2016-2017 Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Application Thread

[xmojojojo]

Several weeks ago I checked their website and it said the deadline for md and md/PhD was 01/12 this year, but just a few days ago they seemed to put the deadline to 01/01 next year without any notice or explanations.

edit: I'm just confused about why the school did this. If it wants to change the applicant pool, simply extending the application deadline is likely to result in a bigger one, but a better one is unlikely. Tampering with the deadline may also turn off future potential applicants.

I'm applying too Glad they extended the deadline, otherwise my application is going to be really rushed.
Anyways, not sure about the part regarding them not having enough applicants, but the official reason is that they are accepting GAMSAT results as well and not just MCAT, hence the extension of the deadline from 1st Dec to 1st Jan. Though the email regarding this was only sent on the 25th of Nov, so I'm not sure if there were any extenuating factors involved.

Duke-NUS is quite a well regarded school locally. I've been interacting with a number of students and faculty since my first year of undergrad studies and I would say that they generally like it there. Though probably the unique things about the system in Duke-NUS would be its Team LEAD system (not for everyone) and its relatively heavy emphasis on research in the 3rd year (again not for everyone), which crams all the necessary background knowledge mainly in the first year. This, I hear, can be quite a burden if you're not expecting it, especially with the self learning style of the Team LEAD system. Though I'm aiming to be a clinician scientist eventually, so all is fine and good for me

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[suezq304]

I'm applying too Glad they extended the deadline, otherwise my application is going to be really rushed.
Anyways, not sure about the part regarding them not having enough applicants, but the official reason is that they are accepting GAMSAT results as well and not just MCAT, hence the extension of the deadline from 1st Dec to 1st Jan. Though the email regarding this was only sent on the 25th of Nov, so I'm not sure if there were any extenuating factors involved.

Duke-NUS is quite a well regarded school locally. I've been interacting with a number of students and faculty since my first year of undergrad studies and I would say that they generally like it there. Though probably the unique things about the system in Duke-NUS would be its Team LEAD system (not for everyone) and its relatively heavy emphasis on research in the 3rd year (again not for everyone), which crams all the necessary background knowledge mainly in the first year. This, I hear, can be quite a burden if you're not expecting it, especially with the self learning style of the Team LEAD system. Though I'm aiming to be a clinician scientist eventually, so all is fine and good for me

Can you elaborate on the third year research emphasis? Will there be a year-long project?

 

[lllinda]

Can you elaborate on the third year research emphasis? Will there be a year-long project?

From what I've heard from current students, it's about 10 months, during which you will mostly stay in a lab to do some research work instead of gaining clinical exposure. And most students choose to take step1 at the end of their second year so probably it will be the least stressful year throughout the whole curriculum? I guess.

 

[suezq304]

From what I've heard from current students, it's about 10 months, during which you will mostly stay in a lab to do some research work instead of gaining clinical exposure. And most students choose to take step1 at the end of their second year so probably it will be the least stressful year throughout the whole curriculum? I guess.

Thanks! Do you know if it will be clinical research or bench work?

 

[lllinda]

Thanks! Do you know if it will be clinical research or bench work?

That really depends on your supervisor. I guess both are available and we can negotiate our research topics with the faculty.

Btw, has anyone received any offer yet? Or heard anything from the school after interview?

 

[mamba4lyfe]

Hi all,

I've been following this thread for a while and thought I might give some insight.

I'm a Singaporean and a current graduate student in the US with ~2 years of research (1 year literature review, and 1 year ongoing neurophysiology). I interviewed in DUKE-NUS in October and received my acceptance letter today.

