Brief Profile:
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My "blog" contains advice for applicants & my overall application timeline. Check it out!
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I completed my undergrad requirements in 3 years and 1 quarter, so I spent my last 2 quarters on research, teaching, volunteering, etc, instead of enrolling in more classes. I graduated in June 2008 and took one 'year off' while applying.
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ACTIVITIES
The duration of some activities was shorter on my AMCAS, since I continued some activities during my year off.
MCAT instructor/tutor for The Princeton Review - 1 yr
Outcomes research in vascular and cardiothoracic surgery - 2 yrs
TA for vascular surgery elective for MS1/MS2's - 1.5 yrs
Medical education research resulting from above TA-ship - 1.5 yrs
TA, head TA & administrative coordinator for undergrad biology lab - 3 yrs
Shadowing program coordinator - 1.5 yrs
Premedical association - VP 1 yr, president 1 yr
Volunteer & steering committee member at free clinic - 2 yrs
Misc. volunteering at elementary schools - 1.5 yrs
Neurobiology research - 2 yrs, undergrad honors thesis
Study abroad in Australia - 1 quarter junior year
Shadowing various physicians - ~500 hrs total
Research lab scut monkey (summer job after freshman year)
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LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Our premed advisers do not write committee letters. We had a career center service which scanned the LORs and mail them as a packet. I wanted to include a LOR from each major EC that I held a leadership role in. I called schools' offices and was told that I could exceed the maximum if the letters all arrived in one packet, which they did. It was overkill in retrospect, but I felt that all my letters were strong and spoke to a different aspect of my application.
I included some detail about each LOR so you can see which activities I chose to back up with a LOR and how I 'fulfilled' my science and non-science letter requirements.
1. Surgical oncologist I shadowed for ~275 hrs. He focused on my performance in a clinical setting compared to the other med students / residents he works with. I wrote about this EC in my PS.
2. Vascular surgeon I shadowed for ~50 hrs. Took his vascular surgery elective and subsequently TA'd the class for 1.5 yrs. He became my PI - conducted surgical education research & outcomes research. He focused on my leadership, TA-ship, and research. I wrote about this EC in my PS.
3. Faculty adviser for premed shadowing program I coordinated. He focused on my role in rebuilding this program from scratch. I wrote about this EC in my PS.
4. Prof from my Writing & Rhetoric course Sophomore year. My project was about medical residency. She focused on my written and oral communication skills and collaboration with my classmates. I didn't know her as well as my other LOR-writers, but this was my 'non-science professor letter.'
5. Attending ophthalmologist at the free clinic where I volunteered several weekends per month. He wrote about my clinical skills, interaction with patients, and leadership roles at the clinic. I wrote about this EC in my PS.
6. PI from my undergrad honors thesis research. Worked in his lab for 2 yrs and took an upper-div class with him. He probably focused on my research rather than my performance in his class. Nonetheless, this was one of my 'science professor letters.'
7. Surgical fellow I met while shadowing and subsequently worked on a few cardiac surgery outcomes research projects with. I knew him better than the actual PI, so I asked him to write the letter.
8. Course director for undergraduate biology lab. Took the class as a sophomore, subsequently TA'd it for 3 years, became a head TA, and administrative coordinator for the course. She probably focused on my leadership, teamwork, and commitment to education rather than my performance as a student. Nonetheless, this was my other 'science professor letter.'
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MCAT
I took the MCAT the summer after my junior year. I studied from 6/26 - 9/6 (about 10 weeks) for a 9/7 test date. I did research and shadowed during the day, and studied most nights/weekends. I used The Princeton Review's books, which I borrowed from a friend who'd taken the course. I took all the full length online practice tests.
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 06/03/2008
Undergraduate college: Stanford University
Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences
Went to second look at UCSD, UCLA (unofficially), Yale and UCSF. Matriculating at UCSF!
Application Complete, Rejected
University of Pennsylvania
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: 06/30/2008
Secondary Completed: 07/14/2008
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: 03/25/2009
Summary of Experience:
Never gave me a chance, oh well. Maybe I annoyed them with my "I'm in the area; when might I hear back about an interview invite?" email.
Summary of Experience:
The students I met were friendly and nice. Dorms for MS1s are conveniently located across the street from school. Boston is a nice city, though it gets so cold :( I would've liked it at Harvard, and when I was rejected, my mom said 'congratulations! Now you have an easier decision to make!'
Summary of Experience:
Decided to apply because I was intrigued by the condensed curriculum and research year. Plus, they had good merit scholarships. Durham was very un-exciting. I never seriously considered moving to the south. Very intense pre-clinical curriculum was intimidating. Students seemed really nice. Didn't have a good answer to "So, what brings you to the south-east?" It was obvious I wasn't too excited about Duke. This was my last interview trip so I was getting burnt out.
Summary of Experience:
I wasn't going to apply here because I had no ties to Texas. I wasn't seriously considering moving to the south, and I didn't think I'd fit in very well. I added it last minute because they interview early and begin accepting in Oct. I ended up really liking it from my interview day but I didn't have a very good answer to "Why Baylor?" Texas Medical Center is amazing, though. I heard no news post-interview and finally withdrew in April.
