Hi future docs ❤️
I'm a first-year medical student, teaching Assistant and DPMS alum (class 22'). If you've read through the previous threads, you may have seen my profile and followed my journey here hehe. I wanted to chime in and answer/comment on some of the common concerns or questions.
- I am not connected to admissions by any means, so I am only speaking on behalf of my experience as an applicant & working with this year's current cohort as they went through it as well.
- Interview invites are completely random. If you submitted an application in January vs. the day before the application closed, you are equally still in the running to get an interview invite. Do not get discouraged by the updates on this forum - interviews will go on until June.
- The same idea applies to acceptances - even if you interview early in the cycle, does NOT mean that you will hear back early either. Do not count yourself out until you receive an actual rejection email. Literally, anything can happen.
- I understand the timeline of these events is not really ideal as you try to plan for the next steps (I.e moving to a new state, deciding to go with a different program, applying to medical school, etc...). But you must remain patient through this process, which is truly the most difficult part. Part of the complexity of this process is that although DPMS is a graduate school program, it is technically still maneuvered by the College of Medicine. So a lot of times, the ease of how things move along for the program depends heavily on the COM and where they are on THEIR application/interview cycle for the MD program.
- I think the application cycle has closed now, so that means that there are no longer accepting supporting documents or test scores. For example, if you submitted your application in March with an MCAT score of 490 and re-took your MCAT that same month but won't be receiving the scores until the end of April, that NEW score will not be considered because it is past the deadline. If you are offered an interview and ultimately accepted, you will deal with your March score by then.
- For those who are curious about the stats of the people who have been part of the first wave of interviews - I cannot stress enough that the importance of those numbers is very person dependent! DPMS brings students in with GPA/MCAT combinations of all kinds. (low/low, high/high, low/high, high/low)!! Although these numbers are important factors to help gauge where you stand academically, they are not everything. The way someone frames and delivers their story, recommendation letters, and other experiences is a huge component of this process. (In MY opinion, the most important!)
- INTERVIEWS - You must remember that an interview goes both ways. At this point, you need to realize they've liked everything you have presented. The next step is the formality of connecting a person to an application. A big part of DPMS is the culture students bring to the program - i.e., the kind of student that aligns with their values and mission. Equally important, as much as the program wants to make sure you are a fit for them, you also need to ensure the program is a FIT for YOU! [DPMS is an amazing opportunity, but you need to be realistic if this will be amazing for you. This fast-paced, INTENSE program requires you to be 10000% dedicated to it. You will be a full-time DPMSer. Admin can see pretty things on your application, but only you know if you are ready to be committed to this. This is especially important for future Track 1 students - think about having to study for MCAT while having to keep up with graduate-level academics. It's doable (a bunch of us have done it, me included ), but it is extremely challenging and will require even more of you]. Do your research, connect with past students, and come prepared to ask questions about the things that matter to you! The interview is very important, but this shouldn't be stressful - this is the easy part now - showcase yourself, be confident in your experiences/story, and just be yourself. That's ALL.
- CASPer - just schedule one as soon as you can. It should be fine if it's after your interview. The scores take a while to be sent anyway. I highly recommend taking the practice test. You don't actually receive your score for this, it gets sent directly to the school.
- Want to emphasize this point because I've been in touch with some people that weren't fully aware of this: If you decide to apply to DPMS, by default, you are interested in attending Drexel Univ College of Medicine. If you are accepted into the program and confirm attendance, you are tied to a contract with Drexel and are NOT allowed to submit an AMCAS application to any other school. If you ultimately don't meet contract (3.2 GPA, 499 min 123 each section) you can still graduate with a master's degree you just wouldn't be starting medical school. You would need to wait until the following application cycle to apply to medical school since you signed a contract opting out of applying to medical school for that year.
- Lastly, I need you all to take care of yourselves through this journey! I also was tied to this platform and lost plenty of sleep waiting for people to post updates. What's meant to be for you will always be there. Be confident and stay focused. Continue doing the things that matter to you and your growth as a future medical student (whatever that looks like for you). Do not pause everything in your life as you wait for an interview invite or acceptance. Things may come when you least expect them.
- Wishing you all the best of luck on this journey. It's long and stressful but absolutely worth it. Do not lose sight of your goals REGARDLESS of what happens between now and the next couple of weeks. Do not let imposter syndrome win, you are worthy of being in this field. 💕
XOXOXOXO
Yup and maybe so 
It looks like each cycle has a slightly different timeline lol.
