Brief Profile:
I decided to pursue medicine 3+ years after completing my undergrad in Electrical Engineering. In the Air Force, I did a brief stint in pilot training before becoming a satellite engineer/program manager. I applied mostly to schools near AF bases as my wife is still Active Duty. Thanks to USAFA's extensive core curriculum, I only had to complete 4 additional pre-reqs.
Anyway, if you have any questions about applying for USUHS or HPSP, let me know. I applied through both programs, but ultimately decided to go to school as a civilian and not incur the lengthy service commitment. This has been a humbling but rewarding experience, forcing me to identify my true strengths and weaknesses. If I had to do this all again, the only things I'd do differently are:
1. Submit AMCAS much sooner 2. Do more research to select schools that better fit my personality and goals 3. Complete ALL secondaries 4. Practice interviews BEFORE your first interview day (my interviews got better over the cycle, but some of my more preferred schools were my earlier interviews) 5. Limit the time I spent on SDN school forums
Best of luck to all of you. This site has been quite "helpful" for me; hopefully it helps you, too.
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 07/16/2013
Undergraduate college: United States Air Force Academy
Undergraduate Area of study: Engineering/Technology
Summary of Experience:
Safe to assume rejection at this point. And even if I got in now, I'd have a hard time switching gears to attend here over Tufts.
Low alternate list. So much for my home state of 23 years showing any love.
Needless to say, it was awesome to come home to the Denver area and see how much the campus has grown. I really miss Colorado and would love to go here. The school is amazing and it would be such an honor to come home and serve the community where I grew up.
I think both of my interviews went well, but I think my AMCAS showing TX residency will force me to wait until the end of interview season to get any response.
Summary of Experience:
Received the "Class Full" email on Tuesday. Major bummer as attending BCM would have been a dream come true...
Waitlisted-
Great school! Really loved the people and the campus is amazing. So many opportunities in one place. And so affordable.
I'm not sure how my first interview went, but I know my second one was a knock-out. And since I didn't get the third tiebreaker interview, I'm optimistic that my first went better than I imagine.
Summary of Experience:
Awesome campus. Familiar environment for me. And I love the DC area.
Being my first interview day of the season, I was shaky at best during my first interview. I feel like I rambled a bit too much. During the break between interviews, I gathered myself and my second interview went much better. Now I'm just waiting on DoDMERB so that the school can make a decision.
Update 2/19/14: Put on "Hold" likely due to DoDMERB delays.
Update 3/11/14: Officially added to waitlist still due to DoDMERB qualification delays...
Update 3/19/14: Received "qualified" status from DoDMERB.
Summary of Experience:
I think my interviews went well. As usual, I had to answer the standard questions for non-trads. The interview with the MS4 though was more like a conversation, and he/she seemed to be trying to convince me to come to Tufts. He/She mentioned more than once, "It sounds like Tufts would be a great fit for you."
FIRST ACCEPTANCE!! I'm going to be a doctor!! I really liked Tufts, so I'm beyond thrilled right now. Time to fill out my FAFSA.
I know I sound like a broken record saying this, but I really liked KU. The hopsital renovations look awesome! I love the midwest feeling and the prospect of being a Jayhawk.
My best interviews by far (makes sense as this was my fifth interview day of the season). Very conversational, and I think I answered all of their questions really well. Should hear back from them in the next few weeks.
2nd Acceptance!! Waiting for the snail mail letter was killing me. So happy to have to make a choice about where to matriculate.