Brief Profile:
My University\'s bastardized version of a Valedictorian.
3 Years (including vacations) in an Insect Behavior Lab. Worked with decision making in groups deciding to migrate or not. My research showed evidence for nestmate recognition via hydrocarbon compounds in the specific species that I work with, and also provided the first tangible evidence to a migration mechanism dependant on physical contact alone. 2 posters, 3 presentations, honors thesis, and an upcoming publication. Ants rock btw. Some of it was for credit, some of it was paid. My summer year I was awarded a ~$20,000 grant, but I ended up using only about 3/4 of that. Ants are low cost, and the grant was very strict on what I could use the money for.
Student Co-founder of an Internship with Mayo Clinic during the academic year. Focused on providing a look at physicians outside of the normal flow and go of things. Very succesful for a lot of my friends, multiple Mayo acceptances.
Kaplan Teacher, I\'m sure you\'ve heard it all before.
ER volunteering, mostly in high school but continued it through my 1st year of college. A few shadowing experiences a year after that (didn\'t list them on my App though. My dad\'s a doctor, so I think they figured I was getting some). 500 hours in high school, maybe 50-100 in college if you count sitting around shooting the breeze. Also got to see an autopsy.
Dancer in several Latin competitions. Made finals and semi-finals a couple times, but I really prefer social dancing. I just listed them in my app to justify something in my PS.
Performed in a Telematic dance exhibition. Basically we were dancing about how modern communication has altered society, for better or worse. We danced in all white and had projections of another dance group dancing live from other areas of the state.
Vice president for 2 years and president for one of a tutoring organization that I\'ve been involved in for all four years. Standard stuff, went to the inner city and tried to be a good role model for kids. It really helped foster my decision to go into academic medicine.
Traveled with a concert group throughout Europe. I was a Bass soloist and also did some barbershop in conjunction with the standard chorus stuff. Sang in a lot of cathedrals and chapels. Personally, the most terrible experience I ever had involving travel abroad. I didn\'t tell this to my interviewers, of course, but focused on the good things that I got out of it.
Did a summer of studying abroad in China. Traveled around the country, rather than being tied to a specific university.
Did a lot of recruitment for my University, as my way of giving back for all the great things that I got from them.
National Merit Scholar. Didn\'t list this, but it did make its way into conversation a few times.
I had a few other trivial things as well, but these were the subjects that came up most often during my interviews. That and my essay about saving a guy who had a heart attack in a pool, drowning in the process.
Letters from my research PI, the head of the ER department, my Honors Dean, the President of my university, and a really great professor that challenged me to a dance-off.
http://medschoolfordummies.blogspot.com if you ever want to contact me.
