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  • BABSstudent

  • Application cycles: 06/01/2012
  • Demographics: Male, 34, Caucasian
  • Home state: Washington
  • Last Active: 07/31/2013
  • Brief Profile: This page is solely meant to help future applicants.

    I found that looking at mdapplicant profile pages who were accepted to medical school helped guide me somewhat. I hope future students use my profile like I used others'. If you feel like this helped you, maybe you should do the same for future applicants. As time moves on, this page will become more and more outdated since the AMCAS application constantly changes. Help future applicants by keeping your mdapps detailed.

    Now that the cycle is over for me, I have added my personal statement and activities. They are copy and pasted from my AMCAS application, any grammatical errors and typos found were left there. The only thing removed are names. At the bottom of the page, you will find three update letters I sent to UWSOM that spanned five-ish months.

    In addition, I applied to so many schools because I didn't receive my MCAT score (32R) until July 24th and applied before that date. I didn't know if my score would improve past the 28Q and I only wanted to apply once. Hence the absurdly long (IMO) list of schools.

    Some people have asked me why I didn't attend all the interviews and only went to three out of the eight I received. Frankly put, I didn't have the money to pay to live, attend interviews, save up for moving and pay for a wedding. I attended the first three interviews I received and had Creighton accept me on the first day I could be accepted. At that point, I did not schedule additional interviews because I knew I would be happy wherever I ended up (Creighton, or if I was accepted to UW or VCU) and was going to be a doctor. In January I was told I received a scholarship to Creighton that would make tuition cheaper than the other medical schools and that further encouraged me to not attend the other interviews.

    Quick facts:

    Previous MCAT, 8VR, 10BS, 10PS (28Q)
    Dual degree student, B.A. Foreign Language and Culture (Spanish degree)/B.S. Zoology class of 2012
    Upward trend in GPA since sophomore year.
    Study Abroad in Guayaquil, Ecuador summer of 2011
    Total hours of community and volunteer experience: 1182

    Semester by semester GPA:
    Freshman: 3.73 (15 credits), 3.53 (15 credits)
    Sophomore: 3.23 (16 credits, including C+ in orgo 1), 3.71 (18 credits)
    Junior: 3.72 (18 credits), 3.68 (13 credits)
    Study abroad summer 4.0 (9 credits)
    Senior: 4.0 (18 credits), 3.93 (16 credits)

    This page is modeled after paul411's and NickNaylor's mdapps pages.

    Activities

    Click here to show all collapsed descriptions or you can view descriptions one-by-one (click on green title).

    * = most meaningful activity

    Research Activities

    Undergraduate Lab Technician

    Clinical Activities

    *Hospital Volunteering*
    Intern at Subcentro de Salud Ficoa de Montalvo
    *Hearts in Motion*
    Shadowing - Cardiologist
    Shadowing – Family Practice, DO

    Teaching/Tutoring

    Teaching Assistant for WSU Anatomy Program
    Global Bridge Program Participant
    Student Assistant for WSU Anatomy Program

    Leadership Activities

    Surgeon in Mammalian Physiology Lab
    Pre-Health Club

    Hobbies

    Aquascaping
    *Spanish Language Learning*

    Employment

    AmeriCorps
    Work Study



    Personal Statement


    This personal statement is my own and is meant to show you what a personal statement might look like. While you may read it, please refrain from using any part of it in your own personal statement. It is exactly like it sounds like, personal. These events all touched my life in a way that I felt were important enough to put down on my medical school application and I hope you have unique events too that you could use. Do not copy and paste any part of the application because medical schools can use Google and have the essay traced right back to here. If they find you plagiarized your personal statement expect to have your application thrown away.

    Click to read personal statement.


    MCAT Information


    Take the MCAT seriously. I didn't the first time I took it. I only planned three weeks of study time and then took the test. I left the day after my MCAT to study abroad. This was a huge mistake and one thing that I regretted ever doing.

    The second time I took the MCAT, I planned out a solid two month study plan. Again, this may be short, but I knew I could study hard and get higher than my first MCAT of a 28. The first month was intense review. I read and reread the Princeton Review MCAT book multiple times. I did practice problems from EK and practiced verbal by reading magazines and practice passages from EK 101.

    During the second month, I did practice tests and focused on my weak areas. About two weeks before the test, I was burned out and quit studying. I did a few practice problems and just casually read the book. I was consistently scoring above a 30 with 10s in all sections so I quit trying to raise the score and just focused on maintaining it. I wish I hadn't of done this because I could have scored in the high 30s on the real thing and gotten into medical schools much easier. Alas, I didn't and there is nothing I can do to change it. Please don't make this mistake.

