Brief Profile:
My name is Joseph Lykins and I will be applying for the 2012-2013 cycle. Hopefully, I will be matriculating in the Fall of 2013!!! I cannot even believe that I am at this point. Undergrad has really flown by!!! I am a Zoology major at the University of Oklahoma in Norman and I involved in a variety of activities, ranging from an Honors Fraternity and research (Drosophila melanogaster FTW) to volunteering at local free clinics and abroad. Hopefully this cycle will be successful for me, and I wish the same for anyone who is reading this!!!
I have some time, so I figured that I would post some information about my extracurricular activities. Just in case people are interested/ feel like they want to know. Hopefully the schools that I applied to like these, though I enjoyed them, so that is all that matters.
Extracurricular Activities:
Student Organizations- OU Student Martial Arts Association- Member/ Instructor; Self-Defense Seminars Pre-Medical Professions Club- Publicity Crew; Bridges to Access Public Health Conference Attendee; Suture Clinic Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity- Gamma Phi Chapter; Parliamentarian, President Medical Ethics and Issues Discussion Panel- attended several meetings last year and will be an official member (pay my dues... haha...) this coming year!
Paid Employment- Department of Athletics- Content Tutor- I tutored athletes in zoology and chemistry courses; incredibly rewarding work Department of Athletics- Desk Assistant- I monitor the Athletic Dorms and get free room and board for doing it! Department of Zoology- Teaching Assistant- unpaid for ZOO 3333 (Genetics) and paid for ZOO 1114 (Introductory Zoology) Multnomah Family Care Center- Medical Assistant/ Ensured clinic\'s compliance with Meaningful Use Measures for Medicare Reimbursement as well as helping to get practice established as a Patient-Centered Primary Care Home
Volunteer Activities- Manos Juntas Clinic- Oklahoma City, OK- Triage/ Pharmacy volunteer (taking vitals, basic patient history, etc.) and instructor; translator Essential Health Clinic- Hillsboro, OR- Vitals volunteer (taking BP, temp, basic history, etc.) and instructor; translator Global Medical Brigades- Tegucigalpa, Honduras- set up a clinic in a school in the countryside in Honduras (San Diego); took vitals, worked in the pharmacy, shadowed Honduran physicians, translated
Miscellaneous Activities/ Interests Genetics Research- I have worked in a genetics lab with Drosophila melanogaster for the better part of three years. I was named a co-author on one publication, and have work moving towards publication; Hopefully at least three (fingers crossed for first author!!!); I will conduct research for my honors thesis in this lab, ideally on heat shock protein gene expression; 53rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference in Chicago, IL- attendee; will hopefully attend this year\'s conference in Washington, DC; Also participated in the lab book club... Physician Shadowing- I have shadowed several family practitioners and got the opportunity to take complete patient histories and have learned some of the basics of the physical examination; incredibly neat process Martial Arts- I am a 1st Degree Black Belt in taekwondo and hope to be able to continue with my training wherever I end up attending medical school Music- I have played the clarinet for many years; I did not play officially in college (though I might try to play in the concert band at OU in the spring) and want to continue with this as well; I am a bit rusty, but I can still play a thing or two Poetry- I have recently resumed writing poetry, especially about my experiences shadowing with doctors; It is good for the soul, and I would highly encourage you all to try it sometime... It doesn\'t have to rhyme... Just allow the soul to speak!!! Various Scholarships and Awards from the University
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 06/21/2012
Undergraduate college: University of Oklahoma
Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences
Total MCAT SCORE: 519
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 129,
C/P 128,
CARS 132
Overall GPA: 3.91
Science GPA: 3.90
Summary of Application Experience
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine- Primary Submitted 06/22- Verified- 07/20- Secondary Submitted- 09/04- Interview Invite- 12/20- Interview Attended- 1/10/2013- Rejected- 02/06/2013 Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine- Primary Submitted 06/22- Verified- 07/20- Secondary Invite- 07/26- Secondary Submitted- 08/28- Interview Invite- 11/1- Interview Attended- 11/30- Accepted- 12/19 Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine- Primary Submitted 06/22- Verified- 07/20- Secondary Invite- 07/27- Secondary Submitted- 08/28- Interview Invite- 02/04/2013 Harvard Medical School- Primary Submitted 06/22- Verified- 07/20- Secondary Invite- 07/23- Secondary Submitted- 08/04 Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago- Primary Submitted 06/22- Verified- 07/20- Secondary Invite- 07/03- Secondary Submitted- 07/22- Interview Invite- 07/25- Interview Attended- 10/11- Accepted- 01/10/2013 w/ $160,000 Merit Scholarship The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine- Primary Submitted 06/22- Verified- 07/20- Secondary Invite- 07/23- Secondary Submitted- 07/26- Rejected 12/20
I am also planning, as soon as finances allow, to submit a primary application to more schools, including the College of Physicians and Surgeons- Columbia University, the Baylor College of Medicine, and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!