Summary of Experience:
I was hesitant to apply because NYC is such a metropolitan place, and I'm used to the suburbs. Also, Columbia's not in a good neighborhood. I ended up liking it after my interview because they seemed to have a strong emphasis on surgery, and the students were really awesome and pursued many outside interests. NYC is a nice place to visit for a couple days, but I'm not sure I could live here. I probably would've liked it at Columbia, but not enough to stay on the waitlist.
Summary of Experience:
I was hesitant to apply because I had heard rumors about how competitive and cut-throat it was. Most students I met were nice, though some seemed very stressed and had no time for any outside interests. They're switching to P/F so that may change the school's culture. I was not very excited about Baltimore. Hopkins is obviously a fantastic school, but I didn't love it, so I withdrew from the waitlist.
Summary of Experience:
There will always be a special place in my heart for Stanford because I went to undergrad here. I was very familiar with the med school, I knew many students and faculty. I wanted to keep working with my PI. I wanted to manage the free clinic. It was my comfort-zone. I was seriously considering writing a Letter of Intent until I got my UCSF acceptance. I decided to withdraw from the waitlist because my mentors encouraged me to go to UCSF for the strong clinical training, novelty of trying something new and living in SF, and networking opportunities.
Summary of Experience:
I applied because they interview early, begin accepting in Oct, have great merit scholarships, and only ask you to fill out the secondary if they invite you to interview. The students were enthusiastic and friendly, the campus was nice. I never seriously considered moving to the south, I think that I would feel out of place there. I didn't have a very good answer to "Why Vanderbilt?" I probably didn't seem very excited about the school.
Summary of Experience:
The Yale System makes Yale students really really happy. They love their school and it shows. They have a lot of time to pursue other interests. The curriculum is very self-driven. If you need structure this would not be a good place for you. I thought it was a little *too* loose. Clinical training at Yale is rumored to be weaker than at UCSF. New Haven isn\'t the greatest city. I have ties to CA and wanted to end up there for residency. I would have gone to Yale if they could offer a full tuition scholarship, but they couldn\'t. In the end, I had no reason to choose Yale over UCSF other than to try out the East Coast, which I decided not to do.
Summary of Experience:
Applied because they have good merit scholarships, a strong reputation, and an easy secondary. Students seemed okay, but many were not enthusiastic or happy. Never seriously considered the mid-west. Accepted, but no scholarship. In retrospect I wouldn't have attended even w/ a scholarship because I wasn't too excited about WashU. Withdrew on 4/21.
Summary of Experience:
I applied at the recommendation of my premed advisors, because Michigan interviews early and begins accepting in Oct. They give automatic interview invites to applicants with high numbers from top universities, and I was lucky to receive one. The students seemed very friendly and had time for outside interests. There seemed to be no real patient contact until MS3, but perhaps I misunderstood something. Ann Arbor is a nice town! The winters are too cold :( I received a 30k/yr scholarship offer in March. I considered it, but decided to turn it down for UCSF. My scholarship offer was then increased to full-tuition; I considered it some more but ultimately stayed with my choice of UCSF.
I'm from the SF Bay Area, so UCSF is close to friends and family. In-state tuition makes UCSF a great deal.
Coming from an undergrad with a beautiful, sprawling campus, I was concerned about UCSF being a compact campus in the middle of a city. With no designated med student dorm, I was worried students would be too scattered. However, most people live close to campus, and many live with fellow classmates. Students seem happy and relatively relaxed. SF is a great city and there's a lot to do there. The basic science curriculum is compressed so rotations start in April of MS2 year. The clinical training at UCSF is top-notch. Faculty seem very friendly and supportive. Student input and feedback is valued.
Summary of Experience:
It was risky, but I treated UCSD as a \"safety school\" b/c they interviewed early and began accepting in Oct. (So, I didn\'t apply to Davis, Irvine, or USC.) I\'m in-state and a reasonably strong applicant, so I was hoping to hear back in Oct. I\'m lucky that it worked out, b/c it easily could\'ve gone the other way. La Jolla is gorgeous! Students are friendly and nice! They feel pressured to get Honors, but it doesn\'t make them cut-throat towards each other. Old-fashioned curriculum, but this is changing.
Summary of Experience:
Westwood\'s a nice area. Student housing for the first year is convenient. Students seemed really nice. There might be a little too much PBL. I personally wanted anatomy dissections, but this isn\'t a make-or-break issue. Cost was similar to UCSF, and I had more ties in the SF Bay Area.
Shemarty took the old MCAT and scored a 38 which is in the 99th percentile of all old scores.
We converted this to a 522 on the updated scale which is in the 99th percentile of the updated MCAT. We also converted Shemarty’s section scores as follows:
Shemarty scored a 15 on the Biological Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 132 on the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems.
Shemarty scored a 14 on the Physical Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 132 on the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems.
Shemarty scored a 9 on the Verbal Reasoning section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 126 on the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.
