Brief Profile:
I hope my experiences can benefit future applicants!
For a summary of my quantifiable qualifications and activities, please see: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/school-list-help-4-0-sgpa-4-0-cgpa-38-mcat.1069266/
Please note that my MCAT was taken in 2014 and therefore did not include the Writing section. The Writing score "T" listed is a placeholder only (MDapplicants requires a Writing score be listed).
Please note also that my university sends recommendation letters as part of a premedical advising committee letter. The "application complete" dates listed are actually the dates when I completed the secondary applications. In other words, these dates indicate when I finished everything on my end.
Committee letter received by AMCAS (applications completed) date: 8/14/14
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 06/01/2014
Undergraduate college: "Top 20"
Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences
Total MCAT SCORE: 522
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 130,
C/P 132,
CARS 130
Overall GPA: 4.00
Science GPA: 4.00
Summary of Application Experience
5/1/15: I'm probably at the end of the line, at long last. It sounds arrogant, but this process didn't go as I expected. With my 4.0/38, top 20 school, etc., I figured I would get interviews left and right. Turns out extracurricular experiences, unique leadership, etc. seem to play a bigger role than I thought. I was even rejected outright by Michigan, despite being in state and exceeding all the averages for in state applicants. Let that be a lesson � statistics are not everything.
Being rejected by so many schools was humbling. I accepted my results and was fully prepared to attend Wayne State, originally one of my "safety schools." How pretentious of me! When I actually thought about it, Wayne State offered me a lot, from proximity to home to streaming lectures to ability to research with nearby major universities. I was too blinded by pride to see that before.
In the end, I have chosen to attend Pittsburgh, a fantastic school by which I was fortunate enough to be accepted from the waitlist. From the research opportunities, to glowing reviews by former students I know, to the city itself, to PGH's proximity to Michigan, it's a wonderful fit. So despite this cycle not turning out how I expected, the result will likely make me much happier than some of my initial interests would have (e.g. East Coast schools). Funny how life turns out sometimes.
Due to the waitlist acceptance, I will be attending a "top 20" school instead of a more locally known state school. Again, I don't think this reflects much more than chance and some degree of fit. I'm definitely not going to pontificate about how I "deserved it." That's a foolish concept, even more so for a profession like this. I'm more modest now, which is a great thing. Yes indeed, applying to medical school actually made me a better person. Hell if I saw that coming.
Application Complete, Rejected
Mayo Medical School
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: 06/04/2014
Secondary Completed: 07/07/2014
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: 11/22/2014
Summary of Experience:
App complete 8/15/14 Rejected... Alas.
Summary of Experience:
App complete 8/15/14 Rejection #2... Oh well. I hear BU has a pretty specific ideal applicant in mind, so perhaps I didn't fit that. Who knows?
Still waiting to hear anything... Maybe sending an update once I have my grades for this semester will prod things along? Reciprocate my love, Michigan!
2/16/15: Rejected without so much as an interview. As a Michigan resident, so bitter. So very bitter. I still love you Michigan, and I'll still cheer for the Wolverines... But so bitter. BUT I STILL LOVE YOU. ...But I am still bitter.
Alas. I'd heard great things about Cornell and NY Presbyterian. Can't comment much on why this decision was made — my app cycle has seemed like such a crapshoot/dice roll so far that I really have no idea what determines a school's decision.
First rejection... Ooooo it stings. Not sure what happened. I felt my essays were decent and my stats/activities up to par. Maybe I didn't make clear enough how I would advance UChicago's mission. Who knows?
Summary of Experience:
Applied to University Track
App complete 8/15/14
Third interview invite, making it a 75% success rate so far (I guess that's me reassuring myself or something). I hear great things about CW and its research focus. And its proximity to Michigan is a plus. This place has three different programs, which I imagine means the student body is pretty diverse in terms of goals and ambitions. I definitely hope to learn more about how CW uses that to its advantage.
Enjoyed this interview greatly! It was truly a fantastic experience with both interviewers. I learned a lot about how the curriculum works, too. I even got to briefly sit in on a discussion section (though not for long � the interview day was structured a little oddly). CWRU truly does a good job explaining itself. Overall, positive impression.
Hold status 12/11/14. Well, the interview went very well from my perspective, so either it wasn't as great as I thought, or there was something else that didn't make it an ideal fit. We'll see what happens.
Waitlist 3/27/15. Commence updates and letters of interest.
