*About Me*
Extra traditional applicant, graduated HS in 3 years and earned B.S. from public undergrad in 2.5 years. Took MCAT after 3rd semester and applying right after sophomore year. I found the MDapplicants profiles of NickNaylor, belvita, TheKDizzle, and twentyeightmiles to be extremely helpful during my app cycle, so I made this profile to hopefully give back.
Im primarily making this profile for early (3-year bachelors) applicants since we are very much in the minority these days, especially on SDN/Reddit, where the prevailing opinion is to take 1+ gap years or be non-traditional. Hoping to prove that you dont have to take gap years to get into a good medical school!
* MY APPLICATION*
Research/Lab:
700 hours, 1 year, awarded two research fellowships. One poster, no publications MM
Clinical Volunteer:
250 hours, 3 years, hospital
50 hours 3x two week blocks, underserved clinics
Clinical Shadowing:
200 hours, Internal Med, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Int. Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Ortho
Leadership:
900 hours, 3 years, started and ran a successful business while in HS/college
Teaching/Tutoring (Volunteer):
1300 hours, 4 years, also ran a summer camp with 40 kids. MM
Community Service (Leadership):
700 hours, 5 years, Muslim student organization. We worked inside our community and with several underserved/homeless groups MM
Hobbies:
400 hours, 4 years, Calligraphy/Reading
Sports:
500 hours, 3 years, weightlifting/Flag Football
Awards:
2 research fellowships, 5 large academic scholarships, Deans List every semester
Letters of Recommendation:
Committee Letter which included 1 humanities professor (2 semesters, 4 classes), 1 biochemistry professor (1 very intense class, #3 in class), 1 biology professor (1 class). Was told by the committee these letters were very strong and given a 5/5 review given to top 5% of applicants from my undergrad. I also had 1 research PI letter outside of the committee letter, was confident it was very strong.
My Weaknesses: Things that I think held me back from some T20s
-Age (19 at application time, was 20 by October but idk if it updates on ADCOMS side)
-TX resident
-no publications
-no gap year (this is becoming a soft requirement for T20s, see some data below)
---Michigan 83% 1+ gap year (52% 2+ gap years) EY2018
---Pritzker 63% 1+ gap years EY2018
---Yale 67% 1+ gap years (41% 2+ gap years) EY2017
---Penn 67% Non-Traditional EY2018
---Emory 70% Non Traditional EY2018
---Vanderbilt 61% took time off before matriculation EY2018
---Keck 69% aged 23 or older EY2018
More minor things that can help boost an application
-no unique major
-no undergrad prestige
-no first-gen (physician-parent)
-no URM
-no rural geographic diversity
-no SES Disadvantage
-no traditional paid employment (my own business was my only paid employment)
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Overview: 25 applications, 23 secondaries, 10 interview invites, 2 acceptances, 2 scholarships
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*Cycle Timeline*
If youre looking for dates specific to each school, itd probably be easier to check out the school in the list below this timeline.
