User #16871
Application cycles: 2009
Demographics: Female, South Asian
Home state: Virginia
Last Active: 01/21/2010

Brief Profile: I majored in Infectious Diseases in Developing Countries through the Interdisciplinary Majors Program at the University of Virginia. I had to submit my proposal to a panel of deans and advisers who approved my major. Because this program is considered part of the honors major, I was also required to write a year long thesis. This is a major I created myself because I did not feel that the pre-med classes taught me everything I needed to know about medicine and disease. Basically, my major focused on not only looking at diseases from a scientific perspective which was offered to me through classes like virology and microbiology but I also wanted to analyze how social, economic and structural factors in a community determine health and wellbeing. In my major proposal, I made the case that a purely science degree or a liberal arts degree failed to give me the tools I needed in order to pursue medicine in the future. Therfore, along with my pre-med and bio classes I took classes like global health issues and illness, social production of health and disease and health care economics among various others.Through this program, I also wrote my year long thesis the socio-cultural implications of HIV/AIDS on biomedicine, South Africa, as well as on our larger global world.

Extracurricular Activities

1. Research Experience

A. I worked in a biochem lab for a year freshmen year. During this experience I learned extensively about the HPLC technique.
B. For a summer, I worked in a tumorgenesis lab and worked briefly with CHO cells, however, I quickly discovered that medical research just was not for me, and decided to pursue volunteering in a nursing home instead.
C. I did anthropological research the Spring of my last year of college, I helped in researching to apply for an NIH grant in order to receive funding for programs that supported grassroots nutritional programs in the Charlottesville community. Through this same position, I also was involved with analyzing socio-cultural data gathered from a group of women that were from southeastern virginia and their reactions to HIV/AIDS in their community and the ways in which their own lives have been impacted by the disease economically, and otherwise.
D. Writing a senior thesis presented a unique opportunity for me to further research my interests. I decided to focus on HIV/AIDS because the socio-cultural, political and economic implications of thisdisease always fascinated me. Through my analysis, I learnt a great deal, and I think it really honed my research and writing skills.

2.Clinical Experience
A. I volunteered/ shadowed in the ER for a year 2nd year of college, the first semester was through a class and I continued this position to the next semester. This involved helping with a variety of research projects on sepsis and dental health. This experience strongly solidified my interest for medicine
B. I participated in the UVA SMDEP program the summer of my second year.
C. I did a week long externship shadowing an orthopedic surgeon.

3. Other Volunteering Experiences
A. I volunteered for 2 years at the UVA Nursing Home on an average of once a week.
B. I have voluntered in HIV/AIDS outreach events through Whitman Walker Clinic and other HIV/AIDS focused organizations in DC.
C. Freshmen year, I volunteered in the International Center to help the wives of foreign grad students speak english once a week for a year
D. I went to Dominican Republic my 4th year to teach English to 1st graders.

4. Work Experience
1. After Graduation, I worked for 8 months for an organization that does association management. I was in the education sector and dealt extensively with designing courses to receive continuing medical education. I helped launch a clients abstract system. I did speaker management with mainly surgeons and research scientists. I designed webinars, designed evaluations, worked closely with CME accrediting bodies. I worked towards designing a medical course for students that would give medical school teachers more time for practicum so they can spend less time in lecture. I also handled programmatic aspects of the conference for this client.
2. Last summer, I had an internship at a company that worked on socio-economic development. I helped to bring together resources in south eastern virginia for children whose needs were not being met. These resources ranged from health services, educational services, as well as making federal and other free services more accessible and user friendly.
3. I worked with UVA alumni services to fundraise for university wise events and was extensively able to improve my communication skills through this experience.

Leadership Positions
1. Social Chair for pre-health organization
2. social chair for a south Asian organization on campus
3. program chair for a another south Asian organization on campus

So I got a 26 my second time even after studying full time for three months. I am still applying this cycle though.
Total Costs:
Kaplan Course: 1700
Alum Kaplan Course: 500
EK Subject books and 1001 series: 120
TPR Book: 25
Kaplan Big Book: 30
Postponing MCAT: 50
Postponing too late: 210
MCAT 1: 210
MCAT 2: 210
Primary Application to 30 Schools: 997
Opportunity Cost(4 months of not working, 3 months studying and 1 months looking for a job)8000
Total Costs incurred: 12,052( gosh I havent even counted the secondaries yet!)

one day it will all be worth it..

I have been horrendous about posting updates but I will try to do my best to summarize as much as I can!!

i will try to be better about updating more often!!

i decided to apply to 14 more schools so that puts my total schools to 44..

