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Typically those who are serious about medicine tend to not do stupid things like take water bottles full of beer on campus. There are plenty of people who don't do stupid things like that who want a shot at med school. I wouldn't call it a "wrong place wrong time" circumstance, I'd call it you being irresponsible. Adcoms want someone they can trust. They're admitting a future physician. Why would they take a risk with someone who has broken the rules multiple times when they can accept someone who is willing to work hard and hasn't? GPA is not very competitive for MD schools as well, minimally for DO. Good luck though.
 
Typically those who are serious about medicine tend to not do stupid things like take water bottles full of beer on campus. There are plenty of people who don't do stupid things like that who want a shot at med school. I wouldn't call it a "wrong place wrong time" circumstance, I'd call it you being irresponsible. Adcoms want someone they can trust. They're admitting a future physician. Why would they take a risk with someone who has broken the rules multiple times when they can accept someone who is willing to work hard and hasn't? GPA is not very competitive for MD schools as well, minimally for DO. Good luck though.
This is naive and a huge generalization.
 
This is naive and a huge generalization.

And in general, most people do not get accepted to medical school. I'm stating the strict fact that being a physician is undertaking an incredible amount of responsibility. His actions in the past have been irresponsible, that fact cannot be disputed.

I understand it isn't competitive which is why I am banking on the huge trend. The only time I have gotten below a 3.5 in the last 6 semesters was last semester with a 3.3; independent senior thesis, org II, systemic physiology, and 4000 level neuro class. Freshman year was essentially a fluke and I made one mistake this year is what I was getting at. Other than that I have been ideal; mentoring underclassmen, leadership, etc.

It is a bit alarming that your most recent GPA was lower then your previous 6. I'm not saying it's impossible for you to get admitted, you're just going to have to have something that really catches the eye of adcom's, and personally I haven't seen it. But I'm not an adcom, I'm just a peer.
 
Not that I'm trying to justify poor grades but that semester was the most difficult semester yet, plus my busiest, I was training for my position as a scribe for 3 months, 3 shifts/ week, mostly overnights, while holding down two other jobs.

Knowing your limits is also a very important skill of being a physician. I understand you come from a disadvantaged background and money is tight, but maybe it wasn't the best idea for you to take on scribing and your most difficult semester at the same time. It probably would have been better to take a gap year and get clinical experience that way. The fact is that GPA is there to weed out applicants, and yours is borderline.
 
Is getting written up by a resident assistant really considered an "institutional action" that has to be reported to amcas?
 
You obviously want to hear that it's no big deal and adcoms won't care, and you won't accept opinions to the contrary. If you're gonna apply then apply to as many schools as possible as early in the application season as possible and hope for the best.
 
If you look above out of all the replies they only addressed the IAs one time. I acknowledged the GPA and projected MCAT, I never defended the IAs.
I appreciate the situation you're in. If medicine is truly the only thing for you, then go for it. Like I said, apply as broadly as possible (even DO schools, the horror), and go to every single interview you're offered. Even if you do get interviews, you'll be a prime candidate for the waitlist, so it'll probably be a very long year. Good luck.
 
Not that I'm trying to justify poor grades but that semester was the most difficult semester yet, plus my busiest, I was training for my position as a scribe for 3 months, 3 shifts/ week, mostly overnights, while holding down two other jobs.

I had a couple of 3.3 semesters too with difficult classes. I think you're 3.3 semester looks challenging enough fyi. I'm doing well this cycle with my 3.3 semesters (though, I never dipped below a B in any of those courses). THAT's not your problem.

It's the freshman year that will get you, and the IAs. Med school is just so competitive. There are many other applicants with your same stats (or better) applying without IAs. I'd suggest applying to a mix of MDs and DOs. How is your community service? At some schools community service with underserved populations can get you a lot further than a high GPA.
 
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Hey there. All things with the alcohol violations aside, I would recommend that you apply to an SMP or two in light of your subpar GPA and MCAT. You would be competitive and they might be more lenient. Also retake the MCAT if you have time before the switch to 2015.

