Recordings of recent live online advisor events, MCAT 2015 in the news, and employment opportunities for pre-health student are just a few of the hot topics we’re covering in this blog post.
Recordings of December Advisor events now available: As you’re probably aware, in the last few weeks the Kaplan team has held two special live, online events geared towards pre-health advisors like yourself. We know that many of you were interested in these events, but were unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. We’re now happy to let you know that the recordings of both sessions are now available for on demand viewing at www.kaptest.com/prehealthadvisors.
As a reminder, the first was held on December 2nd and was organized and hosted by Lolita Wood-Hill of Yeshiva University and Ellen Watts of Fordham University. The first hour of the event was featured a presentation and discussion of the Standardized Letter of Recommendation that has been proposed by the AAMC, while the second hour of the event focused on engaging with pre-health students through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The second presentation, held on December 7th, was a Kaplan-led discussion of the final proposal from the MR5 Committee and the upcoming changes to the MCAT. Of course, we encourage you to view these events at your convenience and to let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
MCAT2015 in the news: Since the November announcement of the final recommendations of the MR5 Committee, the proposed changes to the MCAT have seen a great deal of coverage by mainstream and campus-based media sources. Here are just a few of the articles from recent weeks representing a variety of views on the subject:
• 2015 MCAT to be revamped, The Daily Illini
• MCAT to see major revisions, The State News
• Revised MCAT sample available online now, The Baylor Lariat
• MCAT changes may affect underclassmen, The Badger Herald
• Changes in MCAT pose challenges for students, The Daily Universe
• MCAT to be changed, will be longer with new sections, Central Florida Future
• UF premed requirements not likely to change after MCAT alterations, The Independent Florida Alligator
• The Medical College Admission Test – Toward a New Balance, The New England Journal of Medicine
• Time to Direct COM Candidates Away From the MCAT?, The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association
In addition to the above articles, you might be interested in some of the results from Kaplan’s annual Medical School Admissions Officer survey, which included questions on the proposed changes as well as on the importance of various application factors in the admissions process.
Employment opportunities for pre-health students: Every year we see thousands of students apply to join us as part-time teachers, and many of them have questions that revolve around pay, benefits, and work schedules. As a result, our recruitment department has recently partnered with our friends at the American Medical Student Association and Phi Delta Epsilon to distribute information about our teaching roles. As an advisor, you likely already know which of your students have the skills and interest to become successful teachers and mentors to their peers.
A great way for you to ensure that the applications from your students are prioritized by our recruitment team is to share with them the information that can be found in this Student Work Opportunity Info Sheet for Pre-Health Advisors. In this document we’ve attempted to answer many of the most common questions that applicants have about our teaching positions, and to explain the many benefits of joining the Kaplan team.
Special Events: The Pajama Doctor Series: With many of your students headed home for the holidays, we’re sure that everyone’s looking forward to some well deserved vacation time. However, just because your students are relaxing doesn’t mean they can’t get ready for medical school at the same time! It’s with this thought in mind that we’re pleased to present Kaplan’s Pajama Doctor Lecture Series, a series of free online events taking place on December 27th, 28th, and 29th of this year. Each day will feature three presentations from the Kaplan library of events grouped around a central theme, all designed to help your students get ready, get into, and get inspired for the road ahead of them.
All of the events feature expert guest presentations and will be staffed by a team of live TAs to help answer any questions that may come up. We encourage you to share this event with your students as a great way to stay focused and take advantage of the holiday break.
And don’t think we’ve forgotten about your pre-dental, pre-optometry, and pre-pharmacy students! Each group can watch their respective recordings of our 2011 Spotlight Event Series at any time, simply by visiting the appropriate page:
That’s all for this month! We certainly hope you enjoyed this newsletter and have found the information worthwhile. As always, we appreciate any suggestions or feedback you might have – feel free to contact us by emailing owen.farcy@kaplan.com. Happy holidays and best wishes for the new year from all of us at Kaplan!
