If we become a finalist for the PPSP program, does that mean we’ve been accepted to the university?!
If I’m not mistaken, it means that you have been invited for an interview. Following the interviews, they will make their decisions as to who gets admitted into the program. Hope this helps! I’m super nervous for the results! Good luck to you! 
@GapYearMedStudent I mean accepted to just the university! So like If I get invited for an interview for PPSP and I don’t receive acceptance to the program, am I still accepted to the undergraduate college?
@DreamforIvy Congratulations on getting through to the interviews! Also, you will have to email the university itself and inquire about that. Even though I was rejected for the interviews, they told me that I could apply to the undergraduate program in another week when they get back to me. I am super upset about this but hopefully there’s something else in store for me! Let us know how your interviews go.
@GapYearMedStudent Thank you! And in the email, it stated that I’ve been accepted to the class of 2021 and am also a finalist, so I think I just had to wait until receiving the decision haha Also, good luck wth all your future endeavors! Everything happens for a reason, and trust me when I say that. I was deferred from Yale on Dec. 15, from UMich on Dec. 23, and found out last week that I didn’t receive any scholarships from USC, so the last month has been pretty bummy until now! You will end up where you need to be and it’s out of your control at this point! I hope you receive some great news from other colleges soon!
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Congratulations @dreamsofivy! Would you mind posting your stats? Significant research experience? And are you OOS?
@OHToCollege Yeah sure!
Decision: Accepted With 32.5K Scholarship/year and FINALIST for PPSP Medicine!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 31C: 29M, 31R, 31E, 31S
SAT II: Didn’t submit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Weighted GPA: 4.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 45/710 6.3%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Took one AP Junior year, but didn’t send the test
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Health, AP European History, AP Chemistry, AP Spanish Language, AP Government/Microeconomics, Humanities, AP Statistics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None although accepted to fly-in programs. Amherst: DIVOH, Oberlin: Multicultural Weekend, Pomona College: The Fall Weekend, Hamilton: Diversity Overnight
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
-Choir Council (Treasurer) (9,10,11)
Organized receipts utilizing Microsoft Excel and kept constant communication with choir director and students regarding debts.
-Be A Leader Foundation (President/Founder) (11,12)
Help guide low-income students on the path to college by providing free resources, leadership workshops, mentoring, and college application support.
-Students Passing On Knowledge (SPOK) (10,11,12)
Community service involvement. Attend weekly tutoring sessions at local middle schools, tutoring in subjects including math, science, and english.
-Music For The Cure Club ( 9,10,11,12)
Members perform at various genres of music at hospitals and senior living centers to bring joy and support to those in need
-NHS (11,12)
Ya’ll know what this is lol
-Biotechnology (12)
Hands on experience and official lab work with micropipetting, replicating DNA, separating macromolecules & fragmenting DNA using restriction enzymes.
-Summer Programs (10,11,12)
Applied and accepted into ASU Barrett Summer Scholars. National Student Leadership Conference: Medicine and Health Program at Northwestern University.
-Voice & Piano Lessons (9,10,11)
Attended weekly lessons. 1st Chair Bass Regional Honor Choir and 2nd Chair Bass All-State Show Choir
-Competition Government (12)
Juniors audition for senior year. Compete in mock congressional hearings on district, state, and national level. Fulfills AP Government credit.
-In n Out Restaurant Associate (11,12)
Order taking, janitorial services, and food slicing at In n Out Restaurant since the beginning of June 2016.
I had no research experience
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
- PPSP: I wrote about my experience at the Northwestern medical camp and how that made me want to become a surgeon. Then, I tied in how my uncle and grandpa have had heart problems and emphasized my desire to go into cardiothoracic surgery. 9/10
- Accomplishments essay: I wrote about how in middle I was an extreme couponer (I wrote it like a story as if I were shopping through the store). I believe this essay put me over the top because it showed how unique/weird I was and really made me stand out! 10/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Math Teacher 9/10 She allowed me to read it before submitting!
Teacher Rec #2: Chemistry Teacher 10/10 She also allowed me to read it before submitting!
Counselor Rec: I’m guessing very well written! I had to fill out this 9 page rec letter form for her so she could write an amazing letter (which she emphasized she did). 9-10/10
Additional Rec: None
Interview: None yet (I have to attend an interview for the PPSP finalists at Case in March)
Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Biochemistry
State (if domestic applicant): Arizona
Country (if international applicant): United States
School Type: Public ~3000 students
Ethnicity: Hispanic and Pacific Islander
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >$200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM
Reflection:
Strengths: Essays, EC’s, Rec Letters
Weaknesses: ACT, lack of AP’s, No national awards
Why you think you were accepted: I’m an URM and my essays were very well written and I wrote about things that truly mattered to me!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Rejected: None (yet) LOL
Deferred: Yale SCEA, UMich EA, USC Scholarship consideration
Accepted: ASU Barrett, Case Western
Others I applied to and am waiting on: Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, UPenn, Dartmouth, Duke, Vanderbilt, Pomona, Hamilton, Amherst, UChicago, Stanford, UCLA, UC-Berkeley
General Comments:
Test scores, rank, and GPA are NOT everything!!! The essays and extracurriculars mean SO much in the process and I cannot emphasize that enough!! I only had a 31 ACT and nobody would’ve thought that I would’ve been considered for that large of a scholarship AND a finalist position in PPSP with that score or rank! Please please please for future reference, spend a lot of time on the essays and portraying yourself as the best candidate there is! And remember, you will end up where you need to be and in the end, it’s all about what YOU make of your college experience. God was very generous in offering me a place at Case Western and he will definitely offer you a place in the school you need to be at! TRUST ME.
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Hope that helped! Keep your heads up!
@DreamforIvy Are you still hoping for an Ivy league admission or given up on that dream ?
@grtd2010 I’m still hoping! If not accepted to an Ivy, I’m definitely going to consider Case!
@DreamforIvy Thank you for the encouragement! Amazing stats up there! I think my own chances of getting into the BS/MD programs are very slim considering I’m an international student. I did decide to apply for the undergraduate program at CWRU after getting the rejection letter for the interview so we’ll see how it goes. Do keep us updated on any more responses you hear or any interviews you attend! Congratulations once again!
when were notified about PPSP finalist? they come out Feb 1st
Awhhhh I’m so happy for you!! We love to see URM excellence :))
And yes, though I am not a finalist for the PPSP program, I do feel that extracurriculars are important. Hope you see you change the world someday as a surgeon!!
@Sainath @TheRose21
That post is 4 years old. You may want to search for or start a topic for this year. Good luck to all!
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oh huh I didn’t notice that. thanks for pointing it out! guess I’ll go surfing around to find this year’s
Congratulations! You are 100% correct! How refreshing to see you thank God for your wonderful blessing. If it’s God’s will, it will be done no matter what. Good luck to you in all you do, but I have a feeling you don’t need it! Many blessings to you!
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Closing 4 year old thread