Application Cycle One: 2005

• Undergraduate college: Harvard
• Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences

• Total MCAT SCORE: 523
• MCAT Section Scores: B/B 131, C/P 129, CARS 132   Detailed Breakdown
• Overall GPA: 3.81
• Science GPA: 3.67

Summary of Application Experience

Wish more schools actually screened early on, because basically everyone just automatically requested a secondary as soon as they received my AMCAS (some via automatic email within hours of me submitting it).

Northwestern wanted theirs done within four weeks, so I turned that one in 8/10/05 and received an interview invite 8/26/05, even before they had received my letters of recommendation. Its panel interview was actually fun - very laid-back, like everything else about the school (in a good way). And update: I got accepted!!! The dean of admissions herself called me (on my cell phone) instead of just sending an impersonal letter - that earns them points :-)

I decided to withdraw from UChicago/Pritzker because I had already been accepted to Northwestern and if I do wind up in Chicago (not the top of my list of cities) it is in a better location. Nothing against Pritzker really.

Decided not to finish applying to BU - would have turned the secondary in at the last minute and since they have rolling admissions... and also frankly I'm tired of applications and I'm hoping to get lucky with some of the other schools that have interviewed me. Not sure how I'd feel about being in Boston but not at Harvard since it's pretty much my dream school, although BU's teaching hospital is very good (Boston Medical Center - volunteered there two years, it's a great place).

Ladies starting this process: bring a pair of comfortable shoes to change into after your interview, especially for the tour! Your toes will thank you...

My last three interviews came all in a bunch: Cornell, Yale, UCSF. I was tempted not to go just because I was so tired of traveling, but I'm really glad I went to all three. And now I'm finally done! Time to start sitting in front of my mailbox 24/7...

---UPDATE 3/23/06 I GOT INTO HMS WOOHOO!!!---New plan:
Will hang on (for the moment) to: Harvard, UW, Cornell waitlist, Stanford waitlist (until I hear from UCSF)
Will withdraw from: NYU, Northwestern, Albert Einstein, Columbia waitlist, Penn waitlist, Yale waitlist

Final update 4/30/06:
Got non-information from UCSF: 'As an applicant in our High Priority category you will either be offered admission, waitlisted, or rejected.' I think I'll withdraw now (from UCSF and the others) because I'm ready to finish this process and commit to HMS. UCSF was awesome but geographically lacking in a friend/SO/family support base.

Final final update 5/25/06:
Got accepted to UCSF! Wild... I am not sure I was even officially on the waitlist... Anyway, I've already committed to HMS psychologically so this doesn't change anything. Too bad about the Boston vs. SF weather though, sheesh it's muggy today...


Last words: And after so long keeping myself from fixating on any one school, I can finally let myself get really excited about HMS. And I'm done! There is an end to this crazy process! I'm going to be a doctor! Good luck and best wishes, everyone.