The admissions staff are extremely friendly and helpful through out the application process and I would direct all course specific questions to them. The website has substantial information about the curriculum which mirrors that of the course in Durham - 1 year foundation, 1 year clinical rotation, 1 year research (yes research is huge in Duke, but that's the wave of medicine in the future anyways...), and 1 year rotation/electives. Each intake batch seems to be very tightly knit, all sharing the same cozy classroom during the first year. We took a tour of the facilities during applicant day (towards the end) and found everything to be very well maintained and top-notch. There is a heavy emphasis also on hands-on practical training early in the course, which - to me at least - is important for producing physicians who have a solid foundation in a patient centered approach to medicine. If you get invited to applicant day - congrats and no sweat! It's a fun and relaxing environment. Your interviews will be conversational and may be confrontational (ethical questions). Be yourself and don't sound rehearsed, but definitely read your application thoroughly and be able to explain discrepancies - we aren't perfect and that's ok! I think it's also important to take part in the mock TeamLead session; to share your well thought out opinions because TeamLead is going to be a huge portion of the curriculum at Duke NUS and - truthfully - it's not for everyone.

If you have any questions about my creds (lol) or my application - ask away.
Good luck to you all.

 

[87318731]

Hi guys I also received my offer today (interview in Sep). I am an international applicant but I did my undergrad study in SG.

Good luck to you all and congrats to my fellow accepted students

 

[Enerrior]

Congratulations mamba4lyfe and 87318731. Do you guys mind sharing your stats (course, GPA, research/volunteering experiences, MCAT score, CCA etc)?

 

[mamba4lyfe]

Congratulations mamba4lyfe and 87318731. Do you guys mind sharing your stats (course, GPA, research/volunteering experiences, MCAT score, CCA etc)?

Course:
Bachelors/master in science
GPA: 4/4
MCAT: 510
Graduate research and teaching
Volunteered at free clinics, hospital emergency department

You may have higher/lower, better/worse credentials than me. But if you make yourself a well rounded applicant you'll do just fine! It's important that you chose to do the things you do because you enjoy them. I did a masters to expose myself to research and see if I could do a phd, and found out it wasn't my thing. Volunteering ultimately showed me how much I wanted to be a physician. I hope this helped...

 

[87318731]

Congratulations mamba4lyfe and 87318731. Do you guys mind sharing your stats (course, GPA, research/volunteering experiences, MCAT score, CCA etc)?

Engineering undergrad
MCAT 516
GPA 4.5/5
Research: one year, no publications, awarded in some international competitions
CCA/Volunteer: 600+ hrs in Red Cross Youth with leadership experience, 100 hrs in Hospitals and Clinics
Did not do shadowing

I think a competitive MCAT score will help significantly if you fall short on other aspects during the application : )

 

[Enerrior]

Thanks mamba4lyfe and 87318731. Your CVs are really impressive.

I have a question though. Is volunteering really an important criteria for selection? My problem was that I have focused too much on research (3 years: 1 co-authorship publication but not 1st author, award in international competition), with very little involvement in CCA and volunteering stuff. Btw, my MCAT score is below average (507) and my GPA is 4.67/5 (engineering graduate).

 

[87318731]

Thanks mamba4lyfe and 87318731. Your CVs are really impressive.

I have a question though. Is volunteering really an important criteria for selection? My problem was that I have focused too much on research (3 years: 1 co-authorship publication but not 1st author, award in international competition), with very little involvement in CCA and volunteering stuff. Btw, my MCAT score is below average (507) and my GPA is 4.67/5 (engineering graduate).

I think your major problem is MCAT score. I think in US typically students in this range would choose to apply DO rather than MD. Maybe you should consider retaking it? Just my personal opinions...

 

[Enerrior]

I think your major problem is MCAT score. I think in US typically students in this range would choose to apply DO rather than MD. Maybe you should consider retaking it? Just my personal opinions...

Hmmm i would take that into consideration. Any idea if GAMSAT is easier than MCAT? :X

 

[Kthz]

Hmmm i would take that into consideration. Any idea if GAMSAT is easier than MCAT? :X

GAMSAT seems much like the old MCAT. You don't need to know much about stuff about sociology and psychology. However, it does have a writing section (2 essays). The new MCAT is totally about doing MCQs.

