My (VERY LONG) Guide for Medical Applicants .. will update periodically

[gspot]

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People have been asking me to guide them through the application process. I have written so many emails and finally I decided to compile them all into one giant document. I hope this helps you guys as I would have loved to have read something like this as I was applying:

Here is my general information:

Application Year: 2006
MCAT Score: VR 10, PS 11, BS 11, Q
BCPM GPA: 3.93
Overall GPA: 3.91

Brief Profile:
-co-owner of an import/export business with my father
-varsity athlete
-3 years of sponsored research
-president of a bunch of clubs and societies
-EMT since junior year of high school
-orientation leader
-tour guide
-student scholar program
-other extracurricular clubs (ski club, political awareness club, etc.)

Overview of Applications:
Rejected Pre-Secondary
Mayo Medical School

Received/Submitted Secondary
Baylor College
Brown University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Northwestern University
University of Miami
University of Pennsylvania
Yale University

Rejected Post-Secondary
Vanderbilt University

Invited for Interview/Awaiting Decision
Boston University
Georgetown University
New York University
Tufts University

Rejected Post-Interview
Duke University

Waitlisted, Awaiting Outcome
George Washington University

Interviewed, Accepted
UMDNJ - New Jersey
UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson

 

[gspot]

General Words of Advice:

My father once asked me: 'What do you call the person who graduates last in his medical school class?' Applying to medical school is one of the most challenging academic endeavors. Countless hours of late night studying and years of extracurricular activities all end up in an electronic document with a number and letter score attached. Despite what the medical schools want you to believe, you become a file. You become just another document with a number. People have asked me, 'what do I do to set myself apart from the other applicants?' There is no simple answer, but one thing is common across the board: medical schools love applicants with passion and drive. The passion to love what you are studying and the drive to overcome all obstacles in your path is what will set you apart from other applicants. You pursue a major that interests YOU, you volunteer because YOU enjoy helping the less fortunate, and you become involved in activities that YOU love. It is not to your advantage to revolve your college life around becoming the 'perfect medical school candidate' because in the end, you are living a lie.

My interviewer at NYU told me that 'all United States medical schools are comparable in their education and research opportunities ... there is no such thing as a bad medical school.' He couldn't be more right. What is boils down to is this: you are applying to a 'lifestyle' to a campus located in a city you are going to live for the next four years. Getting in is the hard part; its the biggest hurdle of the process. Because even if you do graduate at the bottom of your class, you are still called 'Doctor.'

MCAT prep / MCAT:

I aimed to take the April MCAT my JUNIOR year of college. What has worked for some of my friends is taking the August MCAT during the summer before the JUNIOR year so it would give them a time cushion if they needed to retake it. I took less credits the semester of my MCATs so I could focus my free time on studying.

Kaplan, Princeton Review, Exam Krakers ... find one and enroll if not for the material, the for the motivation. I will be the first to admit that I am not one of the brightest in the applicant pool. But if you want something bad enough you will work your ass off for it. I spent every weekend from January til April taking practice tests. After over 2000 hours and countless missed parties, I was scoring consistent 36's on the practice MCATs. On test day (April 2005), all that went out the window. Stay confident on the MCATs and be away that it will NOT be like ANYTHING you have ever seen before. And DO NOT take the test at NYU, there is no way to shut out all the city noises (we had the damn marching band practicing on the street 8 stories below us). Find a quiet suburban test center. I remember coming out of the test so depressed and scared that I bombed it. The kids I was taking it with were all bragging about how easy that MCAT was: OMG, that was easy... blah blah blah (none of them scored over a 29). Moral of the story: you usually do better than you think.

 

[gspot]

AMCAS Application:

Get this **** done EARLY. Give yourself about 2 weeks time from start to finish. I had mine done and submitted at 12:01 AM June 1st. It is to your advantage that they review and submit your file to your designated schools early because this will decide how early your secondaries will come to you (you'll see why the timing is crucial later on). The limiting factor in this step is your stranscript. Get in touch with your school's transcript office and make sure they send it out as early as possible. I had my transcripts priority mailed May 30th to the AMCAS offices. Now its the waiting game.