And tough luck, dude. Don't listen to this flock of penguins up above. There are plenty of people who have made mistakes of this nature in the past and ended up getting into med school. I think that adcoms are aware that for every applicant who got caught doing something stupid, there are 100 who did something stupid that nobody knows about.
 
MY problem is that I only have ~8 months of individual community service in a hospital setting, for ~4hrs/ week. My problem is that I have had to work 3 jobs since freshman year that add up to 30-40hrs on average, so on top of that I have very little time for community service. What I do have that most don't is my fraternity position. As president and even before that I organized 2-3 community service events per year, and have raised a ton of money for organizations like the Humane Society. I plan on applying mostly DO. However my most pressing question is whether ADCOMs will screen my IAs individually rather than seeing that there are 4 there. Essentially my school has an extremely tough policy on conduct violations; they charge anybody within the vicinity of the room at the time of searches, and in return they never report any offense, no matter how bad, to the police. It is great if you're a huge drug dealer but in my case it screwed me; during random floor searches I was in the wrong room at the wrong time, and the owners had an UNOPENED case of beer in the fridge in one case, and a beer can sitting in the trash in the second case. I take ownership for the other two cases as one was a ******* move trying MJ as a freshman in the dorms, and the second having a (forgotten about) bottle of beer hanging out of my backpack as a senior. The second one was a big deal because we are a dry campus, and even those of us who are of age can get an AODA violation.

Overall about 43% of applicants get admitted. For whites with gpa of 3.40-3.59 and MCAT 30-32 it is 49%. So right off the top, the probability of getting admitted is <50%. Add four (four!) institutional actions including having beer on your person on a dry campus within the past year after being written up 3 previous times and my personal opinion is that your chances drop to about 1%.

I know of one person who had fewer IAs than you but ETOH and MJ both and he didn't get in even with better MCAT, better gpa and an MS degree. N=1 but it is more experience than most here have with this type of situation.
 
100% agree with my learned colleague. OP, what's coming across is that you don't learn from your mistakes. My school doesn't pre-screen for stuff like this but when we have interviewed people like you, no matter what the numbers, they get rejected.

Time for Plan B.

Overall about 43% of applicants get admitted. For whites with gpa of 3.40-3.59 and MCAT 30-32 it is 49%. So right off the top, the probability of getting admitted is <50%. Add four (four!) institutional actions including having beer on your person on a dry campus within the past year after being written up 3 previous times and my personal opinion is that your chances drop to about 1%.

I know of one person who had fewer IAs than you but ETOH and MJ both and he didn't get in even with better MCAT, better gpa and an MS degree. N=1 but it is more experience than most here have with this type of situation.
 
Thank for the input. It's kind of disheartening to hear because those freshman year were before I changed my mind to study the sciences. If I wait are my chances still out the window? I have been offered a position in the military and was considering taking it if my first round of applications fails. If I did that and came back after my time there is complete would my chances improve?

Carrying alcohol in a water bottle on a dry campus was well after you decided to study the sciences. That is what sinks your application given your prior history of IAs.

Join the military. If you keep your nose clean and are honorably discharged, you might get some brownie points for that service. On the other hand, you'll need to study hard and retake the MCAT because your scores are likely to expire.

Also, don't apply with the expectation that you might not make it. Reapplicants are at a disadvantage over first time applicants as they are considered damaged goods (why didn't anyone want them the first time?). Take the MCAT once and do well, apply once when you are certain your chances are better than average.
 
Carrying alcohol in a water bottle on a dry campus was well after you decided to study the sciences. That is what sinks your application given your prior history of IAs.

Join the military. If you keep your nose clean and are honorably discharged, you might get some brownie points for that service. On the other hand, you'll need to study hard and retake the MCAT because your scores are likely to expire.

Also, don't apply with the expectation that you might not make it. Reapplicants are at a disadvantage over first time applicants as they are considered damaged goods (why didn't anyone want them the first time?). Take the MCAT once and do well, apply once when you are certain your chances are better than average.

I respect your opinion but why do adcoms care so much? Here at Penn for example, I've personally seen several communal fridges in the dorms containing alcohol and drinking at university-sponsored events is extremely common. Is it mostly just that his university bans alcohol and he didn't follow the rules?
 