11/08 - Started working on PS
12/01 - Started studying full time for MCAT
01/20 - MCAT Taken
01/31 - Started collecting LORs
02/26 - HPAC Committee opens for submission
03/03 - Submitted all required forms for Schools Committee Letter
03/08 - HPAC File Complete with LORs
03/10 - Started pre-writing Work/Activities for TMDSAS/AMCAS
03/26 - HPAC Evaluation Results come out, got a 5/5 :)
05/01 - TMDSAS Opens / MCAT Score Released to TMDSAS
05/02 - AMCAS Opens / Transcripts Sent and received without Spring grades
05/04 - TMDSAS Receives Committee Letter
05/14 - Spring Grades Finalized, Transcripts sent to TMDSAS and TMDSAS Submitted
05/15 - TMDSAS Receives Transcript
05/16 - TMDSAS transmitted to schools, complete at McGovern/UTMB/UTSA
05/17 - Texas Tech PLFSOM Secondary Received
05/19 - Texas Tech PLFSOM Secondary Submitted, complete at TT PLFSOM
05/21 - UTSA Long SOM application received, All LORs received for AMCAS
05/24 - UTSW application received, Texas A&M Secondary Submitted
05/29 - UTSW Secondary Submitted, Complete (FINALLY, whoo those were long)
05/31 - AMCAS Submitted 9:32 AM ET, Under Review at Texas A&M
06/03 - CASPer Taken and sent to TAMU, Michigan, UTMB, UTSA, TTU
06/04 - AMCAS Verified 8:40 AM ET, Yayyy
06/06 - McGovern Secondary Invite, Dell application received
06/07 - UTRGV Secondary Invite
06/08 - Added Texas Tech HSC at Lubbock to TMDSAS School List
06/09 - UTRGV Secondary Submitted
06/13 - TTHSC Lubbock Secondary Invite, Secondary Submitted
06/19 - McGovern Secondary Opens/Submitted
06/29 - Michigan Secondary Received/Submitted
06/30 - Columbia PS Secondary Received/Submitted, UTMB II!!! First one!
07/01 - Baylor Secondary Opens/Submitted
07/03 - Penn, Mt. Sinai, and NYU Secondaries Received/Submitted
07/05 - Northwestern Secondary Received/Submitted
07/06 - Pritzker Secondary Received/Submitted
07/09 - Duke / Hopkins Secondary Received. Hopkins SS. Probably taking L on Duke
07/13 - Texas Tech PLFSOM II!
07/16 - Mayo Secondary Received/Submitted
07/17 - Yale Secondary Received
07/19 - Yale Secondary Submitted, Harvard Secondary Received/Submitted
07/20 - UCLA/UCSF Secondaries both Received/Submitted
07/24 - BCM II!!!! YESSSSS EDIT: not even 15 min later NYU II!!!!
07/25 - WashU (added to AMCAS 7/24) Secondary Received/Submitted
07/30 - Texas A&M II!!
08/01 - UT Southwestern II!!!
08/02 - Texas Tech Lubbock II!! TT El Paso interview attended
08/03 - McGovern II!!!!!!!! Relieved to have a chance at all 3 schools near home
08/09 - Texas A&M attended, complete at Johns Hopkins
08/10 - UTMB attended, placed on pre-II HOLD at Mayo :(
08/13 - Submitted TAMU EnMed Supplemental app
08/16 - Added Stanford to Primary
08/17 - Stanford Secondary Received
08/21 - First Rejection from Pritzker
08/24 - Baylor Interview attended
08/31 - McGovern Interview attended
09/07 - Rejection UCSF
10/11 - UTSA II!!! Finally an end to the silence!
10/13 - UTSW Interview attended
10/24 - Rejection Mayo MN
10/26 - UTSA Interview attended
11/06 - NYU Post Interview Hold/Continued Review
11/12 - Rejection Stanford
11/15 - PREMATCH MCGOVERN 8:38 AM!!! FIRST ACCEPTANCE Lubbock too
12/04 - Scholarship to TT Lubbock!
12/12 - Rejection Hopkins
12/14 - Submitted tertiary for NYU 3 year MD program
12/17 - Northwestern II!!! A very nice surprise during the holidays
01/18 - Ranks lists due, after a lot of deliberation, ranking UTSW #1 and McGovern #2
01/22 - NU Interview attended
01/25 - Rejection NYU Post II, wow, what a cycle. Glad to finally have a decision!
