*** BS/MD Results For Class Of 2016***

[hell01134]

Wanted to post because College Confidential has kept me sane during this crazy process!

GPA: ~96/100 (UW) (school doesn’t weight)

Class Rank: 1/80 (school stopped ranking a couple years ago, but that’s where I was when we stopped)

ACT: 35
Subscores: English (35), Math (34), Reading (34), Science (35), writing (8)

SAT Subject Tests:
Didn’t send

AP’s (at time of application)
U.S. History - 5
Physics - 2 (didn’t send)

Senior AP’s: Biology, Calc AB, Literature & Composition

Teacher Recs:
11th Grade Physics Teacher
My physics teacher knew me as a student and a person, which is why I asked her.
11th Grade English Teacher
I wanted to ask a non math/science teacher, and we had a lot of discussions in this class, so I felt she knew me well as a person.

Major ECs:

• Varsity and Club Soccer: captain
• Varsity Track & Field
• Student Council: president (11-12)
• National Honors Society
  -lots of music classes
  -work expierence

Community Service:

• Local science center presenter
• Cancer non-profit organization

Medically related activities:
Limited!

Applied to the following BS/MD Programs:

1. Penn State - interview - accepted

Applied to the following undergraduate:

1. Accepted: Cornell (Human Ecology), Boston College (Business School), St. Lawerence, Scranton, Hobart William Smith
2. Rejected: Swarthmore, Dartmouth

DECISION: PSU/Jeff Premedical-Medical Program!

Reflection:
I come from a small school, in a small town where people have no idea what a BS/MD program is. I only found out about them at the end of my junior year and didn’t really consider applying. I thought there was NO way I would get in, but luckily my mom urged me to, so my first advice is to listen to your parents! Also don’t be afraid of applying!
Also I only applied to one program, as by the time I was really interested in the program, most due dates for applications had past. So starting early is a good thing as well. I’m glad I applied to other schools and majors (like business) because as the year went on I realized that the only application decision I cared about was penn state’s. It made me more sure of my decision in the end.
For the interview advice, mine is to be yourself! One of my strengths is interviews, and that’s due to me loving who I am and the activities I do. Talk about what you love, and they will see your drive. If they don’t get you, you’re not right for their school/program. Some of my interviews for regular undergrad did not go as well, and that’s because I really wasn’t right for that school, regardless of whether I was accepted or not.
As for interview notification for penn state, I was freaking out after the first person was notified. Mine didn’t come until about January 6, so be patient and don’t drive yourself crazy!
As for choosing PMM over an Ivy (Cornell), the decision came from really thinking whether or not I wanted to be a doctor, because if I truly did, then my choice was simple, I wasn’t about to give up my med school seat! My brother goes to Cornell and he’s one of thousands, versus I’m going to be one of 20-30 in the PMM class, and that extra attention is invaluable. Another reason is that Sidney Kimmel Medical College (Jefferson) was amazing and I fell in love. If I went to Cornell, SKMC might still be my number one choice for Medical School, and it is much harder to get in through the traditional route.
Lastly I just want to say that what’s meant to be will be. I was a mess over college applications and had no idea where I wanted to go. Then everything just came together and I could not be happier (or luckier!) with my decision.
Sorry my reflection was long, I was surprised with how much I had to say! Good luck to everyone in future years!

[GoHuskies2020]

GPA: 3.97 (Unwtd), 4.10 wtd

Class Rank: N/A; Estimated top 5% out of 350.

SAT: 2390 (800M 800 CR, 790 W) - one sitting
ACT: None

SAT Subject Tests Submitted:
Bio-E: 800
Math 2: 800

AP’s (at time of application)
U.S. History - 5
World History- 5
Language & Composition - 5
Physics 1 - 4

Senior AP’s: Biology, Chinese, Calc AB, Literature & Composition, Psychology, Macroeconomics

Teacher Recs: AP US History teacher (likely excellent). Spanish teacher (likely excellent), Physics teacher (good, but not great), one from Youth Pastor (very good- but only required for 1-2 applications). Counselor rec was probably “very good."

Essays: Call them 7.5 on 1-10 scale. By the end, got tired of customizing them all.

State: NY
Gender: F
Ethnicity: Asian
Income: >100K.
Hooks: Not much. Studied two foreign languages in HS.

Major ECs:

• Asian American Culture Club: 4 years, Officer/Co-President 2 years.
• Women’s Choir 2 years
• Piano (10 years, no major awards), Violin 9 years (no major awards)
• Church Youth Group Committee Member and Praise team leader (2.5 years)
• Tri M (3 years)
• Nursing Home Visitations : monthly visits over 10+ years.

