I went into this application cycle knowing that I had a decent GPA coming out of a "top" college (~3.8), and very strong extracurriculars and work experience. However, for personal reasons, I had to delay the MCAT until September 2016. I was on the fence about whether to even apply this cycle (2016-2017), but decided to go for it because (1) YOLO and (2) I'm already on my second gap year, and am ready to move on with my life and start med school. I submitted my primary application in August 2016. I took the MCAT in September, and got the equivalent of a 34. I was so exhausted from studying for the MCAT (while working long hours) that I didn't get my secondaries in until October/November. I knew by that point that I was really, really late, so I decided to only apply to a handful of non-rolling schools that I actually wanted to go to -- Cornell, Penn, Yale and Columbia -- knowing that there was a decent chance I wouldn't get in anywhere and would have to reapply in 2017-2018. (Financial aid was never really a consideration, because my parents make too much for me to qualify, and my state school is only marginally cheaper than private schools.)
Application Complete, Rejected
University of Pennsylvania
Applying for combined PhD/MSTP? No
Submitted: 08/29/2016
Secondary Completed: 11/14/2016
Interview Invite: No
Interview Attended: No
Waitlisted: No
Accepted: No
Rejected: 01/31/2017
Summary of Experience:
I mostly applied here because I LOVE Philly, and want to be in the NYC area. In hindsight, though, I really should have done my research before choosing to apply -- Penn is SUPER research-heavy, and I just don't have that much research experience, or even interest.
Summary of Experience:
There's a lot I liked about Yale, and I have personal connections to New Haven, so I really pulled out all the stops to try to get myself an interview here: wrote an extra essay on my secondary about a particular aspect of the school that appeals to me, sent a long, detailed letter of interest, called the admissions office in early January and spoke with the Dean. No luck, though!
Summary of Experience:
(All dates are approximate.) Submitted secondary on the last day, which I believe was 11/15. Send an "in the area" email in early January, after having received an interview invite from Columbia. Interviewed at the end of January -- I didn't really leave the interview day with a positive impression of the school. I guess many of the students I met seemed really young, like fresh out of college. The one I sat next to at lunch, an M1, was already freaking out about USMLE (2 years out?). One of my interviews was very much a stress interview -- not a pleasant experience. Neither of my interviewers had gone to WCMC or really had much to say about the medical school experience. So, I wasn't all that disappointed to learn I was rejected.
Summary of Experience:
(All dates are approximate.) Columbia has been my #1 all throughout this cycle. I applied late and was thrilled to receive an interview invite in late December. My interview day experience only confirmed how much I loved the school -- the other interviewees were super cool, the Dean seemed really interested in each of us during his chat, and I liked that he brought up aspects of our application that he enjoyed, and the students I met seemed genuinely happy and grounded. My interview itself wasn't amazing -- my interviewer hadn't read my application beforehand, which kind of caught me off guard. Still, I felt like we had an interesting conversation about many different things, including P&S. I sent a letter of intent and thank you notes immediately after my interview; I was devastated to learn in mid-February that I was waitlisted. I did everything I felt like I could to try to get off the waitlist -- I had heard from one of my tour guides on interview day that "Columbia really likes people who like Columbia." So, I sent another letter of intent, an update letter, an additional rec letter.