01/31 - Rejection Michigan
02/01 - MATCH DAY! Matched to ---- MCGOVERN MEDICAL SCHOOL :D
02/05 - Rejection Mt. Sinai
02/11 - Rejection Penn
02/12 - Rejection WashU
02/15 - UTSW Alternate List 10:01 AM
04/03 - Northwestern Alternate List 9:03 AM
04/12 - Scholarship to McGovern!! :D
04/19 - Withdrew from Northwestern WL
05/01 - Waitlist BCM 4:06 PM
05/15 - Closure, at last, 366 days later. Going to McGovern! :D
*Cycle Finances*
AMCAS Primary Application: $833 (17 Schools)
TMDSAS Primary Application: $165 (9 schools)
Transcript Fees: $50 (4 Transcripts: 1 Filling Application, 1 TMDAS, 1 AMCAS, 1 HPAC)
Letter Fees: $25 (HPAC Committee Letter) + $50 (Interfolio Dossier)
Secondary Application Fees: $1580 (AMCAS) + $290 (TMDSAS)
MCAT Registration and Prep $315 (Registration) + $276.39 (AAMC Materials) +$136.92 (Kaplan Books)
CASPer Registration and Prep $30 (Registration) + $50 (5 schools)
Interviews (10 interviews)
Flights: $1478 (4 flights)
Hotels: $904 (5 hotels)
Transportation: $310
Attire: $500 (suit, tailoring, dry-cleaning
TOTAL: $6993
Summary: Some fo my costs were definitely above average for a few reasons. I opted not to use student hosts and a few places that were over 10 hours driving. I also had to choose hotels that allowed under 21 check-ins. Additionally, the lack of proper planning made NYU cost an insane amount. Had a couple of mishaps in El Paso because of the under 21 check-in issue that cost me a bunch there as well. However, I did keep MCAT costs and school lists reasonable, so I think its fair to say the average app cycle will cost around 6-7k
KEY FOR THE ABBREVIATIONS:
SR = secondary received
SS = secondary submitted
C = complete (secondary received + LORs received)
II = interview invite
IA = interview attended
WL = waitlisted
A = accepted
W = withdrew
R = rejected
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FULL SCHOOL LIST (with MSAR stats of my cycle)
Yale School of Medicine 3.88, 521
SR: 7/17/18
SS: 7/19/18
C: 7/19/18
R:
Overall Thoughts: This place would be such a dream.
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Harvard Medical School 3.92, 519
SR: 7/19/18
SS: 7/19/18
C: 7/20/18
R:
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New York University Langone School of Medicine 3.92, 521
SR: 7/3/18
SS: 7/3/18
C: 7/7/18
II: 7/24/18
H: 11/6/18
IA: 09/27/18
R: 01/25/19
Overall Thoughts: WOW! Not even half an hour after BCM invite. Crazy that NYU is ranked #3 right now (although artificially inflated). Amazed that I was invited so early on. Plus that 3 year MD would be right up my alley. Excited for my interview here!
Alright, first things first: I didnt love NYC all that much. It would not be a reason for or against choosing this school for me. I definitely felt a little imposter syndrome here, since everyone else interviewing was from like Harvard, Yale, Penn, Stanford, Michigan, Chicago, etc. They said decisions will come out on a rolling basis, but Dean said # of acceptances would be way down this year, so lets see what happens in Oct.
Update: Placed on Post Interview Hold, happy to have survived the axe, but not sure of what to think
Update: Lasted it out a long time, but finally caught that R.
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John Hopkins School of Medicine 3.94, 520
SR: 7/09/18
SS: 7/09/18
C: 8/09/18
R: 12/12/18
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University of Chicago The Pritzker School of Medicine 3.91, 520
SR: 7/06/18
SS: 7/06/18
C: 7/06/18
R: 8/21/18
Overall Thoughts: Was one of my top choices OOS. Worked really hard on the secondary, submitted day 1, had it read over by multiple people including some who got full tuition offers from this school. Thought mission fit was solid, stats were right there as well. Sad to be rejected but glad I got my decision quickly.
