Brief Profile:
Shadowed a FANTASTIC D.O. Pediatric Surgeon who is my mentor at Children's Hospital here in Denver. Also shadowed the ER/FP docs at the base of Winter Park/Mary Jane for a winter. Additionally, I shadowed a PM&R DO in Denver as well.
Undergraduate research (as I'm a Civil/Environmental Engineer) was in sequencing batch reactors and the breakdown of biosolids in that type of reactor for a wastewater treatment plant. This data that I culled and obtained was for a PhD dissertation and the sequencing batch reactor is now patented. Also did additional research in the microbiology of filamentous and bulking organisms and fungi in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants. We looked at how and why these organisms came to fruition and how they affect wastewater treatment.
Also active basketball referee and baseball umpire (thank you ISU Intramurals!)
Mountaineer, climber, backpacker, huge skier, hiker, etc. They like this stuff, especially if you want to go into EM. It doesn't hurt that I'm super passionate about it!
Pretty much, I battled from behind the 'curve' and persevered! So keep your head up; its all do-able if you meet the right people and work hard on those grades!
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 2007
Undergraduate college: Iowa State University
Undergraduate Area of study: Engineering/Technology
Total MCAT SCORE: 496
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 123,
C/P 124,
CARS 126
Overall GPA: 3.11
Science GPA: 3.09
Summary of Application Experience
Applied late for 2007; Interviewed at KCOM, ATSU-Mesa and Touro-NV for the 2007 cycle. Waitlisted at Touro and KCOM, accepted to ATSU-Mesa. But I did not want to be the guinea pig and felt that the school just wasn't right for me.
KCOM - Interviewed November 2007 - Accepted Nov 2007. Great Match List! I'm going here! Nova SE - Interviewed December 2007 - Accepted December 2007. Great facilities, great ladies in the outdoor pool at their rec center (it is S Florida!) but wasn't for me. I love my cold weather! Didn't feel it had a great non-primary care match list. S Florida is just not for me.
Withdrew from other DO Apps.
PCOM is the odd one; they want an advisor letter. Well I graduated from Civil/Environmental Engineering in 2004 and was definitely not thinking of med school. A bit tough to get this letter when you've been removed from the 'game' for four years. So...that really sucks, especially since my mentor went there and I saw what the school produced. Oh well...I could always rotate out east.
In reference to meeting the right people, once an undergraduate is into the 'real world' it is not what you know, its who. Make sure that you shadow people that seem to be on top of their game and are well respected, and put your heart into it. Like the old moniker, It's Who You Know :)
