Application Cycle One: 07/16/2016
- Undergraduate college: William Paterson University
- Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences
- Total MCAT SCORE: 514
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- MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 128,
C/P 131,
P/S 130, CARS 125
- Overall GPA: 3.75
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- Science GPA: 3.68
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Summary of Application Experience
Took new MCAT- 131/125/128/130=514
Reapplicant
AMCAS Submitted- 7/18/2016 at 6:16 pm
Waiting to get verified
NJMS is priority
Verified 8/11/2016 Hallelujah!!
Letters not yet received
LETTERS RECEIVED 9/7 LETS GO
Yes, im applying late. i had problems with the letters, as well as a couple of other personal problems, or else I should have been done with all secondaries by the end of August. If I dont have success this cycle, this can serve as either a cautionary tale to people applying in September or it may be a cautionary tale to people that dont have much clinical hours. I have strictly 100 clinical hours. I have other healthcare-related stuff but it is not strictly clinical, unfortunately. If I do have success, I will reveal more about what I thought I did right- especially as a reapplicant.
12/8- its december and i havent received an interview from my state schools. COMMENCE PANIC MODE, im going to bust out that 5-lb gre practice book, at this rate...
1/3- Now that I have an interview from a state school, theres a chance I may get in. Btw I never picked up that GRE book lol
1/25- Been doing volunteering and bio research lately. Got an interview coming up in a couple weeks.
1/26- Things are looking up lol if I could just get that interview from NJMS, Ill be more confident in this application.
1/30- I just want that interview from NJMS and Ill be fine...
2/23- I feel more comfortable now
3/16- Mid March and no acceptance, I still have a couple decisions pending. Please come through for me NJMS
3/21- Why did I get these interview invites? seems pointless
3/28- End of March- sitting without an acceptance. Only two waitlists to show for this reapplication. I dont think this has been a good cycle. I would like to have had one acceptance early and some waitlists in addition. Now, I guess its time to continue volunteering and eventually send in updates, letters of intent, etc. in the hopes of gaining an acceptance eventually.
4/14- Waitlist movement should begin in a couple weeks..
4/27- nothing yet...
5/10- Looks like a third cycle is coming
5/24- Currently prepared for another cycle
8/29- Thats all, folks
Applied
University of Maryland
- Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
- Submitted: 09/28/2017
- Secondary Completed: No
- Interview Invite: No
- Interview Attended: No
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
- Rejected: No
- Summary of Experience:
SR: 9/30
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Application Complete, Rejected
Attended Interview, Rejected
UMDNJ - New Jersey
- Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
- Submitted: 07/17/2016
- Secondary Completed: 09/06/2016
- Interview Invite: 02/20/2017
- Interview Attended: 02/26/2017
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
- Rejected: 03/27/2017
- Summary of Experience:
SR: 7/23
Secondary submitted: 8/19
Letters designated: 9/7
II: 2/21
Finally...
AI: 2/27
I live 30 minutes away from the medical school and I typically go there to do research. I got there early and my interview was the first thing I did when I got there, as opposed to the last thing. It was an hour interview and a lot of the questions were character type questions, in which they ask you a lot about yourself. There was nothing out of left field and all the questions were manageable. Following that, I had a student interview, in which she did a lot of talking and I did a lot of listening. After that, there was a tour of the school. We did not go inside the university hospital; we only got a glimpse. We took a brief look at the medical library and I really thought it was one of the nicer features of the medical school. They have gigantic lecture halls. After the tour, we sat down with our student tour guide and another student and talked more about the medical school. One thing about the curriculum is that it is fully integrative. So patho is actually done in first year and all the system blocks are stretched out to occupy all two years. It was quite a short interview day and we were out before 2pm. And I was sure to not eat anything with sesame seeds on it lol. I had a nice turkey sandwich with a cup of coffee. I hope my interview was well-received because this is the school that I have been wanting to go to for years now. I will have to wait a while to hear back, which is unfortunate.
R: 3/28
Wow, shocked by this one...
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UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson
- Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
- Submitted: 08/10/2016
- Secondary Completed: 09/07/2016
- Interview Invite: 12/22/2016
- Interview Attended: 02/23/2017
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
- Rejected: 03/02/2017
- Summary of Experience:
SR: 8/12
No CASPer after what happened last year
Secondary Application Sent: 8/17
Secondary Fee Paid: 8/19
Letters designated: 9/7
Application complete: 9/8
II: 12/23
A miracle, someone actually likes me!
