By Ella Rasmussen According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of a doctor is “a person skilled or specializing in healing arts.” So, what does that actually mean? As a teenager decidedly unqualified to answer that question, I asked one. Sean M. Fox, MD, is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and a Professor of Pediatrics at the Carolinas Medical Center of Atrium Health here in Charlotte. He’s also the Program Director for the Medical Center’s Emergency Medicine Residency Training Program.
According to Dr. Fox, “doctor” encompasses a huge range of disciplines, and, contrary to that sterile, rigid impression that most people have of professions in the sciences, it’s much more personal than one might think. Deciding how to pursue your career after medical school “requires a personal assessment of what you as an individual value and hold most dear,” he says. “The practice of medicine is quite vast and has many refined areas.” And we haven’t even gotten to the messy details of actually treating patients yet. But getting there, or surviving medical school, is what really teaches you the spirit of the field. As a professor, Dr. Fox puts special emphasis on the amount of dedication it takes to complete a doctor’s education. According to him, the process typically involves four years of college, four years of medical school, and three to five years of training in a specialty of medical practice (such as pediatrics or surgery), also known as residency. While primary care doctors start their careers by finishing their residencies and taking Board Examinations, specialists require additional years of training. One of the most difficult parts of the process, according to Dr. Fox, is “to prioritize continued efforts in learning more every day.” In his words, the puzzle pieces do not all come together at one time. Medical school involves years worth of learning, forgetting, and relearning all the moving parts of the medical field, while your chosen specialty will challenge you to combine select bits of that knowledge. So, yes. It’s incredibly difficult--and it should be. You’re learning how to coax the obstinate boundaries of the medical field forward, and at the same time, you’re entrusted with saving lives. But, Dr. Fox says, don’t let that stop you. “Regardless of what path you select, there will be aspects that are not pleasurable,” he notes, “but if that path gets you to the place that you love, then the pain is tolerable and even beneficial.” While that education sounds like a marathon you have to run just to start your career, it’s an integral part of a process that continues throughout the profession. “We are all on the same path toward mastery, but that path is really an asymptote, never crossing that point of mastery,” says Dr. Fox. “We all need to be diligent and continually push the educational and experience boulder up the mountainous path.” He considers succeeding on that path one of the highlights of his career. And though it may seem easier to take the path of least resistance, one of his biggest pieces of advice for students interested in becoming a doctor is to choose a career based on what you love rather than on avoiding what you don’t. “Do something that inspires others as well as yourself,” he says. “Never stop learning.” Of course, the profession after training presents its own challenges. Dr. Fox works in the Emergency Department, where he holds that there are no typical days. Working eight to ten hours at a time, his department treats anything from minor cuts to victims of major car accidents. Residents typically work much longer shifts limited to thirty contiguous hours. While he sees severe, graphic injuries on the regular, he says the most stressful part of his job is constantly watching for signs of those severe illnesses that aren’t immediately obvious. “The fear of missing a clue, or worse, causing harm induces a lot of stress.” Still, the upsides of the work measure up well against the demands. “Without a doubt, that stress is offset by the reward of being present to help a patient and their family in their time of need,” he says. And, of course, the obligatory answer to the question everyone is really asking: how accurate is Grey’s Anatomy? Unfortunately, Dr. Fox stresses how bad television is at portraying medical care--typically, they tend to prioritize drama over the continuous, chaotic learning experience required of most emergency department staff. Though it may be a demanding profession, it’s just as achievable as any other. It’s not impossible. You don’t have to be a once-in-a-generation genius. Really, what you need to pursue a medical career is a “steadfast resolve to want to improve yourself every day,” says Dr. Fox. With that, you can focus on what the field is really about: helping people in need.
