AMCAS Submitted: June 7, 2016 AMCAS Verified: June 9, 2016 Committee Letter: Received by AMCAS July 6, 2016
Secondaries were completed within two weeks of receiving them. Most were prewritten. Interviews grouped by month for anonymity.
C = File marked complete II = Interview Invite IA = Interview Attended
Reflection (3/10): Despite not applying to any safety schools (only applied to the 16 listed here), the cycle turned out well ^_^ From my post-interview acceptance rates, it seems that I'm pretty good at MMIs, but not so great (READ: bad) at traditional interviews :/ Hahaha, it is what it is. I can't complain given how my cycle went. Even though I write this feeling pretty down about the last couple decisions this past week (2 waitlists and 1 rejection), I am grateful for having the opportunity to interview at amazing schools and being fortunate enough to attend one. To future applicants: medical school admissions are a black box, and don't try to make sense of it - what will happen will happen. That doesn't mean you shouldn't feel sad at not being admitted - let these feelings take their course, however long it takes. Just remember that these decisions don't define you. It is not the school that makes the person, but rather what the person makes of what the school offers :)
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 06/06/2016
Undergraduate college: HYPSM
Undergraduate Area of study: Physical Sciences
Total MCAT SCORE: 524
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 130,
C/P 132,
CARS 132
Overall GPA: 3.88
Science GPA: 3.96
Summary of Application Experience
Timeline (Secondary screenings and IIs): 07/06: Vanderbilt secondary invite 07/10: Pritzker II 07/15: UCSF secondary invite (max 4 weeks to submit) 07/17: Stanford II 07/20: Case Western II 08/01: NYU II 08/03: Northwestern II 08/04: Duke II 08/08: Columbia II 08/11: Vanderbilt II 08/18: Yale II 08/19: Hopkins II 09/06: Cornell II 09/07: UPenn II 09/08: Harvard (Pathways and HST) II 09/21: WashU II
They said they would have a decision (to interview or not) within 12 weeks of receiving my secondary. Considering how I hadn't heard anything within that period of time, I expected a rejection.
Visited the campus while in Chicago for Pritzker interview, and didn't really like it nor could I see myself there. Also had financial considerations given the invites I had. Definitely felt anxious because I withdrew quite early, but if I were to go to Chicago, it would be for Pritzker
Summary of Experience:
C: 7/7 | II: 9/8 (Pathways and HST) | IA: Oct | Rejected 3/3
Heartbroken. But I guess it just wasn't meant to be
Though curriculum changes have plagued the medical school over the past few years, it looks like all that is sorted out since the MS1s love it here. Harvard offers early clinical exposure that's hands-on at a variety of institutions. The pathways curriculum is very flexible in the third year (though I hear they might be moving towards a research year?). HST is more rigid, but has unparalleled research if that's what you're looking for but don't want to get a PhD. In general, it really just has so much to offer in terms of opportunities without compromising breadth or depth.
Summary of Experience:
C: 7/8 | II: 7/10 | IA: August | Withdrew 12/17
10/17: The wait continues 12/16: Continued again
Decided to withdraw after being continued twice. After thinking about it, I knew I would attend WashU over Pritzker even after being accepted into Pritzker, so no need to wait to hear back
I didn't really connect with my faculty interviewer, so I wasn't expecting an acceptance. Had a good student interview though.
Probably the Mecca of biomedical research. Great clinical training and diversity of patients. The opportunity to train at Bloomberg School of Public Health is a big draw. All the students really loved it here despite what I previously heard about it being a competitive environment. I liked how the MS4s were available throughout the day so we could talk to them about their experiences.
Summary of Experience:
C: 7/7 | II: 9/7 | IA: Oct | Waitlisted 3/10
Really sad at being waitlisted from here because I thought I connected really well with both my faculty and student interviewers :(
Really great interview day; despite not having a formal tour, we got to see the anatomy lab, simulations, and/or ultrasound, which, in some ways, was better than a formal tour. All the students seem to love it here, and I was really impressed with the technological advancements that have been integrated into the med school curriculum.
Going to decline my spot on the waitlist given my other acceptances.
Yale System is incredibly unique and flexible; New Haven was not as bad as most people think. Dean Silverman was so welcoming and wonderful, and the interview day was just great all around.
Going to decline my spot on the waitlist given my other acceptances.
Columbia stands out to me for the individual attention given to each applicant, from the carefully crafted decision notices to getting to know each applicant on a more personal level on interview day. I was surprised by only having one one-on-one interview with a faculty member since most schools have at least two interviews.
Summary of Experience:
C: 7/10 | II: 7/17 | IA: Oct | Accepted 1/28
Was resigned to waitlist/rejection since they called some accepted applicants who had interviewed in Oct/Nov in mid-January. Basically jumped out of my chair when I saw the email in the morning. Still hasn't sunk in yet.
Stayed with a student host who really loved it - not only in terms of curriculum, but also environment (housing, campus etc). Emphasized its strength in clinical training, which was interesting - given its location, you would think that Stanford actually doesn't have patient diversity, but they really highlighted just how many hospitals you could rotate through during the clinical years. Because it's so close to Silicon Valley, I feel that it stands out as a place of innovation and making the most of technology, especially computing - to me, this is only rivaled by a combination of MIT/Harvard.
Summary of Experience:
C: 7/8 | II: 9/21 | IA: Oct | Accepted 11/17
Didn't expect to hear back so soon! Ecstatic about my first acceptance ^_^
I was hesitant about not being in a large city (and a relatively conservative region), but I actually think this is one of its strengths; in understanding different viewpoints and beliefs, I think students can ask themselves what it means to advocate for someone and how healthcare policy is shaped and compromises made. I was really drawn to the impact students have on the community, even going so far as to lobby in Jefferson City. St. Louis has a charm about it (then again, I am a fan of jazz music, theater, and the performing arts in general, so I might be biased...)
They called a good number of accepted applicants the week all the decisions were to be released. I was basically resigned to a waitlist/rejection since I didn't hear anything. Pleasantly surprised by the acceptance email :)
NYU stands out to me for its clinical training. The combination of Bellevue and Tisch really gives students different ends of the spectrum in terms of resources, patient diversity, and cultures of healthcare. It probably offers a hands-on clinical training that is only rivaled by a select number of schools.
The medical campus is absolutely beautiful and just a short walk away from the undergrad. 3rd year research opportunities are great for dual degree programs. The students and faculty here are really passionate and it shows. Also - really liked that lunch was with the MS3s and MS4s so applicants could truly get a sense of the clerkship years and the curriculum.