AI: 2/24
I took advantage of the student hosting opportunity at RWJMS not because I am OOS looking for a place to stay. Instead, I thought I may feel more prepared for the interview if I spent a night to talk with some of the students. My student host was a great guy, but I cant say the same for my interview day. I arrived and signed the forms, took a folder, got some food, and found a seat. The admissions counselors gave a brief introduction and then gave the floor to a couple of student presenters. Then, something terrible happened. I looked at my food... There were two seemingly harmless sandwiches and a carrot. The sandwiches had sesame seeds on them. I am allergic to sesame seeds, but it shouldnt be a problem, right? I mean I didnt eat breakfast, I should probably eat something, right? I cant go into my interview without food... I mean there is another place here to eat and I can probably grab food later. I am going to be awfully starving, though, and I may not get time to eat before the interview... Eh what the heck, let me eat the two sandwiches... Noooo, Peter, nooo... dont eat them, yelled the Peter from the future. It was too late, I had eaten the sandwich with sesame seeds on them. Everything was fine at first, then I started feeling a bit of discomfort during the tour of the school. Then, I got a stomachache. I started to sweat heavily and I began salivating excessively. Fatigue began to set in and my throat and stomach were both in discomfort. I asked our student guide where the bathroom is. I went in and I probably stayed for about half an hour on the verge of throwing up. I couldnt do anything except just wait it out, and so I did. I eventually came out and told the student guide I needed to eat something as soon as possible. The girl took me to the cafeteria and I got fish, chicken, and mashed potatoes and I ate while everyone else was waiting for their interview to begin. I was offered a rescheduling of my interview, but I thought I was feeling better so I went ahead with it. I got to the first station and everything was fine. I did well. Then, the next couple of stations were okay. Now, all of a sudden, it was coming back. It definitely affected my performance. All eight interviewers and all admissions counselors were aware of my situation. Pretty soon, the interview was over and so were my hopes of an RWJMS acceptance...
R: 3/3
Another one... (DJ Khaled)
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West Virginia University
- Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
- Submitted: 09/24/2016
- Secondary Completed: 09/26/2016
- Interview Invite: 10/11/2016
- Interview Attended: 02/07/2017
- Waitlisted: No
- Accepted: No
- Rejected: 02/14/2017
- Summary of Experience:
SR: 9/25
wat da eff?!! i received secondary seconds after submitting a primary. last year they didnt even give me a secondary rofl... all this talk about a land grant institution and me being oos. well, not anymore because of my higher mcat, i see.
or maybe they dont screen anymore..
One of the more difficult secondaries I had to complete, asked thought-provoking questions
SS: 9/27
Application complete: 9/28
Interview Invite: 10/12
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Interview Attended: 2/8
What a day in Morgantown! Coming in from a 7 hour drive, going through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia, I was understandably exhausted. Luckily, I didnt have to pay for a hotel and I took advantage of the MedStay program, where I stayed with a couple med students. Boy, were they friendly and really accommodating. They gave me a lot of information and so by the time the interview begun, I had already known a lot. Turns out West Virginia has extremely affordable living, which is definitely an advantage. Theres so many places to eat; I ate at Tim hortons. Its a place of high energy, as it is a college town after all. The food they offered was decent, it was a turkey wrap with some potato chips. There were seven other interviewees who were all OOS and seemed rather competitive, yet friendly. I met someone else from NJ, there was also someone from Chicago. We had eight people all coming from everywhere. Grading system is P/F set at 75, Honors is arbitrarily set. First two years are a solid block curriculum emphasizing human structure and function in the first year with human disease in second year. Theres PBL (case studies), PDCI (doctoring), med ethics, and public health. They love to use ultrasound for diagnosis and why not? It seems to be an emerging fad in the medical field. Theres lifelike mannequins that can have babies, as well as simulated patients. Theres a bunch of research going on. Lectures are recorded, theres tutoring and mentoring opportunities. One can do the rural health track which has the incentive of money. Theres a global health track where you can practice abroad at Fiji, Italy, and other countries. WVU loves their sports, they go hard with the tailgating. Classmates are cooperative and not competitive. I dont see any reason not to go here. First two years are spent in Morgantown, while last two years can be spent in Morgantown, Charleston, or Martinsburg. They will waive your parking so you dont have to pay. I cant think of many cons except for its maybe kind of in the middle of nowhere and the fact that it is a college town that may have some loud and obnoxious students. As for my interviews, idk if it went so well. Im generally not an excellent interviewer. There are two 20-minute interviews with a short break in between the two. I was asked about my MCAT, grades, resume, secondary app, but most importantly, why I am interested in WVU. There are no questions out of left field and the interviews are traditional. Decisions are made within a week of interviews, so hopefully I wont get rejected right away.
Update letter sent: 2/11
R: 2/15
This one stung..... I really liked WVU. I mean, I didnt even get the waitlist. Jeez, I just cant win. I may consider contacting my interviewers for feedback.
