Timeline:
7/25 AMCAS submitted
8/1 AMCAS verified
7/28 Secondary received for UChicago
8/1 Secondaries received for Case Western, Georgetown
8/2 Secondaries received for Ohio State, Stanford
8/3 Secondary received for UMich
8/4 Secondaries received for Northwestern, USC
8/5 Secondaries received for UVa, Yale
8/8 Secondaries received for Baylor, Mt. Sinai, UPenn, WashU - St. Louis
8/10 Secondary received for Cornell
8/11 Secondary received for Emory
8/18 Secondary received for UMaryland
8/21 Secondary received for Duke
8/23 Secondary received for NYU
9/2 Secondary received for Harvard
9/12 Secondary received for IU
9/27 Secondary received for UMinn
10/5 Secondary received for Pitt
12/13 Secondary received for UCLA *sheez*
8/19 Secondary completed (includes all forms, letters, payment) at UPenn ($80)
8/23 Secondary completed at Northwestern ($70)
8/28 Secondary completed at Baylor ($60)
8/29 Secondary completed at UMich ($75)
8/30 Secondary completed at Stanford ($80)
9/2 Secondary completed at Ohio State ($60)
9/6 Secondary completed at Cornell ($75)
9/7 Secondary completed at WashU ($50)
9/12 Secondary completed at Mt. Sinai ($105)
9/13 Secondary completed at UVa ($75)
9/15 Secondary completed at IU ($50), NYU ($100)
9/20 Secondary completed at Johns Hopkins ($75), UChicago ($75)
9/21 Secondary completed at Yale ($75)
9/26 Secondary completed at UMaryland ($70)
9/28 Secondary completed at Emory ($80)
10/3 Secondary completed at Duke ($80)
10/4 Secondary completed at Columbia ($75)
10/5 Secondary completed at Pitt ($75)
10/6 Secondary completed at USC ($90)
11/18 Secondary completed at Harvard ($85)
9/14 Interview received for UMich!
9/16 Interview received for IU!
9/24 Interview received for Ohio State!
10/13 Interview received for Pitt!
10/25 Interview received for UChicago!
11/14 Interview received for WashU!
12/2 Interview received for Duke!
11/1 Accepted at UMich!!!
11/8 Accepted at Ohio State!!!
11/15 Accepted at IU!!!
12/2 Accepted at Pitt!!!
12/8 Accepted at UChicago!!!
3/4 Accepted at Duke!!!
Financials:
$1550 on Princeton Review and MCAT books
$1030 for AMCAS
$1660 for secondaries
$98 for postage/fedex (good grief!)
$729 for interview travel
$771 for interview hotels
$125 for acceptance deposits
$255 for 2nd look travel
$15 for financial aid application fees
$20 donation, SDN Angel (studentdoctor.net is amazing!)
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$6253 TOTAL (as of 5/1) *faints*
Schools that do not screen for secondaries (I think):
Baylor
Columbia
Georgetown
Harvard
Johns Hopkins
Stanford
UChicago
WashU - St. Louis
Yale
Commentary:
I guess it shouldn't surprise me, but it takes schools a LONG time to acknowledge completed secondaries (esp. the LoRs, check payments, and other paper documents -- mail those early!).
9/21
so tired... so poor... *laughs*
10/5
I just finished my 21st secondary!!!
10/13
I think my IU interview went pretty well. The two (faculty) interviewers were so friendly and interesting to talk with. And now, the waiting begins...
10/18
I thought my UMich interviews also went well. I had three interviewers; 2 professors and 1 student. Sadly, I was not in the 1 in a million group to be accepted the same day Friday midnight, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for next month...
10/26
I feel pretty good about my tOSU interview. I had one interviewer; we spoke for about 35 minutes, particularly about ethical issues in medicine. He said that my responses were 'erudite' - yay! Supposedly they have a response time < 2 weeks...
11/1
I got the acceptance email from UMich this morning!!!! I'm going to be a doctor!!!!! wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! *^_^*
11/2
So, I think my UChicago interview also went well, though I got very, very mixed messages. My first interview (faculty) was fairly iffy, with a couple of tense/awkward moments where he flat out disagreed with my statement, then took offense at my next reply. However, at the end, he said 'Well, I really enjoyed speaking with you!' in a very sincere manner. The other two interviews (adcom member, student) were quite positive and enjoyable.
