Brief Profile:
Matriculating to: David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (Geffen Scholarship Recipient)
Applied to go straight into medical school after undergrad.
(* = Most Meaningful) *Co-head coordinator of clinical research associate/ER volunteer program (3 yr) *Volunteer in medical clinic for homeless/low-income population in LA (1-2 yr) *Coordinator and tutor for high school mentorship program (4 yr) -Molecular bio research (3 yr; co-author on pub; poster award and stuff) -Research at JHU (2 mo, getting my feet wet w/ research) -Clinical research employment (6 mo) -Shadow neurologists at UCLA (3 yr) -Medical internship/shadowing abroad (1 mo) -Overseas medical volunteer in Honduras (1 wk) -Regents Scholarship at UCLA -Cool hobbies
Please see Applications section for detailed timeline of my application cycle. Feel free to message me with any questions you may have!
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 06/18/2013
Undergraduate college: UCLA
Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences
Total MCAT SCORE: 525
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 131,
C/P 132,
CARS 132
Overall GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 3.97
Summary of Application Experience
[GENERAL COMMENTS]
I am very lucky to have had a successful application cycle. Echoing what others have said in the past, medical school applications are random and unpredictable. I know several people that would make outstanding physicians that drew the short stick for interviews and acceptances. The process is long and difficult - especially secondaries - but very rewarding. Reflect honestly as you write your essays, because not only will you put together a better application, but also appreciate how influential certain people and experiences were in your growth.
I submitted most secondaries within 1-3 weeks of getting them. Might have held onto Harvard for a bit too long but what's done is done. In order to get them in sooner, you can look for the prompts online. They don't change too much from year to year, and there is some overlap between schools. The prompts with highest yield are probably "What makes you unique/how can you contribute to diversity at XYZ school" and "What is an obstacle you have overcome."
I interviewed mostly from early September to early November, with one last interview in January. In retrospect, I definitely should have tried to consolidate the East Coast/Midwest interviews to save on flight costs. However, I was too excited to not schedule every interview as soon as I got the invite. I don't even want to look at how much it cost in the end (probably around $10k!). I was still in school during the majority of the interviews, so I had to miss many classes; for a GE course, I had only attended one lecture before taking the midterm - yikes! I recommend taking a light schedule in anticipation of this or scheduling the interviews close together so you miss less time overall.
I used the SN2ed study schedule condensed to 2 months, so 1 month content review + 1 month AAMC practice tests. I studied 3-6 hours per day on average with 1 break day per week.
AAMC Practice Test Results (PS/VR/BS): 8/13/2012 : Practice Test 3 (14/12/15) = 41 8/15/2012 : Practice Test 4 (14/13/13) = 40 8/22/2012 : Practice Test 5 (14/11/13) = 38 8/24/2012 : Practice Test 7 (15/12/14) = 41 8/29/2012 : Practice Test 8 (14/10/14) = 38 9/04/2012 : Practice Test 9 (15/14/15) = 44 9/05/2012 : Practice Test 10 (14/10/15) = 39 9/07/2012 : Practice Test 11 (13/12/15) = 40 9/11/2012 : Actual MCAT (14/14/14) = 42
I highly recommend the SN2ed study schedule IF AND ONLY IF you are good at standardized tests and self-motivated. The materials focus only on content review and not test-taking strategies or how to approach passages. There were days that I felt supremely lazy and it took all of my effort to stay on schedule. Without someone looking over your shoulder, it is very easy to fall behind.
Also, you do not have to become a recluse while studying for the MCAT. That summer, I was a volunteer, coordinator, researcher, and per diem employee. If anything, I found it was crucial to get my nose out of the books and do other things to take a break.
07/01/2012-09/10/2012 : Study for MCAT 09/11/2012 : MCAT test date 01/01/2013-06/01/2013 : Ask for Letters of Recommendation 06/10/2013 : AMCAS Primary application open for submission. 06/19/2013 : AMCAS Primary submitted 06/29/2013-08/07/2013 : Various secondaries received. Submitted most within 1-3 weeks of receiving them. 07/23/2013 : AMCAS Primary verified. 08/01/2013 : Interview Invite - Michigan (received before I submitted the secondary) 08/07/2013 : Interview Invite - SUNY Downstate 08/14/2013 : Interview Invite - Pittsburgh 08/16/2013 : Interview Invite - Stanford 08/22/2013 : Interview Invite - Yale 09/03/2013 : Interview Invite - UCSD *09/09/2013 : Interview - SUNY Downstate 09/11/2013 : Interview Invite - WashU St Louis 09/14/2013 : Interview Invite - Northwestern *09/20/2013 : Interview - Michigan *09/24/2013 : Interview - Pittsburgh 09/25/2013 : Interview Invite - Mt Sinai 09/??/2013 : Interview Invite - UCSF (not sure exact date; randomly checked my status to find I had an II sitting there) *10/02/2013 : Interview - Stanford *10/09/2013 : Interview - WashU St Louis 10/10/2013 : Interview Invite - UCLA *10/11/2013 : Interview - Yale 10/13/2013 : Interview Invite - UCI $10/15/2013 : Waitlisted - Michigan *10/16/2013 : Interview - UCLA $10/20/2013 : Rejected - Mayo *10/21/2013 : Interview - Northwestern *10/24/2013 : Interview - UCSF *10/29/2013 : Interview - UCSD $10/30/2013 : Accepted - SUNY Downstate! First acceptance, so this will always hold a special place in my heart. 10/31/2013 : Interview Invite - Temple *11/01/2013 : Interview - Mt Sinai $11/05/2013 : Accepted - UCSD! One of my top choices going into this arduous process. I opened the email in class and almost jumped out of my seat. Great feeling! $11/26/2013 : Accepted - Northwestern! I thought my panel interview went poorly, but apparently not. $12/16/2013 : Accepted - Mount Sinai! Already on winter break when this one came in and it made break all that much more enjoyable. *01/06/2014 : Interview - UCI $??/??/2014 : Waitlisted - Stanford (received via snail mail) $01/24/2014 : Rejected - UCD $01/29/2014 : Accepted - UCSF! This prompted me to withdraw from Yale, Irvine, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh, which I had not yet heard back from. $03/01/2014 : Accepted - UCLA! Also received the unparalleled (full ride) Geffen Scholarship! What an amazing day. This just made my decision very difficult. 03/22/2014 : 160k scholarship from Northwestern! 05/09/2014 : Well, that's it... I've withdrawn from everywhere except UCLA. Excited to be staying in LA for another four years!