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By Mihir Kale The SAT English Section is composed of two sections: Reading and Writing & Language. These have a combined total of 96 Questions: 52 in Reading and 44 in Writing. The Reading Section of the SAT is fairly difficult for many students. The Reading Section is made up of 4 distinct passages and a paired passage (two short essays sharing a question set). Each of these 5 “sections” has 10-11 questions each. There are three different kinds of texts: History, Literature, and Science. There will always be 1 Literature passage and a combination of Science and History passages. Reading passages are usually about certain topics:
History passages cover themes like abolition, suffrage, democracy, and paired passages that compare two opposing opinions on those themes. Science passages cover evolution, new research studies, or summaries of complex scientific discoveries. Paired passages for science usually build off of one another and look at different angles of the same topic. Literature passages are excerpts of major novels, such as Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre, and focus on deciphering complex language to determine themes and characterization. Reading questions are organized from most general to most specific, which means that you should always start by reading the whole passage first. The first few questions will almost always ask you to summarize the passage or identify themes that apply to the entire passage. Towards the latter half, questions will focus on paragraphs or even sentences. In the Reading section, it can be difficult to determine the correct answer because some complex questions can have multiple answers that seem “correct”. When presented with this problem you can:
Keep in mind that to be successful in anything, even the SAT it takes lots and lots of practice! Some useful sources include: Khan Academy, reading the newspaper, and using released practice exams. You can also schedule a session to work on the SAT here at Peer2Peer with one of our qualified tutors! The Peer2Blog team wishes you the best of luck with testing! Don't be nervous, you will do amazing! By Mihir Kale, Kaustuba Baratam, and Aditi Bharathkumar Edited by Ella Rasmussen and Amy Zhang As a freshman, you’ll face a lot of firsts. Being the youngest class in high school is a big source of stress, but don’t worry! Every one of us has dealt with these same struggles, and the Peer2Peer team is here to help! AP classes are a common worry for students, so it's good for freshmen to be prepared.
Why we take AP Classes The main reasons students want to take AP classes: A) to get a bump on their GPA B) to get a feel for college-level courses. However, keep in mind that AP courses and College courses are very different! AP courses help you pass the test, whereas college courses help you get an in-depth knowledge of how professionals in that particular field will think; another key difference is that AP Exams are standardized, while college exams will not be. Just be aware that the AP experience is an introduction to college-level work, not actually a replica of it. Making the Decision Deciding between an AP and an honors course can be tough. AP classes boost your GPA and can earn you credits for college. If you’re trying to prepare for harder classes later on, ‘freshman APs’ are a great way to get that experience and have a smaller workload. That doesn't mean that these classes are easy; just that they’re more manageable for freshmen. AP PSYCHOLOGY What is covered In this course, you will learn about the basics of human behavior. The course is designed to introduce biological and mental processes. Expectations AP psych is one of the more fun and interesting AP classes, but only if you put in the work. Reading is fundamental to this class. You will frequently be assigned reading and have quizzes based on it. This class was the first AP class I took, and it was hard to adjust to because I have never taken a class that was so reading and memorization oriented. There aren't a lot of topics to cover, however they are detailed and structured. What you learn in one unit will be used in the next. You should also expect to remember a lot of vocabulary, influential people, and experiments. Advice As mentioned earlier, expect a lot of reading! Also, take time to understand the concepts and learn them with examples. Use flashcards or Quizlets! This will be key for last-minute studying. Passing the exam We don't know what AP testing will look like next year, but preparation is key! Find or create a study guide, and be detailed! Use examples and take your time making it. Don't rush through your work, because ultimately, it's not about the due dates. It's about how well you know the material and whether you can pass the test. Take practice exams before the test date- this will help you better understand what the testing experience is. AP WORLD HISTORY : MODERN What is covered AP World is an intensive course that teaches themes of history in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas from 1200 C.E. to the present day. You will learn about cultural, social, and political developments that have changed the world. Expectations You should be ready for a lot of writing. AP World won't ask you to memorize dates or facts, but you will need to observe themes and patterns across history and cultures. Thoroughly understanding these concepts will be critical in this class. Advice It’s not impossible to succeed in AP World, but you need to focus on mastering types of questions that are on the AP Exam: the document-based question (DBQ) and long essay question (LEQ). The ability to get your point across to the reader using examples will be critical! Passing the exam Since you need to thoroughly understand the themes and identify examples in AP World, try taking the released exams that College Board has on their website. To better prepare for the exam, you also need to know the concepts with examples! Making a study guide or finding videos and other resources