Community Service:

• Orphanage volunteer (Peru) 1 week
• Church day camp staff: 3 years (80 years / year)
• Volunteer Camp Counselor: Twice over 2 summers (100 hours each summer)
• Hospital Volunteer: approx 500 hours over 2.5 years.

Medically related activities:
Research: NONE.
Physician Shadowing - Approx. one week.
Health and Medical Academy: 60 hours , one summer

National Honors / Awards: National Merit Finalist.

Applied to the following BA/MD Programs:

1. Stony Brook - rejected pre-interview
2. Brooklyn College - wait-listed
3. U Miami: rejected pre-interview
4. Siena College / Albany Medical: Rejected pre-interview
5. Drexel / Drexel: ACCEPTED
6. Villanova /Drexel: Rejected pre-interview
7. Lehigh / Drexel: Rejected pre-interview
8. Drew / NJMS: got NJMS Interview, rejected.
9. Hofstra: rejected pre-interview
10. UCONN SPiM - ACCEPTED

Applied to the following undergraduate:

1. Fordham: accepted with full tuition scholarship
2. Johns Hopkins: wait-listed
3. Cornell: wait-listed
4. Columbia: rejected
5. Boston University: accepted w/20K scholarship

7 of the 8 BA/MD rejections accepted me to regular undergrad program.

DECISION: UCONN SPiM

Reflection: It was a long and difficult process that sometimes wore on me, but the end result was very satisfying- thank the LORD it all worked out! Parents imposed a hard cap of 15 applications, and a soft geography cap of “5-6 hours driving distance from NYC.” (Hence only one, U Miami, was outside that band).

Not having any research experience was my personal choice which I don’t regret- but it definitely limited some BA/MD options. REMS and RPI/Albany for instance, were crossed off my list from the outset. If you want to maximize your chances, some research probably opens additional doors. Strongly suggest looking at the CC prior years results sections- this helped to shape my applications, including the decision to apply to UCONN.

Decisions definitely have some luck involved, but I wouldn’t call them random. Prior candidates mentioned that NJMS interviews asked about the history of the Med School so I prepped for that, but got no such questions. At Drexel, on the other hand, interviewer was an internal medicine MD- and that happens to be my preferred specialty so that interview seemed to go smoothly. Also- while some say that you don’t want interview too early in the process- try not to be really late as well. NJMS interview was in late March, just a couple of days before decisions went out- I think I’d have had a better shot if I had moved up my interview date a couple of weeks.

I prepared for the interviews but not obsessively to the point of memorizing answers. So most of my responses probably sounded natural- though that also meant, answer qualities varied and some went better than others. The Brooklyn wait-listing after my interviewer said some nice things to me was a small letdown, though they had a larger interview pool this year for the same 15 spots.

YOU DON’T NEED RESEARCH TO GET IN!!! (although it definitely helps lol) Start looking into shadowing and volunteering at hospitals early! It takes a while for people to respond a lot of times, and you don’t want to be stressing out the summer before senior year because you need some hospital experience badly.

The traditional route was always on the table- hence the 5 non- BA/MD apps - but still preferred 8 year BA/MD programs and was also considering 7 year ones. Towards the end of this process, many advised me not to cut short my undergraduate time if possible (including the NJMS interviewer, which was interesting since that is a 7 year program). Drexel no longer gives full tuition scholarships for National Merit Finalists, which made it less attractive. UConn being 8 years, (and partial scholarship making it “almost" the same as CT in-state cost) PLUS having the ability to apply out without losing the Med school spot made this decision a no-brainer for me.

GO HUSKIES!

[tenderp]

GPA: 4.0 (UW)

Class Rank: Top 1%

SAT: 2280
800 M, 720 R, 760 CR

SAT Subject Tests:
Math II: 800
Chemistry: 790
Biology M: 790
U.S. History: 700

AP’s:
U.S. History - 4
Chemistry - 5
Calculus BC - 4
Language & Composition - 5
Biology - 5
Computer Science - 5
Econ Micro - 5
Econ Macro - 5
Physics 1 - 4
Physics 2 - 3

Senior AP’s: Physics C Mech/E&M, Literature & Composition, Psychology, Stats, Spanish

Teacher Recs: Received a few comments from a few colleges about my teacher recs. One said they “raved” about me, so they were good!

