2012-2013 Drexel University Application Thread

[sjagan1]

I think your subsection score is acceptable ( aka all above a 7) but your overall is a 26. The average applicant is a 28 and the average medical school matriculant is a 31, soon to be a 32 after this year or next year in my opinion. So in that regard your mcat score puts you at a huge disadvantage. Your gpa is good, but definitely not great or spectacular. I think your LizzyM score is a 62-63, which is also definitely on the low end(I was told by most premed advisors and two medical school admissions faculty that you should shoot for a 70 to be competitive at most schools).

What is a lizzy score?

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[AarccX]

What is a lizzy score?

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I believe its (GPA * 10) + MCAT score, but I've seen threads stating schools doing it slightly differently.

 

[1289]

Well I applied to DO schools where my Mcat score is very competitive. I have read the msar (for md school and know that if I even had 9s instead of my 8s, my chances would have gone up significantly). However, my kaplan tutor said that 1 or 2 more marks would have been ideal but I was definitely in the range of med school acceptances with my gpas and other factors.

Was she necessarily wrong? Was she including do schools as med schools? I trusted her advice. I wish I did better and felt I was one question away from 9s. For last year's application cycle I got 11 PS 8VR 7BS which would have had me dead on arrival and had fewer ECs.



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i think the 8 in bio specifically is killer. most people score the highest in that section, and for most schools it's typically the highest average of the sub sections

 

[medicsb]

So I was rejected pre interview. Got my letter a few days ago. It was bad news as you said so I was prepared.

No worries. drexel interviews a large pool though. What could have hurt me?

Cgpa 3.72
Sgpa 3.61

Mcat 10 PS VR 8 BS 8

Mcat score is not ideal but not "terrible" in my view. I felt I was in the range.
the UMDNJ dean told me my overall application was reasonable and acceptable. I sent him a letter of interest and he told me his opinion of my amcas application.

What do you think?

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MCAT is low. I believe the median score for matriculants is now around 32 now. "Acceptable and reasonable" is probably a fine app if you have a good MCAT. You'd want to have a "stellar" overall application with a 26. Unless you're an URM, I wouldn't hold my breath for US allopathic schools. Bummer, I know. Honestly, you'd probably get by fine in medical school, but it is still very competitive to get in and 26 in most cases isn't going to bode well. Good luck!

 

[Jojokarade]

Well I applied to DO schools where my Mcat score is very competitive. I have read the msar (for md school and know that if I even had 9s instead of my 8s, my chances would have gone up significantly). However, my kaplan tutor said that 1 or 2 more marks would have been ideal but I was definitely in the range of med school acceptances with my gpas and other factors.

Was she necessarily wrong? Was she including do schools as med schools? I trusted her advice. I wish I did better and felt I was one question away from 9s. For last year's application cycle I got 11 PS 8VR 7BS which would have had me dead on arrival and had fewer ECs.



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DO schools are easier to get into so your score will probably be fine. If you specifically want MD, then your MCAT may be a little low, especially the bio. Most stuff you learn in medical school will come back to the biological sciences in some way. I did try with a 27 once and did not get in. When I retried with a 31, everything changed in terms of how much stronger of an applicant I was.

 

[p3anut]

After interviews I thought went fine and decent stats (3.6, 3.6, 33S and a ton of experience--I'm non-trad), I did not get the letter I was hoping for. As an aside, my essay mirrored another spoken of here almost exactly. Having been wait-listed somewhere else after a dreadful interview (I fully expected to be rejected there as I'm clearly a bad fit for that school), I'm thinking... well, I just don't know what to think. But I'm hopeful for the future--and determined. Onward.

 

[MedPR]

then we've been on different interview trails...
i've also had 8 ii's already, and every single one of them offered breakfast, even if it was just a plate of fruit, coffee and pastry.

Well I'd say I'm jealous, but I'm not much of a breakfast eater. Still it's a very nice gesture by those schools.

DO schools are easier to get into so your score will probably be fine. If you specifically want MD, then your MCAT may be a little low, especially the bio. Most stuff you learn in medical school will come back to the biological sciences in some way. I did try with a 27 once and did not get in. When I retried with a 31, everything changed in terms of how much stronger of an applicant I was.

This is spot on. A 26 MCAT is right about median for DO so while it isn't amazing, it won't hold you back either.