    AAMC #4 = 32 (11 P, 9 VR, 12 BS)
    AAMC #5 = 33 (11 P, 10 VR, 12 BS)
    AAMC #7 = 30 (11 P, 9 VR, 10 BS)
    AAMC #8 = 35 (12 P, 10 VR, 13 BS)
    Actual MCAT = 32 (11 P, 10 VR, 11 BS)

    Personal Notes

    Click to read.
  • // Applications //

    Application Cycle One: 06/01/2012

    • Undergraduate college: Washington State University
    • Total MCAT SCORE: 513
    • MCAT Section Scores: B/B 129, C/P 128, CARS 127  
    • Overall GPA: 3.72
    • Science GPA: 3.56

    Summary of Application Experience

    Will matriculate at University of Washington School of Medicine.

    These are all the updates I sent to UW.

    Interviewed early October

    Update 1:


    Sent late November by mail.

    Dear Executive Committee,

    With the first round of acceptances being given out, and upon being put on the “Under Consideration” status, I wanted to write this letter stating my specific interest in being considered for acceptance at University of Washington School of Medicine in the fall of 2013.

    From the moment I arrived in Seattle, I knew I wanted to stay in Washington and return to the Puget Sound area. I cannot express the feelings I felt at lunch, being able to look out the window at Lake Washington and seeing the trees, sky and water together. At first it was overwhelming, but I soon discovered that I missed the region. Truth be told, I felt like I was home. Being at University of Washington School of Medicine will make me happy in a way that other schools will not. In addition to liking the area, my support group is already established in the region, allowing me to be a more focused student.

    In addition to the surroundings, I was amazed by the facilities at UW Seattle and unique opportunities for third and fourth year clerkship sites around the WWAMI region. Regional sites are a huge benefit and I would love to be placed in sites that have a larger Hispanic population so I could fine-tune my Spanish speaking skills. Even if I was not selected to do a clerkship in one of these sites, the advantage of having interactions with physicians and patients in other locations is enormous.

    I am also writing to notify the school that my fiancée accepted grants for her Master’s in Teaching that requires her to teach in underprivileged regions. The reason why I am stating this is that both she and I studied Spanish at Washington State University and her goal is to teach at the underserved Hispanic schools in Washington, the same locations that I would eventually like to practice primary care medicine. This reinforces that I will work for the underserved Latino population in disadvantaged areas.

    Finally, I would like to keep you updated on my recent activities. Due to the financial aid debacle at Washington State University, I have had to work three jobs to finance my education and application process for medical school. I currently work two teaching assistant jobs and an undergraduate research technician job. I am writing to notify UWSOM that I will be continuing one of the TA jobs the following semester, hopefully teaching three of the anatomy cadaver labs, and continuing my work in the X Lab. I am also in the process of applying for other full time jobs, so hopefully I will be working full time in January. I am currently finishing up the last of my classes and will graduate in December with a B.A. in Foreign Languages and Culture and a B.S. in Zoology, two degrees that will help me tremendously as a medical student and physician.

    I am confident that I will make an outstanding addition to the incoming class of 2017. I believe that my background, experiences with the Hispanic population, passion for preventative medicine and academic achievement will make University of Washington School of Medicine a perfect match to my medical education. The ability to do clerkships at smaller hospitals and the culture of the student population highlights that UWSOM will make me the physician that I have always dreamed of being. I hope this new information is taken into account during the next EXCOM meeting when you vote on my application.

    Thank you for your time and consideration,
    BABSstudent


    Update 2:


    Sent early January by email.

    Dear EXCOM members,

    Upon completion of my education at Washington State University, and still being “Under Consideration,” I wrote this letter to update my application for University of Washington School of Medicine for acceptance in the class of 2017. I believe I will be a valuable contribution to the class and that my recent graduation, teaching jobs, research and volunteer work should be added to my application for consideration at the next EXCOM meeting.

    I recently finished my college education, completing two degrees in four and a half years. While this has been difficult to do, I graduated with the class of 2012 in December with a B.S. in Zoology and B.A. in Foreign Languages and Cultures. I wish to update my application by stating that I am now advanced in my Spanish speaking abilities. I had been on the verge of becoming advanced, and this last semester of grammar courses and earning an A in it has helped me fix some minor errors in my speaking abilities. While my Spanish is still not perfect, being a University of Washington medical student will benefit me because of the regional sites with a larger Hispanic population. This is the population that I hope to eventually serve.

    I also finished up my first semester of being a teaching assistant for both the WSU anatomy class (which uses the Pullman WWAMI anatomy lab and cadavers) and a parasitology class. In both labs, I received high marks as a teacher and have been invited to be a TA for the anatomy class again for three labs. The professor of anatomy invited me to be a TA for another class he teaches, Comparative Anatomy. I will be teaching this class for two labs per week. I enjoy teaching and I believe it builds communication skills which all doctors should master.

