GPAs are lower than average, but above the 10% mark at every school I applied to. I stumbled right off the bat in college and had one particularly bad semester, the recovery from which I of course addressed, but didn't dwell on in my application. It has come up in all but one interview, which I believe has worked in my favor so far because it gave me the chance to talk about it in person, and has more than once allowed me to connect with my interviewer on a more personal level. I had not expected that. I don't doubt that this rough patch knocked me out of the running at some schools, but perhaps it intrigued others, who knows. I really believe the school you end up at should be a school that wants YOU for how awesome YOU are, mistakes and lessons learned and hardships included.
Biomathematics major and political science minor, applying a year after graduating in May 2013. Some of my extracurricular activities are honors thesis research, emergency room and Planned Parenthood volunteering, clinical research internship, non-medical work experience, dancer and choreographer at college dance team, honors program activities during undergrad, and a strong commitment to Girls on the Run. Happy with my application and looking forward to seeing how this cycle plays out!
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 07/01/2014
Undergraduate college: Rutgers University
Total MCAT SCORE: 516
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 129,
C/P 130,
CARS 127
Overall GPA: 3.44
Science GPA: 3.60
Summary of Application Experience
I am keeping my account fairly transparent- I don't get too involved in the online forums because I think they can be a breeding ground for all sorts of negativity, but I do really appreciate the advice I've gotten from people both online and in person, and I would like to put my experience and two cents out there with the hope that it might help others.
I will be attending Sidney Kimmel Medical College (Jefferson)! Came down to RWJ and Jeff and I want to experience non-Rutgers, non-New Brunswick education for the next four years!
Summary of Experience:
This was the first one that really stung. They had my application for over 4 months before I got the rejection, I'm just happy that they at least found something they liked to hold onto it that long before letting me go.
Summary of Experience:
I was one of those souls who didn't receive a secondary for nearly three months after submitting AMCAS. I was fortunate enough to be granted an interview invite four months after I submitted my secondary.
Withdrew from interview because by that point I had already been accepted to another Philly school which I was very excited about.
Summary of Experience:
I really liked this school. It's the one non-urban school I visited and the environment was absolutely beautiful, if a bit low key. My interviewer seemed concerned with the fact that I come from New Brunswick, as it that's a giant city and would prevent me from acclimating to rural Scranton. But overall I really liked the school, and it was great that the dean came in at the beginning and talked to all the interviewing students and learned something unique about each of us.
A very important note: despite how much I liked the school (though I almost definitely would not have attended over RWJ or Jeff) it was very clear that they want to train physicians who are from, or at least will stay in the northeastern Pennsylvania area. The vast majority of attending students are local. And that's just not me. Ended up being rejected, so looks like Commonwealth and I were on the same page.
Summary of Experience:
I thought this interview was one of my strongest! It was the highlight of my interview day, in addition to realizing that the medical school building was designed to have natural light in every single room. Bathrooms included. I really liked that. I also really like how talkative all the other interviewing students were! Probably the friendliest group I interviewed with. Didn't love how every piece of paper from Temple bragged about them being the #2 med school in Philly. If you want to impress me with numbers, tell me about match rates, board scores, % happy students, etc.
Was surprised to get the rejection but would not have attended over Jeff.
The interview went fine, I enjoyed the MMI and liked that it was designed to be more interactive than RWJ's. However I didn't get the sense that students were particularly excited about the school, and it really seemed to cater to people from that area of NY. I don't come from that area and don't intend to stay there after medical school. Withdrew after the interview because I would not have attended over RWJ/Cooper/NJMS.
Summary of Experience:
Added this school to AMCAS very late, 10/27, after hearing so many wonderful things about it well after the fact. Giving it shot!
I was lucky to receive an interview invite relatively quickly after submitting, and so was able to interview in December despite submitting the application so late. Jefferson was everything I had hoped it would be and more, I was absolutely thrilled with the interview day and the whole Jefferson community, and this was just a couple days after my day at Cooper, which was a hard act to follow. Part of what draws me to Jefferson is the history of medical education in Philadelphia, and the incredibly role Jefferson has played in that over the last 200 years....that in itself isn't a reason to go to a school....but I can't deny that it does make Jefferson more appealing to me. Very hopeful for an acceptance here and a chance to attend a revisit day.
I was unexpectedly blown away by my day at Cooper! The staff was incredibly friendly and energetic; smart and good public speakers. They really made the case for themselves that they consider the medical school to be the impetus for moving Camden forward. This set it apart from some of the urban schools I visited where I felt the medical school was almost out of place in its community. Cooper and Camden, Camden and Cooper- I was touched, impressed, and inspired by how much Cooper wants to be a part of the bigger Camden community.
