User #11441
Application cycles: 2008
Demographics: Female, Caucasian
Home state: Texas

Brief Profile: Education:
- will graduate in May 2009 with a B.S. in biochemistry and cell biology and a B.A. in English from a top 20 undergrad school; have also taken lots of courses in social science and language (I am fluent in Spanish and beginner/intermediate in Italian).
- institutional GPA is in the mid-3.8s (~top 30% of the class); no grade below a solid B; upward trend in GPA over the last three years.
- Phi Lambda Upsilon (chemistry) honor society; hopefully I'll receive a Phi Beta Kappa invite in March/April 09

Research experience:
(These stats include the activities I've committed to for the 2008-9 school year)
- 4 years (total of 3 summers + 7 semesters) of undergraduate research with independent projects in each lab I've worked in, w/ LORs from 2 of the PIs. My research experience includes:
-- 2 semesters of plant biology research
-- 1 summer and 2 semesters of evolutionary biology research
-- 1 summer and 1 semester of oncology research (hospital-based lab)
-- 1 summer and 2 semesters of microbiology/bioengineering research (honors thesis work)

Teaching experience:
- 3 semesters of TAing honors-level o-chem w/ LOR from professor, including independently teaching a class once a week, holding help sessions, and grading all exams. (10+ hours/week)
- 4 combined semesters of TAing biology labs (both beginner and advanced) w/ LOR from professor (6-8 hrs/wk per lab)

Leadership activities:
- 3 years on the organizing committee of an annual university-wide research symposium (200 hrs/yr volunteering commitment), incl. one year as head of the committee; LOR from faculty supervisor.

Other potential factors:
- first generation of my family attending college; will be among the first to graduate with a four-year degree and the first physician in my family.
- seek career in academic medicine (i.e. heading a research lab and teaching - yes, I really want to teach! - at a medical school/public institution with elements of clinical work). I've stressed this in my AMCAS statements and secondary essays.
- in high school, was a National Merit Scholar, valedictorian of graduating class, IB Diploma recipient. As part of the IB CAS service requirement, I logged over 500 volunteering hours, with the most significant contributions being 2 yrs as local historic landmark tour guide, volunteering in a Shriners hospital, and performing in a community music group.

My opinions/other thoughts:
- that darn MCAT....was too busy the semester before to prepare (just self-studied) and took it while working full-time in a research lab; BAD idea. I feel like it's the weakest point of my application.
- I feel that my personal statement and other essays are pretty strong. I spent a lot of time on schools' secondary essays and was fairly satisfied with what I submitted.

// Applications //

Application Cycle One: 2008

Undergraduate college: Rice University
Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences

Institution: Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Area of Study: Biological/Life Sciences
Degree Obtained: BS
Institution: English
Area of Study: English/Literature
Degree Obtained: BA

Total MCAT SCORE: 513
MCAT Section Scores: B/B 130, C/P 126, CARS 129
Overall GPA: 3.78
Science GPA: 3.64

Summary of Application Experience

6/26 - primary submitted
7/16 - primary verified
7/30 - LOR packet/committee letter sent out by school
7/16-8/24 - secondaries completed for all schools that sent them
8/29 - last LOR (from my current PI) sent out!!!
9/5 - rejected pre-secondary from U. of Washington and U. of Minnesota (snail mail thin envelopes =( ). Applications complete elsewhere.
9/16 - Found out that I was reviewed at UIC but was declined a first-round interview, but that I *may* get a later interview, if better candidates don't emerge, b/c my score was still qualifying.
9/20 - rejected from Duke through email =(. That one hurts a lot since I put so much time and effort into those secondary essays.

I can't believe how awful this admissions cycle has turned out to be.

Applied, Rejected

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

University of Washington

Application Complete

Washington University in St. Louis

University of Virginia

University of North Carolina

University of Michigan

Northwestern University

University of Chicago

Case Western Reserve University

Baylor College

University of Illinois

Application Complete, Rejected

University of Wisconsin

Duke University

Application Complete, Withdrew

Mayo Medical School

MD Applicants

User #11441