I took the new MCAT. And personally I believe in terms of difficulty the two should be almost on par. And in terms of preparation, MCAT has more test takers, as well as preparatory materials.

For me if i had to retake, I would still choose MCAT because I prefer doing MCQ rather than writing essays.

although GAMSAT has a writing section, but I am not sure whether the school looks on this part as important as other science sections. In the old MCAT actually many schools put less weight on the writing part. And many Canadian med schools look at CARS only and use MCAT just as a cut-off. How to use the scores really varies between different schools and probably you can email the admission office for clarification. The staff are suuuuuuper friendly!

 

[mamba4lyfe]

Thanks mamba4lyfe and 87318731. Your CVs are really impressive.

I have a question though. Is volunteering really an important criteria for selection? My problem was that I have focused too much on research (3 years: 1 co-authorship publication but not 1st author, award in international competition), with very little involvement in CCA and volunteering stuff. Btw, my MCAT score is below average (507) and my GPA is 4.67/5 (engineering graduate).

Your mcat score is just a little under the avg for Duke nus - but so was mine. However, I don't think it's that big of a deal, and it's definitely not a deal breaker. There are a lot of people who apply to med school (MD) with an MCAT lower than yours and get in - I know because I'm in that cycle as well. Go out and spend some time volunteering and work with people. It's not for a resume booster, but to really get your gears running about helping people in general. Physicians must be knowledgeable, but they must be compassionate as well. Think about shadowing a doctor to see what their life is like - it ain't all pretty that's for sure. I think once you've gotten some volunteer experience under your belt, give the application a shot. Or just apply now if you haven't already ... doesn't hurt to try.

 

[Enerrior]

Your mcat score is just a little under the avg for Duke nus - but so was mine. However, I don't think it's that big of a deal, and it's definitely not a deal breaker. There are a lot of people who apply to med school (MD) with an MCAT lower than yours and get in - I know because I'm in that cycle as well. Go out and spend some time volunteering and work with people. It's not for a resume booster, but to really get your gears running about helping people in general. Physicians must be knowledgeable, but they must be compassionate as well. Think about shadowing a doctor to see what their life is like - it ain't all pretty that's for sure. I think once you've gotten some volunteer experience under your belt, give the application a shot. Or just apply now if you haven't already ... doesn't hurt to try.

I see. From the previous forums, I have seen people saying that it's harder to get accepted in subsequent applications if you fail your first application. Personally, I felt that my current CV is still not good enough and I would like to boost it up first before applying. I'm just wondering if the application committee will think that my sudden involvement in volunteering work will look like a resume booster (like what you have mentioned).

 

[Enerrior]

GAMSAT seems much like the old MCAT. You don't need to know much about stuff about sociology and psychology. However, it does have a writing section (2 essays). The new MCAT is totally about doing MCQs.

I took the new MCAT. And personally I believe in terms of difficulty the two should be almost on par. And in terms of preparation, MCAT has more test takers, as well as preparatory materials.

For me if i had to retake, I would still choose MCAT because I prefer doing MCQ rather than writing essays.

Edit: although GAMSAT has a writing section, but I am not sure whether the school looks on this part as important as other science sections. In the old MCAT actually many schools put less weight on the writing part. And many Canadian med schools look at CARS only and use MCAT just as a cut-off. How to use the scores really varies between different schools and probably you can email the admission office for clarification. The staff are suuuuuuper friendly!

Oh thanks for the advice

 

[imga]

Lurker here!

Just found the school postponed their application deadline one month later! Anyone knows the reason? It really makes the school sound fishy...

imo GAMSAT is a lame excuse to extend a deadline. Why would GAMSAT suddenly be an issue out of the blue? There is no public official explanation from the school for the extension. I agree with suezq304 the true reason for extending the deadline sounds as though it is because there is a lack of applicants. Who in their right mind would risk wasting 4 years or more of their lives in a school which will not hesitate to throw you out due to the school's or hospital's political antics rather than incompetence?!

idk the over-friendliness or over-enthusiasm of the school staff sounds wayyy overboard. Doesn't seem legit to me.... It's too sugar-coated. Sounds like truly desperate measures of a sinking school trying to bail itself out of the mess it made.

btw I wouldn't jump into a sinking ship. Why in the world would I do such a ridiculous thing?