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Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine 3.91, 520
SR: 7/05/18
SS: 7/05/18
C: 7/07/18 (Holistic Review 07/11/18)
II: 12/17/18
IA: 01/22/19
A:
Overall Thoughts: Really enjoyed my interview day here. The group interview is just with one other student and the interviewer is a current student. Really relaxed and the admin is also super duper nice. The area around the school is dope, and overall the atmosphere seemed like a mix of UTSW and Baylor. They have a phenomenal match list with over 60% going T20 residencies. Wild huh. Was interested in the awesome MD/MBA here but 100k bruh for a one year MBA idk bout all that. Would love to get in here! Also said they try their very best to match scholarships so that money isnt an issue.
Update: 04/19/2019 Unfortunately, after my scholarship at McGovern, Feinberg really just wasnt financially feasible for me no matter what way I looked at it. The odds of getting a full tuition offer off the WL seemed super low, and I didnt know 100% if Id be willing to move away from Houston/SO/business/family just for prestige and to pay way more money. Decided to withdraw, and hopefully help out fellow applicants instead of just waiting to see if I got in just for the sake of it. :)
Sent update 1: 09/29/18
Sent update 2: 12/04/18
Sent update 3: 01/31/19
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Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania 3.88, 520
SR: 7/03/18
SS: 7/03/18
C: 7/03/18
R: 2/11/19
Overall Thoughts: Am I even qualified to apply here lol
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UCSF School of Medicine 3.85, 517
SR: 7/20/18 YAYYYY
SS: 7/20/18
C: 7/20/18
R: 9/07/18
Overall Thoughts: Did not feel a strong connection to this school. Nor was I likely to matriculate given the high cost of living + no merit tuition. Looking back, probably had no business applying here, so not surprised or hurt by the rejection. For reference, MedChances had predicted my odds here at like 2%, lowest of any school. They were right.
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UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine 3.85, 517
SR: 7/20/18
SS: 7/20/18
C: 7/21/18
R: 01/24/19
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Duke University School of Medicine 3.88, 519
SR: 7/09/18
SS: Haha lol thats funny
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Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons 3.87, 519
SR: 6/30/18
SS: 6/30/18
C: 7/12/18
R:
Overall Thoughts: Sent them an ITA request (see Mt. Sinai for the actual letter I sent) after NYU invite, didnt work.
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University of Michigan Medical School 3.88, 518
SR: 6/29/17
SS: 6/29/17
C: 7/13/17
R: 01/31/19
Overall Thoughts: Man, I really really thought I would get an interview here. Tried super hard on the secondary and before the application cycle even started I had read all Dean Gays guides and podcasts on how to be a successful applicant here. Even sent a lovely update/fit letter, but no invite lol. Its ok, I still love this school...maybe residency
My personal thoughts on what it takes to get in here as Texan, be one of the following:
Non-Trad (at least 1-2 gap years)
Research Beast (e.g multiple pubs)
Ivy-tier undergrad (HYPSM etc)
100% MCAT (98/99th probably wont cut it)
LGBTQ /URM (see demographics on MSAR)
In other words, if youre just a traditional high stat strong ECs applicant from public TX undergrad dont expect an II here. Aside from these categories above, I think they fill the rest of their class with Michiganders.
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Baylor College of Medicine 3.92, 518
SR: 7/1/18
SS: 7/1/18
C: 7/1/18
II: 7/24/18
IA: 8/24/18
A:
Overall Thoughts: Bruh. What can I say? Top choice right here, was SO HAPPY to be invited in the first round of IIs. If accepted, very high chance that I will matriculate here. <3
Interview Day here was relaxed, the whole place felt like a nice big family. Honestly my best interviews, both faculty that had taken the time to read my application very thoroughly. The first interviewer really stressed Why Baylor (which I had infinite reasons for). Really a humbling experience to speak to such awesome professors/physicians. Students were really relaxed, comfortable. true P/F no internal rankings in the preclinical. Anatomy traditional dissection 4 peeps per cadaver no sharing. Tour of the medical center is long, comprehensive, but also its impossible to see everything since the place is enormous. Baylor is the place to be for me, really hoping for some good news in November :)
Update 12/17/2019: Sent them a really serious letter of intent. Wrote extensively about a few updates and drove home my mission fit. Fingers crossed it comes to fruition.
