Posted by alexandra_k on January 18, 2019, at 9:27:56
In reply to Re: processing, posted by alexandra_k on December 19, 2018, at 15:47:40
I got "First Aid for USMLE" for 2019 even though it is unclear to me whether or not I get to do Med. Now, or ever.
For anyone who is following along, who doesn't know, it seems to be the go-to textbook studying for Step 1 of the Medical Lisencing Exam for the US. It's a really nice summary textbook of the basic science and basic organ system information that you are expected to know. More than that, it is a really nice summary textbook of things that it seems pretty darned obvious (to me) are useful or helpful to know. Relevant stuff. High yield. Whether it has anything to do with that particular exam, or not. Which is precisely what (to my mind) makes it worthwhile.
No matter how much of a jack-up the actual test (and test score allocation) might be...
I notice it does have a speel on how some schools are focused on high test scores... While other schools are more focused on other things. Letters of reccommendation, and the like. And I guess that is the thing, really. Me applying to MIT and Cornell... They were both Ivy League / Who's who kinds of schools. I needed letters from people who were known to people on the inside there, and / or to be from one of the schools where there is a through-flow of people (collaboration) between them...
There are plenty of really good schools in the US that are less... 'Destination' (for want of a better word). I should think more carefully about (and try and identify) that which is under-rated and on it's way up... That's more the spirit of it, for me... It's too 'easy' to find some of the bigger schools with more marketing investment and so on -- but those probably are not a very good fit for me...
I've been having lots of administration troubles, here. With the processing (or not). They are refusing to complete my research qualification in a timely fashion and I need it to be complete to be eligable for my next program of study.
It is like how the public schools won't get students grades back in time for them to start University the following year.
Or in time for them to be eligable for foreign scholarships to overseas Universities the following year.
The place I applied to Med... They calculated my GPA wrong (according to their algorithm). They aren't very explicit about their algorithm, but there are some statements of it that aren't too-contradictory so are probably at least partly authorative. And they say about 'full-time' and 'best 120 points'. But they calculated my GPA on the basis of one part time year... Treating it as a full time year. And they calculated my GPA on the basis of my worst (rather than best) 120 points for the other year. They made a complete balls-up of it, in other words. 8.0 instead of... Well, I make it to be 8.6. That's a pretty big difference when the GPA is weighted for 60 per cent of selection. I would be astounded if it wasn't enough for a place.
And yet, I still don't have a place.
Offers were sent out December 10 and I don't have a place.
Apparently my GPA was too low. Apparently with the 8.0 they gave me I was 40 places lower than the last selected Graduate.
I don't believe that... Or... I'll believe it when I see it...
I've put in an official request for information to see the rank list.
But then even if they calculate my GPA correctly (and they haven't acknowledged that they f*ck*d it up, yet) I'm not eligable (unless they make a 'special exception' because the other University refuses to say I've completed my thesis, you see.There are a range of thesis outcomes from 'accepted - subject to minor changes completed within 10 weeks' to 'accepted - subject to major changes to be completed within 10 weeks' down to 'failed. the thesis is returned to the student. teh student is required to pay 6 months additional fees before resubmitting the thesis'.
they are trying to make me believe the outcome is the last.
but the outcome is supposed to be on the basis of examiners reports.
the examiners say i should 'keep working' on 'making changes' but they don't say whether i should do that for 10 weeks or 6 months.a bunch of people from the Uni (who don't have authority to make final decision on thesis outcome) 'invite' me to pay 6 months more fees to the university.
they all go on and on and on about the scope and extent of the changes required.
they say i'm required to log all the changes so it's easy for someone else to verify i've done them (i don't see any evidence of that)
they just...
They all seem so utterly full of sh*t.
Is this a f*ck*ng joke?
Is it really the case that everyones stuff is mis-processed unless you spend however many hours paying sufficient homage to administration?
They simply refuse to do their job.
Refuse to work in a timely fashion.
Awful people.
This is corruption, yes? I mean... This is exactly what corruption looks like. I don't know another way to see this...
I'm spending all this time doing appeals and so on for the VC and Dean and so on and so forth... All these people paid in excess of $200,000 per year... Who don't seem able to calculate a GPA or deliver an assessment outcome for a 120 piont paper (1 academic year study) within 4 months.
Why can't they just do their job?
ffs.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:1102325
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20181106/msgs/1102836.html