7/31/07---AMCAS submitted
8/21/07---AMCAS verified, took them long enough
9/7/07---I have 10 of 19 secondaries complete and submitted. I'm hoping to have the rest finished by tomorrow. The essays are no joke. I swear I'm bleeding money right now. And the Ponce secondary is completely in Spanish. Ay Bendito! This is going to be a looooong weekend.
9/9/07---I've finished 4 more secondaries. 5 more to go!
9/10/07---Offered an interview to GWU! I'm super excited, especially since I only have to spend $1.35 on the metro to get there.
9/10/07---Done with secondaries! Now I get to hurry up and wait.
9/19/07---Got the Rush secondary today. I'm worried that I'm getting it so late but I'm gonna try and get it done today or tomorrow and have it out of my hands by the end of the week. I also sent my AMCAS to Albert Einstein (they don't send out acceptances until January) and San Juan Bautista which is a school in PR that recently got accredited by the LCME.
9/24/07---Got the Albert Einstein secondary. *sigh* Come on I need interviews people! I also got the UCCaribe secondary info request a few days ago. The letter and brochure are in Spanish. I am so taking Spanish lessons pronto. I need to brush up in a serious way.
9/27/07---I got an interview at SUNY Upstate! They called yesterday afternoon but for some reason I didn't get the message until 3am?!?!?! Freakin' Cingular.
9/28/07---I've been offered an interview with Case!!!! I am super stoked about this school. I still would rather be in Florida, but I'll take an interview to a top 25 school any day.
10/2/07---Offered an interview with Howard! I'm totally half asleep on account of the allergy medicine that I took earlier. Maybe tomorrow I'll be more excited, but right now my stuffy nose and sore throat are pissing me off.
10/4/07---Offered an interview at Meharry! The past week has been ridiculous in terms of getting interview offers. But it's really only the next step in a long process. I have alot of preparation ahead of me. And alot more money to spend.
10/16/07---Just got back from my SUNY-Upstate interview. It was very laid back and the facilities are pretty nice. The city is a bit boring. But will that stop me from going? Hells no.
10/24/07---This has been arguably the worst day I've had in a while. I'm working on 1 hour of sleep. Yes that's right I interviewed at Howard today on 1 hour of sleep. I stayed up for a project that I didn't even get to present today because time ran out. Fun times. On the plus side, Howard is cool. Everyone was nice and I can see myself going there. Fingers crossed!
10/25/07---Louisville offered me an interview. I can't muster up an exclamation point for this one. I mean it is exciting, but it's another $300 or so that I have to spend. I honestly didn't think I'd be getting this many interviews so early. I'm grateful but I swear when this whole process is over my friends and family are gonna be so tired of me borrowing money from them. I'm afraid to do a running tab cause it'll probably be enough to buy a late-model used car.
10/30/07---GW interview was cool. The facilities are ridiculous. The entire 6th floor of the hospital is devoted to the students. I felt like suck a dork staring all wide-eyed at the patient simulation lab. The price is also ridiculous but the school really takes advantage of the resources DC has to offer so the $44K they charge is justified. I hope to hear from SUNY-Upstate soon. I need an excuse to cancel one of the interviews I have coming up 'cause I would like to do other things with my money like buy food and maybe have enough to get to work.
11/26/07---Yes, yes, yes after 6 interviews I finally got a bite. I got accepted to Louisville last week. I was actually really inpressed with the school and the students. The patient sim lab is cool although they don't seem as willing to let students use it as GW does. Meharry was also a pleasant surprise. They've opened two new research centers in the last few years that are top notch and the students are also pretty nice. Nashville is alot bigger than I thought which is a plus. I am totally in love with Case Western though. It's not because they have money coming out of their newly renovated walls, it's really because of the innovative curriculum they have. PBL is the focus of their curriculum not a supplement like at other schools. Cleveland is also pretty nice, there are lots of cute neighborhoods. But I am still grateful to be accepted to a school I like. The city of Louisville will be different from what I'm used to but I feel like I'll get alot of support from the school. I feel really relieved and I'm so glad that I got an acceptance before the semester ended. And now I must go back to my J-O-B 'cause Louisville makes OOS students sign something saying that they'll pay $40K for all 4 years even if they become Kentucky residents which means that I need all the money I can get.
12/3/07---Got an invite from VCU! I'm super excited about this school because they let their students do rotations at INOVA in Fairfax which is a huge and spectacular hospital. I'm also excited because I don't have to beg, borrow, and steal to come up with the airfare to get there. I'm still waiting for some love from the FL schools, but this is a nice way to end the semester.
12/5/07---After several sleepless nights I finally got an answer from Case...I'm on hold?!?!?!? I'm totally disappointed that I didn't get in right away, but I won't get too sad, at least I still have a chance. I'm hoping I can hit a homer and get straight A's this semester so they'll change their mind. And maybe change Upstate's mind too. I swear being on hold is like being in MD applicant purgatory. But, I still have my Louisville acceptance so no matter what happens, I'll be going to med school next year.
