Brief Profile:
In a nutshell: MCAT >30, <35 (good verbal and biology scores) 4 years of research experience GPA >3.8 I am not as anonymous as I could be, but I think this website is very helpful for future applicants so I am okay with sharing this stuff. Some demographics are changed. I might post my personal statement at the end of the cycle.
I graduated from a private liberal arts college and started a research fellowship in 2011. I applied to mostly research-focused schools because I want to perform clinical research as a physician. In terms of area, I mostly applied to schools north of the Mason-Dixon but I am open to living in the Midwest or California.
I started this cycle not even sure I would apply until next year. My MCAT score was not as high as I wanted but I decided to give it a shot anyway. My stuff was finally marked complete in late August and then interview invites came anywhere from 3 weeks to 3+ months afterward. I attribute my success thus far to a stable GPA, good LORs, a lot of research experience, and an interesting background (low income, single parent family... I worked multiple jobs throughout high school and college to help out at home).
11/19/12-- First acceptance to one of my top choice schools! Now I won't feel as much pressure going into these other interviews. :) 1/11/13- accepted to BU and Maryland! Feels good, man!
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 08/20/2012
Undergraduate college: Private Liberal Arts College
Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences
Total MCAT SCORE: 472
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 118,
C/P 118,
CARS 118
Overall GPA: 3.80
Science GPA: 3.80
Applied, Rejected
Vanderbilt University
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: Yes
Secondary Completed: No
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: Yes
Summary of Experience:
Rejected pre-secondary. Your loss.
Summary of Experience:
At least they rejected me early on in the cycle. Oh well, I wasn't as enthusiastic about Rochester as I am about other places I'm interviewing at.
Summary of Experience:
Withdrew after Madison acceptance. I have not heard the greatest things about Georgetown from both interviewees and current students. Also, I don't quite get the cura personalis approach when a ton of their students end up in orthopedic surgery.
Summary of Experience:
I really dont like the MMI. To make matters worse, I received a horrible and devastating voice mail 30 minutes before my MMI and I was really shaken up and distracted. It will be a miracle if I get in here. :(
Summary of Experience:
I'm very excited to see my state school. They have great research and it would be so convenient to go here and live from home.
-- After interviewing, UMASS really moved up to the top of my list of schools. I really liked the atmosphere and the students. I had a wonderful time learning about some of the opportunities. While UMASS is primarily known for primary care, it is also making a name for itself in research. I am excited to hear back. Plus $8,000 tuition is obviously enticing. AND I could commute from home..
Summary of Experience:
Rejected. Oh well! My interview was great but sometimes things just don't work out. ------------------------ My friend convinced me to apply here just for fun and now I am interviewing in December for the New Pathway program. At least it will give me another excuse to visit Boston. :)
-- After my interviews, I fell in love with Harvard. I had two faculty interviews and both were the best interviews I've had this cycle. Both interviewers knew my application very well, but the format of both interviews was very conversational and not stressful at all. My second interviewer praised my personal statement and seemed very impressed with me, but who knows what will happen. It will be really hard for me to not get my hopes up, as my stats are significantly lower than the averages at Harvard. I was worried that the students and faculty would be oozing with arrogance, but it was actually the opposite. The students, and especially my interviewers, were some of the most laid back and nicest people I've met on the interview trail. Why do I have to wait until March? :(
Pros- research, location (!), they match 50% of their grads with Harvard-affiliated hospitals, good financial aid, a huge network, I would learn from the best people in the fields I'm interested in, the students, block scheduling, P/F, scholarly projects, tons of opportunities to go abroad, student clinics, Starbucks right next to campus (this is huge for me), excellent clinical research, I could go on forever...
Cons- I don't think I will like the dorm-style housing, but I could always live off campus. I didn't get a chance to go on the tour because my interviews were scheduled so close to the tour time, but communal bathrooms are not my cup of tea.
Summary of Experience:
2/8/13-- Placed on alternate list. Ranked in late January because my interviewers couldn't make the meetings any earlier, even though I interviewed back in the fall.
Mayo is amazing, but when I interviewed they already filled 27 of the 42 spots for the class so I don't want to get my hopes up too much. I had two interviews- one was very conversational and laid-back. The other was not so great. I hope I didn't ruin my chances with my second interview.
Pros- the student body is very diverse. Some students were in the military, one is an opera singer, another was an actor on Broadway.. you get the idea. Everyone at Mayo loves Mayo and you can definitely see that when you talk to them. The facilities are amazing. The student-faculty ratio is the best in the country. The option for selectives is completely unique to Mayo. First year students are able to do things that most medical students don't get to do until their third year. I could go on and on about this place.
Cons- Only 50 spots for so many well qualified applicants, Rochester is in the middle of nowhere and it's kind of cold. Some students said that because the class was so small, there was a considerable amount of drama.
Summary of Experience:
Not expecting an interview from here. Very pleasantly surprised!
Maryland is a wonderful school. Both of my interviewers were very warm and welcoming and I had a nice time talking to them. The facilities are very nice and students are only in class two hours a day (with two hours of lab), so they're out by noon. That is amazing.
Cons- not P/F, almost $90,000 a year for out-of-state applicants (tuition + living expenses), they give you a laptop (PC)
Still, I would go here. It's in a very nice area in Baltimore, too.
Summary of Experience:
Received a full tuition scholarship in March. I may end up here!
ACCEPTED! So incredibly grateful for this acceptance. Madison is a great city and UW is a wonderful place to study medicine.
I loved my interview day. It was very laid back and the students seemed down to earth. I sort of applied to UW on a whim and I am REALLY glad I did.
Pros: research, brand new and beautiful facilities, interesting patient population (native American, Amish, Latino, for ex.), a warm atmosphere, lots of school pride, good restaurants and coffeehouses, outdoor recreation, reasonable tuition, primate research center, good endo dept, beautiful area, low cost of living, an all around great place
Cons: wish there could be more OOS students but they can't really change their quota, far from family and friends
Summary of Experience:
ACCEPTED 1/11/13! I am ECSTATIC!
Applied to MD/MACI program.
So I will start this by saying BU was VERY high on my list even before I applied to medical school. When I saw BU on my interview day and got to know the school a bit more, I decided it's very different from how I first envisioned it but I LOVE it. BMC has a very social mission, "exceptional care without exception." While some schools tend to say that they are big on the social aspect of medicine, BU proves it. BMC is a giant safety net hospital and something like 30% of patients do not speak English as a first language. The school has a ton of healthcare outreach opportunities, ranging from a HIV/AIDS care program to a type of "healthcare on wheels" program (I forget the exact name of it). Also, I hear the new student residence is beautiful and around $850 a month per student, which isn't bad considering the area.
The South End of Boston is very up-and-coming, and while I wouldn't say that you should walk around by yourself at 1 AM with your iPhone out, it's generally as safe as any other urban area.
My interviewer was new to admissions so my interview was a tad awkward, but I think it turned out okay. I only had one ethical question and I fumbled a little because it was REALLY tough. Other than that, we just talked about my upbringing, my ambitions, the usual. He also spoke about his research and time at BU when he went there for med school. My student tour guide was very charismatic and showed a lot of pride for BU. I could definitely see myself here next year.