 

[proteinworker]

imo GAMSAT is a lame excuse to extend a deadline. Why would GAMSAT suddenly be an issue out of the blue? There is no public official explanation from the school for the extension. I agree with suezq304 the true reason for extending the deadline sounds as though it is because there is a lack of applicants. Who in their right mind would risk wasting 4 years or more of their lives in a school which will not hesitate to throw you out due to the school's or hospital's political antics rather than incompetence?!

idk the over-friendliness or over-enthusiasm of the school staff sounds wayyy overboard. Doesn't seem legit to me.... It's too sugar-coated. Sounds like truly desperate measures of a sinking school trying to bail itself out of the mess it made.

btw I wouldn't jump into a sinking ship. Why in the world would I do such a ridiculous thing?

In my opinion,most applicants are Singaporeans holding bachelor's degrees from NUS/NTU. It is nearly impossible for them to enter US/Canadian medical schools unless they take a second degree in US/Canada. So they will still choose this school.

Or maybe imga can recommend any safer ships to those Singaporeans?

 

[imga]

In my opinion,most applicants are Singaporeans holding bachelor's degrees from NUS/NTU. It is nearly impossible for them to enter US/Canadian medical schools unless they take a second degree in US/Canada. So they will still choose this school.

Or maybe imga can recommend any safer ships to those Singaporeans?

Australia, UK

 

[mamba4lyfe]

imo GAMSAT is a lame excuse to extend a deadline. Why would GAMSAT suddenly be an issue out of the blue? There is no public official explanation from the school for the extension. I agree with suezq304 the true reason for extending the deadline sounds as though it is because there is a lack of applicants. Who in their right mind would risk wasting 4 years or more of their lives in a school which will not hesitate to throw you out due to the school's or hospital's political antics rather than incompetence?!

idk the over-friendliness or over-enthusiasm of the school staff sounds wayyy overboard. Doesn't seem legit to me.... It's too sugar-coated. Sounds like truly desperate measures of a sinking school trying to bail itself out of the mess it made.

btw I wouldn't jump into a sinking ship. Why in the world would I do such a ridiculous thing?

Hi Imga,

Were you a student at Duke-NUS?
If yes, do you mind sharing your experience as a student at duke-nus - perhaps both the good and the bad?
If no, how and where did you get this impression? Are you a medical student elsewhere?

I'm asking as a curious incoming student

 

[lllinda]

On its Facebook page, the school has just said they now accept gamsat scores no later than April 2017, but the interesting thing is that the school's interviews in this admission cycle end in March.

If duke nus really wish to attract gamsat candidates, why doesn't it do so in the next admission cycle? Now everything seems so rushed and I don't think the ad com has adequate experience to evaluate applicants with gamsat scores.

 

[DjRizal]

Hi all! Received my invitation to applicant day in Durham this morning for next month. Very very excited and definitely looking forward to interviewing, meeting faculty, and learning more about this school. Does anyone know what the post-interview acceptance rate is?

Will any current Duke-NUS students share their experiences with the curriculum? Difficulty of obtaining residency positions in Singapore after graduation? Research experience (I hope to potentially link up with faculty outside of the medical school)? Any and all perspectives are appreciated!

 

[Kthz]

Hi all! Received my invitation to applicant day in Durham this morning for next month. Very very excited and definitely looking forward to interviewing, meeting faculty, and learning more about this school. Does anyone know what the post-interview acceptance rate is?

Will any current Duke-NUS students share their experiences with the curriculum? Difficulty of obtaining residency positions in Singapore after graduation? Research experience (I hope to potentially link up with faculty outside of the medical school)? Any and all perspectives are appreciated!