State: PA
Gender: M
Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
Income: Typical Middle Class
Hooks: None

Major ECs:

• Research at a scientific lab (Intel STS Semifinalist, Siemens Semifinalist)
• Initiative for homeless veterans and special-needs adolescents
• Best Buddies Treasurer/Peer Buddy
• Physician Shadowing - 40-50 hrs
• Violin player at a competitive orchestra

Community Service:
VA Hospital - 250 hrs
Key Club - 150 hrs

Applied to the following BS/MD Programs:

1. Northwestern HPME - interview - ACCEPTED
2. Brown PLME (RD) - ACCEPTED (no interview)
3. WashU USP - interview - ACCEPTED with full tuition scholarship (Moog)
4. Pitt GAP - interview - rejected
5. Case PPSP - rejected pre-interview

Applied to the following undergraduate:

1. UPenn LSM - accepted
2. Columbia - accepted (Likely Letter; SRF)
3. Williams - accepted (Early Write)
4. Amherst - accepted (Early Write)
5. Duke - waitlisted (withdrawn)
6. Harvard - deferred --> rejected
7. Princeton - rejected
8. Yale - rejected
9. Stanford - rejected

DECISION: Penn LSM

Reflection:

Quick note: I was between applying to Harvard SCEA or UPenn LSM ED. I ultimately decided on Harvard since I didn’t want to be restricted should I be rejected by LSM, but accepted by CAS. Harvard deferred, then rejected me, but Penn LSM accepted me RD. I was more hopeful about Harvard than LSM, so it goes to show that it’s hard to predict anything when the schools are accepting so little of the applicant pool… ugh.

In terms of the BS/MD applications, MAKE SURE YOU START EARLY. I can’t stress this enough, because (especially) the essays can make or break your chance at receiving an interview. The adcoms are looking for DEDICATED adolescents who they confidently feel 1) will actually become a doctor (and not drop the track), 2) have a demonstrated passion for medicine and 3) develop and exemplify the qualities (not just intellect and achievement) that are critical to the physician profession (ex. being humble and personable). Writing an essay the night before will only make your passions and interests seem contrived and hackneyed at best, no matter how good of a writer you think you are.

I have a lot more to say, but I don’t want to drag on or sound redundant from the previous posts (since my advice basically rehashes what others have said), so if you have any specific questions for me, feel free to pm me.

And keep in mind: there’s always the luck factor involved, so research, revise, dig deep, and revise some more. Make your case so strong that the adcoms will find it virtually impossible to deny you your admission.

Edit: Oh, and I chose not to do the BS/MD route after getting into LSM because I hope to combine medicine with business someday and am ready to face the challenge of applying to med school in a few years. Even though I can get an MBA after an MD, I still feel that LSM still provides the optimal platform (since the program is specifically designed to bridge science + business). Additionally, I met another peer who was between LSM + HPME and ended up choosing HPME, so it’s all about fit!

[Roentgen]

Wow, what a great post @tenderp!!! I hope people see your post and realized that even with the best of offers, doing a BS/MD program isn’t necessarily always the correct route, especially with a genuine interest in business in medicine (which will be even more important in the future as Obamacare starts getting implemented in full and hospitals and third party-payers have to look more and more at cost when it comes to care). If you have the ability to get into programs like Northwestern HPME, Brown PLME, and Wash U’s University Scholars in Medicine program, you should have no problem with getting into an allopathic medical school in the the traditional route.

[GoldenRock]

@tenderp Congratulations and it is evident that you will accomplish what ever you plan to pursue as demonstrated by your focus and efforts at this age. But still just curious (more to understand the thought process) to understand the rationale. Understood you want to combine business and medicine. So at some point you plan to do MD and also gain knowledge in business (either at UG focusing on business or MBA after UG). Not surprised you opted out from NW or Brown, but still trying to understand for not opting WashU with full tuition when WashU is not a slouch. Also, it is an incredible achievement to get Moog scholarship. During MD, can do MBA or after also can do at the very same Wharton school. Moot point at this time, but trying to learn how each of us think and look and have different points of view. GL.

[Roentgen]

@GoldenRock, not speaking for @tenderp, but I believe with the Wash U University Scholars in Medicine program you also have to score a 36 on the old MCAT (516 on the new MCAT) and a 3.8 cumulative GPA at Wash U, in order to be able to continue on to Wash U’s medical school, which is a top 10 med school. So while the undergrad may be fully paid for, the entrance into the med school is no way assured like it is for other programs, although I’m sure those who are able to get into this program would have no problems in terms of getting that MCAT and GPA.

Also, Wash U does not currently have an MD/MBA program, so you’d be at the mercy of the medical school to allow you a leave of absence from med school to pursue the MBA, which they could easily say no, for a variety of reasons (some of which are quite legitimate). Med schools with a combined MD/MBA program are usually your best bet if you wish to do MBA work during your MD education.

