Application Cycle One: 07/23/2014

• Undergraduate college: Colorado State University
• Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences

• Total MCAT SCORE: 507
• MCAT Section Scores: B/B 129, C/P 125, CARS 127   Detailed Breakdown
• Overall GPA: 3.96
• Science GPA: 3.96

Summary of Application Experience

Applications: I did not cut any corners in my primary or secondary applications. I did my best on every essay and was as thorough as possible. I submitted AMCAS toward the end of July, and AACOMAS in August.

Interviews: No two interview styles were alike. There were group interviews, panel interviews, 1:1, 2:1, 30 minute, 2 hour, conversational, Q &A, blind, open file, etc. Some interviewers are friendly, others seem indifferent. I prepared for questions from sdn Interview Feedback as well as for some other common questions I found online, and practiced out loud alone and with a couple of other people. Questions always come up that you can’t prepare for, including “stress questions”, and sometimes even illegal ones. I was asked about my age, whether I was married, how long I’ve been married, how many kids I had and what their ages were, etc. I had to prepare the most for my first interview. I had never been to a professional interview before and, despite intentionally staggering my applications, my first interview invite came from my top choice school. :/

Tips (for what they’re worth. These might be obvious to some of you, but I would have found them helpful): 1) Apply as early as possible (as in June if you’re going MD). I probably would have had more interviews and less wait-lists if I had applied earlier. 2) If you’re a slower writer, it may be a good idea to stagger your primary applications so that you don’t get a bunch of secondaries all at once. 3) If you have an opportunity to participate in research in undergrad, then take it. My premed adviser told me not to worry about it and to focus on clinical experience if that was what I was interested in, but I was asked about my lack of research in multiple interviews. 4) Premed advisers don't know everything! Mine was pretty much useless to me, and wouldn't even respond to my emails. Meet with them, but also do your own research. 5) If your MCAT score is below the average for the schools you're applying to, you might want to retake it. Sure, getting accepted is a holistic process, but I was only invited to interview where my MCAT was above the average for the school (There may have been one exception). The weeding/filtering done by schools pre-interview seems to be largely based on stats. They don't really have a choice due to the huge volume of apps. You DO NOT want to go through more than one Cycle- it's so expensive and, as a whole, is much more challenging than the MCAT. If you have a low score, and you have time- just retake it. It's really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. 6) This process is absurdly expensive. It’s probably a good idea to start saving the second you decide on premed.

Keeping my family in limbo for about 9 months was utterly draining for all of us. It was exciting though, too, and my spouse being extremely supportive took some of the pressure off. Applying for medical school with all the obligatory essays, traveling, and interviewing was a significant learning experience. I learned more about why I want to go into medicine and what sort of physician I hope to be. I also learned how to interview successfully and how healthcare needs vary in different parts of the country.