RhinB
Application cycles: 06/10/2015
Demographics: Male, 31, East Asian
Home state: Massachusetts
Last Active: 09/14/2023

Brief Profile:

About Me

Hey All,

I'm documenting my experience here simply because there's so little information out there, especially for Cornell kids (at least it feels that way). Everything that comes up from here on out is fair game.

No Background info - for anonymity lol. Will post after med school! If anyone knows me, I would say it's pretty easy to identify me on here.

Key:
SR: Secondary received

SS: Secondary submitted

AC: Application complete

II: Interview invite

IA: Interview attended

A/R/WL: Accepted/rejected/waitlisted
.

Activities

* Click here to show all activity descriptions or you can view activity descriptions one-by-one (click on activity title).

Activities in No Particular Order

Work Experiences

Teaching/Mentoring

Shadowing (400+ total hr)***

Extracurriculars h

Comm Service

Research

// Applications //

Application Cycle One: 06/10/2015

Undergraduate college: Cornell University
Undergraduate Area of study: Premedical Studies

Total MCAT SCORE: 519
MCAT Section Scores: B/B 130, C/P 129, CARS 129
Overall GPA: 3.65
Science GPA: 3.60

Summary of Application Experience

MCAT Taken: 4/14 (No writing score so "Q" is a placeholder)

Will update with specifics after application process is finally over.

Was waiting so long for Committee letter to finally be complete. I had all secondaries done within 2 weeks of getting them, but wasn't complete until Committee letter came 8/24. A bit late...at the time I got the letter I was worried about timing but it turns out that it didn't affect my application too much - just the timing. I received IIs about 2 months after most people, probably due to the the late Committee letter!

My Thoughts on the Cycle Post Acceptance (3/08/2016):
The cycle has been a long one, especially because most of my interview invites came during the latter half of it. I would say my cycle mirrors a normal applicant's except it was 2 month delayed because HCEC letter didn't arrive until the end of August.

I've been very lucky throughout the entire cycle. With my relatively mediocre GPA, I'm glad I pursued my interests in business as a business minor and a health policy minor to set myself apart from the average applicant. It's important to understand that everything comes together. All the minuscule amounts of effort I put in paid off. Successes like these are never 50+50 = 100%, it's always 1%+1%+1%+etc. = 100%.

The process was nerve wracking and I don't know what I would have done without the support of my parents and my friends around me. Even as someone who is particularly relaxed, I felt anxious sometimes. Feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns and I'd be happy to help. I do believe that anyone who truly wants to get into medical school can get in. It's all a matter of the amount of effort you really put into it. Spend the time to network and get information from others and make sure that information is accurate.

Deferral for Matriculation (5/23/2016):

I'm deferring matriculation for a number of reasons but am so far glad to be doing it. I'm taking some time off to rest/recuperate and just mature as a young adult as I continue working for the Healthcare Consulting company I'm currently at.

Applied, Rejected

Vanderbilt University

Application Complete

Washington University in St. Louis

Yale University

Application Complete, Rejected

Duke University

University of Pittsburgh

Brown University

Georgetown University

Mayo Medical School

Hofstra University

University of Chicago

Cornell University

Johns Hopkins University

New York University

Stanford University

Albert Einstein of Yeshiva University

University of Pennsylvania

Northwestern University

Columbia University

Harvard University

Application Complete, Withdrew

George Washington University

Drexel University

Temple University

Tufts University

Invited for Interview, Withdrew

University of Massachusetts

Attended Interview, Waitlisted, Withdrew

Dartmouth College

Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: Yes
Secondary Completed: Yes
Interview Invite: Yes
Interview Attended: Yes
Waitlisted: Yes
Accepted: No
Rejected: No
Summary of Experience: SR 7/2 l SS 7/17 l AC 8/21 l II 12/1 l IA 12/17

12/1 - Interview invitation!!! Super stoked.

12/17 - Great overall impressions of the school.

My experience: I drove up from Boston to Dartmouth (a few hours). The city is tiny and quaint just like Cornell...but on an even smaller scale. I had an odd interview experience with one of my two interviewers.

I interviewed with an elderly cardio thoracic surgeon who was very...abrupt, aggressive/straightforward. And honestly that's just something that comes along with being older, being male, and being a surgeon. He was quite uh rough on the edges during the interview, asking very direct and very matter-of-fact questions. He responded in kind with the same degree of abruptness. It wasn't any sort of a pleasant interview, but understandable given the circumstances. Whether it was truly intentionally thorny is something I do not know, but it was not a pleasant experience. It makes me feel less about the school overall but I know the importance of not letting one color paint an entire picture.

The 2nd interview was with a very kind pediatrician who was adjusting to life in Hanover NH. She was extremely nice and loved hearing about my experiences just as I loved hearing about hers as well.

The overall day made me realize the similarities between Ithaca and Hanover. The peacefulness that permeates the rural north. But, after living in Boston for a while, a city that for me has the perfect balance between urban and suburban, I don't know how I feel about living in another, more rural version of Ithaca for another 4 years.

3/6/2016 - It's been forever...and still no word from Dartmouth.

I hear if they LOVE you during the interview you'll hear back in a few weeks with an acceptance and for everyone else they just let you sit there until the end.

As of now I still have not heard anything but with this acceptance from Mt. Sinai, I am having a hard time convincing anyone, especially myself, that Dartmouth is a school I'd attend over Mt. Sinai.

In addition, I have heard negative things about Dartmouth in terms of its tuition and funding. From no real source, I have heard that the school is in the red (debt-wise) and is worrying a bit about funding. I don't know what this really means to the student body but I can't imagine it's anything positive.
View School >

University of Rochester

Case Western Reserve University

Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: Yes
Secondary Completed: Yes
Interview Invite: Yes
Interview Attended: Yes
Waitlisted: 11/04/2015
Accepted: No
Rejected: No
Summary of Experience: SR 7/6 l SS 7/18 l AC 8/24 l II 9/15 l IA 10/12 l Hold 11/4

9/17 - First interview invite! Exciting and it's good to see it's about in the middle of the pack, so rationally I should be getting more? I don't know! We'll see. Actual interview on 10/12

10/12 - Went on a weekend long stay. Stayed with a few friends who went to Case undergrad and they all say this:

Case is about teamwork, and collaboration. Even at the undergrad premed level, the premeds are not cut-throat, they aren't super competitive with each other and I thinks that's exactly how it should be. Case Med school supports this with their IQ classes, and I love the fact that they give you so much time to pursue your own interests, whether that be research, volunteer, or just studying more. I really appreciate the mindset of the students and the goals of the school. Seriously.

The only thing that is a slight negative might be the location. I'd prefer to stay in a location where I can have access to a bigger city but it's not a big factor considering where I come from. They say they'll get back to me in about a month but I'm hoping for all the best! I loved the people there and I wholeheartedly believe in "people make the place'.

11/4 - Put on "Hold". Basically this means they look at my application again at the end of the cycle to see whether I get put on the waitlist or not. I was really hoping I could have something in hand early on in the cycle but alas cruel fate.

3/8/16 - Withdrawing after acceptance into Mt. Sinai! :0)
View School >

Accepted

Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Boston University

Jefferson Medical College

MD Applicants

RhinB