Brief Profile:
Hopefully this helps people with their cycles!
ECs in undergrad: - Taught organic chemistry I & II honors discussion section for 2 years (USI) - Public health econ research project summer after graduation - Student group for health education - Volunteering & shadowing - Scholarship Society member (partial merit scholarship to undergrad) - MENSA member
Majored in Economics, 2009 grad 1 year economic consulting 1 year research on reproductive health - Volunteered at a free clinic while researching - 2 clinical research abstracts submitted (one first author) and poster presentations at a conference
Fantastic LORs (I know, because my interviewers actually commented on these) 1 from chemistry dept supervisor (also orgo prof, science, knew him for 2 years working). 1 from research supervisor (great relationship, excellent researcher and mentor, interviews pre-meds so knew what I needed and since I worked hard on research, had a great impression of me even though she wrote my letter within 2 weeks of knowing me). 1 from econ prof (did well in the class, good relationship with prof). 1 from a summer course in anatomy I took (a grad student - I don\'t think this was the best letter, but it helped that my others were good, and I didn\'t submit this letter to every school. Had it because I needed one more science letter).
MCAT: taken in July 2010 (overlapped completing a bio lab to finish my pre-reqs) Took TPR Online Hyperlearning class, had about 3 weeks in between the class being over and my MCAT date. Mostly it just helped me keep myself on track with time and work on the PS section (not my strong subjects), especially since I hadn\'t taken gen chem since high school. Did some EK review as well. I actually got to take the MCAT at home while mostly doing nothing - which was amazing, i think my score is almost directly attributable to this. There were a lot of stressful things going on in my life at the time, and being at home was critical in me not falling apart. I was worried that not starting more volunteering/etc, would look bad on AMCAS, but I think schools are happier with a better number than 2 more months of volunteering.
AMCAS was complete around 10/15/2010 Most of my secondaries were complete very late (I tend to procrastinate), but I\'m very glad there were schools that didn\'t hold that against me. I was also working on 2 research projects at this point so I had less time than I would have liked, but that\'s really not good enough of an excuse for submitting secondaries in November and December (almost prohibitively late). I was very lucky to have great LORs and people who were willing to edit my secondary essays within 24 hours. If nothing else, it\'s good to know that it\'s never too late to apply! But seriously, I should have applied earlier.
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 09/18/2010
Undergraduate college: top 20 public university
Total MCAT SCORE: 517
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 129,
C/P 129,
CARS 130
Overall GPA: 3.50
Science GPA: 3.20
Summary of Application Experience
I feel very lucky to have my application cycle turn out the way it did - I think having a well-written PS, secondaries, diverse activities, and especially excellent LORs really helped me to get to the interviews (as did my MCAT score, since my gpa was borderline). Although I should have applied earlier, I think it pays to spend an appropriate amount of time on the essays, especially the PS (I think that is one of the things that tipped the scale - I didn\'t write about a traumatic experience or anything like that, I was simply mature, reflective, and clear about my future goals). I sent in most of my research info in update letters, which I also think helped me get a couple interviews.
Looking back, I would have applied to some of the more \"reachy\" programs that I had mentally ruled out even though I thought they\'d be a good fit since I was a) applying late, and b) thought my stats weren\'t good enough for them. I think medical schools really do tend to look at a bigger picture though, and I don\'t think I was as careful as I should have been in selecting schools. I would have also applied earlier and less blindly - I should have done more research into schools\' tuition/etc (i.e., would not have applied to UIC had I known how expensive OOS tuition is).
In conclusions: I\'m very happy with my cycle (can\'t dwell on what could have been, especially with a process so random as med school apps), and excited to be entering in the c/o 2011!
Application Complete, Rejected
Washington University in St. Louis
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: 10/26/2010
Secondary Completed: Yes
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: 01/28/2011
Summary of Experience:
Wash U originally sent me a packet based on MCAT score - applied. Don\'t love their super traditional curriculum, but sometimes I benefit from structure. Obviously, a great school.
Summary of Experience:
Well, that\'s that...would have loved to attend my alma mater again (although I am looking forward to being in a new place). I do know that Michigan likes handing out interviews and acceptances early on and I was most definitely on the late side...
Summary of Experience:
Nicest rejection email I\'ve ever seen. I can\'t really guess if I would have gotten an interview, but I knew applying later in the cycle would hurt me.
Summary of Experience:
Got sick of waiting, not really expecting anything anymore and OSU\'s acceptance makes withdrawing very easy for me. Also, I\'m not dying to be in Cincinnati for 4 years and although their children\'s hospital is very good, I\'m currently not that interested in peds.
Waiting to hear something... I really want to see what my in-state options are.
Summary of Experience:
Didn\'t realize OOS tuition was QUITE so expensive... I was out of the country from 2/16 - 3/16, so my interview would have been really late as well. At this point, it\'s just not worth the trip to Chicago.
Summary of Experience:
I guess it wasn\'t meant to be... Update: Loved this program. Pros: School is really invested in their students and really facilitates development. Amazing clinical resources. Cons: Tiny class size, extra year. After taking 2 years off, I\'m not sure I want to do 5 years for med school.
Never expected an interview here - I\'m honored and really excited. Really interested in their curriculum and the research year.
Summary of Experience:
Definitely clicked with this school - students are happy, administration is clearly invested in their students\' success. This school is also very much about fit and the big picture, and they told me straight up that they over-interview for that reason. The integrated curriculum and PBLs really appeal to me since I like learning with everything in context. I also really like that research is an a block during M3 (versus Pitt where it\'s longitudinal). No cons... but on hold (2/2/11). Put on Alternate List in early April.
Summary of Experience:
Accepted! Really excited about this.
Update: I know Pitt waitlists a lot...here\'s hoping for something positive soon!
Loved this school, for all of the same reasons as OSU, plus the fantastic facilities, and amazing clinical resources. Faculty seems incredible, although not quite as enthusiastic as OSU. Would love to attend this school. It is a lot of uphill walking though...
Summary of Experience:
Update: financial aid - nothing but loans... :(
Update: Curriculum seems cool. Having done research here, I have a sense that the faculty is very open to the students and willing to help them out. Definitely a great school in the region, but I don\'t know if it\'s particularly a region I want to be in.
Interviewing on January 25th, 2011. I did research here (with a fantastic mentor) and I have family in the area, so I wouldn\'t mind ending up here.
Summary of Experience:
Loved the fast turnaround, and would love to be at my state school. Tons of resources, everyone seems really happy, and the school seems genuinely invested in their students\' successes. Very enthusiastic faculty - you can tell they believe that their main product is their students, not just the other facets of academic medicine. Also, I love the Big 10 atmosphere.
Summary of Experience:
Update: Enjoyable experience. Nothing in particular stands out, but I grew up in a suburb of Toledo, so that makes it harder to like (I\'d like to get away from Toledo). Faculty all seems VERY available and both my interviewers made it clear that the faculty is always around to help. Not a lot of research resources, but Toledo has always been clinically focused.