I think you learned from your mistakes. I'm sure they were painful mistakes. But, as others have said proving to adcoms you would be a viable candidate after previous IAs plus a very recent incident with alcohol is probably impossible, at least for now. I do think your decision to serve in the military is noble. If you feel you have learned from your mistakes and changed for the better then that's good. But, certain things will not be tolerated in the medical field.
 
Because in my opinion, there's no direct link between drinking in college social events (usually in a semi-misguided attempt to participate in so called "hook up culture") and drinking on the job (i.e. as a doctor).
 
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I have been offered a position in the military and was considering taking it if my first round of applications fails.

A bit off topic, and I know it's not really any of my business, but what do you mean by "offered a position in the military?" Do you mean that a recruiter spoke to you about joining up?

In my humble opinion, I wouldn't recommend joining the military merely to improve a medical school application...
 
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Ahh, that makes sense. In that case you sound like you know what you'd be getting into.

Whenever I see people on the forums talk about military service or the peace corps as ways to boost an application, I begin to get a bit worried.
 
I respect your opinion but why do adcoms care so much? Here at Penn for example, I've personally seen several communal fridges in the dorms containing alcohol and drinking at university-sponsored events is extremely common. Is it mostly just that his university bans alcohol and he didn't follow the rules?

His school had specific rules, he knew the rules and had been written up for them and yet he did something that caused him to be written up again. And he smoked marijuana which is still contrary to federal law despite changes in state and local laws to allow it for medicinal purposes. As @Goro said, it is evidence that he does not learn his lesson. Will 10-20 applicants for every seat, schools can afford to be very picky and it is unlikely that they'd pick the OP.
 
We would toss out your application without a second thought. Things are almost worse after you try to 'explain' them here. Just as Goro said, you gotta learn from your mistakes. THAT is what an 'upward' trend is all about.

No offense, and I'm not as unlucky as the OP to have IAs -- but didn't you have >3.5? If anything you should be advocating the usefulness of illuminating explanations.
 
No offense, and I'm not as unlucky as the OP to have IAs -- but didn't you have >3.5? If anything you should be advocating the usefulness of illuminating explanations.
Right...the point is that OP's explanations do not demonstrate learning or growth. In this instance, things are almost better left to the imagination because the reality doesn't look good.
 
Right...the point is that OP's explanations do not demonstrate learning or growth. In this instance, things are almost better left to the imagination because the reality doesn't look good.

I was interested in mimelim's response because he's a very respected figure here. I have zero interest in what you think (I have no idea who you are....). It's very much possible his thoughts are exactly the same as yours-- but I'll wait.

P.S.- Next time realize that before you start annoying too many people
 
Just because mehc is a pre-med doesn't mean s/he's spot on in his/her observation. Explanations nearly always come across as excuses.


I was interested in mimelim's response because he's a very respected figure here. I have zero interest in what you think (I have no idea who you are....). It's very much possible his thoughts are exactly the same as yours-- but I'll wait.

P.S.- Next time realize that before you start annoying too many people
 
No offense, and I'm not as unlucky as the OP to have IAs -- but didn't you have >3.5? If anything you should be advocating the usefulness of illuminating explanations.

I had a 3.4 cGPA (ie. less than 3.5, think you may have reversed your less than sign on accident). Never once did I have to 'explain' it. My grades were what they were and the combination of Wash U + Physics major + 18-23 credits a semester, every semester. Nobody asked and I never brought it up.

IAs on the other hand are automatic red flags. Multiple IAs are just bad news. I'm all for explanations (probably a bit more naive than much more experienced people like Goro/LizzyM). But, when you hear the OP's story, do you really see the IAs as anything but negative? Do not get me wrong, there are silly IAs that people get and sometimes they involve alcohol. But, the pattern here is incredibly worrisome. Add to that that his scores are pedestrian and he has nothing else to offer from an EC perspective, I KNOW that every USMD school will have several hundred if not thousand better applicants to pick from. Why bother wasting an interview spot?
 
I was interested in mimelim's response because he's a very respected figure here. I have zero interest in what you think (I have no idea who you are....). It's very much possible his thoughts are exactly the same as yours-- but I'll wait.

