Brief Profile:
-Played on a traveling competitive ultimate frisbee team for Jr/Sr year -Led study groups in general chemistry & organic chemistry (won awards for 'Study Group Leader of the Year', 2 consecutive years) -Volunteering--not much--3 weeks in an HIV clinic -Research experiences were extensive: --> mathematical modeling of SARS --> developed mathematical index for characterization of HIV evolution (published, 3rd author of 8 in Journal of Virology paper. Also authored 3 abstracts, one of which was presented at a national conference) --> studied mathematical transforms for modeling intra-aortic blood pressure waveform shape using peripherally measured pressure waveforms --> mathematical modeling of simple enzyme-substrate reactions using Monte-Carlo methods for evaluation of temporal and spatial dissociation constant approximation.
-Lots of clinical experience as well: -->shadowed physicians in endocrinology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, pediatric cardiology, and pediatric pulmonology. -->Observed cardiac cath procedures, participated in data recording during procedure for research study -->Carried out interview-based survey of HIV-infected patients
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 2006
Undergraduate college: University of Michigan
Undergraduate Area of study: Mathematics
Total MCAT SCORE: 517
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 130,
C/P 129,
CARS 127
Overall GPA: 3.93
Science GPA: 3.99
Summary of Application Experience
Finally done!
A few thoughts.. I really think my baseline 'stats', particularly my MCAT score, got me cut out of the screening at some of the elite schools like Harvard, and Hopkins. However, when I started this I was aiming for Dartmouth as my top choice--I far exceeded my expectations. Also, while my MCAT score was typically lower than my fellow interviewees, I felt I excelled in the interviews. Among the 9 places I formally interviewed, I was accepted at all but Case (waitlisted), and UCSF, which was not a good match for me: I needed an mathematically rigorous graduate program and UCSF has none; they have only biomedical graduate programs. One of their committee members contacted me post-interview and said their primary concern was that they didn't my interests were well suited for their school, and wanted to know what I 'thought' of that. I agreed!
As stressful as many people say the process is, I found that I really enjoyed the MSTP interviews. Yes, the interviews can be challenging (see University of Washington, WashU, and Dartmouth--panel interviews!) However, because of the lengthy (2-3 day) trips, you have the opportunity to fraternize with your fellow applicants. Since the applicant pool is so small and the scarcity of interview dates, you'll also run into the same people at different interviews. There is almost always a social component to the interview visit, and you should definitely take advantage of this time to talk to current students about both work and the social scene. *A note of caution*: some schools use these social outings as a time to further evaluate you. I can't say for certain if any school I applied to was like this, but I've heard that Baylor definitely takes input from their current students about how you behaved outside the formal interview.
Common questions that people ask me:
How many schools should I apply to? *I would say more is better. If you take a look at my profile above, you'll notice that after getting into WashU I declined ~5-6 interviews. These 5-6 programs and many others ONLY interview starting in January. So I say: throw your app to any and every school you think would be a decent fit, and decline as you go. Remember, you're about to embark on a 7-10 year long journey, don't skimp out on the app process because of cost (travel) or laziness (essays).
*more to come
Applied, Withdrew
Duke University
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: Yes
Secondary Completed: No
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: No
Summary of Experience:
8 brand new essays? no thank you!
User #6891 took the old MCAT and scored a 35 which is in the 96th percentile of all old scores.
We converted this to a 517 on the updated scale which is in the 95th percentile of the updated MCAT. We also converted User #6891’s section scores as follows:
User #6891 scored a 13 on the Biological Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 130 on the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems.
User #6891 scored a 12 on the Physical Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 129 on the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems.
User #6891 scored a 10 on the Verbal Reasoning section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 127 on the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.
