Application Cycle One: 2005

• Undergraduate college: University of Southern California
• Undergraduate Area of study: Biological/Life Sciences

• Institution: University of Southern California
• Area of Study: History/Humanities
• Degree Obtained: Minor

• Total MCAT SCORE: 524
• MCAT Section Scores: B/B 130, C/P 132, CARS 132   Detailed Breakdown
• Overall GPA: 3.74
• Science GPA: 3.70

Summary of Application Experience

I feel like I've gained the valuable ability to write 250 word (or 1000 character) essays that are simultaneously full of meaning and meaningless.

Now to play the waiting game...

Interview at UMich: 10/14
I really like this school, the administrators/faculty/students seemed open and friendly while the school overall has a great program.

Interview at Cornell: 11/3
Interview at NYU: 11/4

Interview at Pitt: 12/16

10/28
So UCSD has a one month deadline starting from when you get their secondary...and I'm like, 2 weeks past that and apparently a 'final decision letter' was mailed a few days ago...so I probably got rejected pre-secondary even though I got a secondary =(

Fortunately I checked this up before I emailed them my $60 check. Hah.

11/7
UCSD sent a very specific rejection letter, something along the lines of 'as you did not see fit to complete the secondary within the 30-day time limit, we do not see fit to consider your application further' pretty harsh *wince* ah well

Pritzker emailed me an interview offer and Washington St. Louis mailed me the offer. I think they're very paper-oriented, I've gotten lots of stuff in the mail from them. Mount Sinai offered me an interview a while ago but I think I'll withdraw, I'm not going to fly to NY again!

11/13
So Baylor offered me an interview for 12/2 a while ago...and I'm still not sure if I should go. It's right before my finals start, and I'm already leaving during finals for Wash U. Hm...

11/15
Duke offered me an interview! Their interview day sounds intense, it ends at 3:30 0_o with all the interviews at the end of the day rather than the beginning.

I think that's a better idea--you can talk about the school during your interviews with a bigger picture of what life is like there.

11/21
I am the luckiest girl in all the land...I discovered that I scheduled my Wash U St. Louis interview on the day of my Spanish final, so I called admissions and asked for a re-schedule...The adcom officer who answered didn't sound too pleased with me, and I thought for sure a rejection email was promptly coming my way...and today I got my new interview date! I'm so happy, I really want to visit this school. I feel bad for making them do extra work =(

11/22
Withdrew UPitt.

12/10
I got an interview offer from Dartmouth, I will be withdrawing that. I scheduled my Duke interview for February, and I'm going the same day as my sister! It's fun to have a sibling going through the same steps as you.


3/4
Withdrew from NYU, got a $25k scholarship from USC. Acceptance from Duke. Soon it will be all over...

3/31
Hello from Durham! At Duke second look now. Just got an email from UM offering 25K/year scholarship...