Brief Profile:
From my post-bac days: -Post-Bac GPA- 3.89 -Alumni Scholarship -Medical Assistant at Oakland clinic for day-workers (6 months) -Peer counselor at the Berkeley Free Clinic (2 Years) -Coordinator of the Peer Counseling Collective at the Berkeley Free Clinic (One year) -Case Manager of the HIV/AIDS housing program through Anka Behavioral Health. (8 months, 32-40 hrs/week) -Voting member of the Contra Costa County HIV/AIDS Consortium (six months) -Physics TA (One year) -Academic Coordinator/Admin Assistant for the Dept. of Ocular Oncology at UCSF. (Six months)
Undergrad: -Scene Shop worker for Theatre Dept. (lots of fun with paint!) (3 quarters) -Photography Lab assistant/TA (approx 3 years) -Architectural Intern (approx 3 years) -Traffic Engineering Intern (full-time summer internship)
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 2008
Undergraduate college: Santa Clara University
Undergraduate Area of study: Fine Arts/Architecture
Institution: Mills College
Area of Study: Premedical Studies
Degree Obtained: PostBac
Total MCAT SCORE: 522
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 130,
C/P 130,
CARS 132
Overall GPA: 3.49
Science GPA: 3.45
Summary of Application Experience
3/10/09
Dean Jones from Loyola called me yesterday to congratulate (and notify) me of my acceptance to Loyola! He caught me completely by surprise--I had thought pretty much all the seats were filled. I don't think I've ever been as nervous as I was between the time I understood who the call was from and the time he informed me of my acceptance.
I'm a reapplicant, and when I applied to Loyola last year I made the bold (or according to some, 'stupid') decision to apply only to Loyola. I was so excited about their program and after all my medical school research, chatting with students, researchers, etc., I felt Loyola was the best place for me to build the foundation for my medical career. I reasoned that if I'll practice medicine for a few decades, why should I hurry to get into medical school ASAP, if one can better lay that foundation than another? I reasoned if I didn't get into Loyola last year, which I didn't, then I could try again this year.
Of course I applied to a few other programs since you're limited to applying to Loyola twice, and if I wasn't going to get into Loyola then I still wanted to go to medical school and become a doctor! I felt Loyola would be the best fit for me, but I knew I could still become a great doctor at another school.
So here I am, two years after having began my pursuit of Loyola, and four years after my switch from architecture to medicine. It's been a wonderful journey, and while I dreamed of this outcome, it's different when it comes true.
I hope everyone's dream come true as well :)
2/27/09
I really enjoyed interviewing at both Loyola and UCLA. Both programs were amazing and I would be incredibly happy at either program.
I'm waiting to hear back from both programs, though with my interviews taking place a bit later in the interviewing period, it's possible that waitlist spots are all that are currently available. I guess we'll see--I would sure love to have an acceptance soon!
If I have to apply again (this is my second year applying) then I'll be happy to do so. Wherever life takes me, I'm sure it'll be wonderful!