P.S.- Next time realize that before you start annoying too many people
Let's be real here, you have no idea who mimelim is either. This is an anonymous forum.
I was simply offering an alternate wording since you were clearly missing the point.

Next time, don't post on a public forum if you don't want public discussion. Attend a premed conference and plug your ears when anyone but the guest speaker is on, or call the adcoms by phone and annoy their secretaries. Or, if you don't want to hear what any premed on this site has to say, put all of us on your 'Ignore' list so you don't see us. Won't be any skin off my back.
 
Let's be real here, you have no idea who mimelim is either. This is an anonymous forum.
I was simply offering an alternate wording since you were clearly missing the point.

Next time, don't post on a public forum if you don't want public discussion. Attend a premed conference and plug your ears when anyone but the guest speaker is on, or call the adcoms by phone and annoy their secretaries. Or, if you don't want to hear what any premed on this site has to say, put all of us on your 'Ignore' list so you don't see us. Won't be any skin off my back.

Thanks for making SDN annoyingly combative. Thanks to you pressing the report button I got the following PM from an idiot moderator called "Ismet"

He said:
"The wording and tone of the post are not really appropriate for the forums. Please keep posts professional; you'll get a more positive response from other members. Though this is just a warning, a continued pattern of posting unprofessional content will result in infractions that limit or remove your ability to post on the forums."

I implore someone to point on where on this thread my "wording" and "tone" was so inappropriate to cause such cacophony.

P.S. - Seriously- Who is this "Ismet" idiot? Why would he message me about this thread?
 
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Ismet (she) is another ADCOM/moderator.
Keep talking.

If she's biased enough to send out warnings based on the above- then she should be called out on it.

(You incorrectly think I - an anonymous poster - has more to lose than her: a moderator with a history and serious responsibility/trust)
 
If she's biased enough to send out warnings based on the above- then she should be called out on it.

(You incorrectly think I - an anonymous poster - has more to lose than her: a moderator with a history and serious responsibility/trust)

Well, warnings tend to lead to banishments from SDN. So if you honestly don't care, then by all means, continue.
 
Join the military. If you keep your nose clean and are honorably discharged, you might get some brownie points for that service. On the other hand, you'll need to study hard and retake the MCAT because your scores are likely to expire.

Also, don't apply with the expectation that you might not make it. Reapplicants are at a disadvantage over first time applicants as they are considered damaged goods (why didn't anyone want them the first time?). Take the MCAT once and do well, apply once when you are certain your chances are better than average.

OP, it sounds like the military is an option, so I'm going to chyme in and tell my story.

I went to a great university but I wasn't ready for it. I graduated by the skin of my teeth with a 2.5 gpa. I got a job working in an office and I was bored and dissatisfied. So I altered the trajectory of my life and enlisted in the Marine Corps reserve; specifically, the infantry.

It was one of the best decisions of my life. They kicked my ass and it helped me get my head screwed on right. Two years later I went back to school to do my postbacc. I spent two and a half years at a state school, 4.0gpa, another bachelors, and high 90th percentile on the MCAT.

I know that without the Marines I would not have been capable of doing these things and getting into medical school. Motivation, self-discipline, and dedication did not come naturally to me until late in life. When it came time for admissions I had a narrative to tell, and luckily a few schools seemed to identify with that narrative. Right now it sounds like you have a narrative too, but one that isn't working in your favor.

I would do a lot of soul searching about the person you want to become, and then what it is going to take to become that person. Whatever you do, put your heart into it and do it well. Especially if you become a corpsman, because you might be responsible for some of my friend's lives one day.
 
lol if that were the case then I would be a proud martyr. Y'll are ridik

@Ismet I'm calling you out: explain your procedure: how do you censure SDN posts? why did you object to mine?
 
Maybe MAYBE if you had a few IAs for alcohol freshman year and nothing since.

But you had yet another in the past year.

