<p>I thought you were a mother all along. o.o</p>
<p>Jeebus. I’m 6’3". I weigh 250+ lbs… I live on ranch…I ride a 700 lb. dirt-bike. aaah…nevermind. If it helps anybody to think of me as a woman, feel free to do so. I’m pretty secure. Or at least I was. ;)</p>
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<p>Thanks, norcalguy.</p>
<p>My DD was very different than Curm’s DD. She only had a 29 and with LDs did not feel retaking it would necessarily be helpful. With below average numbers she simply had to make every effort to shine out from the crowd on personality.</p>
<p>DD entered Berkeley undecided, though knew she enjoyed bio. She did her pre-reqs on the toughest track possible to ensure she could choose any major and work towards one of her many interests- maybe a doctor, maybe a PT, perhaps a HS teacher, maybe a coach, hey, what about staying playing her sport, all sorts of ideas and options to consider. DD was not driven to be a doctor, she was more skeptical and was considering it as one option that deserved a full investigation before committing or deleting it from her list.</p>
<p>DD did absolutely no research in UG. But she did seek and accept a full time research assistant job in a university lab for her “gap year” She should be cited on several papers and is doing a podium presentation at a conference etc. DD did not think research would be her thing, but felt it would be smart to really consider it prior to med school. She is a kinesthetic learner and prefers to try things herself before deciding what is right for her, but she was right, academic research is not where she wants to head.</p>
<p>DD joined a sorority, played on a sport team (got All American :D); studied abroad, and explored. As a junior she chose bio as her major, but was still not sure if medicine was for her; got a couple of volunteer health related internships in the local community. DD took summer after junior year to volunteer at a hospital both escorting patients and also working in geriatric rehab with the actual patient. She shadowed a local surgeon, got to dislocate some one’s shoulder pre-surgery and working with the surgeon was very helpful. Studied for and took the MCAT. She was still not sure.</p>
<p>Senior year she took all upper div bio and for her it was anatomy class that made her certain, it sounds like a cliche, but handling all the body parts enabled her to confirm that medicine is what she wants. It is cliche, though, so her PS was more complex than that, but I can still recall the phone call- “Momma, I held some one’s tongue & digestive system, it is amazing” and that we her “for sure” moment. A senior year filled with senior & even grad level courses, several with the same prof both terms, famous & gifted profs, small classes, etc further confirmed her choice.</p>
<p>DD is a kid who may not put of the standardized numbers on timed tests, but she has a genuine curiosity and drive and gets amazing letters (I was allowed to read some of her HS ones and they were really great) She connects well with profs when the class is small enough and participates when classes are huge. </p>
<p>It is difficult to put into words, but many of the internships and volunteer positions and shadowing projects were not done to look good on a resume, but to prove to herself what she wanted to do. Some how, that sincerity comes through both in her apps & in her LORs. </p>
<p>A 29 & 10 interview invites is amazing. Getting into a top 10 state school (though ratings are just so weird anyway) with a 29 in the early fall time was not an average result.</p>
<p>She believes her LORs must be outstanding and having 2 of the profs for both a fall & spring course helped. One of those LOR writers also recommended her for the research job she has now. So, despite average applicant numbers, she worked hard on the package to have her personality shine through. Because DD withdrew everywhere once she got into UW, we don’t know what the results would have been, but she had interviews at UAZ (OOS) and 2 TX schools (OOS) plus VA & PA & DC schools.</p>
<p>A 29 was very concerning, that was below UWs average. I know that it is the average score for some state schools, but not for us and there is just no reason to think you will be the one who gets in with below average numbers. Any time you begin to feel confident just read a few threads on SDN!!</p>
<p>DD decided to make her app completely reflect her personality, she never wrote what she thought they expected, but rather sought ways to answer the questions that would show her true personality. If you are going to be denied, have no regrets that you did not show yourself.</p>
<p>Somemom - what a great tribute to your daughter! She sounds like a very determined young lady. I enjoyed reading about her progress in the application and acceptance process in last year’s thread and it was very interesting to read more detail about her background in this last post. I knew that she didn’t decide on medicine until late but it was very interesting to read the path she took to get there. I have no doubt that she will be an outstanding physician. Thanks for sharing!</p>
<p>It’s all about paying it forward. If I had posted my DDs profile on SDN, she probably would have been advised to seek DO options, especially given her state of residence. I learned a great deal on SDN that allowed DD to make the most of her opportunities- apply early, broadly, et, but would have been discouraged by much of what I read had it not been for a bigger picture viewpoint. I want to encourage other “merely average” applicants that there is a chance.</p>
<p>DD got some seriously cookie cutter advice and that would not have worked for her, she wasn’t going to get in by being just another usual app; she needed to pursue her passions and needed that to show.</p>
