Gap year applicant. Graduated Spring 2016, currently working at an inner-city school **sat for July 2016 MCAT, waited to hear back until score release in August before applying to schools**
Clinical Experience: ~250 hours of ED volunteering (4 hrs/wk) ~50 hours shadowing
Research: - Summer research internship (epidemiology), ~400 hrs - Senior thesis, 1 poster presentation on campus, no publications
Extracurriculars: - secretary/web coordinator of non-medically related student organization (3 years) - spent a summer working at a kids' science camp to promote STEM - physiology teaching assistant - pre-med mentor - new student orientation leader - ochem tutor (4 hrs/wk)
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 06/06/2016
Undergraduate college: Narnia
Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences
Total MCAT SCORE: 522
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 130,
C/P 132,
CARS 130
Overall GPA: 3.90
Science GPA: 3.90
Applied
Harvard University
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: Yes
Secondary Completed: No
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: No
Summary of Experience:
Decided not to complete secondary (missing physics prereq)
Summary of Experience:
*note: changed the interview date for anonymity*
The facilities at Penn are extremely shiny/new!!! The 1.5 preclinical curriculum is also great. We got to sit in on a small discussion group class and view a presentation on how to use ultrasound technology.
There was a faculty interview which was pretty laid-back and a student interview, which was more in-depth than I anticipated. My student interviewer asked very specific questions about my future goals (i.e. how would you implement this program, what are some obstacles you foresee) and my roles in my extracurriculars (ie. as a treasurer, how did you/would you handle a situation where members wanted to use the club budget to buy pizza/snacks, etc instead of for the student org)
These questions definitely took me by surprise. I wish I did better! =/ Fully expecting a rejection letter in March... we'll see.
Something to note: Penn highly emphasizes that if you're accepted here, they will do everything they can to MATCH scholarships from other schools! They especially mentioned Vandy & WashU, which is crazy because Penn clearly has ridiculous amounts of funding. O__O
**UPDATE 3/10: waitlisted! Happy it wasn't a straight out rejection at least. Unfortunately, there's very little waitlist movement at Penn =\
Summary of Experience:
Darn, I really really liked Pitt. Hopefully, there will be some waitlist movement in March! Placed on the first-tier waitlist on January 30th.
My interview experience: * Lots of walking on the tour outside and to different interview locations! Pitt's med school is on top of a gigantic hill, so I would definitely recommend bringing extra shoes to change into, if possible. * Had an ok student interview and good faculty interview. + Really liked the curriculum (you get printed syllabi for each class which is essentially a note packet for everything you need) + Pitt Med students consistently score 10+ points higher on STEP1 than the national average. - A negative would be the location. It is really hilly and difficult to find parking. Also, the outside of the buildings is not very aesthetically-pleasing.
Summary of Experience:
+ nice facilties - entirely self-taught classes (no textbooks, you find the resources yourself)
There are 2 faculty interviews -- one closed file and one open file. My closed file interview was probably the worst interview I ever had in my life. Weirdly, though, my open file interview that was immediately after went really well to the point where my interviewer told me I was really good at interviewing lol. I think it's because at that point I gave up and stopped being nervous.
As a result, the admission committee is probably super confused why one interviewer thinks I'm a strong applicant and the other thinks I am a complete idiot. >__<"
...and that is probably why I'm sitting here 3+ months post-interview with silence.
Summary of Experience:
YAYYYYY!! My first interview & my first acceptance! Going to be a doctor :)
+ Hershey people are so nice! + On-campus housing is available + The campus is so green and nice and pretty! All the students seem genuinely happy to be here.
Summary of Experience:
*note: I changed the interview date slightly to preserve anonymity -- but all other dates are correct!*
- My interview date was assigned and communicated to me via email. + Other than that, I was impressed with how organized the pre-interview info was -- we were provided with a gigantic list of student emails/phone numbers in case we had any questions to ask current MS1's. I wasn't able to make it but Hopkins also hosts a "Greeter's program" to meet with current students the night before the interview. + Hopkins has a strong presence/involvement in the community which I really liked! The curriculum has built-in TIME courses like Health Disparities, Disaster Medicine, etc which sounded really cool. - A negative would be the location -- the campus isn't as pretty as a lot of other schools, but inside the hospital is very fancy
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My interview experience:
Sadly, I think I came across as very ordinary/un-memorable in my interview. Still, I'm happy to have gotten a chance to interview here!
There were about 12-15 other applicants the day I interviewed. The admissions committee listed everyone's schools on a piece of paper which was a little nerve-wracking!
There is a faculty interview and a student interview. These interviews occur at the end of the day after the tour/info about financial aid. While you wait for your scheduled faculty interview, you are put in the waiting room and are observed by 4th year medical students. The MS4's pluck applicants out of the waiting area one by one for the student interview whenever the faculty interview isn't scheduled. We were told that both interviewers have had access to your file for several days.
**EDIT: 3/28 ACCEPTED!!! Still recovering from shock!!!!