Update 02/25/2019: After a few more months, and a couple more rounds of admission offers, I decided to send them an update on my activities and study abroad program. Restated my intent and provided reasons I would be an asset to the school. As it gets closer and closer to March I cant help but get more anxious.
Update 03/26/2019: Now that so many waves have gone by, I cant help but feel defeated, almost heartbroken. Its tough seeing all my friends on SDN whove been waiting with me get in slowly but myself sitting in silence. Really thought I was a perfect candidate for this school. Not sure how to feel. I know its not my metrics, its not my ECs, its not my race, its not my age, its not my undergrad, its not my SES, etc keeping me from getting the call. It has been over seven months since my interview, even the thought of getting a call feels like a fantasy. Still, theres a month and a half to go till May 15. Praying for a miracle.
Update 04/12/2019: Send a succinct, one paragraph letter of intent. Hoping to get in before the WL
Update 05/01/2019: Recieved the dreaded WL email. Hoping I can be one of the lucky few to get into their dream school. Glad theres only 2 weeks left, replied to the WL email with one, final, clear letter of intent. Please show me some love Baylor
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Mayo Clinic Medical School (MN) 3.91, 517
SR: 7/16/18
SS: 7/16/18
C: 7/17/18
H: 8/10/18
R: 10/24/18
Sadly was placed on hold on 8/10/18. I wonder if they are being even more selective because of the National Acceptance Report going away. They have a small class of only 50, and normally get a lot of their class from the waitlist, so they definitely have trouble capturing the top applicants. Not too disappointed, I hope I still have a shot here. EDIT: Guess not lol
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Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 3.87, 519
SR: 7/3/18
SS: 7/3/18
C: 7/6/18
R: 02/05/19
Overall Thoughts: Sent them an ITA request after NYU invite, didnt work. Heres the letter.
Dear Office of Admissions at Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai,
I am currently scheduled to be in the New York City area for another interview from September 26 to September 28. I understand that ISMMS can only interview a limited number of qualified applicants and that many of the early interview spots may be already filled. However, if I am fortunate enough to currently be under consideration for an interview at ISMMS, I would like to humbly request to schedule it near the aforementioned time frame. This would help avoid the cost of multiple flights to the area, as well as minimize time spent away from school. I realize that it might not be possible to accommodate this request, and if necessary, I would be more than happy to travel to ISMMS to interview at a later time. Thank you for your help and consideration.
Sincerely,
dodolol21
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Washington University at St. Louis School of Medicine 3.91, 521
SR: 7/25/18
SS: 7/25/18
C: 7/26/18
R: 02/12/19
Overall thoughts: I dont really fit the mission here, not expecting anything. Though, still surprised at no II. Seems like they literally send II to everyone who has the stats. Wonder if my age was a red flag or something.
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Stanford University School of Medicine 3.86, 519
SR: 8/17/18
SS: 8/27/18
C: 8/27/18
R: 11/12/18
Overall thoughts: Really didnt have much of a shot here. No particularly strong research, no ties to California, no prestigious undergrad, no gap years, no ultra stats. Not surprised by R.
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UT Southwestern Medical School 3.89, 516
SR: 5/01/18
SS: 5/29/18
C: 5/29/18
II: 08/01/18
IA: 10/13/18
WL: 02/15/19
Overall Thoughts: WOW! Ive always heard amazing things about UTSW, and people from Dallas talk about it the way we Houstonians talk about Baylor. Cant wait to interview here! This school has two interview invite categories: the first are auto interviews based on stats, and the second are offered after individual review if they dont meet the stat metrics for auto invite
Interview weekend is pretty fun, they serve a lot of good free food. UTSW is definitely my favorite of the TMDSAS schools, I love them about as equally as I love UTMB. I vibed with the students pretty well at both schools, maybe just slightly more at UTSW. Theres no gunner culture, everyone is high-goaled though. Most students I talked to were interested in things like ortho, nuerosurg, other surgical subs and were already getting started in research. Obviously, Parkland is a great place to a train and its fresh and brand new so thats awesome. True P/F, gotta love that stuff man. Another thing I really appreciated at this school is that you get to talk with MS1, 2s, 3s, and 4s who can give a complete perspective. Most schools you just see the M1s. Overall, I see why people love this school, its awesome.
