Brief Profile:
I played on the club tennis team throughout college, did general intramural sports and such. Volunteered at a hospice during the summer before I applied. Volunteered at a free clinic starting fall semester 2006... too late to be on AMCAS. During the summer before I applied I studied for the MCAT and did a summer research project at MUSC.
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 2006
Undergraduate college: Clemson University
Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences
Total MCAT SCORE: 520
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 130,
C/P 129,
CARS 130
Overall GPA: 4.00
Science GPA: 4.00
Summary of Application Experience
I kinda went into it a little... uneducated in the process. I wanted to do MD/PHD but I didn't know if that would negatively affect my MD status, and I had not yet received my MCAT scores so I didn't know how competetive I would be. So I applied to about half Md/PHD and half just MD. I now wish that I had applied to all MD/PHD. I took the August MCAT (which I know is no longer a problem with the multiple test dates), but I do wish I had taken it in April and applied sooner. Waiting is awful, espeically when you're not sure if you're too late (even within the deadline, it benefits you to get it in early). So apply as soon as you can. Getting recommendations together can be a hassle. Try to do that soon. I had some schools tell me after I had my packet sent that they needed signed original copies... which sucked, so maybe if you make sure the letters in your 'packet' are signed that might work.
I didn't do tons of volunteering/clinical related stuff... I wanted to do research, so I did research. I think they see through padded resumes, so don't just do things because you think it'll look good. Just enjoy your college career and make sure you have a little clinical experience. If you want to do research, I highly recommend doing an REU during a summer. I got my best recommendation from that, with a key faculty member at the school to which I was accepted to MD/PHD. I know it helped alot.
I applied to like 10 schools (withdrew two)... So far I've gotten a) 2 rejections, b) four interviews (withdrew from georgetown before interview date), one acceptance (only interview i've gone on so far), and I have yet to hear from Emory, UCSD, and Yale (rejected md/phd, still in it for MD). I am not sure which interviews I will go on since I want to do MD/PHD, and some interviews are just MD.
My recommendations: get a 4.0, get an awesome MCAT score, have fun in college.
