To start off, say a little about yourself, your interests, your undergraduate degree and what you are doing now.
Hi everyone! My name is Daniel, and I am a first-year medical student attending the Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick program located in Saint John. I graduated this past May (May of 2022) with a BSc in Medicinal Chemistry (Honours). Beyond my education, I love going to the gym, spending time with family and friends, sports, and food!
How did you prepare for the standardized testing?
To prepare for the entry exam required for several medical schools in Canada, also known as the MCAT, I began with a lot of trial and error. I wasn’t sure where to begin, and so I first read through, answered questions, and made notes using the KAPLAN MCAT book series. Beyond the books, I also wrote 5-7 practice full-length mock MCATS (2-3 associated with KAPLAN and 3-5 with the AAMC) completed questions through UWORLD (a subscription service that provides passage questions for each section), used ANKI pre-made decks, and Jack Westin (a free tool used for daily CARS practice). I understand everyone will have different amounts of time that they can dedicate to their studies – you can still do it! For example, I worked Monday- Friday while studying for my MCAT. If this is something you will also need to do, it is important that you are efficient and effective with your time outside of work.
What factors played into your decision to attend medical school?
If you envision a Venn diagram, medical school is the overlap of many of my interests and thus seemed like a natural progression of what I wanted for myself (health and well-being, lifelong learning, advocacy, research, etc.).
What was the thing that surprised you the most during the application process?
Comparison is the thief of joy. The application process is long and difficult enough without the added stress of comparing yourself to others. Dig into your support systems, don’t isolate yourself, and understand that everyone brings different things to the table. Perhaps your application doesn’t have a lot of research, or maybe you’re missing a bit of volunteering, or perhaps you don’t have a lot of work experience – that is ok. Reflect on your own life experiences and find a way that you can translate that into a complete story for the admissions committee that truly represents you.
How did being a member of the ASRJ impact the trajectory of your academic career?
It’s important to undertake activities that you enjoy - I did just that with the ASRJ. The journal provided me with an opportunity to become a better communicator, more detail oriented, and an excellent time manager. These are skills I personally wanted to portray on my application to medical school and I strongly believe that the ASRJ allowed me to foster those skills.