Brief Profile:
I took two years off after graduating from college before applying for medical school and will have taken at least three years off before matriculating. I served as a full time volunteer for a year, working with humanitarian group concerned with border justice and now do research and work in an emergency department. I had a lot of volunteer work during college, but most of it was not associated with anything medical. I am very convinced (because I have been told by interviewers) that my time off, the type of work I did during that time, and my writing skills (I was very close to a double major in English) were what really helped my application.
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 2006
Undergraduate college: Lawrence University
Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences
Total MCAT SCORE: 513
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 130,
C/P 127,
CARS 127
Overall GPA: 3.86
Science GPA: 3.83
Summary of Application Experience
I'm not very inclined to fill things like this out and was really reluctant to put up a profile, but I decided to because I want people who might be discouraged by this process to see that you don't have to graduate from 'Ivy League school X' with a 3.9 and 40+ MCAT and have every application complete the very first second to get into medical school.
My stats are competitive but not off the charts. I graduated from a reputable school but one that's not extremely prestigious. I took the August MCAT and had my secondaries in within a decent amount of time but certainly toward the end of the cycle. Did I get into or even interview at the most prestigious schools in the country? No. But that wasn't what I was after. I did get into schools that fit well with my own interests and match the type of doctor I want to be.
People are going to have all sorts of things to say about what you should say and do to get into medical school, but the truth is, there is no right answer. And although you have to play the game to a certain degree, you can also bend some of the rules of that game to make it work for you. This process can be stressful and even abussive, but being true to yourself through it, is the most important part of the experience.
Applied, Withdrew
Yale University
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: Yes
Secondary Completed: No
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: No
Summary of Experience:
I withdrew presecondary. My letters of recommendation were messed up, and by the time I realized it, it was too late.
User #7788 took the old MCAT and scored a 32 which is in the 88th percentile of all old scores.
We converted this to a 513 on the updated scale which is in the 89th percentile of the updated MCAT. We also converted User #7788’s section scores as follows:
User #7788 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.
User #7788 scored a 10 on the Physical Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 127 on the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems.
User #7788 scored a 10 on the Verbal Reasoning section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 127 on the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.
