I know my chances are slim especially with my dismal April MCAT scores but I will keep trying and praying and see what happens. Who knows maybe a miracle can happen and I sneak in somewhere. However, I'm hoping and praying for a significant improvement in my August MCAT scores.
08/19: Retook the MCAT. I feel much better about this one [...if only feelings counted for something].
09/01: Complete at MCG, Morehouse, Cincy, NJMS, Howard and Meharry.
09/15: Today, I added Ohio to my list of schools and got their secondary which I won't be submitting until I see my August MCAT scores.
10/03: The ENTIRE adcom at MCG (my top choice) came to my school today. We had a dinner with them and a Q&A session afterwards. After the 5-hour event, I had a one-on-one with Dr. Thompson, Dean of Admissions who told me categorically that anything less than a 25 on the MCAT effectively jeopardizes my chances at MCG. I went back home praying to God for a much better MCAT score come the 14th.
10/13: Got new MCAT scores today. I didn't make the 'significant' improvement that I wanted. But I'm thankful and glad that at least I improved on EVERY section. I went up from [6V 7P 8B; 21M] to [7V 9P 9B; 25O].
10/17: Meharry sent me an invite today. I am ecstatic!
10/18: Second interview invite came from Howard today. 2nd interview in 2 days! This cannot be happening! :-) Also today, I designated 4 additional schools for a total of 15 (Vanderbilt, Temple, Drexel and Rosalind Franklin). I'm getting broke very fast :-(
10/26: I've been so blessed this month. Mercer called me today with an interview offer for December 7th.
10/27: Got a pre-secondary rejection from Wake Forest. However, I still respect the fact that they didn't, like some rogue schools, collect my 'secondary application fee' and then turn around and trash my application. Oh well, I've got 3 interviews coming up :-) so I don't feel sad at all.
11/06: Got an interview invitation from Morehouse for 12/01
11/07: Interviewed at Howard. I thought it went very well. I interviewed with a nice, white gentleman. He is a professor of Biochemistry at Howard. He concluded our time together with a very promising remark: 'If the committee sees you the same way I do, I guess we'll see you next fall.' And contrary to the negative things I've heard about Howard, my interview experience was pretty positive. If accepted, I will go there in a heartbeat. I take this interview as a sign of good things to come.
11/10: Interviewed at Meharry today. Had 3 interviews back-to-back-to-back. The director of admissions said a decision will be made within two weeks and that I should definitely call him on his cell phone if I don't hear back in 3 weeks.
11/20: Today, 3 days before Thanksgiving, I called the Director of Admissions at Howard and she informed me that I have been accepted for the entering class of 2007!!! Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be sweet! This early acceptance removes a lot of anxiety and apprehension. Now I can breathe easy the rest of the cycle and the school year knowing that I have one acceptance under my belt. Thank you, Jesus!!!
11/27: Interview invite from Cincy! Cool.
12/01: Morehouse interview. Either my interviewer wasn't too enthusiastic about my application or she skillfully masked any good feelings she had...but that leaves me very unsure about my chances at this awesome school.
12/07: Mercer interview was great. Despite the school's small size and unique program (85 - 95% PBL), the did a good job selling their program.
12/11: My Cincy interview was a disaster! The interviewer was only interested in the negative parts of my application. He was kinda weird too, laughing hysterically several times during the interview. I was not at ease all through. This one was a complete was of time, energy and money. Oh well...I will be awaiting their thin envelope in January.
12/21: Four days to Christmas, got an interview invite from UMDNJ - NJMS. I'm patiently waiting to hear from Emory and MCG.
01/12: Interviewed at NJMS. It went very well.
04/09: UT interview
05/12: Waitlist letter received from UT
05/16: Received an email from UT asking if I will accept a place in their entering class. I was ecstatic!
07/17/2007: Since I was waitlisted, I never heard back from Morehouse, Cincy and NJMS. Got a rejection from MCG and Mercer. I will be attending College of Medicine at the University of Toledo. Of all the schools I interviewed with, I was most impressed with UT and so I couldn't be happier going here.
CONCLUSION/SUMMARY:
I didn't think I could get in anywhere with my stats but I had 7 interviews and 3 acceptances. I'd say if you're not sure of your chances or if your stats are not so stellar, apply anyway because you never know what the outcome might be. But the worst thing you can do is to give up on yourself without trying. Good luck to everyone aspiring to get into med school. - July 2007.
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RANDOM COMMENTS:
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Immigrated to the United States in 2000 at an uncle's promise to fund my education. I maintained a 4.0 for 3 semesters until life took a sour turn. My uncle lost his job and I was homeless for a couple of weeks...the rest is history.
I refused to give up or be discouraged and was determined to continue going to school. Unfortunately, at that time, I didn't qualify for any federal or state student aid so I worked 2 jobs (approx 60 hours/wk) during the semester and about 3 during summer to pay for my costly tuition. Unfortunately, the multiple jobs and long hours took a toll on my academic performance until I found myself on the brink of academic probation. However, I worked to rebuild my academic record.
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