 

[sjagan1]

i think the 8 in bio specifically is killer. most people score the highest in that section, and for most schools it's typically the highest average of the sub sections

Yeah, one or two marks can be so decisive and one more question right could have provided those marks. I see another reason why MCATs are brutal. Cut offs are sharp between great scores and bad scores. Board exams will be so much harder. The umdnj dean told me that mcats are indicators of board exam tests specifically. I agree. Those cutoffs would be brutal too.

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[Jojokarade]

This is spot on. A 26 MCAT is right about median for DO so while it isn't amazing, it won't hold you back either.

That is true. There is nothing wrong, in my opinion, with becoming a DO. I have multiple friends who are on that path. However, my word of warning would be that if you want to do international medicine, you probably should become a MD since a lot of other countries don't recognize DO as much.

 

[MedPR]

That is true. There is nothing wrong, in my opinion, with becoming a DO. I have multiple friends who are on that path. However, my word of warning would be that if you want to do international medicine, you probably should become a MD since a lot of other countries don't recognize DO as much.

Yup, nothing wrong with going DO. There are just less obstacles to your career of choice if you are an MD.

 

[Mjolner]

Unless you're planning family practice anyway.

 

[MedPR]

Unless you're planning family practice anyway.

Yea, but I think most people end up in (or wanting to be in) a different specialty than when they were a pre-med.

 

[sjagan1]

Yea, but I think most people end up in (or wanting to be in) a different specialty than when they were a pre-med.

Pal, do you want to go to a DO school more than an MD school?

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[hughnguyen22]

That is true. There is nothing wrong, in my opinion, with becoming a DO. I have multiple friends who are on that path. However, my word of warning would be that if you want to do international medicine, you probably should become a MD since a lot of other countries don't recognize DO as much.

I know that this is a little bit irrelevant to this forum, but this is my story regarding MD vs DO. One of my closest professors had blood in her urine. She went to 10 MD internal medicine doctors, and all of them never thought of the fact that she was having kidney cancer. It took a DO to figure it out. I heard that DO students find it harder to apply for residency. However, I do not think that DO doctors are any inferior to MD doctors. When it comes to a doctor, not that many patients care where the docs get their degrees from. They care more about how they are treated.

 

[MedPR]

Pal, do you want to go to a DO school more than an MD school?

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I want to go to Nova more than I want to go to Drexel. But no, in general I do not want to go to a DO school more than an MD school. If I did, why would I even bother applying to MD when they are harder to get into?

I know that this is a little bit irrelevant to this forum, but this is my story regarding MD vs DO. One of my closest professors had blood in her urine. She went to 10 MD internal medicine doctors, and all of them never thought of the fact that she was having kidney cancer. It took a DO to figure it out. I heard that DO students find it harder to apply for residency. However, I do not think that DO doctors are any inferior to MD doctors. When it comes to a doctor, not that many patients care where the docs get their degrees from. They care more about how they are treated.

This means that 1 doctor (who happened to be a DO) had better diagnostic skills (and the information gathered by 10 other doctors) than those other 10 doctors (who happened to be MDs). It says nothing about the quality of MD or DO.

 

[sjagan1]

I want to go to Nova more than I want to go to Drexel. But no, in general I do not want to go to a DO school more than an MD school. If I did, why would I even bother applying to MD when they are harder to get into?



This means that 1 doctor (who happened to be a DO) had better diagnostic skills (and the information gathered by 10 other doctors) than those other 10 doctors (who happened to be MDs). It says nothing about the quality of MD or DO.

What about OMM techniques for diagnosis? They did not make a difference?

 

[sjagan1]

DO schools are easier to get into so your score will probably be fine. If you specifically want MD, then your MCAT may be a little low, especially the bio. Most stuff you learn in medical school will come back to the biological sciences in some way. I did try with a 27 once and did not get in. When I retried with a 31, everything changed in terms of how much stronger of an applicant I was.

Thank you for your words. The reality and context make sense. I guess if my GPAs had been 3.9 or above and I had some more extraordinary ECs such as NIH research experiences and fellowships, etc a 26/27 MCAT would not be as much of a drag.

One of my best friends currently attends KY-COM. Her MCAT score was a 27 (10PS, 8VR, 9BS) and she got an interview and was ultimately waitlisted at University of Maryland school of medicine (my number one choice and tough choice to get into due to its prestige). She had a 4.00cGPA/ 4.00sGPA and graduated summa cum laude. She had more research experience than I did and was a medical scribe for a while. It takes a LOT to offset a low MCAT. She attended Towson University and was an Honors College student.

