2015-2016 Boston University Application Thread

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II! 72 OOS Complete mid July. A few questions if I may:

I read that the earliest notice of acceptance is mid Jan, so does that mean everyone interviewing before then is on even ground, i.e. no advantages for people interviewing in October vs December?

For those who got II recently, which dates were you able to select? I had no options at all

What is the 3-4 pm optional diversity session all about? Do people tend to stay for this and will it impact your application?
 
drhy said:
What is the 3-4 pm optional diversity session all about? Do people tend to stay for this and will it impact your application?
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It's just an informal session people can go to to learn more about diversity at BU. There are also current students at the session. Some people go, most don't, and it in no way impacts your application.
 
drhy said:
II! 72 OOS Complete mid July. A few questions if I may:

I read that the earliest notice of acceptance is mid Jan, so does that mean everyone interviewing before then is on even ground, i.e. no advantages for people interviewing in October vs December?
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I want to know this as well. I was offered an interview mid September but the earliest date available for me was November 30. Is this unusual?
 
yellowjellybean said:
I want to know this as well. I was offered an interview mid September but the earliest date available for me was November 30. Is this unusual?
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No, many schools are booking interviews in November (some even December) already.
 
Rejected just now. complete 7/28. 3.9 GPA, 38 MCAT. My ECs definitely weren't my downfall. I'm a little frustrated to say the least.
 
RunnerforLife14 said:
Rejected just now. complete 7/28. 3.9 GPA, 38 MCAT. My ECs definitely weren't my downfall. I'm a little frustrated to say the least.
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damn..those are great stats.. any chance one of your references said something? how's the rest of your cycle going?
 
bearintraining said:
damn..those are great stats.. any chance one of your references said something? how's the rest of your cycle going?
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No, I got a word from the lady that compiled my letters that said "wow, I can't say anything specific, but I have never had SUCH positive letters (5 of them) all for one student." Not to mention, I knew all of the references really well so they wouldn't "screw me", per se.

As for the rest of my cycle, applied to 15, secondaries at all, interviews at Baylor and UCF, no other interviews though... I'm a little confused to be honest, considering everyone else I know that interviewed at baylor when I did has like at least 5 interviews at big-time schools. I think that my undergrad institution may have hurt me, despite my mcat score, which is a standardized exam. It is a little disheartening. Thank you for the questions and I hope this helps. How about you?
 
RunnerforLife14 said:
No, I got a word from the lady that compiled my letters that said "wow, I can't say anything specific, but I have never had SUCH positive letters (5 of them) all for one student." Not to mention, I knew all of the references really well so they wouldn't "screw me", per se.

As for the rest of my cycle, applied to 15, secondaries at all, interviews at Baylor and UCF, no other interviews though... I'm a little confused to be honest, considering everyone else I know that interviewed at baylor when I did has like at least 5 interviews at big-time schools. I think that my undergrad institution may have hurt me, despite my mcat score, which is a standardized exam. It is a little disheartening. Thank you for the questions and I hope this helps. How about you?
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ALSO, I ran the Boston Marathon and presented at a conference in Boston right before the beginning of this semester, so I would have LOVED to interview here and I had some relation to the city. Oh well, good luck to you all!
 
RunnerforLife14 said:
No, I got a word from the lady that compiled my letters that said "wow, I can't say anything specific, but I have never had SUCH positive letters (5 of them) all for one student." Not to mention, I knew all of the references really well so they wouldn't "screw me", per se.

As for the rest of my cycle, applied to 15, secondaries at all, interviews at Baylor and UCF, no other interviews though... I'm a little confused to be honest, considering everyone else I know that interviewed at baylor when I did has like at least 5 interviews at big-time schools. I think that my undergrad institution may have hurt me, despite my mcat score, which is a standardized exam. It is a little disheartening. Thank you for the questions and I hope this helps. How about you?
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wow, i thought someone with your credentials would be a shoe-in
did you reach out to anyone to get more detailed feedback? I know that the dean at tufts is super friendly and will talk with just about anyone that asks for advice
 
RunnerforLife14 said:
Rejected just now. complete 7/28. 3.9 GPA, 38 MCAT. My ECs definitely weren't my downfall. I'm a little frustrated to say the least.
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This is what scares me as I hold on to only one interview invite. I hope for your success with other schools.
 
RunnerforLife14 said:
No, I got a word from the lady that compiled my letters that said "wow, I can't say anything specific, but I have never had SUCH positive letters (5 of them) all for one student." Not to mention, I knew all of the references really well so they wouldn't "screw me", per se.

