LOCAL/STATE

The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 10, 2002 - 3A


Chan speaks on med school frustrations

Man apprehended
for peeping at
showering woman
A female resident of Bursley Resi-
dence Hall reported Sunday that a man
of unknown ethnicity was peeping at
her while she was taking a shower.
Department of Public Safety officers
were able to locate the peeping tom,
who was arrested after admitting to the
incident. Because the man was appre-
hended, no subject description is pro-
vided in DPS reports.
Suspects go north
after damaging
vehicle on Murfin
Three men were allegedly seen early
yesterday morning damaging a vehicle
parked in a University lot on Murfin
Avenue. According to the caller, the
three left the area in a beige car headed
northbound on Bonisteel Boulevard.
The suspects were described by wit-
nesses as being black men. If found,
the trio could be charged with miscel-
laneous destruction of property.
Egging ends after
pedestrian struck
by thrown object
A pedestrian walking on Monroe
Street near the Law Library was struck
by an egg Sunday afternoon. The egg
had originated from a passing car,
which was stopped by DPS officers
shortly afterward for non-aggravated
assault.
The occupants of the car were iden-
tified as having thrown several other
eggs at passing cars, DPS reports state.
Fraudulent check
writer taken into
police custody
A man waiting in line for a prescrip-
tion at the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy
at the Taubman Health Care Center
was taken into custody Monday morn-
ing. A warrant had been issued for his
arrest after he wrote eight previous bad
checks at the pharmacy that totaled
$384.40, DPS reports state.
Cyclist wearing
helmet hurts wrist
after accident
A man riding his bike on North
Campus earlier this week flew over its
handlebars and landed on his head and
wrist. According to DPS reports, the
cyclists was luckily wearing a helmet,
but he believed his wrist may have been
sprained and was transported to the
hospital by Huron Valley Ambulance.
A resident of West Quad Residence
Hall was also injured earlier this week.
The resident reported that she hurt her
wrist during a soccer game Tuesday
night. She requested an ambulance
after the pain increased, DPS reports
state.
MCard reported
missing from MoJo
Police reports show that a resident of
Mosher Jordan Residence Hall report-
ed his MCard lost or stolen Sunday, but
the reportee is still searching.
Parking lots show
p trend of runaway,
rolling vehicles
A vehicle parked at a University lot
on Kipke Drive rolled out of its park-

ing space and struck another vehicle
earlier this week, police reports state.
Another vehicle was struck Tuesday
by a runaway cart in a parking lot on
Bonisteel. The driver of the car report-
ed that the cart broke the vehicle's tail
light, reports state.
Coffee and end
table stolen from
residence hall
Students who study in one of the
lounge's on Mosher Jordan's third floor
will no longer have the luxery provided
by a coffee and end table, which was
reported stolen Tuesday. According to
police reports, DPS officers have no
suspects.
Students report
stolen bikes from
Hill area, East Hall
Two bicycles were reported stolen
Monday afternoon.
The first bicycle, described as a
green Specialized Expedition, was last
seen at 11:30 p.m. last Thursday. It was
z ctnlent frnni the rrakshetxreen Mosher

By Carmen Johnson
Daily Staff Reporter
"What it all comes down to is 5,000 students
apply to Michigan's Med School and 170 get in,"
said LSA senior Jay Parekh, who is applying for a
spot in next year's class.
The task of applying to medical school is a three-
step process that leaves students stressed and frus-
trated. Primary applications are sent out in the
summer where exemplary grade point averages and
MCAT scores serve as door openers for secondary
applications from interested schools.
If the secondary application is successful, appli-
cants are asked for an interview - which may gain
them acceptance to the school.

Albert Chan, an expert on the MCAT, spoke last
night on campus about the seven main factors that
determine whether students gain entrance to med-
ical schools. GPA, MCAT scores and personal
statements topped his list.
"I want to reach freshmen and give them the per-
spective on how to get through the process of
applying," Chan said. "You must be very educated
about the entire process - for example, what class-
es to take."
As executive director of Graduate Kaplan Pro-
grams, Chan understands the competition and
determination of pre-med students.
"Pre-med students are very passionate about
being doctors. They see themselves as they were
meant to be doctors. It's how much you want it,"

Chan said.
The University's Pre-Med Club brought Chan to
campus in order to educate students about taking
the MCAT and surviving the application process.
"Advisors don't even know what they are doing,"
Parekh said, who is director of meetings for the Pre-
Med Club.
"The best advice is to find older students, also
pre-med, who have been successful in classes and
ask for guidance,"he said.
LSA senior Stephanie Seiki said stress and pres-
sure of applying to medical schools is intense.
"It's very emotional. It's very trying. You have to
keep reminding yourself why you are doing this. It
takes motivation to keep through the process," Seiki
said.

The University's Medical School is one of the
best in the nation, Parekh said. "Since I'm pre-med
the difference between an A and B grade is like
passing or failing,"
LSA senior Jenny Loussia plans on taking a year
off to enjoy life before attending medical school.
"Pre-med students always complain about
what a pain applications are. Plus you pay for
every round and some students apply to 20
schools. That adds up especially if you have
to fly to do interviews," said Louissa, who is
on the Pre-Med Club executive board. "A lot
of people start undergrad as pre-med but the
ones who are really serious make it through
senior year still as pre-med. Only if they real-
ly want it."