I attended the oct interview and am still waiting to hear from the school again. In my interview day, the school actually showed us detailed admission stats. If I remember correctly, it sends acceptance to half to one third of interviewees, statistically. But I think the introduction of gamsat might be a game changer?

In terms of residency training, I guess the service obligation actually guarantees you a seat for it. However,it also depends on what specialty you wish to go. Some specialities such as surgery remain competitive.

 

[Nh13359]

Hi everyone,

I am applying as well! Although I know this is really late in the cycle.

I am applying really late in the cycle as well. Have you guys completed the MCAT already? I will be doing mine in jan. Does anyone know anything about how many offers they have given out already?

 

[proteinworker]

Australia, UK

Thanks, imga.
International students are struggling to get internships in Australia. UK seems to be a safer option. But many graduate entry programmes in the UK are open to EU students only.

 

[jedrek]

Hi all! Received my invitation to applicant day in Durham this morning for next month. Very very excited and definitely looking forward to interviewing, meeting faculty, and learning more about this school. Does anyone know what the post-interview acceptance rate is?

Will any current Duke-NUS students share their experiences with the curriculum? Difficulty of obtaining residency positions in Singapore after graduation? Research experience (I hope to potentially link up with faculty outside of the medical school)? Any and all perspectives are appreciated!

Not a Duke-NUS student here but am aspiring for it. Just attended the sharing session in the campus earlier today. Apparently,the first year is a crash course of clinical sciences(they are condensing 2yr of clinical sciences study into 1 yr due to the 3rd yr being utilised for research) so it's really packed,expect to be tested at least twice a week. The prof also mentioned that you should be ready to commit your entire week(do a bit of revision each day,not whole day) throughout the entire MD programme.

MD
1st yracked clinical sciences programme
2nd yr:rotations
3rd yr:research
4th yr:rotations

Advisable if you are intending to go for a clinician-scientist track,or else the 1yr of research is really daunting,as most medical schools usually do away with that and dedicate that 1yr for building your clinical sciences foundation base.(for me,it's alright since I am considering this particular track)

Residency positions will be based on your performance in med. sch,your interest for the specific residency,so it's a pretty level playing field.

Again,there was a med student who shared that she had no research experience,applying to MD.(common for humanities,business,etc.) Even though she tried applying for a research position in Duke-NUS,it was not well-received as she was a humanities graduate.Hence,she explained that she got in based on 1.gpa/mcat meets the average requirements(check the website) 2.good essays 3.strong letters of recommendation,this offered her a place in the interview where she showed her strengths in areas despite having no research experience. However,in the interview process,she was being questioned by a doctor and researcher.(the latter asking her some situational questions pertaining to the research field)

Forgot to mention but doing community engagement activities and doctor shadowing adds a + point,if you are wondering.

Thanks, imga.
International students are struggling to get internships in Australia. UK seems to be a safer option. But many graduate entry programmes in the UK are open to EU students only.

Agree with you on UK. Partially agree with you on the Australia internship crisis. There are ways to work around it. Before I continue,the prof also mentioned that the key reason why they accepted GAMSAT now,is to cater to qualified Singaporean students who are also considering of applying to Australia.(that suggests that quite a huge number actually still go ahead to apply to Australia) I am under this category. Yes,there's a crisis,but there's also a way out of it. Firstly,you can obviously come back to Sg,the republic needs more physicians... Secondly,you can consider applying interstate(different states) Third,you can also apply abroad for internship/residency positions such as NZ/UK/US(if you did USMLE)

You forgot to mention about Ireland,I believe it is a good place as it has opportunities for international students to study medicine.(RCSI,UCD,UCC)

 

[Redmouse]

There are schools in the UK that offer graduate medical programmes to non-EU students...Swansea, Warwick and St Georges (there are more if you have a science first degree). Graduates from any UK medical school (regardless of nationality) can apply for training positions and to-date, all have been matched.

