Brief Profile:
Biomedical Engineering with Computer Science minor
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 06/09/2011
Undergraduate college: Johns Hopkins University
Undergraduate Area of study: Engineering/Technology
Total MCAT SCORE: 523
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 131,
C/P 132,
CARS 129
Overall GPA: 3.92
Science GPA: 3.92
Summary of Application Experience
Good advice from another mdapplicants user: Definitely apply broadly. When picking schools, don\'t sell yourself too short and don\'t be overly confident either. Also, you\'ll never know which schools you might end up loving. If you have the luxury, attend all your interviews and really give each school a chance for them to show you what they\'re all about. /end quote By the way, if travel costs might be an issue for you, take a look at my listing below to see how I was able to reduce my costs a whole bunch (granted being in Baltimore was also conducive to that).
My evaluation is that I didn\'t do so well with my interviews early in the season, with a major reevaluation and overhaul of my interviewing content and style over winter break. Initially only applied to 10 schools. As of the beginning of winter break, I had interviewed at 5 of them (of which 2 had rejected me, 1 of my state schools had waitlisted me, and my other state school hadn\'t notified me on their first decision release date). I decided I should add 6 more schools given the small number I had applied to originally, and given my current application status. During January, I got invitations to interview at 2 more of the original 10 schools I applied to, as well as 2 of the 6 I had added in December. My last interview became my first acceptance (in only 3 days after the interview)!
Committee letter uploaded in August.
Travel/hotel costs: Hopkins: $0 Mount Sinai: $43 = 3000 Amtrak points + $4.50 subway + $20 GC for host + $18 BoltBus UVA: $53 = 3000 Amtrak points + $20 GC for host + $33 Amtrak VCU: $147 = $44 Amtrak + $20 GC for host + $18.99 Greyhound (Richmond to DC) + $64 Amtrak (Acela; it\'s complicated) Duke: $280 = $28 Amtrak to BWI (Acela because NER was delayed) + $238.40 flight + $3.25 MARC from BWI + ~$10 cab in Baltimore (cousin drove me from/to airport in Durham and booked hotel for me using points) Penn: $23 = 6000 Amtrak points + $3.10 SEPTA + $20 GC for host WashU: $16 = [25000 points + $10] flight + $6 MetroLink (friend drove me to/from BWI) Cornell: $99 = 6000 Amtrak points + $94.15 hotel + $4.50 MTA Hofstra: $202 = 6000 Amtrak points + $166.32 hotel + $14.50 LIRR + $17 cab (Mineola to hotel) + $4 cab (3-way split hotel to Hofstra) GRAND TOTAL: ~$927 (saved about $350 from Amtrak points and $300 from airline points)
Application Complete, Rejected
Columbia University
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: 06/28/2011
Secondary Completed: 08/10/2011
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: 03/01/2012
Summary of Experience:
Interestingly worded rejection e-mail. I have a lingering suspicion that my file was lost since I got an e-mail in July saying that they were ready to review my file but that my letters and photo hadn\'t been received (committee letter was later submitted in August), but then subsequently never heard anything.
Summary of Experience:
Re-review status on or before 1/14/2012. Declined request to remain in consideration for a \"very slim\" possibility of interview invite.
Summary of Experience:
Experienced vertigo during my faculty interview and thought it was an earthquake...it was bad enough that I said so and had to close my eyes and stop talking. Probably because I didn\'t sleep well the night before, had to interview first thing in the morning, and was facing a bright window wall. Student interviewer seemed routine, nothing special. Impressive anatomy lab view of Central Park, very social students, a lot of HuMeds. Found it odd that admissions dean would tell anecdote about a colleague calling her out for treating her like an \"everyone\" and how we should treat patients as individuals, but then completely ignored my post-rejection e-mail asking if I could gain some insight into their decision. Hopkins was at least courteous enough to reply and say that they don\'t release that information.
Summary of Experience:
Great place and people, but oh well. No prior interview experience and probably not ideal choice of topics for one or more of my secondary essays. I thought I connected well with my interviewers, but either that wasn\'t true or something else came up in committee.
Summary of Experience:
Probably the most interactive, engaging, and informative interview day of any I\'ve seen. Had a little difficulty finding a host as there is no coordinator, but I ended up with a really nice, enthusiastic guy. Overall great impression of the people and Philadelphia seems like a great city (lots there, don\'t need a car, feels more intimate and safe than New York). Both interviews seemed to go pretty well, although my faculty interviewer was hard to read!
Summary of Experience:
Small town feel, slow pace, nice facilities and people. No special lunch because it was a holiday. Clicked well with my student interviewer, but got grill-type questions from my faculty (the other student with the same interviewer didn\'t have the same experience). One of my interviewers was not available the Friday after my interview so my decision letter came a week late. Host was very nice and gave me a ride to and from the train station.
Summary of Experience:
MAY status 9/6/2011, standard HOLD status 10/26/2011. Great people, Richmond is a cheap city to live in. A lot of people from Northern Virginia (where I\'m from). Inova Fairfax campus is a big draw. Had one student interviewer; went okay but had some questions that I felt I couldn\'t really answer adequately. Awesome tour guide gave me a ride to the Greyhound station since a cab wouldn\'t make it in time.
Summary of Experience:
They really treat you well! Free room for a night in the dorm, breakfast coupon to cafeteria (only hot breakfast I\'ve had at an interview), mini-buffet-style lunch from hospital restaurant. Interview was very conversational, talked about a variety of things not related to medicine as well. Facilities were shiny (kind of literally), more than anyone could have time to see on an hour-long tour.
Summary of Experience:
W 5/30. Poor morning interview experience probably cast a shadow over the rest of the day. One interviewer was very nice although I didn\'t get to talk about a lot (all of his interviews are fairly short), while with the other interviewer, I felt that we were not connecting at all and just talking past each other sometimes. However, students seemed pretty happy and social. Tour guide was extra talkative and ran over; I missed my train and had to reschedule for a later one.
Summary of Experience:
Suburban, many trees. My impression of Duke improved significantly after the interview day (I guess I didn\'t really know what to expect before). I honestly think MMI is probably the fairer way to go albeit traditional interviews give you a better chance to emphasize parts of your application. To all those that find Duke\'s secondary too daunting, they explained their reasoning behind the questions as well as their educational philosophy and I have to say that it was very well thought out and completely reasonable. Frankly I think having had experiences with which you can draw on to answer those questions is extremely important for anyone who wants to be a doctor. Oh and make sure you know what \"humility\" or \"humbling\" means...saw a blatant misuse of the term on SDN not too long ago.
Summary of Experience:
W 5/30. Complete on or before 12/25/2011. First (and super fast) acceptance! Really impressed with the educational philosophy and the people here. CLI (simulation, clinical skills center, etc.) was located a bit far from the main medical school building. Suburban environment. Great experience with interviewers.