Update: Sadly no prematch on Nov 15. Lets see if Im still in the game
Update: Sadly no prematch on Dec 14. A little dismayed, idk how I will rank the schools.
Update: Alternate List on Feb 15. Let the waiting begin
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UT Austin, Dell Medical School 3.83, 514
SR: Never lol
Overall Thoughts: Honestly disappointed that I havent received a secondary. Really made me feel like I had some red flag on my application since I didnt make it through their holistic screen. I thought the high stats + large community service focus + decent research would have made them want me. I also dont know anyone IRL that has gotten it either with similar stats to myself, but SDN has reported a ton with a similar/higher/lower LizzyMs. Weird.
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UT McGovern Medical School 3.84, 513
SR: 6/06/18
SS: 6/19/18
C: 6/19/18
II: 08/03/18
IA: 08/31/18
A: 11/15/18
Overall Thoughts: Probably #1 choice on TMDSAS. Was extremely worried when I missed out on the first round of IIs since I submitted the secondary on day 1 and am a local Houstonian. Relieved to have a chance at all 3 schools in Houston. Despite the prestige difference, I think location might put McGovern over UTSW for me. Interviews will tell. For now, both Lubbock and McGovern have proved to me that the process of receiving IIs can be very random, and definitely not in perfect order of completion.
Going into this interview, I was pretty excited about the school. It is definitely a great place to train, make great connections and be productive in research due to its location in the Texas Medical Center. However, while before I thought that I would rank this highest on TMDSAS, Im not so sure anymore. The students here were pretty chill, but it felt to me like the students here arent so focused on academic medicine/research. They had about 15% of the class match top institutions for residency. Overall, I liked the school but didnt love it like I thought I would. Maybe it felt a little underwhelming since I had BCM the week prior, who knows. Either way, felt like I vibed better with the students at BCM and UTMB; felt a little out of place here for some reason.
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Texas A&M HSC, College of Medicine 3.80, 512
SR: 5/01/18
SS: 5/24/18
C: 5/24/18
II: 7/30/18
W: 02/01/19
Overall Thoughts: Im sincerely hoping that this II means that my CASPer went okay since this is the only school on my list that had used the test in a prior cycle. One potential con to the school is that the STEP I scores are just about average at around 227. TAMU is close to home so I would not mind going here, especially with the option to do the last 2.5 years in Houston. Also, they just updated their website and it looks wayy prettier.
I was REALLY impressed by the campus. Also, I actually really loved the open land type environment that the school was in. Other people might like big cities, but I enjoy places with no traffic, blue skies, green grass, and dark roads. The school was super welcoming, and EnMed also sounds awesome. I may be limited there due to my basic science research/bio major there though. This is another realistic option for me that is close to home. Downsides are the first two years are H/P/F and students are ranked.
Withdrew via Match
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UT Long School of Medicine at San Antonio 3.85, 513
SR: N/A
SS: N/A
C: 5/16/18
II: 10/12/18
IA: 10/26/18
W: 02/01/19
Overall Thoughts: Man I really dont know what went wrong here. Sent them an update letter around Oct 2nd.
Got an Interview!!! Didnt think it would happen, but maybe the update letter helped! Either way, excited to see UTSA, Ive heard really good things about the vibe of the school and the atmosphere overall.
Withdrew via Match
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UT Medical Branch at Galveston 3.92, 511
SR: N/A
SS: N/A
C: 5/16/18
II: 6/30/18
IA: 08/10/18
W: 02/01/19
Overall Thoughts: Super stoked that this was my first II! Have great friends and mentors that went here, and while its not a top 20, I really think its a great, flexible, well-respected school that pumps out killer STEP I scores. Also pretty close to home, so would definitely not mind going here! really hope I can pre-match here.
