Brief Profile:
Nontraditional applicant with years of experience working for a large medical device manufacturer. Please feel free to drop me a note in the Discussions if you have any questions, or PM me here or on SDN.
Activities - 1 year, magnetic resonance imaging research (cardiac MRI): two papers (one first author), one conference (ISMRM) poster - 7+ years, medical devices industry (MRI software engineer: cardiac imaging, software reliability) - Volunteered extensively with my high school (alumni association, admissions committee) - Volunteered with law students\' association - Volunteered with my local Red Cross chapter\'s first aid service team (first responder, orientation leader, training instructor)
Education - Majored in electrical engineering - Completed inorganic chemistry, physics prereqs in undergrad (\'98-\'99) - Completed organic chemistry, biology prereqs as a postbacc (\'08-\'09) - MCAT taken 9/2009
Letters of recommendation: - Biology prereq professor - Biology lab instructor - Red Cross supervisor - Direct manager at place of employment
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 06/14/2010
Undergraduate college: Cooper Union
Undergraduate Area of study: Engineering/Technology
Total MCAT SCORE: 511
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 127,
C/P 127,
CARS 129
Overall GPA: 3.66
Science GPA: 3.69
Summary of Application Experience
AMCAS submitted 6/15/2010, processed 7/16/2010.
I didn\'t have very lofty goals other than to get accepted /somewhere/. I believed (and still do) that the hard part was getting my foot in the door, because I should hope that, at this stage in life and given my employment history, my interviewing skills are solid. A .500 batting average, though with only four at-bats, supports this, I think.
In retrospect, as far as getting that foot in the door, I don\'t think I applied broadly enough. My first school filter I applied was geographic, which led to having more reach schools than necessary in my final list. I do think I did my due diligence in determining whether I had a modicum of a shot at each of the schools I applied to, but I didn\'t assess my list for balance. I don\'t think I did a good enough job searching out additional schools that were a better fit to my MCAT/GPA combination.
My MCAT preparation could also have been improved. I took only two full-length AAMC practice exams and perhaps was overconfident going into the actual exam, ending up with a score that was lower than my practice exams but still \"good enough\" (to my chagrin).
Apart from that, I wonder if I had still left my application too non-traditional, without the typical shadowing, volunteering, and other clinical experiences many schools look for, and whether that also had a negative effect. The clinical experiences I would point to at my interviews centered around my Red Cross volunteering and the times I have spent attending to family and friends in the hospital with cardiac-related illnesses. I would also highlight the experiences I\'ve gained into radiology through my work in industry.
If I didn\'t get in this cycle, I would have definitely worked on that aspect of my application and readjusted my list of schools that I would apply to. Although I believe I\'m capable of doing much better on the MCAT, I would only have retaken it if I didn\'t score above a 30.
Summary of Experience:
It also seemed like I had a good shot at GW with my stats and how they seemed to appreciate a nontraditional applicant\'s experience (at least based on their website). I was disappointed, as I would have liked to at least have had the chance to interview here and get to know the school a little more.
Summary of Experience:
This was the first rejection that hurt a bit, if only because I would have liked to stay in Wisconsin but move to someplace new. Also thought I\'d have a good shot given my in-state status.
Summary of Experience:
First rejection, and pretty quickly, too. Pritzker wasn\'t really on my radar except that a friend of mine said that she could see me fitting in there (personality-wise), so I figured I\'d give it a shot.
Summary of Experience:
The facilities could stand some improvements, but the students seemed quite happy. Had fun sitting in on one of the M2 lectures.
11 January 2011: Placed in the \"competitive applicant pool.\"
Not having to fill out any secondary essays was a bit strange, though refreshing, but it seems to work for them.
This was my second interview invite but first interview, so I wasn\'t sure what to expect. The tour was excellent and everyone was friendly and welcoming. The interviews were certainly not stressful at all. A fun day overall.
5/3/2011: Withdrew my acceptance. Rush and Chicago, here I come...
Summary of Experience:
Late interview invite, was lucky to score an earlier date than was presented on the website. (Hooray for schedule conflicts!) Very impressed by the school and its community. Happy to be accepted!
mauberley took the old MCAT and scored a 31 which is in the 83th percentile of all old scores.
We converted this to a 511 on the updated scale which is in the 85th percentile of the updated MCAT. We also converted mauberley’s section scores as follows:
mauberley scored a 10 on the Biological Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 127 on the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems.
mauberley scored a 10 on the Physical Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 127 on the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems.
mauberley scored a 11 on the Verbal Reasoning section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 129 on the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.