[tenderp]

@GoldenRock What @Roentgen mentioned in the first paragraph (whether or not the school offered MD/MBA wasn’t as big of a concern to me… at least at the time) plus, beyond the stipulations of the guaranteed med admission, I also looked at how feasible it would be for me to focus on areas outside of premed, since I am interested in an interdisciplinary education–at finalist’s week, I got the notion that USP was only concerned with pre-med education/activities, unlike HPME and PLME, which encourage outside exploration in fields outside of pre-med. For some, that sharp focus of USP is extremely desirable, which is why I guess they’ll commit to USP (but even then, the retention rate for the program is ~50%, as one of the finalists was told by the director).

Additionally, even with the full tuition scholarship, I’d still be paying more than what I’d pay for Penn/NU/Columbia/Brown. In fact, I appealed my FA offer, was awarded an extra scholarship, and even then I still had to pay more for WashU than all the previous schools.

All 3 BS/MD programs were my top contenders with LSM, though, with HPME right behind LSM because of the Kellogg school, Northwestern’s MD/MBA program, and the opportunity to explore other majors (like economics) due to the comparatively laxer guaranteed admission requirements. But in the end, I followed my gut and chose LSM. Definitely the toughest choice I’ve made (committed at the last minute), but I’m not looking back!

[Undecided3494]

@tenderp I totally respect your decision and know that you have your own reasons for wanting to attend LSM. I just wanted to chime in about the fact that you wanted to earn an MBA as well as an MD. There Union College Leadership in Medicine Program with Albany Medical College is an 8 year program where those in the program get a BA in Chemistry or Bio and are required to do an Interdisciplinary major in the humanities, over the summer those in the program also take courses which allow them to earn an MBA by the time that they have graduated. Then they move on to Albany Medical college to complete their MD. I know that these may not be the most prestigious colleges, but they are still very solid schools and they present a very unique and valuable opportunity.

[ruralerror]

Doesn’t follow the format exactly. Look on the 2016-17 app thread for further details

Profile: Asian Male from Bay Area

GPA: 4.0 uw/4.4 w

SAT: 2340 (760 CR, 800 M, 780 W)

Subject Tests: Chem-750, Bio-750, Math II-740, Spanish-750

Research: 6 weeks of BU RISE, no publications, no competition entries

Volunteering: 2 years (150 hrs) hospital volunteering, 3 years (250 hrs) Red Cross volunteering, Had just started hospice volunteering

Clubs: HOSA treasurer 1 year (hospital-based chapter), started medical club, engineering club treasurer, started Catalyst (see below) club

Organizations: Created a program with 2 friends to deliver science demos targeting underserved kids in our area, performed at local libraries, events, and elementary schools, program genuinely took off at the city level and is very, very important to my application. Created supplementary club at school to staff demonstration events

ECs: Band 3 years (1 year schedule conflict), Tennis 2 years (I was decent, nothing special), JV Cross Country 1 year

Awards: Red Cross Regional Excellence, Red Cross Presidential Service, some school stuff, nothing extraordinary

Rec Letters: BU Professor rec and college counselor rec were beautiful, others were pretty good

Shadowing: 6 hrs local 3rd year family practice resident, 40 hrs Idaho pulmonologist, 55 hrs Michigan medical oncologist

Applied: PLME, Northwestern HPME, TCNJ/NJMS, Penn St/Jeff, VCU GMED, Miami HPME, Hofstra 4+4, RPI/AMC, Drew/NJMS, Drexel/Drexel, Nova/Drexel, Rochester REMS, SBU/GW, GW/GW, Washington+Jefferson/Temple, Temple/Temple, FAU Wilkes Medical Scholars, UAB EMSAP, Rice/Baylor, BU SMED

Interviews: TCNJ (and technically Drew I guess)/NJMS, Penn St/Jeff, VCU GMED, Hofstra 4+4, RPI/AMC, SBU/GW (UG campus and med campus), FAU WIlkes, Northwestern HPME, Wash+Jeff/Temple (didn’t attend)

Acceptances: TCNJ+Drew/NJMS, Penn St/Jeff, VCU GMED, RPI/AMC, FAU Wilkes, Northwestern HPME (also like a bunch of UCs and random privates; I only applied to Vandy and UChicago for good privates and got waitlisted at both lol)

Selection: Northwestern HPME

[accidentlyhere]

At the time of my application:

GPA: 4.0 (uw)

SAT: 2350

SAT Subject Tests:
Math/Chem/Physics: 800, Bio - 750

AP’s
5’s on 7 APs.

Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male

Relevant Med experiences include 1 summer at a pathology lab, 1 summer of science research, and some shadowing. I did have plenty of other non-med ec’s and some decent awards (non-med related).

