Brief Profile:
ECS; Lots of service related work domestically and abroad. Most of my work has been with a non-profit throughout my college career. -Three short-term summer research internships, and one two-year long-term summer research during school year -Great recommendations
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 07/18/2011
Undergraduate Area of study: Psychology/Social Sciences
Total MCAT SCORE: 509
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 127,
C/P 127,
CARS 127
Overall GPA: 3.78
Science GPA: 3.67
Applied
Rush Medical College
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: 07/18/2011
Secondary Completed: No
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: No
Summary of Experience:
Didn\'t complete secondary.
Summary of Experience:
Summary: Strong support/ and student mentoring, amazing training hospitals, nice medical school and unbeatable financial aid.
Curriculum: standard.
Hyde Park: Hyde Park is a nice residential area. Not many businesses but there\'s the beach, museums, places to run. Crime is a problem if you\'re not careful (or not accustomed to an inner-city) but not a big deal (there\'s lots of options to use to keep you safe-saferide, escorts, etc.). Love the proximity to undeserved areas of southside Chicago and the bus ride away to a Mexican neighborhood west of UChicago.
Hospitals: Chicago medical is huge and expanding (includes childrens, and center for advanced medicine). The Center for advanced medicine attracts patients from all around the country and world. Medical students have a top priority in training and are usually main person in charge of their patient. Great mix of patients (extremely wealthy to extremely poor).
Facilities: Really nice medical school building with everything centrally located. Hospitals are a walk away, and libraries of the campus are easily accessible as well.
Current Students:The current students were ok, I didn\'t get to talk to them much.
Atmosphere: There is a nice atmosphere to study and interact. Very active admissions office, and office of diversity. There is a strong emphasis on students, and student learning (maybe because of small class-88 students). Administration really cares about the students and does a lot to keep them happy.
Cost: Lots of scholarships. Almost $10 mill for the incoming class. Housing is cheaper than other areas of Chicago, but I think I would want to live downtown.
Summary of Experience:
Summary: Block scheduling, amazing facilities, tons of affiliated hospitals, and NYC.
Curriculum: standard w/ PBL. Integrated electronic resources since requirement of ipad for all first years. Fully funded summer project.
NYC-manhattan: Very affluent area and serve primarily wealthy individuals. Loved the area though, and the accessibility to other areas of the city.
Hospitals: tons of affiliated hospitals, 3 main ones that are directly connected to medical school. Various hospitals in NYC, NY and one in Houston, TX.
Facilities: New. Sim Lab, anatomy lab is top of the line with amazing professors. great study space.
Current Students:I really enjoyed the students here. The current students, interviewees, and random people I met were talented, and motivated individuals that I could see myself learning from.
Atmosphere: I liked the fact that all first years are in the same building, and it appeared to be a relaxed atmosphere. I like the feel of the place in general. First year dorms are small but they are really well kept and cheap for the area. Upperclass housing is also available and is bigger.
Cost: lots of financial aid and subsidized housing. Housing is cheap for the area but way more than any other schools that I applied to.
Summary of Experience:
Summary: Best interview day. Amazing facilities, location, faculty, students, flexibility and financial aid.
Curriculum: Abbreviated curriculum w/ lots of PBL. They finished the pre-clinical years in 1.5 years (not accelerated, just more concise and reorganized to avoid repetition). ipads for next years class. Tons of flexibility to take time off, get an MPH in 4 years, or to start a family. 1.5 4th year to do what ever you like (excluding selectives). Not a large emphasis on primary care but is a large focus of many of the students and programs there. Opportunity to get an MBA or MHM (health care management) without having had prior business experience or GMAT (7 spots set aside for medical students each year).
Philadelphia: Probably my favorite city thus far. I really like NYC and Chicago but I feel like philly has components of both. Love the population base and proximity (huge Mexican migrant, and black).
Hospitals: Top class everything and serves predominately undeserved populations.
Facilities: Everything is really nice and well kept. Lots of windows here as well. Central medical school location in middle of larger campus. Nicest anatomy lab I\'ve seen on the second floor with windows. Tons of places to study in medical school or on campus.
Current Students: I really clicked with everyone I talked to and was excited to be around such a talent student pool. Lots of opportunities to get involved with pretty much about anything (really reminded me of Columbia).
Atmosphere: I loved the atmosphere of the medical school and the area that the school is in. Administration was the so kind and helpful. Most engaged office of diversity and loved the administration.
Cost: Tons of financial aid ($3 mill for the incoming class). Housing is way cheaper than Chicago and NYC.
Am trying not to get so invested into any schools I haven\'t been accepted to but Penn definitely stood out to me.
Summary of Experience:
Summary: Diverse students, nice are of D.C..
Curriculum: standard w/ PBL.
D.C.: Nice place to hang out, and be very active.
Hospitals: Worked mainly with the hospital connected to it. Had a SIM room and some standardized patient rooms.
Facilities: Nice, clean building with good amounts of study space.
Current Students:The current students were ok, but I think I enjoyed the interviewees more. Almost all of them were non-traditional (at least 2 years out of school). I really clicked with everyone I talked to and was excited to be around such a talent student pool.
Atmosphere: I liked the atmosphere of the medical school and the area that the school is in. The facilities are kind of old but very well kept, but there wasn\'t much sunshine which is a big deal for me.
Cost: no word on any scholarship opps. Most people live in VA, which is relatively cheaper.
Oh well, waitlisted...I think I would go to any of the other schools I have been accepted to over GW. Will probably withdraw.
Summary of Experience:
Summary: Diverse students, P&S club, Washington heights.
Curriculum: Abbreviated curriculum w/ PBL. The extra half year is dedicated to the scholarly project.