12/6/07---Offered an interview at Miami!!!! It's for both campuses which is great because I would be happy at Boca Raton or Miami. I almost cried when I got the email 'cause this is my top choice. I love South Florida and I am already familiar with the campus so I really hope everything works out and I get accepted. Besides that, I need a break from this weather. Snow is fun to play in but it sucks to try and dodge patches of ice on your way to work. Oh and GW emailed me today asking for more information. They want a letter of good standing from Marymount and info on what I did for 2 months in 2003! I mean, um, what??? It kinda sucks that the 2 months I spent looking for a job in 2003 will determine whether or not GW accepts me. But I'm gonna be honest and hopefully it won't matter too much. I swear adcoms are like puppet masters and what are we?...dance puppet, dance!!!!!
12/11/07---So I got a letter from Louisville and thinking it was just a request for a good-faith deposit I didn't open it until I was about to go to bed. It turned out to be an offer for a full-tuition scholarship!!!!!! I was totally surprised, I had to read the letter at least 3 times before I fully understood what it said (no verbal jokes ok?). I would say they're making my decision alot harder, but I haven't gotten in anywhere else yet so as of now I'll be going to Pitino-land in the fall.
12/21/07---I got accepted to Howard! I'm in on the condition that I attend a summer program since I haven't taken an upper level science class in a while. I also got wait-listed at GWU a few days ago but I wasn't too sad since I already had an acceptance at the time. I'm pretty happy that all the money I've spent so far is yielding some rewards. I have alot of work ahead of me next school year though so I'm really gonna try an enjoy the free time I have right now.
1/2/08---I got my Meharry acceptance letter over the weekend. The school was a little nicer than I expected but I'm most likely not gonna accept their offer because Louisville is making it really hard to say 'no.'
1/28/08---So it looks like everything I wrote over the past month has disappeared. Is there a limit to how much I can put in this box? Anyway, I had my VCU interview 2 weeks ago and my Miami interview last week. VCU is ok, they really do alot for underserved communities which is cool. The school is about on par with Louisville for me. Miami on the other hand has firmly established itself as my #1 choice by far. Both campuses are great in their own way although if I had to choose, I would go with the main campus in Miami. The facilities are ok, but the clinical research building is spectacular. The students were the most excited about their experience out of all the schools I've been to and Jackson is one of the largest medical campuses in the country in terms of real estate and patient population. If I got in, I would seriously consider giving up my Louisville scholarship. Crazy I know, but Miami has all of the things I like about each school and the beach is just a bonus. I really feel like I would get so much more clinical exposure there than at any other school I applied to. Fingers crossed!!!!
1/31/08---Soooo...I got another interview. Not exciting enough? Ok. I GOT ANOTHER INTERVIEW!!! Just imagine that last sentence drenched in sarcasm. I AM SO POOR!!!! Oh I forgot mention the school. RFU in North Chicago. The school's cool. Chicago is definitely cool (literally and figuratively (sp?)). But my finances are definitely not cool, not cool at all. But it looks like I can get a ticket to Chicago for about $150 so maybe it won't be all bad. And I just checked and they have Zipcar there! Maybe it won't be all bad. I felt the exact same way about my Lousiville interview last semester 'cause I thought I had a chance at Upstate, but I went anyway and that wound up being my first acceptance and I got a scholarship. So I guess you never know. I'll sleep on it and decide tomorrow.
2/9/08---I declined the RFU interview for 2 reasons. One is that I would rather go to Louisville and the other is there is no way I'm gonna go to Chicago in the winter. Ok maybe the second reason isn't really a reason not to go to an interview, but I really only applied to RFU to have more options in case I didn't get accepted anywhere. In the meantime, I really, really, really need for it to be mid to late February like right now. That's when Miami's adcom meets and decides if I will be spending my med school years in South Beach or bluegrass country. ALL THIS WAITING SUCKS!!!!!
2/14/08---Valentine's Day is for suckers. Yeah I said it. Go 'head and waste your money on all that crap. So yeah I still haven't heard from Miami. Or Case. As I get further along in my planning to move to Louisville, I'm getting more antsy. I mean really what is there to discuss; I'm perfectly imperfect which means I'm perfect for their class. And judging by that last sentence, I'm also delirious (sp?). Come on Dr. H!!!!!!
2/19/08---I was having a great day yesterday...until I got an email saying that I had been waitlisted at Miami. Bummer. I kinda saw it coming based on my stats but I still hoped things would work out. I haven't heard from the Boca Raton Campus yet, but I'm not gonna hold out too much hope. I guess this is nature's way of saying that I need to take that scholarship from Louisville and quit playin'. So it looks like I'm definitely going to Louisville. I'm gonna stay on Miami's waitlist until the May 15th deadline (my birthday!) and then if nothing changes by then I'll make it officially official. So I think I'm pretty much done for this application season. All the schools that still haven't offered me interviews don't seem promising since I'd be interviewing for the waitlist at this point. I was hoping to get more Florida love, but I'm also well aware of the limits of my application and I'm really grateful for the chance to go to med school for a fraction of the cost that most students have to pay. I'll hold off on closing thoughts until the end of the semester.