BS/MD Applications:
Rejected (no interview) at pitt, rice/baylor, case ppsp, uconn, and bu.
Rejected after interview at Miami HPM, Northwestern HPME, and Drexel
Accepted into Penn State/Jefferson.

Decided ultimately not to go the bs/md route and instead attend a top 20 university with a large scholarship, but that was a difficult and personal decision that will vary based upon the individual.

The ability to articulate your dedication and commitment to medicine is extremely important for these programs in my opinion, and I do suspect that my dearth of medical ec’s made it difficult to convey the commitment necessary at the interview stages for Miami and Northwestern. That said, I didn’t really decide on medicine until the beginning of senior year, which is why a direct med program may not have been the best option for me. Good luck to all future applicants!

[smbff2]

At the time of my application:

GPA: 4.0 (uw)

SAT: 2320

SAT Subject Tests:
Math II-780
Bio-790
Chem-760

Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female

Relevant Med experiences include volunteering at 2 hospitals (200 hrs), shadowed internal med, periodontist, urgent care and more, hospice volunteering, 2 summers research at UT Austin
BS/MD Applications:
Rejected at baylor/baylor, utd pact
Accepted into uh bsmd, utsa fame, vcu, miami hpme

Decided to attend u miami hpme

Although my credentials and test scores were not as strong as some of my peers, I was still a competitive applicant & able to succeed. Apply to any school you have an interest in and have confidence in your work… Also, dont diminish the value of strong essays and interviews. Good luck to all the future physicians!!!

[971337]

Rank: n/a
Unweighted GPA: 3.98
Weighted GPA: 4.42

SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (800 M, 750 CR, 750 W)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chem, 790 US History, 780 Biology E

Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male

Senior AP’s: US Gov, Macro, Physics C Mechanics, Physics C E&M, English Lit, Human Geography

Extracurriculars: Boy Scouts (Eagle), Science Olympiad, Quizbowl, Math/Science Tutoring

Relevant med experiences include 1 summer at a fruit fly lab, and 300 hours of psychiatrist/gastroenterologist shadowing.

Applied to the following BS/MD Programs:

Brown PLME – No Interview
BU SMED – Interview – ACCEPTED w/ Presidential Scholarship
Drexel/Drexel – No Interview
NU HPME – Supplement – No Interview
Rice/Baylor – No Interview
RPI/AMC – Supplement – Interview – ACCEPTED w/ Leadership Merit Award
GWU GMED – No Interview
Union/AMC – No Interview
UMiami HPM – No Interview
UPittsburgh GAP – No Interview
URochester REMS – No Interview

Decision: BU SMED w/ Presidential Scholarship

My test scores weren’t perfect but my medical experiences and my passion for the field really helped make it clear during my interviews why I wanted to attend these BA/MD programs

[srk2017]

@971337 - Congratulations and thanks for posting. I am surprised that you didn’t get more interviews. Do you have any suggestions for future applicants? My S will be applying this year.

[Undecided3494]

@srk2017 Basically just make sure that you really put a lot of thought and hard work into the essays for each program and then prepare for the interviews. Preparing does not mean memorizing answers to a question but just thinking about what kind of questions they will ask and coming up with some main points you want to mention when you answer each question. Also don’t get discouraged when you apply to 5 programs and only get 2 interviews just make the most of the opportunity because once you make it to the interview stage everyone is pretty much on equal footing and admission depends on the interview. Good luck!

[Roentgen]

Hey guys, I wanted to post an applicant result from this past 2015-2016 cycle who was kind enough to type this out and for contribution to the College Confidential forum. Some really great advice was given on really doing your research into the medical schools that are involved and take part in these combined programs.

State: California
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Asian-American (Taiwanese)
Income: >150k
Hooks: I stood out a bit because I didn’t do typical BS/MD applicant stuff, such as research or academic ECs, but instead focused a lot of my time on community service. Also I had good grades despite not as great test scores, which probably made them do a double take.

GPA: 4.0 (UW), 4.9444 (W)
Class Rank: No ranking (but unofficially 1/550)

ACT: 33 Subscores: Science (34), English (31), Reading (35), Math (32), Writing (36)
SAT: 2180 (highest in 1 sitting… superscore 2220 only)
SAT Subject Tests: Chemistry: 730, Math 2: 720, Chinese: 800

**AP Exam scores/b:
U.S. History - 4, Chemistry - 4, Psychology - 5, Language & Composition - 5, Human Geography - 5, Chinese - 5

Senior Year AP courses taken:
Physics 1, Calculus AB, English Literature & Composition, Statistics, Macroeconomics, US Government

Teacher Recommendations:
Really great! My Psychology teacher knew me very well due to club stuff and he said he wrote the best rec letter he has ever written in his entire career. My English teacher also wrote a good one.