I also attended Towson University and was an Honors College student. We are both Maryland residents.

 

[MedPR]

What about OMM techniques for diagnosis? They did not make a difference?

You can't diagnose cancer with OMM.

 

[batndz]

That is true. There is nothing wrong, in my opinion, with becoming a DO. I have multiple friends who are on that path. However, my word of warning would be that if you want to do international medicine, you probably should become a MD since a lot of other countries don't recognize DO as much.

About the getting recognized abroad. This will no longer be an issue come 2015 when all residencies will come under the auspices of the ACGME.

All of the DO organizations such as the AOA, AACOM and etc as of 2015 will become part of the ACGME. This will make explaining your post graduate training a lot easier abroad.

Another note about finding residencies as a DO. I honestly think it will become less and less of a problem down the road seeing there will no longer be special DO residencies, and all DOs will now be applying for "MD" residences.

 

[batndz]

What about OMM techniques for diagnosis? They did not make a difference?

OMM is just another tool a physician can use. They're not a magic bullet. They only treat and diagnose very specific and limited conditions.

 

[Deetss]

I don't think this is true. There are very few that don't recognize DO and if you were part of an organization like doctors without borders, this would not be a factor. One of my professors in the global medicine department of my graduate school program was a DO. I met with him to talk about this specifically and he seemed to be really confused. He practices all over the world and has never had a problem.

if you are DO and are trying to practice in major cities in asia and western europe, you might run into problems

 

[sjagan1]

if you are DO and are trying to practice in major cities in asia and western europe, you might run into problems

Yes. Hard but not impossible.

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[MedPR]

Yes. Hard but not impossible.

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Your blind defense of DO is stunning. If you can get into an MD school there are very few reasons to create additional challenges in your future by going DO.

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[giants25]

Thank you for your words. The reality and context make sense. I guess if my GPAs had been 3.9 or above and I had some more extraordinary ECs such as NIH research experiences and fellowships, etc a 26/27 MCAT would not be as much of a drag.

One of my best friends currently attends KY-COM. Her MCAT score was a 27 (10PS, 8VR, 9BS) and she got an interview and was ultimately waitlisted at University of Maryland school of medicine (my number one choice and tough choice to get into due to its prestige). She had a 4.00cGPA/ 4.00sGPA and graduated summa cum laude. She had more research experience than I did and was a medical scribe for a while. It takes a LOT to offset a low MCAT. She attended

Wouldn't taking the mcat over again and doing well offset your low mcat score?

 

[sjagan1]

What a dumb ass! How many people do you think actually ask their doctor where they graduated from?! Maybe it matters if you want to publish but other wise who cares? When your ass is in an emergency you don't go around asking everyone for their resume...
Jerk.

I am not sure. Talk about losing common sense....

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[sjagan1]

Wouldn't taking the mcat over again and doing well offset your low mcat score?

Well obviously yeah. I was just acknowledging my other reality in which my GPAs and ECs were solid but not extraordinary. You need all other factors to be extraordinary in order to have some chance with a low MCAT (less than 28). My friend was one such example. Her extraordinary gpas, academic scholars, and ECs offseted her 27 clearly.

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[sjagan1]

Your blind defense of DO is stunning. If you can get into an MD school there are very few reasons to create additional challenges in your future by going DO.

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Let me be clear, I was NOT defending DO blindly. I was agreeing with the commenter that it is harder as a DO. I was agreeing it is not impossible either. And of course it makes more sense to go MD where there are more opportunities and fewer obstacles. I don't know where you got this "defending DO schools blindly" sense in my statements, especially considering other commenters have been talking more about DOs than I have.

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[Deetss]

Let me be clear, I was NOT defending DO blindly. I was agreeing with the commenter that it is harder as a DO. I was agreeing it is not impossible either. And of course it makes more sense to go MD where there are more opportunities and fewer obstacles. I don't know where you got this "defending DO schools blindly" sense in my statements, especially considering other commenters have been talking more about DOs than I have.

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yes, if you can get in an MD program, by all means try ur hardest to do so. DO poses alot of problems down the road. i.e. not many specialities, ending up in small towns, have to be the top of your class to match into ___ etc. But i believe the stigmas attached to DO schools are slowly disappearing.