Withdrew 5/31/15. I did like Case, but not enough to want to send letters of interest after acceptance to Pitt. I don't need more decisions and stress in my life! =) However, if I had been admitted to both CWRU and Pitt at the same time, it would have been a tougher choice warranting pushing for admission off the waitlist.
Summary of Experience:
WITHDREW | App complete 8/15/14
Second interview invite! I'm very excited for this one, partially because it's in New York City. My friends from the NY/NJ area hold NYU in very high regard, so I have been influenced by that as well.
NYU was kind of dazzling. Big-city, gleaming white rooms, bustling hospitals. I was a little in awe. As is obvious, I'm not used to the big-city feel, so that was all a little uncomfortable. But I enjoyed the MMI format much more than I expected — every question was interesting, and I was absolutely bursting with things to say about each one. I only disliked the short amount of time the MMI allows for each station. Overall though, positive experience — especially for my first interview.
Waitlisted. Pretty much killed my interest in NYU, which was based mostly on the academic reputation of the school. But man, I really just don't want to live in New York...
Withdrew. Finally — probably should have done so weeks ago. In any case, I just got into Pitt, which I liked way better since my interview. Plus, I'm a Midwest man. I have no desire to live in NYC.
First response and first interview invite! Things are off to a great start! Looking forward to interviewing here, especially because their mission statement fits my research activities closely.
Pittsburgh was very pleasant! I felt very comfortable there, and the school put on an impressive interview day. I did feel the students were a little stressed/very busy (particularly in comparison, in retrospect, to CWRU), but that's med school. Overall, I had a very positive experience and Pitt reinforced its reputation in my eyes.
1/30/15: First tier waitlist. From what I hear, this means my chances are pretty good. But it's still stressful... Commence updates and letters of interest! Pitt is definitely my top choice among my remaining options, and has been on my radar from the start.
4/30/15: Three months later, admitted from first tier waitlist. WOO-HOOOOOO! Literally poured a bottle of champagne for this occasion. So excited. And I'd be within driving distance of Michigan. SO EXCITED.
Summary of Experience:
WITHDREW | App complete 8/15/14
Another interview! UC uses MMI, so it will be an interesting experience.
Very different MMI from NYU's! It was rather challenging, as some of the questions were actually acting scenarios. However, it was still quite enjoyable — I find MMIs are pretty interesting. I thought I did fairly well. UC was slightly self-deprecating at times, apparently very conscious of its regional and not necessarily national role. I think that need not be a bad thing, but it does mean UC serves a different purpose than, say, Pitt.
Accepted! Woo-hooooooo
Withdrew. For the cost as a Michigan resident, I just didn't see the benefits. Interview day did not impress me much, either.
Summary of Experience:
WITHDREW | App complete 8/15/14
Let the interviews roll in... Hopefully I'll hear from the rest of the Michigan schools before long!
Accepted! It's going to be a tough decision between Wayne State and OUWB. I know the Royal Oak area quite well, and it will be hard to make a call between the great area OUWB is in and the more established and diverse Wayne State.
Withdrew. I decided my options were better at Wayne State, and I felt the diversity of Detroit was better for me than Royal Oak would have been.
Summary of Experience:
App complete 8/31/14 Yayyy interview for an in-state school finally! Planning out when I can go to all these interviews without breaking the bank (flights back to Michigan cost about $500!) is going to be hard. The application process gets costly, fast.
The interview was very quick and went well! I was told in short that I was highly qualified and that it would be easy to advocate for me to be admitted. I left quite certain I would be admitted, definitely a comforting feeling in the midst of the stresses of med school admissions.
One week later, I received my acceptance letter! Yayyyyy! It takes a lot of pressure off to be admitted somewhere. Now I just wait to hear from the rest of the schools, and send off my updates of my final grades...
Accepted Wayne State's offer of admission 4/27/15. Living relatively near Detroit and knowing several people who attend Wayne Med, I'm excited about my options as a student there. Stat-wise, yeah, this wasn't what I expected. But there are so many opportunities for me, and I would be in Michigan.
fxdx took the old MCAT and scored a 38 which is in the 99th percentile of all old scores.
We converted this to a 522 on the updated scale which is in the 99th percentile of the updated MCAT. We also converted fxdx’s section scores as follows:
fxdx scored a 12 on the Biological Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 130 on the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems.
fxdx 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.
fxdx 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.