Secondaries:

Most schools send their secondaries via email, some do it through snail mail, and some have theirs on their website w/o notifying applicants (*cough* Yale *cough*). I finished my secondaries usually within a week of receiving them. They usually ask you the write a personal statement (Miami asked me to write 6 short ones ... that was the hardest application by far!!!) and this is where you can shine and really impress the school. BU asked for an 'optional personal statement,' but lets face it if you don't do it, they're not going to consider you. I think it was definitely to my advantage that I wrote such a non-traditional essay to Georgetown as you can see from this excerpt from the opening paragraph:

{'We live in the age of standards and statistics; an age of misjudged values and cutthroat competition. While admissions offices often rely too heavily on quantitative data to review and sort candidates, we applicants are also guilty of relying too much on school rankings to influence where we apply. There exists aggressive competition among applicants to increase their appeal to medical schools as reflected in the thousands of dollars spent on Kaplan and Princeton Review to improve MCAT scores by a point or two. But in blindly striving to become the ideal medical school candidate, we risk losing our virtues and humanity. And just as applicants are more than a transcript, a medical college is more than a statistic: it is an intricate embodiment of education, ethics, and environment.'}

The letters of recommendation MUST follow the secondary as they will not review your file until they receive EVERYTHING. It is IMPERATIVE the letters of recommendation get sent out AFTER your secondary because schools WILL NOT file your letters if they do not receive your check (sad to say, but money talks). Get on excellent terms with your school's Health Profession's Advisory Committee and confirm they have send out the packet right after you send out your secondary.

The timing here is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL!!! I cannot stress that enough. You absolutely must complete your secondary and send out your committee packet as early as possible!!! The sooner you get it in, the sooner you will be placed on the applicant list, and the sooner you will be informed of your interview. Almost all medical schools have 50% of the slots for their incoming class filled by mid-November and the remainder by January. If you end up with a January or February interview, you are most likely competing for a spot on the WAITING LIST. The following example is the the reason why you should take the April MCAT or the August MCAT prior to your JUNIOR year:

Jill and Bobby are both applying to medical school. Jill decides to take the April MCAT during her JUNIOR year while Bobby decides to take the August MCAT during the summer before his SENIOR year. Both Jill and Bobby submit their AMCAS and transcripts June 1st. While June receives her scores mid June, Bobby is still studying for his MCATs. By mid July, Jill has already begun filling out her secondaries; Bobby is still studying for the MCATs. By mid August, Jill has already submitted all her secondaries and letters of recommendatio; Bobby has just finished the MCATs but cannot complete his secondaries because the Health Professions Advisory Committee will not send out his letters of recommendation without first seeing his MCAT scores. Jill begins interviewing late August through September; Bobby does not find out his MCAT scores until mid October. Jill begins to hear decisions from medical schools by late October; Bobby's secondaries are not reviewed by schools until mid November because medical schools get such a high volume of applications during this time (applicants from BOTH the April and August MCATs). By Christmas, Jill has a good idea where she is going to attend medical school; Bobby has just begun getting interview invitations. While Jill doesn't have to worry about her Senior year grades, Bobby has a much higher potential for schools to review his Senior year grades. He is be fighting an uphill battle as he will be interviewing for a spot on the WAITING LIST.

 

[gspot]

Interview Tips:

Confidence is KEY; most schools will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. Bear in mind that if you have gotten this far, it means the school is interested in you and it is their job to sell you their school. An interview invitation usually means you have beating at least 80% of the applicant pool to that school.

I found it was extremely useful to scout out the area the night before the interview so I would know EXACTLY where I was going. Good thing too, because I got lost on my way to Georgetown the night before my interview (damn one way streets in D.C.). Also, Google Maps is an extremely useful way to scout what schools' neighborhood is like.

