Brief Profile:
Much undergraduate research experience (3 summers and with various intensity over 3 academic years). One first author publication. Excellent letters of recommendation from my research advisor and employers. Served on the executive board of an campus ethnic club, wrote for the campus newspaper in my first two years, performed various service activities- although none that required very much commitment, and kept up with a few personal extracurriculars. I shadowed two physicians briefly.
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 2002
Undergraduate college: Princeton University
Undergraduate Area of study: Physical Sciences
Total MCAT SCORE: 522
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 129,
C/P 132,
CARS 130
Overall GPA: 3.51
Science GPA: 3.46
Summary of Application Experience
I had gone back and forth between applying straight MD and MSTP at the start of the application cycle. I ended up applying only to MD programs, and realized in the process of interviewing that this was the wrong choice. The schools were all looking for practicing physicians and have very little interest in prospective physician-scientists (students with a research interest have increasingly moved towards applying for MSTP programs). At the end of the application cycle, I changed my strategy and applied to Case Western and Harvard's MSTP programs- 2 of the 3 programs I ultimately received acceptances from.
I strongly encourage those who have stronger research over clinical credentials to apply MSTP; my clinical experience was weak and it showed when the string of thin waitlist envelopes arrived in my mailbox come February and March.
User #3203 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 User #3203’s section scores as follows:
User #3203 scored a 11 on the Biological Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 129 on the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems.
User #3203 scored a 15 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.
User #3203 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.
