Brief Profile:
-I completed two years of a PhD program in science, then decided in May 2010 to take a masters degree and apply to medical school.
-I am teaching high school science during this application year (not on AMCAS).
-Double major from a solid but not spectacular midwestern liberal arts university (chemistry and philosophy)
-The initial schools I applied to were solely based on geography (SoCal, then places I wouldn\'t mind living). When I got my MCAT scores back in mid-September, I added several \"reach\" schools (Chicago/Penn/WashU/Vanderbilt), and withdrew from several schools I was not likely to attend (Vermont/UCI/Hopkins/Dartmouth).
-I have some okay volunteering experience involving youth/science/mentorship, but I have absolutely no medical experience. This is what happens when you decide to apply last minute.
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 2010
Undergraduate college: Liberal Arts
Undergraduate Area of study: Physical Sciences
Institution: Caltech
Area of Study: Physical Sciences
Degree Obtained: MS in Chemistry
Total MCAT SCORE: 523
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 131,
C/P 132,
CARS 130
Overall GPA: 4.00
Science GPA: 4.00
Summary of Application Experience
I decided on WashU over USC. I really liked a lot of aspects of USC (SoCal, County, general vibe of school, proximity to my husband\'s job). WashU is just a fantastic institution, I like living in the midwest, and Forest Park is great. Plus, their merit+need based scholarships were much, much more generous than USC.
I made this profile because reading SDN/MDapps was a big help in identifying schools to send my application to (WashU/Penn/Vandy/Pritzker).
High scores can definitely help you out, but make sure you get some experience in medicine. I decided late in the game (late May) that I wanted to apply to medical school, so I took a late MCAT (mid-August). I got married/honeymooned that summer as well, and then started a teaching job, so I didn\'t have much of a chance to gain any medical experience. I\'m happy with my choices, but if I took care of my major weaknesses I think I would have had more choices.
There were a few other schools (Dartmouth/Hopkins/UC-Irvine/Northwestern/Vermont) that I applied to but never finished secondaries. Once I got my MCAT scores back I narrowed the list to schools I thought I would more likely attend.
Application Complete, Rejected
University of California, San Diego
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: Yes
Secondary Completed: Yes
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: Yes
Summary of Experience:
Complete early October, rejected 1/19.
Summary of Experience:
Complete late, under review for 3 months, and then deferred (\"can\'t offer an interview at this point\"). I withdrew because even if they offered me an interview I\'ve been accepted at a place (WashU) that I would take over Michigan.
Summary of Experience:
Complete on 8/27, interview invite on 1/18. I\'d rather go to USC if I stay in LA (more convenient), but I\'ll likely end up at WashU.
Summary of Experience:
My husband grew up in Minneapolis and went to school here and I went to undergrad in Minnesota, but after my USC acceptance I decided to withdraw as I would rather go to USC than Minnesota (they have really high tuition, even if you receive an in-state waiver, which a good chunk of their OOS applicants receive).
hopeful took the old MCAT and scored a which is in the percentile of all old scores.
We converted this to a on the updated scale which is in the percentile of the updated MCAT. We also converted hopeful’s section scores as follows:
hopeful scored a 14 on the Biological Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 131 on the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems.
hopeful 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.
hopeful scored a 12 on the Verbal Reasoning section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 130 on the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.