As for the rest of my cycle, applied to 15, secondaries at all, interviews at Baylor and UCF, no other interviews though... I'm a little confused to be honest, considering everyone else I know that interviewed at baylor when I did has like at least 5 interviews at big-time schools. I think that my undergrad institution may have hurt me, despite my mcat score, which is a standardized exam. It is a little disheartening. Thank you for the questions and I hope this helps. How about you?
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Hard to know then.. I have had absolutely zero news, other than getting through the LOR step at Mayo. I was also not complete until late august or early sept. at most though, so probably too early. My GPA is crummy (3.4-3.5), but I do have a PhD and pubs and a 522 MCAT
 
yellowjellybean said:
I want to know this as well. I was offered an interview mid September but the earliest date available for me was November 30. Is this unusual?
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My interview with Pitt is in December, so I don't think this is unusual.
 
bearintraining said:
Hard to know then.. I have had absolutely zero news, other than getting through the LOR step at Mayo. I was also not complete until late august or early sept. at most though, so probably too early. My GPA is crummy (3.4-3.5), but I do have a PhD and pubs and a 522 MCAT
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Those are some impressive stats. And your MCAT score shows that you didn't just get some "blah" PhD where you learned nothing. I see these people applying with graduate degrees and they're like "oh, my MCAT isn't as good but I have a MS/PhD so it doesn't matter". To me, if you have that kind of advanced education, you should score better than the rest of us on the MCAT. Especially on the Biological Sciences, if the degree is in some sort of bio (molecular, micro, genetics, etc). Either way, that is awesome for you and I am sure that those things will make it quite easy to overlook the GPA. It happens. I'm interested to hear how you end up. Keep us posted on here about your experience with BU 🙂
 
RunnerforLife14 said:
Those are some impressive stats. And your MCAT score shows that you didn't just get some "blah" PhD where you learned nothing. I see these people applying with graduate degrees and they're like "oh, my MCAT isn't as good but I have a MS/PhD so it doesn't matter". To me, if you have that kind of advanced education, you should score better than the rest of us on the MCAT. Especially on the Biological Sciences, if the degree is in some sort of bio (molecular, micro, genetics, etc). Either way, that is awesome for you and I am sure that those things will make it quite easy to overlook the GPA. It happens. I'm interested to hear how you end up. Keep us posted on here about your experience with BU 🙂
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I do not agree this is assessment at all. A Ph.D. is training in a very specific area. I can tell you all about cancer cell migration and metastasis and how to do independent research. I got my Ph.D. from one of the top schools in the nation for Biomedical Sciences, but I got a 30 on the MCAT. Why? Well I have not seen 90%+ of the material in over 10 years. I also am taking care of my disabled parents while working full time as a postdoctoral fellow. I gave myself a 2 week study-cation (still going to work to inject my mice for an important experiment) to study for the test. Yes, I should have studied more, but I was in a position that made it difficult. I also rushed to take the old test. 20/20 hindsight, I should have just studied longer and taken the new test. Anyways, just trying to say that you should not generalize. I think it is actually easier to take the MCAT during undergrad. 🙂
 
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as an aside, they don't seem to be very affected by ITA emails.
 
trini818 said:
I do not agree this is assessment at all. A Ph.D. is training in a very specific area. I can tell you all about cancer cell migration and metastasis and how to do independent research. I got my Ph.D. from one of the top schools in the nation for Biomedical Sciences, but I got a 30 on the MCAT. Why? Well I have not seen 90%+ of the material in over 10 years. I also am taking care of my disabled parents while working full time as a postdoctoral fellow. I gave myself a 2 week study-cation (still going to work to inject my mice for an important experiment) to study for the test. Yes, I should have studied more, but I was in a position that made it difficult. I also rushed to take the old test. 20/20 hindsight, I should have just studied longer and taken the new test. Anyways, just trying to say that you should not generalize. I think it is actually easier to take the MCAT during undergrad. 🙂
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I see your point.. It does make sense, since I do know that a lot of the training and education is pretty specialized, talking to a few masters and phd friends in chemistry. Not to mention the work as a post doc... they work you like slaves from what I hear. You do point out a few things that can impact that: time away from the material, and extenuating circumstances. I totally can see that and it is something I overlooked.

I really hope I didn't offend you, that wasn't my intent at all and I appreciate your positive comments. I hope for the best for you, and, again, I hope you end up better here (in the BU process) than me LOL. Good luck to you, both at BU and your interview at Pitt!
 
RunnerforLife14 said:
I see your point.. It does make sense, since I do know that a lot of the training and education is pretty specialized, talking to a few masters and phd friends in chemistry. Not to mention the work as a post doc... they work you like slaves from what I hear. You do point out a few things that can impact that: time away from the material, and extenuating circumstances. I totally can see that and it is something I overlooked.

I really hope I didn't offend you, that wasn't my intent at all and I appreciate your positive comments. I hope for the best for you, and, again, I hope you end up better here (in the BU process) than me LOL. Good luck to you, both at BU and your interview at Pitt!
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No worries. Not offended. It is just assumed that, as a Ph.D., we should do better, which I have seen before your post. I just wanted to explain why these tests could be hard for us even with our advanced studies. Opening that O-Chem study book after not seeing that stuff since 2003-2004 was a real rude awakening on how I should have given myself more time to study.

You are correct about being a postdoc. We get worked hard and get paid little. As a graduate student, I had an abusive PI, so I am just glad that my postdoc advisor is a thoracic surgeon and a human being. He is very supportive of my decision to go into medicine.