Major ECs:

• [Organization to help children with physical deformities] SoCal Region: Chair
• [Organization to help children with physical deformities] National: National Leadership Council
• [Organization to help children with physical deformities] Club: Treasurer, Activities Director
• California Scholarship Federation: President, Treasurer
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA): President, Vice President
• Chinese/JTASA Club: President, Treasurer
• Autism Youth Ambassadors Club: President, Secretary
• National Honor Society
• Paid Tutor

Community Service:

• Volunteering through ECs (Autisms, disability center, [Organization to help children with physical deformities]) - 300+

Medically related activities:
-Physician Shadowing - 100+ hours
-Medical Mission to foreign country - 2 weeks
-Intern at Medical Clinic - 100+ hours
-Hospital Volunteer - 300+ hours
-Disability center - 50+ hours

Applied to the following Bachelor/MD programs:

1. Brown PLME - rejected (no interview)
2. Northwestern HPME - interview - ACCEPTED
3. Penn State/Jefferson - rejected pre-interview
4. Wash U - rejected pre-interview

Applied to the following undergraduate programs:

1. Duke - accepted
2. UC (B, LA, SD, I(honors), R(regents), D(regents)) - accepted
3. USC - accepted
4. Stanford - rejected
5. Dartmouth - waitlisted
6. Washington U- waitlisted
7. Caltech - rejected
8. Pomona College - rejected

DECISION: Northwestern HPME!!

Reflection:
Do your research and JUST APPLY! Honestly, you really never know. Put bluntly, my SAT score is not the norm, especially in the programs I applied to (high tiers). It really came down to what I consider luck and also showing true passion for medicine. Scores are merely a starting point for programs to even look at you, at least that’s what I think, and the rest comes down to interview (or so I have heard…). Pass that score threshold and it shouldn’t count against you a lot!

Also, find a program that FITS YOU. There are multiple bs/md programs and all of them stand for different ideals and are looking for different candidates. That is something you shouldn’t compromise in this process. This is also where doing your research comes into play! I can say that I didn’t do enough research before I applied and, in retrospect, I could have spared myself from applying to some programs that I couldn’t see myself in no matter the circumstances. Lastly, GOOD LUCK!

[svnya123]

Apologize for the delay, but I feel a sense of responsibility for posting this as the previous years’ ones were so so so helpful.

At time of application
GPA: 4.0 (UW), 4.6 (W)

Class Rank: not given

ACT: 35
Subscores: Science (35), English (35), Reading (33), Math (36), Writing (10)

SAT Subject Tests:
Chemistry: 780
Math 2: 780

AP’s (at time of application)
U.S. History
Chemistry
Calculus AB
Language & Composition
Statistics
Physics 1&2

Senior AP’s: Literature & Composition, Economics (Micro and Macro), Psychology, Spanish, Biology, Computer Science

Teacher Recs:
English (9/10): My teacher really likes me and I am sure he wrote me a great letter. One of my interviewers even said that the letter was fantastic (I’m assuming he was telling the truth). Not 10/10 just because I wasn’t one of the best writers he has had
Statistics (10/10): My teacher has told me that I am one of the best students he has ever had and he doesn’t agree to write too many rec letters so I think it was really good! Apparently it was really long too
Physics (9/10): I wasn’t the most amazing physics student because it took some time for me to really get it, but he has told another teacher that I am one of the most hardworking students he has ever had, so I think it was pretty good.
Spanish (9/10): My teacher really likes me and has told me time and time again about my language skills being really solid, but I didn’t have many outside Spanish experiences that he could reference.
Other reference - my hospital volunteer coordinator and observer (10/10): She and the rest of the staff really like me and always love having me. Definitely the best rec out of them all.

I mixed and matched what letters of rec I gave to each school depending on their criteria. The Spanish one was only given to BU.

State:
Gender: F
Ethnicity: Indian
Income: 150k+
Hooks: None

Major ECs and Community service:
-Indian dance for 13 years. Assistant dance teacher and student. Did big solo recital in junior year. Many years of dancing
-President of women in STEM club (2 years)
-Secretary of Interact club (2 years)
-Coach for speech on speech and debate team (4 years)
-Ambassador for a non-profit organization that tries to bring awareness about issues about women in India (3 years)
-Tutor for elementary and middle school kids (4 years)
-National Honors Society

Awards:
-Speech and Debate local and state level awards
-Distinguished Young Women first runner up and individual category winner
-Dance competition awards
-National Merit Finalist
-AP Scholar with Distinction