No US medical school in its right mind would take a chance on having you do something stupid.
 
waiting for a response from @Ismet or @wingedscapula

(my point is democratic accountability for censorship and warnings, especially in light of the multitude of bans recently in the allopathic forum - my father was here in 1999 only a few years after SDN was founded and from the very beginning it was nothing without individual contributors. Thus- I absolutely HATE when "moderators" try to silence someone without some SERIOUSLY GOOD CAUSE :caution:)
 
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Hi all, this is my first time posting here after lurking and becoming pretty disheartened at some of the threads. My post is in regards to questions about red flags and how they affect my application strength. Here is everything you need to know about me:

5th year senior studying neuroscience with a minor in biology at a private college. Switched from criminal justice sophomore year.

GPA: 3.3 at this time, HUGE upward trend from a 2.4 freshman year. Basically deans list every semester since I switched. I anticipate graduating between 3.35-3.5 if I get straight As. As/B+s on all prereqs, but gen chem II was low with a solid B.

MCAT: Taking in January, but I got a 29 on my very first practice test, after zero review, finished in 2.5 hours doing all mental math for physics/ chem portions. So I don't mean to sound cocky but I'm confident I'll get atleast 30.

Leadership/ membership: 4 years of e-board position on local fraternity, basically built it from the ground up. Social chair, secretary, pledge educator, president. All positions held for 1 year. Numerous philanthropy events organized with over $2,000 raised for various non-profits since I started. I also started our study groups which raised us to 3rd highest organization GPA from the very lowest in the span of 1 year. By the time I apply I will have finished organizing a volunteer tutoring program for struggling underclassmen.

Biology and neuroscience honors fraternities, with an offer from the chemistry honors society but I had to decline.

Work: 30-40 hours of work per week on average, 50-60 during summers. Paying my own way through school, disadvantaged (single mother, <$35K/ year).

Restaurant, bartending, vet tech for a few months, on-campus research assistant, edible arrangements driver, line cook, and current emergency department scribe.

Volunteering: Multiple organized events, for various organizations through my fraternity. ~100 or so hours of emergency department volunteering.

Research: No science research, however I do work with the sociology department and have presented denominational research for the ELCA at a sociology conference.

Random hobbies/ activities: Performed guitar/ sang at charity concert last year, build reef aquariums, and have been paid for this through local business, car maintenance/ performance upgrades, snowboarding, former competitive skateboarder.

Red flag: I have 3 IAs for alcohol at my college. It is a private college with an extremely tight policy violation code; I was in a room where alcohol was present twice, and was written up both times (freshman year). They are complicated but long story short I was not drinking and this was acknowledged by the RAs. However the policy is in effect regardless of whether they can prove you drank or not. For example, I have a friend who was busted for empty bottles filled with highlighter and a blacklight behind them. The third and fourth times were my fault however. The third one I tried marijuana with a friend and got in trouble for the smell. I kept my nose clean for 4 years, and just this fall I got in trouble by the DOS himself for having a metal water bottle filled with beer at an orientation event on campus. With these red flags will I come off as a "frat boy douchebag" and not even get considered for secondaries when I submit my apps? Or should I submit them and hope for the best, and that they'll understand I'm not a degenerate alcoholic who's really only had two real run-ins; one freshman year and one this year due to wrong-place wrong-time circumstances? Accepting all input, be as critical as you would like.

If you're going to overcome 4 IA's, ever, it's not going to happen any time soon. Fortunately your IA's are, each on its own, fairly benign. However, the pattern of repetition is going to raise concern for a long time about your ability to learn from your mistakes, follow rules, make appropriate decisions, and be self aware. I could care less whether you want to drink or even do way more illicit drugs on your own time -- I don't see past use as precluding being a good physician. However, without the benefit of time between you and these events, you have no way of demonstrating that this isn't going to represent a greater pattern of behavior. For instance, I'd much rather see an applicant withdraw from school for a year and re-enroll at a school with a less strict social contract -- you made the adult decision to abide by their rules, and then you violated them. Whether the rules you broke were regarding alcohol or whatever, it raises concerns about your ability (willful or not) to function within the confines of a system you chose to enter into. It doesn't help that this issue raised its head repeatedly and you didn't manage to fix it by your senior year. That fact is, to me, what's so damning. Four years in the military might be enough time and necessary obedience to rules to prove this was youthful indiscretion, but even then, I'm not sure. I certainly would not apply before spending a few years doing something else -- I see the chance of payoff as so low that it's not worth stigmatizing your app as a reapplicant later on. I would suspect the only *possible* path is going to be more along the lines of military (or some other work, but I actually think military says something more than most jobs you'd be eligible for at this point) followed by a postbacc program of some sort to demonstrate that you can still academically perform AND that you can stay out of trouble in a less strict environment.
. . . that would give you ~6 years. I wouldn't even consider trying to explain this as youthful indiscretion sooner than that.
 
