Brief Profile:
Research: -3.5 years Research in Biochemistry lab -No publications, but one in preparation -Several poster presentations at national and international conferences -Goldwater Scholar -Beckman Scholar
Clinical: -Volunteer at Hospital as Patient Aide -Shadowing, 1 year
Academic: -Phi Beta Kappa -Science Tutor
Community Service: -Volunteer at local elementary school, running an after-school art program
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 2005
Undergraduate college: Yale University
Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences
10/8/2005: All that I can say is that I feel very lucky to have received so many interview invitations. My one piece of advice is to turn in the AMCAS and secondary applications as early as possible, even if applying MSTP. I think that my early application more than anything else has benefitted me in this process so far, because it allowed me to schedule interviews early in the application season. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to balance school work with the interview season...I'm just hopeful that my professors are VERY understanding of how hectic this time is.
The Hopkins interview went well. Much more laid back and informal than I had anticipated. For some reason, I thought that it would be a series of 'grill-sessions.' Still, after five hour-long interviews over two days I was just about talked out. I have no idea how I'm going to manage the U Michigan interview this week where I have 12(!!) interviews with faculty and students. It should be interesting!
10/16/2005: All of the Michigan interviews were very low-key and conversational (one interviewer even wrote me a prescription for 'optimism and hard work' because she thought I was too stressed out), but after 12 interviews my throat was sore and I felt as though I had answered exactly the same questions 12 times. The Michigan MSTP program seems very flexible and it is apparent that the students have an enormous amount of say in shaping their curriculum...two factors that are very important to me. The one thing that was disappointing was when I asked some of the current MSTP students what made them choose Michigan over the other schools where they had gotten acceptances, most ended up saying that they came with their significant other or they wanted to come back closer to home in the Midwest. Since neither of these cases are applicable to me, I left wondering if they had given me adequate reasons to go to Michigan if I were accepted. Nevertheless, the program at Michigan seems to be really well-run and the director, Dr. Koenig, and assistant director, Penny, seem to be genuinely interested in the success of every student in the program. Next week...off to Wash U!