Medically related activities:
-Volunteering in hospital for 2 years
-Research for 9 months under a professor. Nothing published but gave me a lot to talk about
-Shadowing under a physician for 1 month
-Did a 1 month competitive medical program over my junior summer

Applied to the following BS/MD Programs:

1. Brown PLME - rejected RD
2. Northwestern HPME - interview - rejected
3. Pitt GAP - rejected pre-interview
4. Case PPSP - rejected pre-interview
5. Boston University - interview - rejected
6. Penn State - rejected pre-interview
7. TCNJ/NJMS - interview with UG professor- interview with NJMS- ACCEPTED
8. Villanova/Drexel - interview- ACCEPTED
9. Drexel/Drexel - interview- ACCEPTED
10. RPI/Albany - interview- rejected
11. W&J/Temple- interview with UG professor- interview with Temple- ACCEPTED
12. Rutgers/NJMS - rejected pre-interview

Applied to the following undergraduate:
Accepted- Georgetown (EA)
Waitlisted- Vanderbilt (threw this together at the very last minute lol)
Rejected- Harvard, Dartmouth

DECISION: TCNJ/NJMS!!!

Reflection: Wow this process was a whirlwind to say the least. I learned so much and I think my biggest regret was my diversity of medical related ECs. I think the most competitive programs I interviewed for wanted to see more medical ECs which I did not have. Showing your passion for medicine in interviews is important too. Also, try to understand the style of the interviewer as quickly as possible and talk/act in a manner that is appropriate. Don’t force anything as each interviewer is different. Other than that, do the activities that you like for as long as possible and engage in a variety of medical ECs. Also, in each interview, make sure you show enough interest for the school itself and not just the program. Interviewers really look for that.

Good luck! And stay focused throughout the process!

[GoldenRock]

@svnya123 Thanks for posting. Assume you are from NJ and got some merit scholarship for UG in TCNJ. GL.

[narkor]

Hi Everyone! My D is a current B.S./M.D. freshman and although this is super, super late, I would love to share this information. This was supposed to be posted about 5½ months back, but couldn’t so here it is now. It may add a tad bit information for attending interviews.
GPA: 4.0 (UW), 4.99 on a 5.0 scale (W)
Class Rank: Top 5% of a competitive class of 567 students (yes, a big class)
ACT: 34 -Subscores: Science (35), English (34), Reading (34), Math (34), Writing (10)
SAT: 2180 (took it one time and decided not to take it again)
SAT Subject Tests: Chemistry: 71, Math 2: 75, Math 1: 770

AP’s (at time of application)
U.S. History – 5, World Geography- 4, Lang & Comp III- 5, Cal AB – 5, World Hist- 5, Chem – 3 (soph)
(Senior year APs)- Calc BC-5, Eng Lit and Comp IV- 5, Bio-5,Govt- 5, Econ-5, AP ISM- (4 yrs)- 5

Recommendations: All letters were apparently great- Academic Counselor, AP Chem teacher, AP English teacher, Physician Mentor, Research Mentor & Music Teacher
State: TX
Gender: F
Ethnicity: Asian
Parents Income: >150k
Hooks: Compassion, friendliness, genuineness and demeanor. Infact, my D avoided the family hook and did NOT apply to schools where my older child is studying.

Major ECs:

• Founder President of Habitat for Humanity at School: 2 yrs
• President of Health Occupation Students of America: 2 yrs
• Science Fair mentor @ Jr High
• Piano instructor
• Marching Band- Flute player of a State winning Marching band
  -Research volunteer- >5 yrs

Major awards (through high school)

• International Science Olympiad-ISWEEP-Bronze
• Siemens National Science Fair- National Finalist (College Scholarship awarded)
• Exxon Mobil State Science Fair- Representative at State Science fair for 5 yrs (as region winner)
• National recognition- Foster Children’s Organization- fund raising
• Barbara James National award for community service- 2 yrs
• National award- HOSA- Health Education
• Region winner- HOSA- Researched Persuasive speaking
• AP Scholar with distinction
• Summa Cum Laude- National Latin exams
  -Challenges and Solutions in Medicine Award
  -American Dietetic association award
• Texas All State Musician award-solo & duet

Community Service: Most of the hours are over 3-5 yrs of participation

• Trinity Children’s Foundation of America - 80 hrs
• Senior Rehab Center - >200 hrs
• Blood donation camps – 30 hrs
• Peer Assisted Leadership Skills- organization which helps school children cope with personal and family children - >120 hrs
• Piano instructor for underprivileged children - ~50 hrs
  -Habitat for Humanity- house build volunteer who participated on a regular basis and motivated the highest membership in the region- ~100 hours