3/18/08---All you guys that got accepted to Ivy schools, withdraw from Miami pronto!!!!!! I am so tired of waiting for them to send me that magic email. South Beach is calling me!!!!!! Louisville's great, but Miami is still my first choice. I mean come on people, let someone who really wants to go to Miami have their chance. Venting over.
4/30/08---AAAWWWWWW YEAH. I got accepted to Miami off the waitlist. Thank you to all those people who chose some other school over Miami and gave me my chance. Now the decision of a lifetime is upon me. I have 2 weeks to decide if I want to give up a full tuition scholarship to Louisville for a chance to go to med school at my top choice. Miami has everything I want in a med school. Louisville, not so much, but they have a great support system that is a bit more nurturing than Miami in my opinion. But I eventually want to practice in Florida, so wouldn't it be better to get a jump on becoming familiar with the patient population? But still I would be a complete idiot to turn down $40K a year. I'm really hoping I get a diversity scholarship from Miami. If I can get half my tuition paid for I'd feel a whole lot better about giving up my spot at Louisville. I'm sorry to all those people that are waiting to get into either school, I'll try to make my decision as quickly as possible. But still, I'm super excited to finally get into Miami. I spent a year watching the Miller med students walking the halls of the VA where I worked and it was a total downer. Now that could be me!
5/1/08---Dr. H is fast, he responded to my email early this morning and told me that I got a scholarship for $10K. That's great right? Except tuition is $30K. Louisville offered me full tuition. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!!! I love, love, love Miami. The school is great, the students are great, the city is great, but the money I'll have to shell out is not. The major selling point for Lousville is the full tuition scholarship and the nuturing environment, but I'm sure Miami has a good support system too. Miami's campus is huge and there is alot more opportunity for research and I want to do my residency in Miami. I'm also familiar with the campus and the city.
5/5/08---I wrote to UM last week and told them about my other scholarship to see if they would be willing to increase my scholarship but I got a big fat 'NO.' Actually their exact words were, 'if money is your main concern you should take the full tuition scholarship to the other school.' Ouch. So, I have to decide between a tuition free education at Louisville and partial tuition (and twice the loans) at Miami. I can conceivably work 2 jobs from now until school starts and save enough to go to Miami, but do I really want to do that? So far, the answer had been yes, but Louisville has been so accomodating. But I still feel like Miami is a better school for me since I eventually want to practice in Florida. I keep going in circles with this, I'm so scared to give up a full tuition scholarship, but I am even more scared to tell my first choice med school that I don't want to go there. Can someone make the decision for me?
5/6/08---So last night I did the unthinkable...I withdrew from Miami. My decision came from a combination of things: for what I want to do, Louisville's match list was way more impressive; Miami did not court me nearly as much as Louisville did (flattery will get you everywhere) and I feel like UL will go the extra mile to see me succeed; it's waaaayyy cheaper to live in Louisville; and I really don't think I should be struggling financially while I'm in med school. I'm gonna have enough on my plate as it is and if I had gone to Miami I would've had to get another job this summer, a part time job while I was in school, and I'd be eating ramen the whole time I was there. Plus, with the loan I took out for my MS program, I would've run out of federal aid by 3rd year leaving me scrounging for money during my last year which is the most money intensive with residency interviews and away rotations. I've done what alot of people would think is completely impossible, I took the MCAT 5 times over 7 years, fully applied to med school twice counting this cycle (I started to apply 2 times before but didn't finish), got offered 10 interviews (including a top 25 school), and got accepted to 4 great schools. So I guess all this was worth the small fortune I spent this past year.
My advice to anyone who is in a similar situation is to apply early (but don't let the SDN freaks scare you, I was complete at the end of August and did ok) 'cause you more likely to get in when there are alot of spots; also be prepared to spend alot of money on application fees and interview travel, I wasn't and it really hurt my credit because I chose interviews over making credit card payments on time and I had to borrow alot of money from my friends. Also, schedule your interviews as early in the school year as possible preferably the fall semester if you can, you'll have a better chance of getting in with the early batch of students. Finally, keep an open mind, I was about to cancel my Louisville interview because I already had interviews to Case and GW and I thought it wasn't as good a school. It turned out to be pretty cool and the staff there were the nicest out of all the schools I went to, and they gave me a full scholarship.
Despite what many people think, you don't have to have a 3.9 and 40T to get money to go to school. Many schools are looking to have diverse classes and they also take your total life experience into account. It's so not all about the numbers. And to all the URM's out there, don't let anyone discredit your credentials none of these med schools would waste their time and yours interviewing and/or accepting you if they didn't think you could suceed in their programs. I hope my experience gives non-traditional students some hope that they can get into med school despite numerous setbacks. Feel free to leave me a message if you have any questions.
Costs
App Fees $2,000
Interview Travel 1,700
MCAT Course 1,500
Interview Suit 300
Interfolio 125
Total 5,625