online can change your perspective on AP exam prep. AP World is about knowing themes and identifying examples of those themes, so practice writing short paragraphs explaining trends and using historical events as evidence. AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY What is covered This course is about humans--how we have developed and altered the Earth's surface. It’s a vocab-oriented course and teaches students concepts and models in geography, migration, culture, agriculture, and development around the world. Be ready! Expectations You can expect a lot of vocab! Remember, this is an AP course, so while it may seem easier compared to some classes,keep in mind that this course is focused on memorization. Be prepared for a lot of models, theorems, concepts, and ideas that you need to provide examples of and apply to real life. You will need to memorize information about people, the development of places, and more. There's a lot of memorization in freshman APs. Advice Use Quizlets! Based on what textbook you use, your vocab and concepts might differ slightly from others. Still, you can find so many resources online that will help you ace the class and the test. I have used Quizlets and study guides from other teachers, and I also watched the APHG review sessions that the College Board posted on YouTube last semester. Passing the Exam Make a useful study guide and thoroughly understand it. You should understand everything on it, and include examples to explain your answers on the exam. You should also practice identifying critical information in maps and other diagrams. Conclusion As you can see, these ap classes are easier compared to other ones because of their emphasis on social sciences. These classes are usually much easier to understand for students, because they are more interesting and straightforward, along with being focused on memorization. As always, feel free to use Peer2Peer as a resource for better understanding topics. You can always request a tutoring session and delve deeper into the topics with a qualified tutor. The Peer2Blog team wishes you the best of luck with these courses! By Mihir Kale The SAT Math Section is divided into two major sections, NO CALCULATOR and CALCULATOR OK, which have a combined total of 58 questions, 13 of which are Free Response and 45 multiple choice. For SAT Math, the questions are organized from easiest to hardest. You’ll notice that the last couple of questions are the free response questions, which are a bit easier to make up for the change from multiple choice. Because these SAT Questions are organized based on difficulty, achieving certain scores can be measured by how comfortable you feel when answering the parts of each section. In general, students who score above a 1400 can answer the first half of each section efficiently, and use around a quarter of the time given for that section. This sounds a little complicated, but the process is really simple! While taking a practice test, keep in mind the time you take to complete half the section: which is 10 questions for No Calculator, and 19 Questions for Calculator OK. The first thing to do when studying for the SAT is to take a practice test, which is the most important tool for measuring your score and progress. For your first Practice Test, I recommend using Khan Academy, which gives a really concise and thorough breakdown of which questions you missed and how to solve them. This information is crucial because you need to identify the topics you’re struggling in to get better at them. However, note that Khan Academy only includes some of the official College Board Practice Tests, specifically: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Meaning that Tests 2 and 4 are NOT INCLUDED, this is great because you can use it to your advantage. Let me explain. On test day, you’ll be taking a test on paper, while all of Khan Academy’s tests are online, which seems unimportant, but it can make a difference if you aren't used to paper tests. So: Download Tests 2 and 4 and print them from the College Board website, use these as the last tests you’ll take before the big day, which will give you an opportunity to get acclimatized to the actual SAT format on paper. Now, depending on how much time you have left to study, you should aim at taking as many practice tests as possible, set aside a specific day where you take a Practice SAT every week, or even twice a week. For a standard 3 month schedule, take Khan Academy Tests once a week for 8 weeks, and then College Board paper tests twice a week -whichever ones you did at the very beginning on Khan Academy- for the remaining 4 weeks. By the end of 8 weeks, it is unlikely that you might remember the answers to the repeated tests. Nevertheless, make sure that Tests 2 and 4 are saved for the very, very end, as they are the closest you can get to the actual SAT experience as long as you haven't seen them before. I’ve taken a practice test...now what? Once you’ve taken a practice test, the next big step is compiling an error summary, basically an analysis of every question you missed. A good error summary will include:
The key thing about your error summary, is that it allows you to understand which topics you need to work on. Khan Academy selects these topics for you automatically, and it’s a great resource for solving multiple practice questions. However, it’s important to make sure that Khan Academy isn’t your only source of practice, get as many different sources of practice problems as possible!
The 100% Absolute Best Resource would be the official College Board study guide, which will allow you to work through any topic in the simplest way possible, with detailed instructions. While Khan Academy will give you a lot of Practice Problems, it’s not entirely helpful when it comes to learning new topics from scratch. You can also find tons of resources for free, for example, Acing The New SAT Math Section, by Alex Hyun, is a PDF on the internet and covers all 20 “sub-topics”. |
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