Application Complete, Rejected
Harvard University
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: Yes
Secondary Completed: Yes
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: Yes
Summary of Experience:
It would have been nice to get an interview here, but, alas, it was not meant to be. I don't think that this was why, but submitting the secondary right before the deadline couldn't have helped my chances.
Summary of Experience:
No interview invite, leading me to believe the rumor that Davis doesn't interview high stat applicants is true. Real shame because it is so close to home!
New Haven = Meh. Can't compare to LA. Yale System = Double-edged sword. While I value independence, at times guidance and structure are appreciated as well. Is there a such thing as too much freedom? Faculty interview = Amazing. Probably the best of the cycle. It couldn't hurt that she is a psychiatrist who knew exactly what to say to learn who I really am. Student interview = Awful. Worst of the cycle. We did not click at all and I felt she was somewhat condescending and dismissive (why are you checking your phone so often?). This was my last experience of the interview day and left a bad taste in my mouth.
Summary of Experience:
Withdrew before decision. I did not do my research beforehand so I found out about the mandatory lecture attendance at the interview, which is not a good match for my learning style. Also, the hospital is some distance away from the medical school campus. Other than that, Irvine was very pleasant.
Summary of Experience:
Withdrew before decision. I have mixed feelings about WashU... On the one hand, it is a top-tier school with fantastic facilities and world-renowned faculty. On the other, the atmosphere seems overly competitive (38 average MCAT for matriculants + graded second year = no bueno). Great school for some, but not what I'm looking for.
Summary of Experience:
Withdrew before decision. Very cool school. The students live very close to the medical school/hospital such that it is only a block away! I really liked the people I met as well, students and faculty alike.
Summary of Experience:
One of my earlier interviews of the cycle and first MMI, so I was completely unprepared... Beautiful school! The student lounge is boss and includes a gym and a great view of Palo Alto. My student host was one of the brightest guys I met along the interview trail. Only downside is that many of the students I asked seemed to choose the school primarily for its name... which is fine but made me question whether it had what I wanted. Sour grapes, perhaps!
Summary of Experience:
This was my second interview. Regardless of the ultimate outcome, I'm glad I got the chance to interview with the school. Definitely gave me a lot to think about. Kudos to the admissions committee for putting together a very comprehensive day.
Summary of Experience:
First acceptance in California and one of my top choices by location! I mean, how can you beat sunny San Diego? Really fast response too; accepted 1 week after interview date.
Summary of Experience:
GEFFEN SCHOLARSHIP! I can hardly believe it. What an amazing opportunity. The opportunity to graduate without debt and have living expenses paid is an absolute dream come true. As a current UCLA undergrad, I would love to be a Bruin for 4 more years!
Summary of Experience:
Great school in a great location: right in between an affluent section of Manhattan and a not-so-well off area. That means a wide breadth of clinical exposure! Also $600/mo to live in NYC is a pretty sweet deal.
Summary of Experience:
Hands down the most jaw-dropping hospital I have ever seen. It's quite expensive to go here, but if I were to go to school in Chicago, this would be it.
Edit: Well, it would no longer be expensive with a $160k scholarship... Very tempting!
Summary of Experience:
Speechless. Strong likelihood I may end up here. Loved the people - faculty and students alike - and location. The exterior may not be as aesthetically pleasing as some other schools *coughstanfordcough* but there is a real sense that the students are going to do great things in the future.
Summary of Experience:
First acceptance! My faculty interviewer was amazingly real and left a positive impression on me. Unfortunately, have to withdraw because I don't think it was a good fit for me and I would prefer to stay closer to family.
MrDoctorman took the old MCAT and scored a 42 which is in the 100th percentile of all old scores.
We converted this to a 525 on the updated scale which is in the 100th percentile of the updated MCAT. We also converted MrDoctorman’s section scores as follows:
MrDoctorman scored a 14 on the Biological Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 131 on the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems.
MrDoctorman scored a 14 on the Physical Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 132 on the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems.
MrDoctorman scored a 14 on the Verbal Reasoning section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 132 on the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.