Rather than drag this out, please go ahead and turn your 'indignant' dial to 10 so that you can get banned and enjoy your evening with a positively delightful sense of self-satisfaction.
 

Thanks for making SDN annoyingly combative. Thanks to you pressing the report button I got the following PM from an idiot moderator called "Ismet"

He said:
"The wording and tone of the post are not really appropriate for the forums. Please keep posts professional; you'll get a more positive response from other members. Though this is just a warning, a continued pattern of posting unprofessional content will result in infractions that limit or remove your ability to post on the forums."

I implore someone to point on where on this thread my "wording" and "tone" was so inappropriate to cause such cacophony.

P.S. - Seriously- Who is this "Ismet" idiot? Why would he message me about this thread?
Yeah, I definitely did not press the 'Report' button. I don't believe in reporting people on forums except in extreme extreme cases. You're annoying, but you're not fundamentally horrifying.

But sure, keep making assumptions and being belligerent. That'll help you out.
 
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Yeah, I definitely did not press the 'Report' button. I don't believe in reporting people on forums except in extreme extreme cases. You're annoying, but you're not fundamentally horrifying.

But sure, keep making assumptions and being belligerent. That'll help you out.

Don't believe you. Why would @Ismet PM me then? Is (s)he really that ridiculous? It's hard to believe someone is that f-tarded. It's either you or her.
 
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Carrying alcohol in a water bottle on a dry campus was well after you decided to study the sciences. That is what sinks your application given your prior history of IAs.

Join the military. If you keep your nose clean and are honorably discharged, you might get some brownie points for that service. On the other hand, you'll need to study hard and retake the MCAT because your scores are likely to expire.

Also, don't apply with the expectation that you might not make it. Reapplicants are at a disadvantage over first time applicants as they are considered damaged goods (why didn't anyone want them the first time?). Take the MCAT once and do well, apply once when you are certain your chances are better than average.

Does this depend on the school? 1/3 of my local med school students are reapplicants.
 
Get over it

😵 How about everyone "get over it" when they get censored/corrected on SDN? The most important principle in life: small changes make big effects. I don't know if you're high school or college- but if you get far enough in life you'll realize this to ring true. I bet dumb kids would think I'm being annoying by belaboring this- but there's a goddamn good reason for calling out the person who tried to warn/censor me.
 
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What school is this?

Sorry I don't want to give that info out. But what they do is interview a lot of people they know they'll be rejecting, and tell them how to improve their application, then encourage them to reapply.
 
Sorry I don't want to give that info out. But what they do is interview a lot of people they know they'll be rejecting, and tell them how to improve their application, then encourage them to reapply.
Can you say whether it's MD or DO?
 
😵 How about everyone "get over it" when they get censored/corrected on SDN? The most important principle in life: small changes make big effects. I don't know if you're high school or college- but if you get far enough in life you'll realize this to ring true. I bet dumb kids would think I'm being annoying by belaboring this- but there's a goddamn good reason for calling out the person who tried to warn/censor me.

freemontie right now in this thread....

 
P.S.- Next time realize that before you start annoying too many people


I implore someone to point on where on this thread my "wording" and "tone" was so inappropriate to cause such cacophony.
That's the inappropriate statement in question.

Your response to the person who simply wished to offer his/her opinion on the matter at hand came off seemingly rude/uncalled for. It was insulting even if you didn't intend for it and if you truly cannot fathom why it's offensive then you're missing a few lessons in basic social etiquette. This is public forum, EVERYONE'S opinion should be respected.
 
Sorry I don't want to give that info out. But what they do is interview a lot of people they know they'll be rejecting, and tell them how to improve their application, then encourage them to reapply.
Weird.
 
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