Washinton Heights: Loved the ethnic area, it reminds me of being at home and hearing nothing but Spanish everywhere I went. Take people\'s perception of a city with a grain of salt. It is not upper east Manhattan but it is an amazing area. If you like locally owned businesses and an ethnic presence, this is for you. ( I can\'t afford high end stores or restaurants, so I\'m biased too, haha)
Hospitals: 3 main hospitals connected to medical school. Top class with predominately underserved population. Spanish is a huge asset. Affiliated with hospitals in Cooperstown and some in central Manhattan (more affluent populations).
Facilities: Everything is kind of old, except the new study library with no books.
Current Students:They all seemed pretty interested in a variety of things which was awesome. P&S club is a big deal here, and it appeared to make their lives easier that it was run by two full-time faculty.
Atmosphere: I don\'t really know why but I didn\'t really like the atmosphere here. I guess because I am so inclined for primary care.
Cost: no word on any scholarship opps. First year housing was deterring. Although it is centrally located, it was just very old and not well kept. The upperclass housing was really nice though, spacious, and cheap ($800/month).
Summary of Experience:
Summary: Great hospital affiliations and international opps, strong support and advising, and huge emphasis on students.
Curriculum: standard w/ PBL.
Pittsburgh/oakland: I really like the area and huge undergrad population (makes it much more of an active area). Like the ability to do intramurals and D1 sports. It is kind of small though.
Hospitals: 5 main hospitals w top of the line SIM center (mostly for 3rd and 4th years). They also have affiliations with hospitals abroad where you can also do your required clerkships. UPMC is a monster in health care and would be awesome to get training there.
Facilities: Nice medical school building with close proximity to the hospitals. Lecture halls and study space are a bit old but there are plenty other places to study on campus. Anatomy lab smelled so bad! However they had great equipment.
Current Students:The current students were really nice and could see myself fitting in.
Atmosphere: Hard to determine since there wasn\'t any central location for students. Study spaces were scattered.
Cost: no word on any scholarship opps. Pittsburgh is relatively cheap.
Waitlisted :-(. I\'ve heard they waitlist alot of their applicants. I wasn\'t rejected but I\'m not sure if I actually stand a chance. I really like what Pittsburgh had to offer overall, and would definitely be in my top 5 if they accept me later on.
Summary of Experience:
Summary: Block scheduling with only one class to study for each block, new facilities, and
Atmosphere: Bright atmosphere (lots of windows and colorful designs).
Facilities: Brand new facilities. The anatomy lab was pretty nice as well, they had their cadaver tables vented from the bottom, so you could not smell the formaldehyde. They seem to have amazing professors.
Curriculum: Standard, w/ CBL which allows students to meet the rest of the class. Also, 70% of them tutor a student in the class below them.
Hospitals: 7 affiliated hospitals. No other medical schools in the city so they have a lot of attention from faculty.
Cost: Not many scholarship opps from the initial impression. Housing is extremely cheap in Dayton.
Current students: I thought the students were really chill and kind. I\'m more of a visionary and extremely motivated individual and am slightly concerned about my ability to grow in this environment.
Summary of Experience:
Summary: Block scheduling, emphasis on primary care, amazing facilities, strong advising and support system (academies, and mentoring), and alive small city, and Barbara is awesome!!!
Curriculum: standard w/ PBL. Integrated electronic resources since requirement of Ipad for all first years. Fully funded summer project (can vary from research to non-research related-simply have to have a proposal).
Providence: Surprising population base. Lots of immigrants from Brazil and other places. Downtown is active and has an increasing Mexican population that is very important to me.
Hospitals: 7 affiliated hospitals but relatively distant from the medical school. Excellent emergency medicine department.
Facilities: New. This year was the first class to move into the new medical school building. The medical school is close to downtown but only a fifteen minute walk from the main campus. Four story building with a cafe, and a gym/yoga room/roof terrace in the making. The building is extremely bright because of all the windows and decorated in vibrant colors. Rooms have tons of technology for standardized patient car, anatomy lab on second floor, and tons of study space, and kitchens. SIM lab is an another building.
Current Students:I didn\'t click with any of the students but they were all extremely cordial. Can\'t wait for second look weekend to see what my classmates are going to be like.
Atmosphere: Bright. This may be a strong contribution of the building setting and administration (lots of windows and caring admins). Pleasant place to study and hang out.
Summary of Experience:
Summary: Great area in chicago, top hospitals, tons of community clinics.
Curriculum: Unique schedule w/ lots of PBL. First year is switching to a more streamlined version (not sure if it will be 1.5), where systems are studied in both normal and abnormal states subsequently. Third year has electives built into it (take two required and then one elective, two required, one elective..). Tons of established international opportunities for electives and summers.
Downtown Chicago: Easily accessibility to beach, stores, bars, clubs... I like being close to all of the action especially during the summer, and being able to commute without a problem. However, I like neighborhood restaurants and stores better than big name restaurants, food chains, and stores I can\'t even afford ( which are pretty much the only ones downtown).
Hospitals: Top pediatrics hospital being finished, top rehab hospital, and amazing main hospital. The hospitals serve mainly wealthy individuals, and am not sure if there are many undeserved populations going there.
Facilities: Really nice facilities with tons of study space. However, there isn\'t a central location for medical students (I could be wrong). Anatomy lab was surprisingly not as fancy as the rest of the place.
Current Students: Nice people.
Atmosphere: Very engaged office of diversity. Administrations seemed very occupied with their own affairs.
Cost: no word on any scholarship opps. Housing is offered by NW but it isn\'t much cheaper than non-NW housing. Better to look for your own place an pay the extra for so much more space. Costs about the same as the subsidized housing at Cornell.
Super excited about NW. Really liked the medical school, and would love to live downtown. The tradeoff is that it is further away from the communities that I want to work in.