Best of luck to you too!!!
 
trini818 said:
No worries. Not offended. It is just assumed that, as a Ph.D., we should do better, which I have seen before your post. I just wanted to explain why these tests could be hard for us even with our advanced studies. Opening that O-Chem study book after not seeing that stuff since 2003-2004 was a real rude awakening on how I should have given myself more time to study.

You are correct about being a postdoc. We get worked hard and get paid little. As a graduate student, I had an abusive PI, so I am just glad that my postdoc advisor is a thoracic surgeon and a human being. He is very supportive of my decision to go into medicine.

Best of luck to you too!!!
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My situation is opposite than you regarding PIs.. ugh.

anyway, yeah, I agree -- there is no straightforward correlation, but i do think a biosci phd should do well on the bio mcat section.. either way, its a bit of a crapshoot and the exam is rough.
 
tetley said:
How did you like MAMS?
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I liked it a lot! A lot of really interesting, relevant material. Also a lot of hard work. Definitely night and day difference between this time and the last times I applied. I had zero interviews prior to the MAMS program. Now I have 4 IIs so far.
 
Alas, rejected today.
OOS, but with strong ties to the area.
LizzyM 73-74, with MCAT>>GPA.
Submitted mid-July.

Ah well...I'm bummed I won't have an excuse to go visit my adorable cousins, but such is life. Good luck to all of you still hanging in there!
 
Rejected just now! 3.7/37, complete 7/30, top ECs. Not surprised, I didn't have a good reason for BU, didn't even bother for an essay on how their resources would help me.
Good luck to everyone else!
 
RunnerforLife14 said:
No, I got a word from the lady that compiled my letters that said "wow, I can't say anything specific, but I have never had SUCH positive letters (5 of them) all for one student." Not to mention, I knew all of the references really well so they wouldn't "screw me", per se.

As for the rest of my cycle, applied to 15, secondaries at all, interviews at Baylor and UCF, no other interviews though... I'm a little confused to be honest, considering everyone else I know that interviewed at baylor when I did has like at least 5 interviews at big-time schools. I think that my undergrad institution may have hurt me, despite my mcat score, which is a standardized exam. It is a little disheartening. Thank you for the questions and I hope this helps. How about you?
Click to expand...

I heard from a guy who heard from a guy that BU will reject applicants whom they believe are TOO good, because they will likely be accepted by better schools and eventually matriculate there. Very wonky.
 
I had a pretty un-chill interview here. I really liked the school and all, but I felt "grilled".
 
sharpstix said:
I heard from a guy who heard from a guy that BU will reject applicants whom they believe are TOO good, because they will likely be accepted by better schools and eventually matriculate there. Very wonky.
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This is the general suspicion we (i.e., SDN) has with regards to the mid-tier schools that get massive numbers of applications (like >8000).

It makes sense. Gotta protect that yield and invest the interview resources in people who will actually attend if given an offer. There is such a thing as being "overqualified" for certain med schools, even if no one wants to admit it like that :laugh:
 
avgn said:
This is the general suspicion we (i.e., SDN) has with regards to the mid-tier schools that get massive numbers of applications (like >8000).

It makes sense. Gotta protect that yield and invest the interview resources in people who will actually attend if given an offer. There is such a thing as being "overqualified" for certain med schools, even if no one wants to admit it like that :laugh:
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I am not arguing at all with you on this one, as for the perception. Completely agree. But I ask myself, when has a patient ever complained that their doctor is overqualified? haha
 
I mean, both notorious cases of med students turning out to be serial killers were BU students, weren't they?

Something's afoot here...
 
RunnerforLife14 said:
I am not arguing at all with you on this one, as for the perception. Completely agree. But I ask myself, when has a patient ever complained that their doctor is overqualified? haha
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No, but schools certainly complain that their students want to do something the school isn't that into. e.g., I recently interviewed at a top school that openly said "Do not come here if you envision a career in just private practice." (Yes that is a direct quote.) I wish I could've taken a pic of people's expressions then lol. Priceless. All the gunner dreams of that NY/SF plastics clinic went down the toilet lmao
 
Rejection here 10/5: OOS, Lizzy M 72.5, complete early July.
 
Still waiting for my rejection... was complete 7/21. They must be having a tough time of it!
 
Mr. Beefy Lion said:
Rejected here today....this one hurt, this was my top choice. LizzyM 77. OOS complete 8/1.

Goodluck to everyone else!!!
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I'm right there with you man. Keep your head up, there are bigger fish to catch, so to say. I am in the same boat as you...BU was one of my favorites. Oh well. Like another on this thread told me, other great schools will give you love.
 
Rejected this morning, LizzyM 67-68, non-trad w/ masters, complete 7/27. But they send a very kind rejection letter so at least I don't feel bad. Good luck everyone else!
 
cactusinmyhead said:
I had a pretty un-chill interview here. I really liked the school and all, but I felt "grilled".
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That's unfortunate. My interview experience was very, very pleasant and I really, really liked the school (it definitely went from low on my list of interest to top 5).

I still think (visited BU when shopping for undergrad schools) Boston is a garbo city though 🤣
 
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