Application Cycle One: 2007

• Undergraduate college: Colorado College
• Undergraduate Area of study: Psychology/Social Sciences

• Institution: Postbaccalaureate
• Area of Study: Biological/Life Sciences
• Degree Obtained: N/A

• Total MCAT SCORE: 516
• MCAT Section Scores: B/B 131, C/P 127, CARS 127   Detailed Breakdown
• Overall GPA: 3.90
• Science GPA: 3.90

Summary of Application Experience

I agonized over my personal statement, and finally had to decide that it was good enough, though not spectacular. I submitted my application on June 20 ( had aimed for June 5). I would recommend that future applicants finish the PS in the winter, along with the activity descriptions. I had advisors at two different schools (3 advisors total), family (4 people), and friends review the statement with me. I requested transcripts at the beginning of May and entered my courses first, as this was supposed to take the longest. The PS and activities were the most time-consuming, so again, try to do those early.

Choosing which schools to apply to was difficult, and in the end I had only one real firm make-or-break criteria - that the school must not be a religious one. I can live nearly anywhere, and so can my sweetie. I'm flexible about the curriculum and grading. The part I care most about is the atmosphere of the school and my peers - if I feel welcome and supported, encouraged to pursue my interests. Unfortunately, I can't get a feel for this without visiting, so I'm counting on my interviews to tell me whether or not I want to attend a given school. I tried to choose a wide variety of schools based at first on numbers, then I looked at curricula and mission statements, etc to get a feel for the character of the place. I put in a few words next to each school above about why I picked each one (beyond the numbers).

December 17: Two rejections so far, but from super competitive schools, so it didn't really surprise me. I was just glad that I was invited to submit secondaries to both, even if that did mean paying the schools for nothing. I was really surprised to get an invite to interview at Harvard! I'm still waiting on a few others to tell me one way or the other ... I hope I like New England in the winter, since we're headed up there at the end of this week!