers, though you will come across many opportunities to buy some on campus. Bring your own eraser and board cleaner spray, too.

Some additional details I can give you… The apartment comes fully furnished. You have a closet that will require hangers, so remember to bring those, and maybe some compartments that have covers. A queen sized bed, some lounge seats, a dining table with chairs, a studying desk + chair, and night stand. There is also a microwave in the kitchen. There is hot water in the shower, but nowhere else. They have transformers here for power, so bring a surge protector, and that will be all you need in terms of power concerns! A desk lamp may be necessary, though the lighting here is sufficicent. There is a TV here with cable (there’s HBO here @_@), and a remote controlled air conditioner. I’m sure I mentioned this before, but the landlord arranges a driver to bring us to school every morning at 7:45am for free.

Maybe some day I will post pictures of my apartment. Overall, there’s a beautiful view of the ocean and the mountainsides here. If you open all your windows, you can actually get a cool breeze working. The apartments are very spacious, and have plenty of room for guests.

Hope this helps!

I suppose people are wondering what I’ve been up to nowadays. Nothing much really other than scrambling to do well here at Ross. Everyday is an opportunity to study, and if you don’t study, you had better be relaxing really well because you’re falling behind on your studies. I’m not sure if I’ve given any update scholastically. I’m not going into too much detail regarding my grades here at Ross but I am among a couple hundred students at MPS (Minimum Passing Score). Many people question the quality of grading here at Ross. Let’s just say that it seems unfair to evaluate your performance in medical school when you’re given 3 weeks of Anatomy to memorize, and 15 questions only show up on the exam. With no other way to earn back points, it makes in incredibly easy to fail in any class. If you do agree to come here, you’ve accepted the grading policy along with the beauties of this third world country and complaining isn’t something faculty would like to hear.

Students on campus are generally looking up regardless of potential failures. Upperclassmen encourage 1st semester students to keep going, and having been in our shoes, understand that it is possible to persevere. One of the first things faculty will implore is a working attitude: a sense of humor and positivity.

Mini 2 has already passed, and the next big event to calm the nerves of students was the Culture Show. It is basically an opportunity for clubs and organizations to show off some cultural talent. I was in the Vietnamese Student Associations performance – a fashion show of traditional Vietnamese dresses – and Filipino Union – a hip hop dance routine showcasing the rapping skills of one of our members. It was a really fun night; I enjoyed myself on stage. Dance rehearsals were somewhat of a pain considering I’d rather study, but the bonding experience with others was also important. Mostly, I loved how each club had so much to offer in terms of their culture. Medical students really have impressive skills here! We are far from the stereotype of students who’d rather stay indoors with a book in our faces. But obviously, that comes with the territory. You’d go crazy here if you didn’t make the time to enjoy yourself here.

Filipino Union dance groups

Sorry I haven’t been posting much lately. As you can imagine, I’ve got a lot on my plate.

Schwann cells & an oligodendrocyte

You get to medical school meeting all kinds of people with varying attitudes about medical school. I’ve met people who couldn’t handle a place with no concrete ground. I’ve met people who had a little childhood dream; I’ve met people who are here just to have higher authority over people. I’ve met people who have no religious values; I’ve met people whose lives are steered into medical school by God. And then I’ve met people who tell you how you need to pass, “You have to sacrifice if you want it bad enough.” And other people say, “Don’t sacrifice, you’ll burn out.”

After the first mini, the 1st semester students have a good idea of where they stand in medical school. But after the release, attending the beach bash, having time to sleep… we also have a good idea of what needs to be done to take care of ourselves. So many of us walked around like zombies, re-reading paragraphs because we didn’t have the energy. As an upperclassman once said, “You can try really hard to pull it off, but it’s not about how many hours of studying you put in per day. It’s how well you utilize that hour.” And an hour can be put to studying really well after getting the right amount of sleep, or it can be put to keeping yourself human – doing something stress-relieving for yourself.

I’m convinced that my thyroid disorder, for which my doctors wouldn’t treat me because it acts up sporadically and came normal once in a bloodtest, is what is pulling out my personality and stamina. I sort of took the day off, staying in my apartment and ordering Chinese delivery just to get through the day. I studied what I needed to study, in all the hours I could put in, and retired from the day making sure that I didn’t get out of bed until I felt thoroughly refreshed. And so here I am, 11am on campus! Max the taxi driver pulled off to the side and asked if I needed a ride to school, and gave me a free one.

As I was approaching Classroom 1, I bumped into a dear friend who hugged and kissed me on the cheek and reassured me, “I understand that every day needs to be used wisely here, but stopping to take a break is more wise than trying to continue your studies – especially when you have a condition that forces you to.”

Sounds like I’m being active for the Culture Show