 

[jeb1214]

This thread should stay on topic, i.e. relevant to DUCOM.

 

[UrbanRiver]

This thread should stay on topic, i.e. relevant to DUCOM.

I agree. there are plenty of DO vs. MD threads for this. By the way, do any of you guys know how many people get waitlisted and rejected post-interview? And how many people from the waitlist ultimately get accepted?

 

[bananapancake33]

I'm almost positive I know who you interviewed with. The man is a living legend in the world of EM. He is a great example of what a physician should be.

You are correct He definitely contributed positively to my impression of the school. Throw in his dedication to teaching/Drexel and you have a winning combination. This man is awesome!

 

[Robalo]

By the way, do any of you guys know how many people get waitlisted and rejected post-interview? And how many people from the waitlist ultimately get accepted?

I've been waitlisted and am wondering the same thing.

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[Jojokarade]

I've been waitlisted and am wondering the same thing.

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I don't know the exact numbers, but I do know that a lot of people get in from the wait list simply because there is so much more movement due to the size of DUCOM's class. If you are on the waitlist, you really won't know anything until the spring but have faith that there still is a decent chance.

 

[Robalo]

I don't know the exact numbers, but I do know that a lot of people get in from the wait list simply because there is so much more movement due to the size of DUCOM's class. If you are on the waitlist, you really won't know anything until the spring but have faith that there still is a decent chance.

Good to know. Thanks for the info

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[Boomski]

Still no status change. Interview 9/24, second interview via Skype 10/19. Second interview may have reset my application progress. I'm wondering when I should start questioning my worth as a person.

 

[sbuxaddict]

Still no status change. Interview 9/24, second interview via Skype 10/19. Second interview may have reset my application progress. I'm wondering when I should start questioning my worth as a person.

I didn't know they did Skype interviews How was that?

And it's been ~3 weeks since the second interview, maybe give them a little more time?

 

[Boomski]

I didn't know they did Skype interviews How was that?

And it's been ~3 weeks since the second interview, maybe give them a little more time?

I had somewhat of an unfortunate first interview (Cut short, didn't really perform how I wanted). I expressed my concerns and they offered a second interview. Living in Florida I couldn't really swing flying up to Philly for a second interview so they offered a skype interview. It was about an hour long with Dr. DePace.

 

[sbuxaddict]

I had somewhat of an unfortunate first interview (Cut short, didn't really perform how I wanted). I expressed my concerns and they offered a second interview. Living in Florida I couldn't really swing flying up to Philly for a second interview so they offered a skype interview. It was about an hour long with Dr. DePace.

Oh well that's considerate of them. Hopefully the second one went better than the first!
Just out of curiosity, how did you go about telling them you weren't satisfied with the interview?

 

[Boomski]

A very polite and carefully worded email

 

[depress]

Has anyone recently gotten an interview? Ive been complete for at least two months now :/...really getting discouraged.

 

[Jojokarade]

Has anyone recently gotten an interview? Ive been complete for at least two months now :/...really getting discouraged.

I know it is hard, but just be patient. They have 12,000 applications to go through.

 

[gbc2013]

Just wanted to pitch in my two-cents about my interview experience (back in the second week of October, still waiting on a decision.. blehh).

My student interview was incredible, he was extremely enthusiastic about Drexel and the things the school had to offer, as well as very open about his reasons for choosing Drexel. My faculty interviewer was late, so my interview with him was cut very short to about 15 minutes, but I felt fine about it. I'm sure his assessment of me was fair and I didn't answer anything any differently than I would have in half an hour or more if I had the time. I came into the day very unsure about how highly I would place Drexel on my list, but by the end I was completely sold, even with the short, rapid-fire faculty interview. No, Drexel is not a top-tier school, but it is in a great location in terms of opportunity and has a lot of really great things to offer. I think the thing that really has me hooked is that I felt like I could excel there, and that I wouldn't have to be fighting tooth and nail with my classmates to have success. Overall it was a great experience.

 

[sbuxaddict]

A very polite and carefully worded email

Good to know, thanks

Just wanted to pitch in my two-cents about my interview experience (back in the second week of October, still waiting on a decision.. blehh).

