We hope you had a nice Thanksgiving holiday and are looking forward to the end of the school term! I am sure your students are busy preparing for finals, and you are busy preparing for some well deserved time off.
The season of door busters, cyber deals, and giving is upon us, and while some articles out on the web focus on outrageous gifts that the rich and famous will be exchanging, we thought it would be fun to share some “pre-med” type gifts. (Disclaimer, Kaplan is not endorsing any of these products:))
Giantmicrobes.com has always been a favorite source of mine for gifts for my “science” friends. Where else can you get a relatively giant version of salmonella and give it to your friends safely.
For those that like to stay caffeinated and warm this winter, but want a mug that makes a statement about their future career, there is this great mug available at http://www.whatonearthcatalog.com:
For a creative twist on hygiene, there are these great soaps available from a wide number of sources:
And finally, there is the classic syringe pen!
The psychology of gift giving is one that has been studied extensively – there is a great article by Darice Britt, that dives deep into the topic, and a fascinating point made in the article is that while there is a great level of positivity around gift giving, sometimes the act drums up old, negative emotions! Something we don’t always think about.
As you know, psychology is going to be a big part of the new MCAT in 2015, as the behavioral sciences are being further and further integrated into medical school curriculum throughout the US and the world.
Our episode of the Pulse this coming Monday, December 9th at 8pm EST, is going to focus on the Behavioral Sciences in Medicine as medical schools are increasingly looking for applicants with knowledge of the behavioral sciences. In this episode we’ll explore the role of psychology and sociology in the future of medicine and how students can get the experience they need now to be a successful applicant. We’ll also discuss exactly what the new Behavioral Sciences section will look like on the MCAT so that students know what subjects to start studying now.
We hope to see you and your students there. In the meantime, have a happy holiday season!
