PSAT & SAT Practice Tests at the Cerritos Library

PSAT & SAT Practice Tests & Parents Night
In collaboration with Princeton Review, free full length PSAT & SAT practice tests will be held on Saturday, February 3 in the Skyline Room for students with Cerritos Library cards. The PSAT test will be held from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and the SAT test will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Space is limited to 50 students for both PSAT and SAT tests combined.

SAT Subject Tests in Math II, Biology, Chemistry, U.S. History, and World History will be held in the Hi-Tech Lab from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Two subject tests per person are allowed. Space is limited to 25 students for the subject tests. Please register at the registration desk in person or by calling (562) 916-1388 starting Monday, December 11. All test takers should eat a hearty breakfast and arrive on time. Bring a calculator, two No. 2 pencils, and snacks to eat during the three very short breaks. Library will open at 7:30 a.m. for test takers only.

On Tuesday, February 20 between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., receive a detailed score report showing your strengths & weaknesses. Free information about test taking strategies will be offered. Parents are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Librarian Padmini Prabhakar at (562) 916-1340.

US Minority Doctor Shortage

November 21, 2006 - African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans make up nearly 25% of the U.S. population but just 6% of practicing doctors in this country.
The American Association of Medical Colleges hopes to change that with its recently launched AspiringDocs campaign. The centerpiece of the effort is its
www.AspiringDocs.org. The free site provides students with information about the Medical College Assessment Test (MCAT), how to pay for medical school, the application and admissions process, links to other resource sites and information on key dates and deadlines.
Dr. Jordan Cohen, AAMC president emeritus, says the campaign is about better serving minority patients.
"Diversity among physicians provides all patients with increased access to and options for healthcare," Cohen says. "This is especially true among the nation’s underserved populations. Diversity can help to reduce health disparities as well. Patients are generally more satisfied with their care and they are more likely to report receiving higher quality of care when they are treated by a health professional of their own ethnic or racial background."
In a study targeting African American and white heart patients published in Medical Care Research and Review, 30% of African American respondents said racial discrimination in a doctor’s office is common, compared to 7.3% of whites. In that same study, 61% of African Americans said they believed they could get the kind of care they wanted, compared to 88% of whites.

The AspiringDocs Website aims to address concerns voiced by minority college students surveyed last summer. Students told the AAMC that fear of not doing well on the MCAT and an inability to pay for school were their biggest barriers to applying to medical school.
The site has an online community component which gives students additional support and a sense of community, says Elisa Siegel, senior vice president of AAMC's Office of Communications.
"It allows students to ask questions and receive advice from the AAMC and other medical school experts, financial aid advisers, medical students, and practicing physicians," she says.
The AAMC plans to spend more than $1 million on the effort in its first year. The budget for subsequent years has yet to be determined.
"We truly hope that this campaign will help to change the face of medicine in this country," Cohen says.

Snow in Bixby Knolls!!!

Snow in Bixby Knolls is coming on Dec. 3. The Bixby Knolls Improvement Association promises thirty tons of man-made snow -- complete with sled runs and a snowfield for classic family winter fun -- plus a giant open air festival along Atlantic Ave. between Carson St. and San Antonio drive this Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For information on the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, visit their website at: http://www.bixbyknollsinfo.com/