The same can't be said for international medical students in Australia and Ireland. Its well known that internship positions are scarce in Ireland and without which, one can't work in Ireland and embark on specialist training. As for securing internship in Australia, they have a chart that shows the priority order for various scenarios and international students almost rank last in every state (except ACT). Applying interstate means you still rank below locals grads from that state and locals grads from another state who are applying to that state. This won't be a problem, of course, if you return to Singapore to do your internship.

Ok back to Duke-NUS topic - I am thrilled the school now accepts Gamsat and the adcom mentioned the cutoff is about 60 overall. I am just concerned about condensing clinical sciences all in the first year though...

 

[jedrek]

There are schools in the UK that offer graduate medical programmes to non-EU students...Swansea, Warwick and St Georges (there are more if you have a science first degree). Graduates from any UK medical school (regardless of nationality) can apply for training positions and to-date, all have been matched.

The same can't be said for international medical students in Australia and Ireland. Its well known that internship positions are scarce in Ireland and without which, one can't work in Ireland and embark on specialist training. As for securing internship in Australia, they have a chart that shows the priority order for various scenarios and international students almost rank last in every state (except ACT). Applying interstate means you still rank below locals grads from that state and locals grads from another state who are applying to that state. This won't be a problem, of course, if you return to Singapore to do your internship.

Ok back to Duke-NUS topic - I am thrilled the school now accepts Gamsat and the adcom mentioned the cutoff is about 60 overall. I am just concerned about condensing clinical sciences all in the first year though...

Fair enough for the second point,but my third point still applies,one can consider applying abroad for internship/residency positions. E.g. Do your studies in Australia and go to UK for internship/residency. There are a number of doctors from Sg who go abroad for internship/residency training in UK before returning back to practise as a specialist.I believe that work-life balance plays a big role here.

I always consider all options before making a decision,I am not trying to be pessimistic about duke-nus.(I am considering their niche MD-PhD programme)

With the Gamsat approved,I believe more students will be taking it over the Mcat as it is traditionally easier to perform better in the GAMSAT,since you are competing with students who are not pre-med trained like in the US,students taking GAMSAT come from diverse backgrounds.(the scoring is based on a percentile comparison) Likewise,I feel the Gamsat has the added benefit of studying less(no psychology) and propensity to excel in one section,thus pulling up the overall GAMSAT score.(e.g. Mcat,the max. score is 132 for each section,the average being 125.On the other hand,GAMSAT max score is 100 for each section,with average being 55-57+.)

That being said,there's only 1 try per year,so I might be planning to take one as a practice in my final yr and yr of application.

 

[lllinda]

anyone heard any updates from the school? It seemed they sent out some acceptance last year this time

 

[skylandyu]

anyone heard any updates from the school? It seemed they sent out some acceptance last year this time

I heard that some people that interviewed together with me already got the offer.

when I emailed the admission office, they said my application is still under active review. Not sure what that means. Is that a waitlist?

 

[lllinda]

I heard that some people that interviewed together with me already got the offer.

when I emailed the admission office, they said my application is still under active review. Not sure what that means. Is that a waitlist?

Did they get their offer in late December? I remembered the office said they hoped to send a batch of offers around this time.

From last year's post, active review just means your application is put on hold and hasn't been rendered a decision. I feel the school's admission process is not transparent at all.

 

[skylandyu]

Did they get their offer in late December? I remembered the office said they hoped to send a batch of offers around this time.

From last year's post, active review just means your application is put on hold and hasn't been rendered a decision. I feel the school's admission process is not transparent at all.

yes, the offer came around the Christmas.

I emailed back and they say we would be notified if we are on the waitlist. I am not sure how that is different from being on hold.

 

[welly123]

yes, the offer came around the Christmas.

I emailed back and they say we would be notified if we are on the waitlist. I am not sure how that is different from being on hold.