Car wash

New drink coasters can detect
date rape drug, company says

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Colleges
around the country are buying millions
of coasters that test for "date-rape"
drugs in drinks. But some experts say
the coasters are ineffective and could
lead to more assaults by creating a
false sense of security.
The manufacturers - who also
make fake snow and party foam - say
the 40-cent paper coasters are 95 per-
cent accurate. The coasters have test
spots that are supposed to turn dark
blue in about 30 seconds if a splash of
alcohol contains drugs often used to
incapacitate victims.
In tests at the Michigan State Police
Crime Lab, however, the coasters

failed to react clearly to drinks spiked
with gamma hydroxybutyrate, a major
date-rape drug known as GHB, said
forensic scientist Anne Gierlowski.
"We tested red wine, cola, whiskey
and orange juice and because three out
of the four have color already, it was
very hard to decipher a color change,"
she said. "It's a nice idea, but it's prob-
ably a nicer idea for the people selling
them because they've probably made a
lot of money."
Plantation, Fla.-based Drink Safe
Technologies Inc. has sold about 50 mil-
lion of the coasters since March, mostly
to colleges and convenience stores, said
president Francisco Guerra.

Guerra likens the coasters to con-
doms: While not 100 percent safe and
effective, they are a good prevention
tool.
"I've had 100 people say this saved
them from getting raped," said Guerra,
a former magician. "Before me, there
was no way to detect it. It's nice to be
able to do something about it."
A federal task force recently esti-
mated that college drinking leads to an
estimated 70,000 sexual assaults or
rapes annually.
Yasmine Timberlake, a sophomore
at San Jose State University, was grate-
ful for the coasters handed out by the
YWCA at a bar near campus.

Nathan Bos and hisyson Graham wash their car at Victory Lane
Car Wash yesterday.

GRAD
Continued from Page 1A
key motivating factor.
"We did have an increase in applica-
tions for the graduate school. (More)
students are utilizing financial resources
through the University and through pri-
vate resources such as fellowships and
scholarships," she said.
Tom Lehker, senior assistant director
for graduate student services at the Uni-
versity Career Center, said the state of
the potential job market is another
important factor when students are
deciding to go to graduate school.
"Whenever the economy is a little
tight, students should think carefully
about the decisions they're going to
make," he said. "But graduate school
shouldn't be an option (just) because
they don't.have anything better to do."
Many students see additional educa-
tion.as an investment for their futures.
Masters in Business Administration
student Jamal Jenkins, who received his
bachelor's degree from West Point, said
he knew a master's was necessary if he
wanted to advance in the business world.
"I did feel I needed a master's degree
to go further and gain a position of
increased responsibility so that I can
contribute to the company on a larger

scale," he said.
According to the Qouncil of Graduate
Schools, masters' degree recipients, on
average, earn about $10,000 per year
more than bachelors' degree recipients
- an increase of 19 percent in annual
income.
Washington said additional degrees
give students the expertise needed to
enhance their professional growth.
"You need an advanced degree to
get more lucrative jobs and better
salaries, (especially) when taking a
broad liberal arts curriculum. Some-
one who graduates with a (bachelor's
degree) in English may not get a job
out of college. (But) if they get a
(doctorate), they have more options
available," she said.
But money is not the only factor moti-
vating graduate students. Washington
said some students seeking personal
growth also pursue masters' degrees.
After working in the military for eight
years, Jenkins said he decided to attend
graduate school as a way of following
his interest in business.
"I wanted to make the transition
from the military world to the corpo-
rate world, and business school gave
me the opportunity to gain exposure
to the corporate world before jumping
in," he said.

INSURANCE
Continued from Page 1A
of policy members as well as the general public.
"Many of us have grown up and have always assumed we
would have health insurance," Coleman said. She said the
existence of this and other myths regarding health insurance
are evidence for the need to improve understanding of the
issues.
"Being uninsured is not a choice," Coleman said. She
explained that a number of factors result in the loss of insur-
ance coverage, adding that health care is often inaccessible
and unaffordable.
"This is an intractable problem that has persisted for
many years," Coleman said, adding that she sees health
insurance as a vehicle for safeguarding public health.
"Being without health insurance often implies a decline
in quality of life," she said.
Coleman said the fact that the number of the medically
uninsured is growing makes the issue especially pertinent.
"This is a crisis - it cannot continue," she said. "We
need to get this (issue) back on the national agenda."
John Greden, chair of the department of psychiatry, said
while the issue holds national importance, it is an issue rele-
vant to the University community as well
"Many of our students are underinsured, if not uninsured,"
he said. Greden said students are an especially vulnerable

group due to the fact that many disorders begin developing
when people are in their early 20's. He said if students lack
insurance, the potential medical consequences increase.
"Being a student and being young may not equate being
healthy," he said.
"It is a big issue for young people;' Coleman said. She
acknowledged that most University students have some sort
of health insurance.
But she said one of her concerns is what happens when
they get their first jobs and are no longer covered under
their parents' insurance.
"This is a time when they are most vulnerable," she said.
Coleman added that University students have the legisla-
tive power to create change in health care policy, especially
during an election year.
"Students are voters - they can ask critical questions
of the candidates," she said. "Ultimately, the people that
will decide (these health care issues) are the elected rep-
resentatives."
"It has to be legislative," Thomas Carlimd, University med-
ical director of disease management said, referring to the level
the issue needs to reach in order to get reform. Like Coleman,
he said this is not an issue students can ignore.
"Students have to be aware this issue is going to impact
them," he said.
Speaking directly to University students, he said, "you are
voters - that counts."




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