Undergraduate College: California Institute of Technology
Undergraduate Area of Study: Engineering/Technology
MCAT: BS 11, PS 12, VR 10, T
Overall GPA: 3.27
Science GPA: 2.96
Brief Profile:
Graduated in 2006 with an interdisciplinary Neuroscience major. The major was under Engineering (I spent my first 2-3 years doing the Electrical Engineering major), but also involved computer science (neural networks, machine vision, etc), and neurobiology. I briefly thought to myself that I might want to apply to medical school my senior year, so I made sure to sign up for the last of the premed reqs I hadn't taken already as part of my major/GenEd (Ochem) in my senior year.
I applied to PhD programs in Neuroscience, deferred acceptance to gain some work experience, and ended up declining my acceptance and working for 4 years in a speech and hearing research lab. The lab was in an institute affiliated with a top ENT clinic and as a result I worked with various clinicians as part of my work and decided I really did want to be a clinician and not purely a researcher. When the lab moved and closed in early 2010, and having all the pre-reqs under my belt from 4-8 years ago, I took the opportunity to look into applying to Med School. I found out the application was open in May (it was late April at this point), but decided to do several intensive months of shadowing, MCAT prep, and application drafting anyway in order to apply this cycle instead of waiting a whole year. Having started late, and having mediocre stats, I only got one interview, but it resulted in an acceptance! One is all I needed=)
Clinical/Volunteering ECs:
3 months of physician shadowing, 40-60 hours a week
1 year volunteering each at 2 local hospitals, one university affiliated, and one children's hospital
2 years peer counseling/first responder in college
Work Experience:
4 years work experience in the hospitality industry (with 1 year teaching/leadership experience)
4 years work experience as a researcher (speech perception in deaf adults)
2 years research assistant experience in college (sensory perception in infants)
1 summer research project abroad (cross-lingual speech production and perception)
Other leadership:
Dorm Dining liaison, Secretary, and Vice President
Club leadership (Glee club, science fiction club, re-enactment society)
Editor for undergraduate research journal
AMCAS submitted: 9/21/2010
Applied
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/4/2010
- Secondary Completed: No
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 11/4
Applied, Rejected
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: Yes
- Secondary Completed: No
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Did not meet BCPM > 3.0 requirement to receive secondary.
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: Yes
- Secondary Completed: No
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Did not pass screen for secondary.
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: Yes
- Secondary Completed: No
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Rejected pre-secondary
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: Yes
- Secondary Completed: No
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Screened out pre-secondary.
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: Yes
- Secondary Completed: No
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
pre-secondary rejection
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: Yes
- Secondary Completed: No
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
pre-secondary rejection
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: Yes
- Secondary Completed: No
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
pre-secondary rejection
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/12/2010
- Secondary Completed: No
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 11/12, Snail Mail rejection 3/5/11
Application Complete, Rejected
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 9/29/2010
- Secondary Completed: 10/12/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Secondary received (email 9/30). Complete 10/12. "Re-Review" -> Rejection email 11/19.
