Brief Profile:
My goal is become a pediatric palliative care doctor or a pediatric oncologist and, of course, a researcher in either immunology or cancer biology. International student applying only to MD/PhD programs.
At the time of application: Research 3 years without break in one lab (>5000 h) 1 third coauthor + 1 second coauthor publication 3 second coauthor + 1 first author poster presentation in national conferences 4 months of part time research in another institute (sort of like a rotation)
Volunteering Volunteer at the first Hospice in my country (back in high school) Volunteer at the home for the Old People (back in high school) Child's Life Volunteer (>100 h) Campus Ministry (>100 h)
Expand the schools I went to interview for more info about the interviews (how they are structured and what to expect).
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 06/24/2014
Undergraduate college: Somewhere over the Rainbow....
Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences
Total MCAT SCORE: 523
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 132,
C/P 132,
CARS 129
Overall GPA: 4.00
Science GPA: 4.00
Summary of Application Experience
Daunting experience as a international student knowing all the odds stacked against me. Thank all the forces that I met a brilliant international student who helped me with the process. To any international students reading this, I know how you feel. Do contact me via SDN and I'll be more than willing to try and give advice. As an international student, I was not able to apply to schools like JHU, Stanford and as such, (sign) and that is why I applied to only 14 or so.
Applied, Withdrew
Harvard University
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? Yes
Submitted: 07/06/2014
Secondary Completed: No
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: No
Summary of Experience:
Did not even submitted secondary because I did not want to spend another dime and HST said they will "accept 1 outstanding international student if they have the funding," meaning no international if they do not have funding.
Summary of Experience:
Not an official rejection date. but the last interview day was Jan 7 so I am quite sure i am not getting in without any interview :D
Summary of Experience:
After a lot of decision making, I withdrew after Emory Acceptance. As much as I want to go to Chicago and see Northwester, my interview was on Jan 14 and the weather is suppose to be "bitter cold."
Summary of Experience:
First interview so I did not really know what to expect. It was more or less a very very low stress interview. Two PhD interviews only. We talked about research for like an hour each. Very very friendly faculty and students but very very tiring talks that does not apply to MD/PhD such as financing MD (since MD applicants and MD/PhD applicants stay together after the interviews). Nice campus in a not so nice area. Great hospitals for clerkships and volunteering. BU interview was more like a test run for me because WUStL interview was in the following week. Withdrew application after WUStL acceptance.
Summary of Experience:
My top top top choice program and I cannot wait to hear back.
BEST MSTP IN THE GALAXY™ said the director and IMO, it really is. :D (i might be a little biased)
Very similar to Wash U program. ~25/class and awesome administration and the steering committee. What is there to not like about Penn? the director is a fountain of knowledge about MSTP and everyone in the administration know what they are doing.
Expenses covered: hotel and food. no transportation
First day: Tour of the campus and talks by the director and co-director. Pretty chillaxing.
Second day (interview day): 1 1to1 MD interview (first year doing it): pretty standard MD oriented questions. Made me talk about my research in laymen's terms. 2 1to1 interviews by MSTP steering committee members: more interested in my life, my research and why MD/PhD. 3 1to1 PhD interviews: talked about their research to see if the applicant can comprehend science. (one of my interviewers asked me about my research and then started grilling me.) Post interview: graduate group meeting and at night, activity of your choice.
Impression: very chill and low stress interviews. Very nice faculty and students.
only one day of decision sending. all my fingers crossed!!!!!
Summary of Experience:
Second Interview in the week following BU. All expenses cover: food, hotel (really really nice) and plane tickets First day: Met the director and the administration. I LOVED all of them. Super duper friendly and nice. The director is one of the coolest guys and he really cares about the applicants and he gave the best talk about why MD/PhD is a great choice. The executive director debriefed the applicants of what to expect the next day.
Second day (interview day): Very very very very very high stress interview because of their trade-mark interviewing style: 1 12to1 interview: 12 members (since one was unavailable) of the MSTP steering committee stares as you as you seat yourself at the top of a long table and talk about your research verbally (no notes, no ppt, nth) for 20 minutes while they sometimes grill you with questions (they did grilled me). As if there was a silent alarm, at 20th minute, I embarked on a series of PhD interviews. 4 1to1 PhD interviews: I had a total of 4 but numbers vary I guess. The administration team would take you from one building to another if the professor who is interviewing you cannot take you after the interview. 1 1to1 MD interview: standard "why MD?" questions but most of the time we talked about my country since the interviewer has ties with my country.
At the end all interviews, you met with one of the members of the MSTP steering committee and you have a chance to "redeem" yourself if you wish for anything that might have gone wrong during the 20 minutes.
They told me I was deferred till January but got an acceptance email in December. What a pleasant surprise!