Research activities: Most of the hours are over 5-7 yrs of participation

• STEM Camps every summer (3 -4 weeks) since D was in 6th grade
• Research at 2 different University labs- >400 hrs (including an Independent Study Mentorship class for 3 yrs)
• MD Anderson research internship - > 200 hrs (including an ISM class for 1 yr)

Medically related activities: Most of the hours are over 3-5 years of participation
Physician Shadowing - >200 hours (over the last 5 yrs) with a primary care doctor, an ER Physician, Cardiologist, Anesthesiologist, and Pediatrician

Applied to-BS/MD Programs:

1. University of Rochester/ REMS - interview – ACCEPTED
2. VCU/GMED - interview - ACCEPTED
3. RPI/AMC - interview - ACCEPTED
4. Union/AMC - interview – ACCEPTED (withdrawn- but still received acceptance letter)
5. Augusta/ MCG - ACCEPTED
6. UMKC- ACCEPTED (withdrawn- but still received acceptance)
7. Penn State/Jefferson – rejected pre-interview
8. UAB-EMSAP- No interview
9. Drexel/ Drexel- Withdrawn

Applied to- undergraduate:

1. MIT – ACCEPTED
2. Yale - ACCEPTED
3. U Penn – ACCEPTED
4. NYU- ACCEPTED
5. Columbia- ACCEPTED
6. UT-Austin Honors Biology – ACCEPTED (full ride)
7. UT-Dallas/ PACT – ACCEPTED (only for UG- full ride), rejected for PACT
8. UH-3/4- School misplaced Ds application

DECISION: University of Rochester/ REMS

Reflection:
I don’t want to sound like I am bragging about Ds achievements. But, I want to make sure I give enough information especially for those in her shoes. I am going to base some the information about her personality as per the “fast fact input” that we received after one of the school interviews.
People just loved her for “being genuine”. Apparently, she stood out at an interview for being friendly, genuine, upfront and compassionate. To begin with we did not even think she was eligible to apply to these programs. I have an older child in the combined med. D thought she was not eligible. Infact, I registered and went on CC for advice with her ACT composite score of 32 and was told that it was borderline and she had to apply to the lower tiered programs as the scores would not make the cut. They just voiced our knowledge and opinion because I also thought her chance at these programs was limited. We boosted Ds morale to be optimistic and apply. With all of this being said I don’t want to sound pompous, but for sure your personality makes a big difference especially when invited for an interview. In all, D is a very passionate person. She “loves what she does and does what she loves” genuinely. Her own words: “I like to leave this world as a place better than when I stepped on the ground- be it a local organization or my public library”. She stands by her quote at all times.
My D’s advice to applicants (in her own words): “do not underestimate yourselves if you have borderline scores- as long as you can prove that you have used your time wisely to make this world a better place you always have a great shot at these programs. Also, remember be genuine with everything you do”. A few tips:
START EARLY, APPLY WIDELY, STAND OUT GENUINELY- I mean it, the only thing that got me into these schools were that every interview. I connected very well with the interviewer and we had a fantastic and “informal chat” instead of a stressful interview and I walked out thinking that wasn’t an interview (except the AMC group interview at RPI).

TALK ABOUT YOUR PASSION, READ OVER YOUR APPLICATION. Never underestimate your interviewer’s knowledge about your application. I had interviewers at one program where I had to explain why my standardized test scores reflect a person different from who I am otherwise and I was frank about it and said I wasn’t a great test taker but work really hard to get what I need. The answer they gave me was that med school is not about “standardized test learning” but analytical thinking and working hard. I was accepted into the program after all which tells me that scores matter but they are not the cut off for every applicant.
HAVE PATIENCE- keep track of dates/ deadlines/ requirements etc.
CC- Make sure you get help from people like Roentgen, TexasPG, GoldenRock, upstream and my parent and others on this thread. They truly have a wealth of information & are very helpful. Also, please make sure you write on the results thread once you are done with the process. Sorry, I was a poor example. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!!! Well, end of the school year- AP exams, too many banquets, awards ceremonies, handing over the reins to junior Presidents, band concerts, piano recitals, and competitions, INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FAIR, PROM and GRADUATION. Ah!!! long list of genuine excuses…… my genuineness and light hearted personality got me into programs I never thought I would be eligible to apply. So, why not be the same person when I write this to advice my juniors. I had this almost done 5½ months earlier but couldn’t complete it till today because of travel, move-in and then college freshman mayhem. Please feel free to PM and my parent may get on here more often now to answer as I am busy fitting into my new niche. Good luck and hang in there!!!

[srk2017]

@narkor - Great post!

[brown2024]

@narkor @Roentgen @svnya123
Thank you all for the update - extremly useful especially for juniors/sophmores