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 10/4/2010
- Secondary Completed: 12/8/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted secondary 10/4, Completed 12/8. Continue to Review letter 1/13/11
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 10/15/2010
- Secondary Completed: 12/13/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 10/15, Complete 12/13/10
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 10/19/2010
- Secondary Completed: 12/2/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 10/19, Complete 12/2
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 10/26/2010
- Secondary Completed: 10/27/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 10/26, Complete 10/27
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 10/27/2010
- Secondary Completed: Yes
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 10/27, Under Review as of 11/12, Rejected when checked on 12/6
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 10/27/2010
- Secondary Completed: Yes
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 10/27, Rejected 1/10 (email)
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 10/27/2010
- Secondary Completed: 11/1/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 10/27, Complete 11/1 (email)
SUNY Downstate - "Paid and put in mail 10/27, Complete 11/3 (snail mail letter), Rejected 3/10/11 (snail mail)"
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 10/27/2010
- Secondary Completed: 11/3/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Paid and put in mail 10/27, Complete 11/3 (snail mail letter), Rejected 3/10/11 (snail mail)
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 10/29/2010
- Secondary Completed: 10/29/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted/Complete 10/29, Rejected 12/2 (email)
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 10/30/2010
- Secondary Completed: Yes
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 10/30, Complete
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/4/2010
- Secondary Completed: 11/9/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 11/4, Complete 11/9, Rejected 11/29 (email)
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/8/2010
- Secondary Completed: 11/18/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Secondary Received 11/12 (email), Secondary Complete 11/18. In primary screening email 1/11
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/10/2010
- Secondary Completed: 11/11/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 11/10, Complete 11/11
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/10/2010
- Secondary Completed: 12/21/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 11/10, Complete 12/21, Rejected 1/20 (email)
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/11/2010
- Secondary Completed: 11/15/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 11/11, Complete 11/15, Rejected 12/8/10
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/11/2010
- Secondary Completed: 11/16/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 11/11, Complete 11/16.
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/12/2010
- Secondary Completed: 11/12/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted/Complete 11/12, Rejected snail mail dated 12/8
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/14/2010
- Secondary Completed: Yes
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 11/14, Pre-Interview Hold 1/12/11
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/14/2010
- Secondary Completed: 11/14/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted/Complete 11/14
Did not pass minimum requirement? My science GPA is below 3.0, but they specify overall GPA should be 3.0 or higher, which I meet. Hmm...
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/18/2010
- Secondary Completed: Yes
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 11/18, Under review as of 12/6
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/22/2010
- Secondary Completed: 1/6/2011
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Secondary Submitted 11/22, Complete 1/6, Rejected 1/13
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/25/2010
- Secondary Completed: 11/25/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Rejected the day after I submitted=P What, then, may I ask was the point of the prescreen?
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/26/2010
- Secondary Completed: Yes
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 11/26, In Review email 1/6
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/30/2010
- Secondary Completed: 12/9/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 11/30, completed 12/9
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 12/2/2010
- Secondary Completed: Yes
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Mailed 12/2, Rejected (online status check 1/26)
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 12/2/2010
- Secondary Completed: Yes
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 12/2, Rejected 1/12
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 12/9/2010
- Secondary Completed: Yes
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 12/9/10
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 12/14/2010
- Secondary Completed: 12/21/2010
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
Summary of Experience:
Received/Submitted 12/14
Accepted
Albany Medical College - "Submitted 11/11, Complete 12/17, Invite 2/7/11, Under Consideration following Interview on 3/10, Acc..."
Combined PhD/MSTP: No
- Submitted: 11/11/2010
- Secondary Completed: 12/17/2010
- Interview Invite: 2/7/2011
- Interview Attended: 3/10/2011
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: 5/18/2011
Summary of Experience:
Submitted 11/11, Complete 12/17, Invite 2/7/11, Under Consideration following Interview on 3/10, Accepted! 5/18!
Summary of Application Experience
5/18/11 - Accepted! Yay! Just needed one and here it is=D
Submitted AMCAS 9/21 upon release of MCAT scores. (Wish I had planned to submit earlier, but I would've only had time to submit a couple of weeks earlier and at that point, I thought I might as well wait a week or two to make a few more revisions to my PS and to see what the actual score was!)
Verified 10/8
Worked on Secondaries in October and November.
Had finished the last of my secondaries in early December. Started investigating post-bacc programs and spring community college classes. Had a death in the family just before the new year and went home to be with remaining family for a month. As of the end of January, I am enrolling in extra coursework (BioChem, Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology), volunteering with the Red Cross, and picking back up my SMP apps. With so many rejections, I've got to make sure I've got Plan B for upcoming June reapplication in place. But still crossing my fingers from some good news this cycle!
