BS/MD Results - Class of 2019

GPA: 3.99 (UW), 4.24 (W) at the time of application

Class Rank: 4/484

ACT: 36 (34 Math, 36 all else; 8/12 Essay)
SAT: 1550 (750 RW; 800 M; 15/24 Essay (6 Reading 4 Analysis 5 Writing)

SAT Subject Tests:
Chinese w/ Listening: 800
Math 2: 770
Bio: 770
World History: 760
Math 1: 750
Chemistry: 740

AP’s (at time of application)

AP World History: 5
AP Calculus AB: 5
AP Calculus BC: 5
AP Lang: 5
AP US History: 5
AP Human Geography: 5
AP Biology: 4
AP Chemistry: 4

Currently taking: AP CSA, AP US Government, AP Physics C (Mech & E/M), AP Statistics, AP Literature

Teacher / Counselor Recs: I saw one teacher rec and the counselor rec and honestly, I don’t think they’re too strong… very obviously seemed to follow a generic template and had information from my resume quite awkwardly squeezed in there. If I could redo, I wouldn’t give them my full resume because 80% of what they put in the recommendation was from my resume which had activities that I put in my Common App so it seemed like a waste/repetition.

State: WA
Gender: F
Ethnicity: Asian
Income: >200k
Hooks: Used my experience of moving across the country several times to exemplify several of my best character qualities; also provided a good talking point during the interview

Awards:

  • National Merit Semifinalist
  • National AP Scholar

Major ECs:

  • Key Club (Secretary + Community Liaison)
  • Knowledge Bowl (ASB Representative)
  • Varsity Swim + Club Swim

Other:

  • Boeing Internship in Business

Community Service:

  • Local hospital volunteer
  • Food bank
  • Blood bank (just a little)
  • Camp for children with disabilities
  • Key Club service events

Medically related activities:

  • Physician Shadowing
  • Lab volunteer and later, research
  • Hospital volunteer (1 yr; >200 hrs)

Mentoring/ Teaching:
Peer Tutoring: Tutor other students at school in the subjects of Chemistry and Calculus AB.

Applied to the following BS/MD Programs:

  1. Union College/Albany Medical College: interview - ACCEPTED
  2. Drew/NJMS: skype interview for undergrad (NJMS feeder schools have 2 interviews), forwarded to NJMS
  3. Stevens Institute of Tech/NJMS: skype interview for undergrad, haven’t heard back yet
  4. Drexel: interview invite - decline interview
  5. Penn State/Jefferson: rejected pre-interview
  6. Baylor: rejected pre-interview
  7. Boston U: no communication, so rejected pre-interview
  8. U Pittsburgh: rejected pre-interview
  9. U Rochester: rejected pre-interview
  10. Hofstra: received supplemental - no communication yet, so probably rejected pre-interview
  11. Case Western Reserve U: rejected pre-interview
  12. George Washington U: rejected pre-interview

Applied to the following Undergraduate:

  1. University of Washington: –
  2. University of NC Chapel Hill: ACCEPTED OOS
  3. UC Berkeley: –
  4. Rice: –

Decision: Union/AMC
Scholarship: $20k/yr @ Union

Reflection: I realize that my list isn’t quite complete as I am still waiting for several UG schools and for interview invites from NJMS, but since I am so fortunate to be accepted to Union/AMC this early and it’s my top choice program, there’s no need for me to interview or wait for any other programs/schools. Throughout the application and interview process, just don’t get discouraged! It’s a loooong process (4-6 months) but remember that all you need is ONE acceptance. Plus, even if it ultimately doesn’t work out, I strongly believe that all who apply for BS/MD programs and/or receive interviews are well-qualified to succeed in the traditional route as well, so as long as you’re set on the path of becoming a physician, you will find a way to get there, regardless of any obstacles.

Things I would’ve done differently:

  1. Start earlier. I know every single person who has applied to college says this, and I heard this advice many times, yet I still ended up starting in mid-August, which led to a ton of stress later on. Just start early and don’t think that you’ll have enough time once school starts because chances are, you’ll be overwhelmed.
  2. Call schools to confirm if you’re unsure if they want official SAT/ACT score reports. I sent my official report to every school because I thought that every BSMD program required the official ones, but there are some that do not require it. I probably could have saved at least a couple hundred dollars if I called to make sure.

I’d be happy to help if anyone has questions now or in the future, please reach out!

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