11/4
I withdrew from Case Western, Georgetown, UMaryland, and UMinn today... what a weird feeling! Now I don't have to finish three more secondaries!
11/7
Pitt interviews were really different -- closed and semi-closed file. Since my student interviewer didn't know anything about me, every time she asked a question, it was like I just couldn't stop talking. Inside, a little voice was saying 'shut up! shut up! too much information! she doesn't care about serif vs. sans-serif fonts!' but it was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. *sigh* 2nd interview (faculty) went a lot better... but I had a hard time telling if he was being sincere or non-commital.
11/8
I got the 'Ohio State Status Change - TOMORROW' email yesterday. 'Because our system updates overnight, your personalized status page will reflect this change tomorrow.' Talk about a tease!! Luckily, when I checked today, it was an acceptance *^_^*
11/10
I FINALLY submitted my HMS app. Hopefully the non-rolling thing applies to granting interviews, too. *holds breath, crosses fingers*
11/20
I was away for the weekend...I came home, checked the mail, and there was a large envelope from IU!!! The acceptance letter was dated 11/15 and the envelope was postmarked 11/16.
11/30
The WashU interview (faculty) was pretty chill. We chatted for about an hour and a half, mostly about activities I listed on my AMCAS. The most intense question he asked was 'where do you see yourself in 10 years?' The school itself was awesome; the faculty/administration are REALLY supportive of their students. They also have practically all new facilities. One interesting note (with a grain of salt!): according to a student I spoke with, 'they don't care about your GPA, your interview, or your activities...all they care about is your MCAT.' hmmmmm...
12/2
I just got an email from my interviewer at Pitt -- I was accepted!! I guess my faculty interviewer did enjoy our conversation and my student interviewer didn't think I was a putz *phew*
omg I just got an interview at Duke. WHAT a surprise! Totally didn't see that coming (I thought they were all about the research?? I've never done research!!)
12/8
A snowstorm is coming through town today, so I left work early. As I was driving home at 20 mph in blinding snow, my cell phone rings -- and it's an area code I don't recognize (773). Someone from the Pritzker adcom called to offer me an acceptance!!! It's a miracle I didn't crash right then and there, I was so giddy!
12/13
My AMCAS app was verified 8/1. My letters were received by UCLA by 8/22. Deafening silence until FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS LATER when I get a SECONDARY. *sheesh*
12/20
Ohio State called me today and offered my a Hyde Scholarship! $18K for 1 year. What a great xmas present *^_^*
2/7
The interview day at Duke was amazing... I went in with some serious reservations about their curriculum and unique M3 research year, and was blown away by how well-thought and supportive the curriculum and schedule actually is. The campus is gorgeous and the university area is safe and convenient to live in. My most difficult interview questions were: 'What was the last nice thing you did for someone?' and 'When and how did you last give someone bad news?' Now I'm just crossing my fingers... they mail out decisions 2/27!
3/4
omg! I finally got the acceptance letter from Duke today!!! Ever since my interview, I've been on pins and needles... the last few days of waiting have been _excruciating_. But now I'm so happy *^_^*
4/3
The Duke second look weekend was fantastic -- the students and prospectives were all friendly and fun to hang out with. I'm seriously sleep-deprived, but it was definitely worth it to meet my potential classmates and check out the school again. In a weird twist of fate, I also received an email from UM on Friday morning saying that I've been awarded a $25,000 scholarship for four years!! I love Duke, but it's hard to walk away from $100K. I have some thinking to do...
4/24
The UM second look weekend was also wonderful. I hadn't been to Ann Arbor since 8/14 and had forgotten how supportive and considerate the administration and faculty are. The school is truly focused on giving its students a quality education and a happy four years. The students I met were also older than those I met at Duke, which made me feel much more comfortable. Of course the Class of 2006 had the greatest representation of any class, but the Class of [2005 and older] had many more students than the Class of [2006 alone]. I think I'm also more comfortable with the idea of living in Ann Arbor than in Durham. Ann Arbor is very diverse and cosmopolitan, with an international/global feel. Durham was nice, but it seemed more insular. I also had a racial slur called out at me the Saturday night I was there, which I dismissed as an anomaly until I found out another student had a similar experience earlier that day.
