Dream Schools?

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hellodoc

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For all of the students that got accepted to Dream schools like Harvard Medical, Columbia medical, Cornell medical, and Yale medical what do you think made you stand out the most on the AMCAS and the interviews? What do you really think made you unique(stand out)?

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Ivy league schools aren't necessary dream schools for everyone applying. My dream school was UCLA. As a born and raised Midwesterner I spent much of my time off from school in SOuthern California. THerefore, I wanted to apply to that one school that just in case they tripped over my application and had to look at it that I would have a chance of getting in. Needless to say, I didn't get in. I didn't tailor any of my application materials towards them since I was applying to mainly schools in the Midwest and a few on the East Coast.
Honestly, my dream school was any of the schools I applied to that accepted me. In the end I picked SIU, in Illinois, and haven't looked back since.

If Harvard, Cornell, etc. are your dream school, apply the same way you'd apply to any other school. Represent yourself truely and wholely and make your first shot your best.
Good luck!
 
My dream school is USC. I don't think it's a long shot even though I'm from NY, b/c USC is a private school. I'd love to go to school there. I think I will apply, but my best shots are schools in NY.

Dream school: USC
 
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My dream school used to be Stanford. Then I realized that, given the chance, I'd rather attend NYU than Stan, or any other school in the country not in NYC. So now I'm applying to 3/4 schools in Manhattan, plus Stanford.
 
Dream School: UVa

Chance of getting in: pretty much none.

It's nice to dream though.
 
Dream School: Harvard
Chance of getting in: Zero
 
At the interview at my dream school, the interviewer told me he could tell medicine was in my soul. I came across very passionate for medicine, and I think that is what made me stand out. I would say that if you get an interview at your dream school, schedule that interview very last. That's what I did and all the practice interviewing at different schools made my experience at Yale a breeze. I felt I knew how to answer all the questions. :luck:
 
You know, I think it really depends on the school. For example, at one of the revist events, Columbia's dean of admissions straight up said that he likes athletes and musicians. Few other schools have admissions power tied so strongly to one person, but I'd guess they all have their own quirks.
 
That post about Columbia's admissions dean is really helpful. If anyone else knows stuff like that about a specific school, will you post it? Thanks!
 
I'm at my dream school. My main piece of advice would be to not overlook the personal statement. Work really hard on it! I feel like it opened a lot of doors for me, and it was almost always brought up during interviews.
 
cornell prides itself on having a diverse class - not just in terms of race/ethnicity, but diversity of backgrounds, life experiences, hobbies, interests, etc. both of my interviewers there brought up my musical experiences and my having studied abroad. i also think that my personal statement stood out and very uniquely described my mental journey towards my decision to go into medicine. they seem to really value "interesting" people :p
 
somewhere2010 said:
cornell prides itself on having a diverse class - not just in terms of race/ethnicity, but diversity of backgrounds, life experiences, hobbies, interests, etc. both of my interviewers there brought up my musical experiences and my having studied abroad. i also think that my personal statement stood out and very uniquely described my mental journey towards my decision to go into medicine. they seem to really value "interesting" people :p

I'm very interesting. They should take me!!!!!!!!!! :eek:
 
nycpizza said:
I'm very interesting. They should take me!!!!!!!!!! :eek:

well i hope they do! did you apply this past year or applying this upcoming cycle?
 
Dream School: UCSF.
Chances of getting in: 0.001%

I grew up in SF and would want to go even if it was a low teir school. Alas, it is top 5 :( Great tuition too.

OP, it is virtually impossible to assure yourself a spot at any one particular school. It is, however, fairly reasonable to assume that a gpa > 3.9, a solid MCAT, and well rounded EC's will pretty much assure you a spot in the top ten. It's simple if you start strong and stay persistent. I wish I had ;)
 
somewhere2010 said:
well i hope they do! did you apply this past year or applying this upcoming cycle?

:) heh, yeah I'm applying for 2007 matriculation. I'd absolutely DIE if cornell took me in. I really love it there.. I have several friends already there and they have nothing but great things to say about it!

I think I have an interesting history (I'll spare you the details) and I am satisfied w/ my EC's. My GPA is not hot though, and my MCAT score ... we shall soon see in June! It really kicked my ass, but the MCAT thing is always a crapshoot. ;)
 
Emphasize things that make you stand out- they've got literally thousands of applicants with good stats and some clinical, etc. experiences. Music, study abroad, publications, peace corps, stuff like that.
 
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