Brief Profile:
Did a six month internship at the Indian Health Clinic. ER volunteer. Worked 10-20 hours a week during school to pay for it (various jobs that usually had some leadership component).
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 2003
Undergraduate college: Stanford University
Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences
Total MCAT SCORE: 511
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 127,
C/P 127,
CARS 129
Overall GPA: 3.20
Science GPA: 3.00
Summary of Application Experience
I took a year off after graduation to get married and kind of gather myself before heading off to med school (I got the impression at interviews that they looked favorably on taking some time off). While I was writing my personal statement for the AMCAS application, I couldn't bring myself to decide on a topic, and once I did, it took me another month to finish it. It was August by the time I finally submitted my application, so I kind of got a late start which led to more anxiety and frustration than I really needed. When the secondaries started coming in, I think I just ignored 3 or 4 of them because I didn't like the school or couldn't bring myself to spend more money. Maybe it's just the timing of my application, but it seemed like CA schools were just slower than the other schools. Subsequently, most of my interviews required flights and taking two days off of work. I don't think I could have afforded to interview at all of the schools, so I'm glad I got accepted relatively early after I applied.
Advice to future applicants: -Start your personal statement in May and have it ready in June. -Research the schools you want to apply to beforehand so you know the school fits you and you won't waste your money. -Check school requirements (I didn't take biochem and it hurt me). -A few good letters of rec can go a long way.