<p>DD applied to over 30 schools because she knew how random the selection could be. She really wanted to stay west of the Mississippi and we knew how selective all those midwest schools were for OOS, she applied virtually anywhere (not UCs or Stanford) you could imagine in the west and there were many schools which were in her range (Creighton, St Louis U, etc) who did not invite her, to our surprise. There were also many screened secondaries she did receive, but still not many interviews in the middle of the country, just Texas.</p>
<p>^^^ Very valuable info Somemom, thanks. Is your D attending the University of Washington?</p>
<p>Somemom, I really appreciate your sharing of your D’s journey. It is very inspiring to read the above two posts. Her life story is especially inspiring for those students who are unable to choose their career paths early on. This proves that there are successful premeds who do not know they want to be a doctor in high school or middle school.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>DD did feel a little behind the curve when her need to schedule an August MCAT meant delaying applications by another year, but the gap year was a brilliant move on her part. She had senior year to perfect her application, there is no way she would have had the relationships to gain the proper LORs a year sooner. </p>
<p>And the year off has given her a time to take a bit of a mental break, she will enter med school refreshed, having only worked, no homework 
She also learned a lot about making friends in a new town not being in a group of students and many people she met were not academically driven…after a month or two in her town she looked back at her Berkeley cohort with a new vision. She (and most CCers) had always been driven educationally; in her new setting people were just living for the day, not educated and had no interest. She found herself very excited to get back to academia. Given how intense med school will be, that is a good place to be, mentally, as one begins ;)</p>
<p>Yes, U Dub was her top choice and she is thrilled.</p>
<p>What comes accross as “strong” points in application is to be personally interested in whatever pursuit you choose, do not try to tailor your activities / application to somebody else’s. I am sure that everybody’s “bag of goods” is different from others. My own D. goes where her heart leads her and she was told by her pre-med advisor that her “bag” is fine and deserves the best rec. letters. We have to see what outcome will be. She is not too attached to any school. She went in-state for UG and it worked just fine for her. So, in-state Med. school will do. Those who took MCAT around May 22, please, let us know when results are out there. I know official date is June 22.</p>
<p>Yeah, the application was submitted yesterday after another series of questions/battles. DS decided he was going to apply MD/PHD only at Case where he’s doing research. So of course after including Case on his list of schools and then adding the MD/PHD choice he’s immediately sent to insert two additional essays. So, we took that off from schools applying to and submitted the rest of the application. He’ll have to get those essays written and then put Case back on the list. Apparently if you are undergrad at Case you are guaranteed at least an interview and he did NOT apply there the first time so even though his stats are low there is a tiny chance of admission (assuming he gets the paperwork done).</p>
<p>So new LOR question. He has two up at Interfolio that he has asked to transfer to AMCAS (1 science and 1 non). He is expecting an LOR from the premed advisor who also was the instructor for two of his classes but we have not idea when (she told him she would let him know when she got to his). He was planning on getting an LOR from his research PI. As an applicant MD/PHD that one would probably help but the question is should he submit for his regular application? It’s possible he would emphasize MD/PHD too much. Would it look odd not to have a reference from the PI? Thoughts?</p>
<p>MiamiDAP, I can tell you that for earlier MCAT’s the date the results are available is no earlier than the date promised and could be a day or two later.</p>
<p>^Thanks! Will keep in mind. Then 2 weeks.</p>
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If substantial research was listed on the app it would look odd NOT to have a LOR from the PI IMO. And yes, it would be a great idea to have one for MD only programs, especially for the research oriented med schools. Most PI’s will know how to tailor a LOR to MD program apps. IMO it could speak to/highlight academic prowess that doesn’t jump out from the hard stats.</p>
<p>If your college has a premed committee which will send out a package for you, do you still need to use Interfolio?</p>
<p>I am really very ignorant here. I do not know what services Interfolio will provide to the medical school applicants. Is Interfolio like College Board’s IDOC which college applicants may use during the college application cycle? (Of course, IDOC is exclusively for the FA purpose but Interfolio is not.)</p>
<p>BTW, regarding MD/PhD applicants, I heard that for the (undergraduate) class of 2008, there are 19 applicants from DS’s school. Somehow their success rate is higher than that of MD-only applicants from the same school. (18 out of 19 were admitted somewhere.) I would guess most of them are relatively “strong” applicants. Is my guess right?</p>
<p>My DDs school would collect all the letters, so for all of spring term she could bug her profs and track them at her school collection site. They charged $25 per packet sent out so once they were all turned in, she paid once and sent that packet to Interfolio. From Interfolio she could send them one at a time or en masse. Some schools wanted letters apart from AAMCAS. Interfolio people were very helpful and responsive; part of the TXapp involved Interfolio and somehow they helped DD merge the two accounts she had and even refunded the fee from the duplicate.</p>
<p>Thanks, somemom.