My student interview was incredible, he was extremely enthusiastic about Drexel and the things the school had to offer, as well as very open about his reasons for choosing Drexel. My faculty interviewer was late, so my interview with him was cut very short to about 15 minutes, but I felt fine about it. I'm sure his assessment of me was fair and I didn't answer anything any differently than I would have in half an hour or more if I had the time. I came into the day very unsure about how highly I would place Drexel on my list, but by the end I was completely sold, even with the short, rapid-fire faculty interview. No, Drexel is not a top-tier school, but it is in a great location in terms of opportunity and has a lot of really great things to offer. I think the thing that really has me hooked is that I felt like I could excel there, and that I wouldn't have to be fighting tooth and nail with my classmates to have success. Overall it was a great experience.

Thanks for sharing your experience! Posts like these make me even more excited to interview, I can only hope to have a similar positive interview.

 

[km1865]

Just wanted to pitch in my two-cents about my interview experience (back in the second week of October, still waiting on a decision.. blehh).

My student interview was incredible, he was extremely enthusiastic about Drexel and the things the school had to offer, as well as very open about his reasons for choosing Drexel. My faculty interviewer was late, so my interview with him was cut very short to about 15 minutes, but I felt fine about it. I'm sure his assessment of me was fair and I didn't answer anything any differently than I would have in half an hour or more if I had the time. I came into the day very unsure about how highly I would place Drexel on my list, but by the end I was completely sold, even with the short, rapid-fire faculty interview. No, Drexel is not a top-tier school, but it is in a great location in terms of opportunity and has a lot of really great things to offer. I think the thing that really has me hooked is that I felt like I could excel there, and that I wouldn't have to be fighting tooth and nail with my classmates to have success. Overall it was a great experience.

I had the SAME exact experience. Student interview was awesome and we talked for more than an hour, faculty interviewer was late and it literally lasted 15 min. I interviewed early Oct. as well. I'm just hoping that the faculty interviewer got a fair picture of who I am in those short 15 min! Def. loved what I saw on interview day and am really really hoping for an acceptance!

 

[jeb1214]

sbuxaddict you should be excited! I also had an awesome experience on my drexel interview day!! I literally stayed as long as I could, talking to any student I could (seemed like e/o was so friendly!) and also got the chance to sit in on a neurobio lecture.... great atmosphere and overall an awesome day. My student interview was also so relaxed. You talk over lunch in the packed cafeteria and really get a chance to get excited about the school because you're hearing the "truth" from a student (and the "truth" is great!)

 

[sbuxaddict]

sbuxaddict you should be excited! I also had an awesome experience on my drexel interview day!! I literally stayed as long as I could, talking to any student I could (seemed like e/o was so friendly!) and also got the chance to sit in on a neurobio lecture.... great atmosphere and overall an awesome day. My student interview was also so relaxed. You talk over lunch in the packed cafeteria and really get a chance to get excited about the school because you're hearing the "truth" from a student (and the "truth" is great!)

Ah that would be so awesome to sit in on a lecture..do they offer that option or did you ask?

 

[batndz]

I had the SAME exact experience. Student interview was awesome and we talked for more than an hour, faculty interviewer was late and it literally lasted 15 min. I interviewed early Oct. as well. I'm just hoping that the faculty interviewer got a fair picture of who I am in those short 15 min! Def. loved what I saw on interview day and am really really hoping for an acceptance!

I guess I'd like to chime in too about the great time I had during my interview.

I had my faculty interview in the morning so I had to cut my tour of the school short, which made me sad because i really wanted to explore the school and see what it had to offer.

My faculty interview was really short (9-10 mins), he just essentially went over my primary application saying "oh you did this and that, very good..." I felt like he was trying to rush me along because he had a meeting right after my interview.

However, my student interview was phenomenal. My interviewer answered all my questions. It was very laid back, and more like a really pleasant conversation. After eating lunch for like 30-40 mins, he was kind enough to show me around the school and pretty much show me all that i missed earlier that day during the school tour.

I really liked my interview at drexel and I left with a great impression.

 

[wind0angel]

Hi everyone! What is Drexel really big on? mentoring? research? could anyone tell me more about Drexel?

Thank you so much!!!!!

 

[Boomski]

Status changed to "Final Decision" today. What was the turn around time from final decision to letters arriving?

 

[scrubulous]

Status changed to "Final Decision" today. What was the turn around time from final decision to letters arriving?

when did you interview?