Application Cycle One: 2004

• Undergraduate college: Dartmouth College
• Undergraduate Area of study: Physical Sciences

• Total MCAT SCORE: 516
• MCAT Section Scores: B/B 130, C/P 127, CARS 130   Detailed Breakdown
• Overall GPA: 3.37
• Science GPA: 3.28

Summary of Application Experience

Unfortunately, my composite writer (who is wonderful, but absent-minded sometimes) took three months to write my composite, so my file wasn't complete until mid-late October. APPLY EARLY, and ask your composite writer waaay in advance!

For those with lower gpa's but higher mcat scores, apply to schools that have significant secondary essays! Those are the schools that care about the person beyond just the numbers.

Update and thoughts summer after applications and acceptances:

Clearly, low gpa hurt me for top tier schools, as well as for some less prestigious schools that are fixated on numbers. However, I was really fortunate to be accepted to a top med school (Case Western) with my gpa - I learned during the app process that certain schools place a strong emphasis on certain characteristics (i.e. research) while others look more exclusively at numbers. I'm sure my extensive research experience and first author publication helped me tremendously in being accepted to Case, so I'd really consider your strengths and research schools before applying to maximize your chances of being admitted.

Also, the way waitlists go, I probably won't be pulled off the Dartmouth or Stony Brook waitlists because I was accepted into, and am holding a place at Case. Since schools are able to see where you're holding a place after the May 15th deadline, make sure you think about that if you're waitlisted at your top choice school. (Since Case was my top choice from the time I interviewed, I'm obviously going to hold my acceptance and pretty much giving up Dartmouth and Stony Brook.)

Good luck! It's a tough and stressful process, but you'll get through it :)