Super chill interviews, the students seem happy, chill, relaxed. The faculty were all pretty laid back as well. This really is just a straightforward school with a tried and true curriculum that produces good doctors and matches to people to their choice of residency. My first interview was closed file and the interviewer just wanted to hear about me as a person and my non-academic activities. The second was a foreign MD Ph.D. who had me elaborate on my application line by line lol, (how did you get X scholarship, how did you get Y scholarship/award) she didnt speak great English, but that interview was pretty simple and she seemed pleasant. I really hope I pre-match here :)
Update: Would have loved to prematch here, but I think ultimately McGovern might be a better fit for me.
Withdrew via Match
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Texas Tech HSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at El Paso 3.82, 509
SR: 5/17/18
SS: 5/19/18
C: 5/19/18
II: 7/13/18
IA: 8/03/18
W: 12/18/18
Overall Thoughts: This is going to be my first interview for med school ever. Pretty excited! Im not sure how I feel about the school yet since Ive had pretty minimal exposure. I know this would be a great place to pick up on a lot of medical Spanish. Hopefully, the interview will provide more insight.
Dang, idk where to start. What a day my first ever med school interview was. Talk by the Dean, followed by a tour of the med school. They didnt take us to the hospitals though. Saw the simulation lab, gym (only one power rack, for yall that care, so not that big). anatomy lab. They dont do dissection here. Instead, all students go through pre-dissected cadavers BUT if you want you to have the option to do a distinction in anatomy thing where you get your own cadaver and dissect for 100 hours (6 weeks) between M1/M2. Interviews were super chill, like actually conversational and both had thoroughly read my application beforehand. It seemed like they were trying really hard to sell El Paso as a place to live. The end presentation by the Dean took a weird turn though as he said they are looking to produce 1) physicians but 2) HIGH Board scores cuz thats all Residency PDs want. Overall, the school was better than I thought it would be. El Paso as a town was okay, most people I met were quite nice and the small town feel is real. Oh yeah, and core curriculum is P/F
Withdrew
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Texas Tech HSC at Lubbock 3.81, 510
SR: 06/13/18
SS: 06/13/18
C: 06/13/18
II: 08/02/18
IA: 08/17/18
A: 11/15/18
S: 12/04/18
W: 02/01/19
Overall Thoughts: Wow, was not expecting to get an II here after seeing many people with lower stats, later submissions, etc get IIs. Thought for sure I had gotten passed up!
Man, I got grilled really hard by my first interviewer here. Until now, my interviews had all been really smooth and conversational, this was a major wake up call. She cut me off in the middle of my why medicine response and asked me about my research in depth. How do you purify your proteins? How does His-tag purification work? What is the resin of the column made of? How do you elute the protein? Why does Imidazole force the protein to elute? The entire time, she wouldnt even look at me and turned herself away and looked at her computer the whole time. It also didnt help that she had a thick accent and her questions were all very vague, so it wasnt clear what she was asking. Fortunately, my second interview went very smoothly. As for the school, they are H/HP/P/F, and ranked. Nothing fancy in their facilities. The interview didnt affect how I plan on ranking the school. Not expecting a prematch here.
Update: What do you know, prematch
Update 2: Scholarship!? This process is nonsensical
Withdrew via Match
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UT Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine 3.63, 508
SR: 6/07/18
SS: 6/09/18
C: 6/09/18
W: 11/15/18
Overall Thoughts: Wasnt sure if I should apply here, but did so anyways because I heard some Texas schools discriminate if you dont apply to all the Texas MD schools. No sign of my video even being viewed yet, despite a very early complete date, so I think UTRGV might be practicing yield protection. Fair enough since they have a small class size and are probably very selective.
Withdrew after prematch
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