It appears TXapp has changed it again for this application cycle, before I have a chance to learn what Interfolio is. Change is the constant in Today’s world 
The following is originally from a web page published by Interfolio. Confusing!</p>
<p>"Update About Your TMDSAS/Interfolio Account</p>
<p>The Texas Medical and Dental School Application Service (TMDSAS) application for last year’s (entry year 2010) application cycle was hosted by Interfolio, Inc. Beginning with the entry year 2011 application cycle, the TMDSAS application will no longer be hosted by Interfolio.</p>
<p>What if you want to apply to TMDSAS again?
For information on how to submit an entry year 2011 application to the Texas Medical and Dental School Application service, please visit [TMDSAS[/url</a>]. The application for entry year 2011 will be available Monday, May 3rd at 8:00 am CST.</p>
<p>What happens to the data that I entered into the entry year 2010 TMDSAS application?
The data that you entered into last year’s application will be available at <a href=“https://tmdsas.interfolio.com%5B/url%5D”>https://tmdsas.interfolio.com](<a href=“http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/]TMDSAS[/url”>TMDSAS Homepage)</a> until September 30, 2010. Please note, this data will not transfer to the new TMDSAS application system. If re-applying, you will need to begin a new application for entry year 2011.</p>
<p>What happens to the supporting documents that I sent as part of the entry year 2010 TMDSAS application?
As part of your application process last year, an Interfolio credentials management account was created for you and the documents that were uploaded into the TMDSAS application were saved in your Interfolio account. Interfolio is an online credentials management service that offers individuals one central place to store and distribute their most important documents.</p>
<p>This has no bearing on your current TMDSAS application. If you plan to re-apply this year, you will need to access the TMDSAS website.</p>
<p>What do I do with my Interfolio account?</p>
<p>You may do nothing and allow your Interfolio account to expire, but you will lose access to your documents. Or, you can renew your account and retain access to your documents. Annual account fees begin at $19/year.</p>
<p>As stated above, Interfolio will not host the TMDSAS application for the 2011 application cycle; however, if you renew your Interfolio account, you may add your updated/new documents for the 2011 application to your Interfolio account and then request that they be submitted to TMDSAS through the Interfolio service. Electronic deliveries start at $4.00 per document. If preferred, you may send your documents directly to TMDSAS."</p>
<p>I can say that Interfolio seems to be very efficient and not very expensive. The two letters which DS asked to go from Interfolio to AMCAS were received in under 2 days from the request date and cost $4.</p>
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<p>I apologize here if I look very slow here. If your college has a premed committee, I really do not see the benefit of having your LORs, etc., to go from the premed committee to Interfolio and then to AMCAS. Granted, a private company may be more efficient and reliable than the premed committee at most colleges. But if the premed committee fails to send out your packet in a timely manner, Interfolio, which receives your packet from the premed committee, still can not make the process faster. I am still confused so please enlighten me.</p>
<p>Do most applicants, even those from a college which has the premed committee, still use the services provided by Interfolio? Please note that I am not particularly concerned about its tiny cost.</p>
<p>My DD used interfolio despite Berkeley’s collection service because it was $25 per mailing from Berkeley. DD applied broadly, including several schools that needed letters directly, any one of those would have been the equivalent to 6 packets from Interfolio.</p>
<p>Also, she had Cal send one big packet for $25 and somehow Interfolio could leave them all as one $4 packet, but I think for something special (maybe a scholarship app?) she was able to request they send only certain letters. Sorry, like childbirth, the miserable details are fading!!</p>
<p>With 30+ schools plus 4 college transcripts, we were worried about every single tiny cost, so it may depend on one’s perspective.</p>