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Attended Interview, Waitlisted, Rejected
Eastern Virginia Medical School
- Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
- Submitted: 09/07/2016
- Secondary Completed: 09/15/2016
- Interview Invite: 01/25/2017
- Interview Attended: 02/21/2017
- Waitlisted: 03/15/2017
- Accepted: No
- Rejected: 08/21/2017
- Summary of Experience:
SR: 9/13
SS: 9/16
Application complete: 9/21
II: 1/26
Wow, I cant believe it. I wasnt sure I was going to get an interview here. funny thing is I called the admissions and asked them if I was a late applicant. They said yes, a mid-september applicant is a late applicant. But now I have a chance!
I felt really good when writing this secondary. I thought if I had a chance to get an interview from an OOS school, it might as well be this one. Cant say the same for the other schools.
AI-2/22
It was a six and a half hour drive and I left the day before. Driving on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was like tiptoeing on a thin beam 4 miles long right above the Atlantic Ocean. I finally arrived at the medical school and realized that I had to find a place to stay. I chose the Super 8 motel on West Oceanview Ave. There were naval officers all around because it was near a naval base. I was starving so I went and ate at KFC, then the following morning I ate at Subway. Interestingly enough, the e-mail clearly advises the applicant not to be late, but somehow I was the only late applicant. I arrived about 3 minutes late. There seems to be confusion on the internet about the nature of the EVMS interview. Some say there are simulated patient interactions and others say they will ask about healthcare. At the very beginning of the interview day, there will indeed be a soul brave enough to go to the front of the room and have a chance to interact with a simulated patient. This is not part of the interview. It seems to be more of a preview of what an EVMS education will be like. Most people will chip in to the conversation as to how they should talk to the patient. Along the way, we learn some valuable information about how to communicate with the patient. After the simulated patient exercise, there is a tour given and unfortunately our tour guides were a bit elderly and I couldnt hear them most of the time. After the tour, there is lunch and a couple of presentations talking about what is available at EVMS. Then, the interviews happen. I must say, the interviews are quite variable because there are different interviewer panels. They indeed may ask about healthcare (hint hint go read up on healthcare policy, like ASAP). I thought the interview went well and I didnt fall slowly down a wormhole of anxiety, like I typically do. I keep having this problem where each med school I visit becomes a new priority. Well, guess what?! I love EVMS!!!!
Update letter sent: 3/10
WL: 3/16
ugh...
Middle third of the WL
LOI: 5/10
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University of South Florida
- Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
- Submitted: 09/26/2016
- Secondary Completed: 09/29/2016
- Interview Invite: 02/05/2017
- Interview Attended: 02/19/2017
- Waitlisted: 02/28/2017
- Accepted: No
- Rejected: 07/23/2017
- Summary of Experience:
SR: 9/29
SS: 9/30
Oh no just realized I didnt submit residency forms, Gahhhh!!! I thought they were for Floridian residents only.- 10/24
My dumbass just filled them out, scanned it, and e-mailed it to USF admissions- 10/26
Residency forms received- 11/3
Application complete- 11/3
II-2/6
Holy God, I must be doing something right
SELECT Interview, Allentown campus
Attended Interview- 2/20
Went to the student meet and greet the night before my interview and had the chance to talk with some 3rd-year med students. We ate somewhere near the Lehigh Valley Health Network campus. I could not sleep a wink the night before for reasons unbeknownst to me. I had a bad headache so I drank some water and felt better. I woke up early drove a good hour and a half back to the area- this time for interview day. We Skyped with the other interview down in Tampa. I must say they really sell their school and I was convinced by the end of the day that the SELECT program is highly touted. The food was good and we got breakfast and lunch. Early in the morning, they offered us muffins alongside bagels and lunch was tortellini with tomato sauce. They explained to us that SELECT was a program that focused on building emotional intelligence and learning to consider social and cultural factors in medicine. SELECT has two courses offered in addition to the Core program, like SELECT and SELECT Doctoring. The first two years are spent in Tampa and the next two years are spent in Allentown. I really enjoyed going into the Surgical Education Center and playing the surgical games. I got to hold a flashlight in one hand and a tool that picks up things in the other. The point of it was to put the different-shaped objects in the holes that fit the objects. I couldnt do it once and the other person who tried couldnt do it once either. It was so difficult! They showed us the ER, the ICU, the pediatrics center. The pediatrics center had video games believe it or not. They appeared to be three XBOXOne consoles, which was cool. Their student study room was lacking, I must say, since they didnt appear to have a television. I only saw a lounge with three computers and a whiteboard. Boo!! Wheres the television that you can connect your laptop to?! They showed us the pharmacy section of the hospital and they have an elaborate system of ordering prescriptions. As for the interview, I cannot discuss what questions they ask. However, I will say that is a BEI (Behavioral Event Interview) with the design of measuring emotional intelligence. Its a two-on-one and one of them is faculty and the other is a student. My interview took over 70 minutes, in stark contrast to my WVU interview in which each one was 20 minutes. It was very emotionally probing. All in all, Im sold on the school and it is a new priority for me.
WL: 3/1
Thought this was a certain rejection. Nice pleasant surprise.
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