Rejected presecondary:
-Unvierstiy of Washington
-Nebraska
-Indiana
-Evms
-Wvu
Rejected post secondary
-Vcu
Decided not to apply post primary
-michigan

No secondary received yet:
Wayne state university
Drexel university

// Applications //

Application Cycle One: 2009

Undergraduate college: University of Virginia
Undergraduate Area of study: Computing and Information Science

Total MCAT SCORE: 502
MCAT Section Scores: B/B 127, C/P 127, CARS 122
Overall GPA: 3.52
Science GPA: 3.19

Summary of Application Experience

2/17/09- Trying to get my LORs in order so I can begin requesting in the next few weeks.
5/2/09- Re-take MCAT
5/25/09- all LORs received, set to AMCAS
6/2/09-got a 26, going to go ahead and apply
6/12/09- Submitted AMCAS

6/25/09-AMCAS verified

6/25/09-GWU secondary received

6/26/09- SUNY Buffalo received and submitted

6/30/09-GWU S submitted, Marshall received

7/1/09- Marshall submitted, BU received, FIU received, Jefferson received

7/2/09- Temple received, jefferson submitted

7/4/09- Temple submitted

7/8/09- Georgetown received, BU submitted, UMD received

7/9/09- SLU received, UVA received

7/10/09- SLU submitted, UVA submitted. TCMC received, VCU received

7/11/09- FIU submitted

7/13/09- georgetown submitted, creighton received, morehouse received, rochester received, pittsburg received, ucf received, tulane received, rochester submitted

7/14/09- Hopkins received, vcu submitted

7/16/09-Dartmouth secondary received

7/17/09- UCF and Pittsburg submitted, umd submitted

7/19/09-Tulane submitted

7/20/09- SUNY upstate received, case western received

7/21/09-UVT received

7/22/09- TCMC submitted

7/23/09- morehouse submitted, albany received, nymc received, nymc submitted, hopkins submitted, tufts received

7/24/09- University of Cincinnati received, Cincinnati submitted

7/26/09- UVT submitted

7/27/09-PSU received, carver received

7/28/09- Darmouth submitted, suny upstate submitted, tufts submitted

7/29/09-rosalind franklin received, creighton submitted

7/30/09- Albany submitted

7/31/09- Toledo received

8/5/09- case western submitted

8/6/09- albert Einstein received, Einstein submitted

8/7/09- Meharry received

8/9/09- Meharry submitted

8/10/09- Toledo submitted, Rosalind franklin submitted

8/17/09- PSU submitted

8/18/09- howard received

8/19/09-howard submitted

7/13/09- georgetown submitted, creighton received, morehouse received, rochester received, pittsburg received, ucf received, tulane received, rochester submitted

7/14/09- Hopkins received, vcu submitted

7/16/09-Dartmouth secondary received

7/17/09- UCF and Pittsburg submitted, umd submitted

7/19/09-Tulane submitted

7/20/09- SUNY upstate received, case western received

7/21/09-UVT received

7/22/09- TCMC submitted

7/23/09- morehouse submitted, albany received, nymc received, nymc submitted, hopkins submitted, tufts received

7/24/09- University of Cincinnati received, Cincinnati submitted

7/26/09- UVT submitted

7/27/09-PSU received, carver received

7/28/09- Darmouth submitted, suny upstate submitted, tufts submitted

7/29/09-rosalind franklin received, creighton submitted

7/30/09- Albany submitted

7/31/09- Toledo received, VT received

8/5/09- case western submitted

8/6/09- albert Einstein received, Einstein submitted

8/7/09- Meharry received

8/9/09- Meharry submitted

8/10/09- Toledo submitted, Rosalind franklin submitted

8/17/09- PSU submitted

8/18/09- howard received

8/19/09-howard submitted

Applied

Drexel University

Wayne State University

Applied, Rejected

Indiana University

West Virginia University

Eastern Virginia Medical School

University of Nebraska

University of Washington

Application Complete

University of Iowa

Johns Hopkins University

University of Vermont

Tulane University

Pennsylvania State University

Marshall University

Howard University

Jefferson Medical College

Temple University

Saint Louis University

Florida International University

George Washington University

Georgetown University

University of Virginia

University of Maryland

New York Medical College

SUNY Upstate

SUNY Buffalo

Morehouse School of Medicine

University of Toledo

The Commonwealth Medical College

Meharry Medical College

Albany Medical College

Dartmouth College

Case Western Reserve University

Albert Einstein of Yeshiva University

Creighton University

Tufts University

University of Cincinnati

Application Complete, Rejected

Boston University

Virginia Commonwealth University

MD Applicants

User #16871