I spent maybe three months working on the personal statement, having about four people read it over for me. When you ask people to read over your personal statement for you, don't have more than four or five people read it because the more people who read it, the larger the variety of opinions that come up. Most of the secondaries were ok except for those schools that had the applicants write extra essays. What was tough though was that usually the topics would not overlap so it was difficult to reuse any essays. (All this was back in 2006.)
For 2007, I only had two people read my personal statement, one was my high school friend who's an electrical engineering grad student (hahaha ... I just asked him on whim to check it for me) and the other was a professor I had a lab with and her husband's a physician so I figured following her opinion as the second would be enough for me. =)
As of October 20, 2006, I have submitted secondaries to Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Jefferson Medical College, NY Medical College, Medical College of Wisconsin, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, and Creighton University School of Medicine.
And I just submitted my primary application to Keck at USC. It may be a little late but they just recently completed verifying all my documents at AMCAS so I figured it was worth a shot since the application will probably go to Keck directly from here on.
Might I add I am really repulsed by applications now because I've been filling out an insane number of them for jobs as well. I think I can practically recite my list of work experience off the top of my head.
10/23/2006 - Just called TX Tech to see why they hadn't received my packet of reference letters yet while TMDSAS did. Well, turns out, if I hadn't called them they wouldn't have bothered doing this!! They JUST completed my application ONLY because I called them ... argh, the lady I was talking to was pretty rude too. Sheesh, touchy people.
Submitted my secondary for Rosalind Franklin today.
10/24/2006
As of now, I would have submitted secondaries to:
Rosalind Franklin
Tulane
NY Medical College
Jefferson Medical College
TX A&M
AE COM
Creighton
Medical College of Wisconsin
Boston U
TX Tech
Omfg I still have 9 secondaries left .....
10/26/2006
Yay another interview offer!! I think the schools have been waiting for my official MCAT score because it just went through today. =) Oh, I am SO relieved ....
As of today, I will have five secondaries left to finish up ....
10/30/2006 - Yee haw!! I just got a job offer from a spine diagnostic clinic. =D I shall be working as an MA as soon as I tell them when I would like to start working.
11/1/2006 - Tomorrow is day for interview numero uno with UTMB. We'll see how all flies o man o man ... pretty damn nervous ....
11/7/2006 - Just finished my last secondary ... that is unless North Carolina gives me one too, then I still have one more to do. My interview at UTMB wasn't too bad, it was very conversational and actually pretty fun. The tour of the school was amazing, I dunno if it was because it was my first interview ever but I was just thoroughly surprised and even more motivated than before of wanting to go to medical school. Definitely take a tour, you can just picture yourself doing all these things, only enhancing your desire even further.
BU COM just notified me that my application is complete ... that is weird because I submitted my secondary back in September. Damn, the processing procedure must seriously take forever!!
Tomorrow, I'll officially begin training for my new job as MA. So far, the job looks good though it can get a little boring at times but then what job doesn't? Can't expect everything to be entertaining 24-7, just deal with it.
I think the experience will be very good for me since I'll be interacting with patients and shadowing the MD and PA's that work there.
11/15/06 - So today is the first day of acceptance notices to Texas residents who applied to TMDSAS schools. As happy as I am for my comrades, it is a little disconcerting to see many people who interviewed in the SAME session as me get acceptances now while I still may have to wait for god knows how long because I am a freakin' NON RESIDENT despite the fact I went to the same school as these people!!
Please just let me in and put me out of my misery. I feel like I'm pushing against a door that symbolizes med school and I keep screaming 'let me in let me in!!!'
11/29/06 - Just got my first rejection from Case Western Reserve ... not even an interview either so saaaaad. =( And the day before my birthday too!!! Oh how they love to tantalize us like this. Hopefully there will be good news later on ...
12/4/06 - Still no new interview invites. This is starting to drive me insane. That and I got an e-mail today from AMCAS telling me they finally received my transcripts. I was just thinking, WHAT?! My application was complete in October and they'd sent everything out waaaay back then!! In fact, several med schools have been telling me that everything's complete!!
What is going on here ...
Though I do say I will try not to be nervous, you seriously can't help it. Dammit, and knowing my circumstances, I don't think I'll find out very early either.
12/5/06 - So I think AMCAS totally ignored my email because I didn't hear back from them today while I emailed them yesterday. On the other hand, AECOM called me yesterday and requested that I call them back. Apparently there was a little bit of additional - almost trivial - information that I needed to include into my file that they needed. They were so casual about it they told me to just email it to them, not even in Word document format. The lady also said that she'd tried calling me about a month ago. I was just like wow!!! You guys are sure being sincere to me considering you could have just straight up rejected me for having missing materials ... so maybe that's a good sign? I do hope so. As of tomorrow, my application to AECOM will be complete. Damn, no wonder it took forever.