    In addition to the five labs I mentioned above, which requires working 25 hours per week, I will also be working in the X research lab for 15 hours per week. I have worked there since September 2011 and have enjoyed this introduction to research. The research job and teaching assistant are both paid positions, resulting in me being a full time employee at Washington State University. The hours of work interfered with me being President of the Pre-Health Club, so I stepped down from my position after meeting with advisors and the new President to discuss what I planned for the club. I still will be a member involved in their volunteer efforts.

    During my time as President, my main volunteer work that I did was with the Pullman Food Banks. This semester we raised 1,651.5 pounds of food for the food bank. In total, the Pre-Health Club raised 3,592.5 pounds of food donations this last year. Raising food for the food bank has been main volunteering point this semester for the club and me. We raised food for the food bank because some Palouse families had difficulty obtaining food and because my past history using food banks as a child.

    I hope all of this is taken into consideration at the next meeting. I believe I will make a great addition to the class of 2017 at UWSOM. Of the schools that I have interviewed at, none have left such a dramatic desire to attend and work in the area as University of Washington has. I hope you will consider my recent graduation with two degrees, teaching experience, fulltime work and volunteer contributions to the food bank from this last semester. I believe my passion for medicine, experiences and my disadvantaged background will add diversity and be a contribution to the University of Washington School of Medicine class of 2017. I hope this new information is taken into account during the next EXCOM meeting when you vote on my application.

    Thank you for your time and consideration,
    BABSstudent

    Update 3:


    Sent early March by email.

    Dear Executive Committee,

    Five months have passed since I interviewed at University of Washington School of Medicine. Since the executive committee will begin making the final group of acceptances, rejections and waitlist positions, I wanted to reaffirm my desire to attend UWSOM while also providing other updates in the hope of being accepted or gaining a higher position on the waitlist at my dream medical school.

    First, I have continued all of my jobs with Washington State University. However, one of my job titles has changed since my last update; I am now an instructor with the School of Biological Sciences (verifiable by searching my name on wsu.edu and clicking on the staff link). Previously my title was Teaching Assistant, but this semester it changed due to the higher amount of classes I teach. I will continue these instructor jobs until May and then work in the X lab full time until July.

    I have also contacted Dr. X and asked him if I could shadow him again, to which he responded I may. I will shadow Dr. X from Mid-March through April (verifiable by contacting Dr. X on my AMCAS application). Now that I have applied to medical school, I am investigating which specialty I would like to pursue with primary care being something I want to learn more about.

    In addition, I began moving towards my goal of being involved with the health aspect of my fiancée’s elementary school class. I recently finished helping to create health lesson plans for her first grade students (verifiable by contacting X on my AMCAS application). The lessons rely heavily on preventative medicine; focusing on teaching the benefits of being active, brushing their teeth, eating a balanced diet and telling adults about problems they may have. This project culminated on the day before Dr. Seuss’ birthday, March 1st, when I went to the class and talked to the students about my career goals and reading to them Dr. Seuss and other books about health and doctors. I hope to make this a yearly activity, as I have enjoyed this opportunity immensely.

    Finally, I have been told repeatedly that if I do not get into UW this cycle that I should apply the following cycle. However, I want to notify the executive committee that I have been accepted to Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and Creighton University School of Medicine including a Medical Dean’s Scholarship for $100,000 over four years to CUSOM. I sincerely hope this does not change the committee’s view of my application to UW.

    While I am extremely grateful to been awarded a scholarship like this and admission to other medical schools, I am willing to turn down these offers to attend UW for admission to the class of 2017. Simply put, UW has many opportunities that I wish to utilize that do not exist at these other schools. The ability to stay in state, the underserved focus of UW that would allow me to use my B.A., the third and fourth year sites of WWAMI, the strong research funding UW receives, the primary care focus of UW, the mission statement of the school and my fiancée’s teaching certification in Washington State are all reasons that we have placed UW at the top of our preferred medical school list. If granted an acceptance to UW, I will withdraw from my acceptances to the other medical schools without a second thought.

    I hope you consider this at the next meeting or when the waitlist is created. It has been a great honor to be invited to interview as well as remain under considered for admission. I hope my dreams to matriculate at UW come to fruition. I truly believe that I will be a great fit for the University of Washington School of Medicine and attending this school will be best choice for me. I hope you all see this too. Thank you for your time, consideration and work in creating the next generation of doctors.

    Best of luck with your voting,
    BABSstudent

    Applied, Withdrew

    Howard University

    Application Complete, Rejected

    University of Arizona - Phoenix
    Stanford University
    Georgetown University
    Mayo Medical School
    Vanderbilt University

    Application Complete, Withdrew

    Jefferson Medical College
    Northeastern Ohio Universities
    Pennsylvania State University
    Oregon Health & Science University
    Duke University
    Drexel University

    Invited for Interview, Withdrew

    George Washington University
    University of South Alabama
    SUNY Downstate
    Hofstra University
    Temple University

    Accepted

    Creighton University
    University of Washington
    Virginia Commonwealth University

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