Hey, I am not entirely sure, but I think being on hold means that they have reviewed the application, but wants to see how the newer applicants are like before deciding whether to make an offer. And waitlist just means that they have sent out offers to a fixed number of people, but when someone rejects the offer, they will give that slot to the next candidate on the waitlist

 

[skylandyu]

Hey, I am not entirely sure, but I think being on hold means that they have reviewed the application, but wants to see how the newer applicants are like before deciding whether to make an offer. And waitlist just means that they have sent out offers to a fixed number of people, but when someone rejects the offer, they will give that slot to the next candidate on the waitlist

Thanks. But I feel like they are sometimes used interchangeably. the application is closing. so I guess I'll wait and see if they send more offer in January.

 

[liyiyuian]

Is there any updates from school?

 

[liulian]

march 13 applicant day anyone?

 

[suezq304]

For folks that interviewed in January (Durham), when should we expect to hear back?

 

[mtglover1991]

For folks that interviewed in January (Durham), when should we expect to hear back?

I interviewed that day and I'm still waiting - have you heard anything?

 

[suezq304]

I interviewed that day and I'm still waiting - have you heard anything?

Nope. LOL we shall wait till the world ends (dramatic music starts here).

 

[lyncc93]

march 13 applicant day anyone?

here suuuuuper excited! international applicant though

 

[Kthz]

Does Anybody know how many seats have been filled?

 

[Nh13359]

Has anyone gotten an interview with a low mcat score? My mcat score is 500 but I do have a first class degree. Is it worth submitting my scores?

 

[suezq304]

Has anyone gotten an interview with a low mcat score? My mcat score is 500 but I do have a first class degree. Is it worth submitting my scores?

Not sure, but why not? I am sure the committee will look at other perspectives as well! Good luck!

 

[lllinda]

Has anyone gotten an interview with a low mcat score? My mcat score is 500 but I do have a first class degree. Is it worth submitting my scores?

if you don't apply, you never stand a chance. But be sure to apply to some other schools as well and highlight other achievements in your app file.

 

[Nh13359]

Not sure, but why not? I am sure the committee will look at other perspectives as well! Good luck!

if you don't apply, you never stand a chance. But be sure to apply to some other schools as well and highlight other achievements in your app file.

Thank you, reading both of your messages made me feel better. I submitted my application before the Jan 1st deadline and did the January MCAT exam. I guess I will have to wait and see whether they call me for an interview. I might be able to retake MCAT (next test is end of March) and submit my scores again since they are considering GAMSAT results from April but it might be HUGE gamble and can go very wrong.

If anyone else got an interview with a low MCAT score please let me know!!!

 

[Cleos Half]

Hey guys, do you know if there has been any release of acceptance letters lately? The waiting is so stressful!

 

[Cleos Half]

Thank you, reading both of your messages made me feel better. I submitted my application before the Jan 1st deadline and did the January MCAT exam. I guess I will have to wait and see whether they call me for an interview. I might be able to retake MCAT (next test is end of March) and submit my scores again since they are considering GAMSAT results from April but it might be HUGE gamble and can go very wrong.

If anyone else got an interview with a low MCAT score please let me know!!!

iirc, you can take the MCAT as many times as you wish and they'd only consider your highest score; AAMC would only release your highest scores so Duke-NUS wouldn't know about the other ones. The only thing is that I thought there's only a two-week grace period to receive a completed application (including MCAT results?) after you submit your online application. The rules might be a little bit different this year because of hte GAMSAT inclusion but i'm not too sure about this.

Also, I think they will look at your application holistically. I'm Second Upper with MCAT 514 (it all smells of 'average', don't you think? ) and got an interview. So to me, a First Class + not-so-good MCAT being invited to Applicant Day is totally within the realm of possibility. But if you don't apply, then you definitely have no chance of being invited.

Anyway, whatever you decide to do, good luck!

 

[lyncc93]

Hey guys, do you know if there has been any release of acceptance letters lately? The waiting is so stressful!

Hi im not sure but i've heard some folks from Feb interview have got admitted already. Did you go to the same interview as well? By the way, did the school say anything about when they would release their decisions in applicant days?

 

[lyncc93]

I know my interview is reallllllllly late hope there are still empty seats...