Oh yeah, also, I got rejected from Univ of Chicago. Dammit ... I'm a reapplicant too!!! How could they have made up their minds so quickly? So much for having a dad as an alum. I looked at the date too and the letter had been written on my birthday. =( So sad ....
12/11/06 - Ok I'm about ready to die here. I seem to be on a rejection streak. Third one from BU ... AM I SERIOUSLY NOT WORTH ANYTHING TO ANYONE DESPITE ALL THE CRAP I'VE BEEN THROUGH?!
A few hours later .... goodbye $130 secondary with G-town. Damn, I should've listened to everyone and not have wasted that green mulah.
1/17/07 - So still haven't been updated on anything since the new year began. Hopefully I'll hear some good news from the Texas schools after the match. I called all my AMCAS schools today and found out that EVMS is not interested in me ... =( Well, they said I wasn't selected for interview but I dunno if that means if I'll undergo a reevaluation. I really do hope all my money is going into something worthwhile the second time around. Other schools either didn't know when I'll hear back or my application was just put on the back burner I guess till other students show signs that they're not interested in attending those schools.
1/27/07 - Right before I made my road trip to visit friends in Houston, I found out that EVMS does not want me. =( I hope eventually some good news will come flying my way.
2/13/07 - As if I couldn't be happier!!! Finally another interview invite!!!! Of course, it's not as good as getting accepted somewhere but an interview invite from a private school AT LAST!!!!! What a pleasant way to start my Valentine's Day ...
2/24/07 - Well, I'm going somewhere but it's not med school .... YET hahaha. =P I just got an acceptance letter to Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health!!! I've been applying to public health schools as an alternative if medical school doesn't work out and now I have a place to go to. =) Even though it's a Master's Degree program I can't help but say that I was quite shocked that Columbia agreed to take me. This is the first time ever that one of my 'reach' schools in the application process actually accepted me for anything.
On top of this, things have been going well lately. I'm truly enjoying my job like no other and am discovering myself and my interests during this year off prior to matriculating at a medical school that will finally show love to me. I hope this is all a good sign!!! I feel like something good is going to happen ... I'm usually not the superstitious type and am always careful with outcomes that may occur, but recently, I feel like everything's smoothly falling into place.
I really do hope this is not just me fantasizing. =D
3/1/07 - Well, the interview with Tulane went well~ At least I'd like to think so. =) I truly enjoyed my tour there and loved meeting all the students. They were so diverse, all from different areas of the U.S., not just particularly TX or LA (as in the state, not the city). Haha, honestly, I was a little intimidated when I noticed some of my fellow interviewees were like from Georgetown, Yale, Brown, and Wellesly. But overall, they were all very cool people whom I would love to share my four years of med school with. =) New Orleans is an old city but it really has its own flavor ... truthfully I'm already missing it while I sit here in my room in Austin. I really do hope they like me!!! At least I got the impression that they did ...
Then got my rejection letter today from Creighton. Seriously, this entire process has been the biggest crapshoot ever ... but fortunately, it's had its good moments this time. Creighton I thought I would get into for sure .... well, if we were just talking about numbers. Now if we take my international status into consideration, the picture seems to change ... DRASTICALLY.
Hence, why I was so excited about this interview with Tulane. It was a private school one in which didn't hold any thing back from me just because I was a foreign student. They could see that I was fluent in English and I had no problem communicating with others. I managed to show how strongly motivated I was in becoming a doctor. Dang it, unfortunately, they send out their decisions by LETTER not email grrr ... I can't wait that long!!! It'll drive me insane!!! And on top of this, it overall takes about 2 weeks to hear back!!!! Put me out of my misery noooooooow ....
3/2/07 - So I made a second round of contacting schools again to see what my status was and hopefully push them towards the edge a little about considering me for an interview. Heh, well that didn't fly that high with Albany ... so the rejections roll in. I just do hope something good comes about it though, I really do hope at least Tulane gives me some recognition. Rejections just are so scary and a real downer.
Also, I already knew that I wasn't going to hear from TX Tech or A&M since I never got interview offers ... I'm just updating my rejections now so I can see who I still have a chance with.
A few hours later ... haha so for every rejection, I seem to be undergoing an acceptance. I just got accepted to the Johns Hopkins Department of Mental Health at their Bloomberg School of Public Health!!! Another reach school I got into!!! Oh daaaaammmmnnnn .... I just hope this means well to me. =P
3/16/07 - OMG I'M HOMEFREE!!! I HAVE FINALLY RECEIVED AN ACCEPTANCE!!! I GOT INTO TULANE UNIVERSITY SOM C/O 2011!!!! As if the wait hadn't taken me so long ... I've been going through this for the second year now!!! After getting turned down by UT Houston recently and then waitlisted by UTMB I thought my life was just really going down the drain, that medical school was really just a faraway dream for me because of my international student status ... BUT I GOT IN!!!! I'M FINALLY GOING TO BE A DOCTOR!!!!