Application Complete
Harvard University
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: 06/21/2012
Secondary Completed: 08/03/2012
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: No
Summary of Experience:
I applied to Harvard for my undergraduate school, interviewed, and was rejected. Hopefully, I will not have a repeat performance. High school friends and mine, upon our rejection from Harvard, vowed that we would meet up there after undergrad... haha... All joking aside, Harvard is in a beautiful location (who doesn\'t love Boston?), the reputation is wonderful, and, more importantly, it is appealing because it emphasizes many of the things that I feel medicine must emphasize, including research and local and international service. Fingers crossed on this front, and we shall see how things turn out as the application cycle progresses.
Summary of Experience:
What can I say about Johns Hopkins? This might be taboo to say, but I had never heard about the school until a member of my research lab interviewed and was accepted there. It prompted me to begin research of my own on the subject. Baltimore seems a bit intimidating, but it would be completely worth it to attend Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The emphasis on both research and actual patient care is very appealing, as well as the various initiatives seeking to improve the Baltimore community. Fingers crossed on this front as well!!!
Update- My first rejection. I rationalized it by saying that I was terrified of Baltimore after hearing other people's horror stories. I would have liked the possibility of interviewing there, but it wasn't to be. Oh, well.
Summary of Experience:
I went to high school in Hillsboro, just outside of Portland. I am very familiar with the area, and my family currently resides in the area as well. I am excited about the possibility of studying in Portland as well. OHSU has a neat location, on top of a hill, and returning to Oregon has its appeal.
Summary of Experience:
Looking forward to the possibilities that studying in Oklahoma City might have. My undergraduate work was done at OU, so it definitely holds a special place in my heart. The mod program and the small group emphasis is incredibly appealing, as are the online resources afforded to students. I would also be attending school with students that I am familiar with, which would definitely be a plus!!!
Update- I greatly enjoyed interviewing at the University of Oklahoma, and I think the interviews went well. The interview setup was very different from the other interviews I had attended (3 on 1 vs 1 on 1 at MUSC and Pritzker). This was a nice change of pace, of course. The School of Community Medicine interview as very relaxed compared with the interviews for the actual college of medicine. I really enjoyed the tour, and the mods system sounds like a great setup for group-based learning. I also really enjoyed the Clinical Skills and Testing Center. Not the best in the country, as they claimed, but still very good! I should hear something from OU in February. If they can get up off of some money, I would love the opportunity to attend OU as well.
Update- Another rejection. This one came as a surprise. But there probably wasn't a serious chance of recieving scholarships here to make attending more affordable. I regret not having the opportunity to learn more about OU, but such is life.
Summary of Experience:
I first visited Chicago for the 53rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference earlier this year. I absolutely fell in love with the city. I have never lived in a very big city, so there was certainly some culture shock. I had to catch my breath when I saw the city for the first time driving from O'Hare. That being said, I am not solely interested in Pritzker because of the city. Rather, I feel that it is a good "fit" (this is something that they heavily emphasize) because my undergraduate experiences align well with the espoused goals of the school, namely interdisciplinary scholarship and research, leadership, and the betterment of humanity through service. I really like the establishment of local opportunities through free clinics (like Community Health Clinic) as well as international opportunities. I am really hoping to hear from Pritzker!!!
Update- 07/25/2012- OMG!!! My first interview invite!!! Hopefully not my last! I am freaking out, and I very much doubt that this excitement is going to ebb any time soon!!!
Update- 01/11/2013- OMG Again!!! I got the phone call from Dr. Montag as I was leaving from my OU School of Community Medicine Interview. That acceptance came with a $160,000 merit scholarship. I cannot even believe it. I was starting to lose hope on that front. Still waiting to see what other schools will offer in terms of aid, but Pritzker was amazing and is at the very top of my list!!!
Summary of Experience:
I was born in Charleston, SC and most of my family on my mother's side still lives in the city. I love the proximity to the coast, and my grandfather took me on a drive-through visit of the campus when I visited Charleston last summer. A great, too often overlooked school!!!
Update- My first acceptance!!! I really loved MUSC, and Charleston is an absolutely beautiful city. The facilities were very nice, and what impressed me most was how kind the people were. The fact that MUSC is in such an awesome location, with family close-by, is a definite draw. I also enjoyed my interviewers very much, and if they are any reflection of the faculty, MUSC is at the top in this regard as well. Definitely hoping to hear more about scholarships, though, as MUSC is veeeeeerrrry expensive for non-resident students.