Your appearance is the first thing your interviewer notices. Guys (sorry ladies, I'm a guy and don't know much about women's business attire), remember if you wear a 3 button suit you NEVER button all 3 buttons. Traditionally, you button the top 3 and leave the bottom undone. Two button suits have top buttoned and bottom undone. Whenever you sit, always unbutton your suit. The color of your suit, shirt, and tie should all be conservative (this isn't a modeling contest!). Suits should be black, charcoal, or navy blue. I was going to go with a european cut charcoal grey suit with lavender pin stripes on my first interview; I am glad I decided against it. Power colors for ties are baby blue, yellow, and red; go with medium stripes or a conservative design. Shirts should be solid white and crisp, I recommend buying a brand new fitted white shirt because old shirts tend to yellow. ALWAYS wear a form fitting SOLID WHITE undershirt; sorry, but your interviewer doesnt need to see your nipples. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE for all our sakes, wear deodorant but don't go overboard on the cologne. No one needs to be gagging from your COOL WATER when you enter the room. Polish your shoes and ALWAYS match your belt to your shoes; if your shoes are scuffed, buff it out or buy a new one. Wear a watch, but leave those chains, earings, tongue rings, nose rings, and lance armstrong wrist bands at home.

During first few minutes of an interview, the interviewer doesn't care so much as what you say, but more so about HOW you say it. He is analyzing your tone, your posture, and your eye contact. Keep confident, and don't be afraid to say that you don't know.
Interviewer: 'What percentage of Canadian tax dollars go towards government healthcare'
Me: 'I don't know'

 

[gspot]

Interviews Reviews (in order of date interviewed):

1) UMDNJ: Robert Wood Johnson -
Very impressed with the professional manner the orientation and presentations were conducted. The facilities in the New Brunswick area were constructed recently and is very research oriented. Interviewer was 50 minutes late as she was on call at the hospital. Despite the fact that the interviewer didnt read my fine, the interview was based on a rigid rubric. In the end, the interviewer told me that she'd hate to keep me guessing so she's gonna tell me how I did: she would give me her highest recommendation. However since I am interested in primary care, RWJ isn't for me.

2) NYU -
Extremely impressed with the facilities (Bellevue Hospital, 'nough said!), faculty, and students. This is the one school that I would love to matriculate! Interviewer was very friendly and soothing to speak to. Interview was basically me asking questions about the school as no questions were asked about me (maybe he read my file?). In the end, the interviewer told me: 'Its my job to sell you NYU, you have to decide where you want to attend medical school.' Its a hard read, but I hope I will get accepted here.

3) Georgetown-
Facilities seem a bit run down and drab. Hospital looked underfunded (compared to NYU's Bellevue) and all the classrooms are in the basement. Students interviewing here appeared to lack a personality (must have been whipped out of them by their Ivy league schools) and none of them knew much about current events ('Hurricane? What hurricane?'). The presentations were appreciably candid and Mrs. Sullivan tries to freak you out by calling out random people to comment (she has your picture on file so she knows who you are!). You realize halfway into the day that the lounge resembles a fishbowl (you'll see what I mean). The interview was very conversational and flowed extremely smoothly. I like Georgetown's ethical approach to medicine, but is it worth $65,000+ a year?

4) UMDNJ - New Jersey Medical School
I have some very close friends who currently attend this school and a couple who have graduated. The traffic is horrendous and the parking deck gets so full that people just give up and park whereever there is space. The facilities are impressive given that its in the heart of downtown Newark. The admissions staff doesn't do much in terms of orientation or making you feel at home. Basically, you sit in a 8' x 8' room watching a taping of the white coat ceremony over and over again while waiting for your interview. The interview was pretty hardcore as he hit me with the dreaded question: 'So, tell me about yourself.' 2 weeks later (on Oct. 15th: first day UMDNJ is allowed to notify applicants of acceptance), I get a surprise call from Dr. Heinreich. I didn't expect to be accepted so early, but what a relief!! This is my safety and I am glad I was accepted as it takes the pressure off all subsequent interviews:
Interviewer: 'So what would you do if you didn't get into medical school?'
Me: 'I've already been accepted to medical shcool'

No more time now, but DUKE, BU, and TUFTS to follow if you guys are interested ... here's the most interesting question I have been asked to date: 'You're an attractive kid, how often do you sex?' I was caught offguard but without missing a beat, I said: 'I don't give her as much as she deserves.'

 

[javert]

Wow, I have so many things I want to say to this post, I don't even know where to start.... (The section on how to dress for an interview, for one) so I'm just gonna ask one question... who deemed you qualified to post all this? You're applying now and haven't even gone through it all yourself yet!!!! I'm just curious who these people are who wrote you so many e-mails asking for advice and why they thought you would know what you're talking about... I'm really not trying to be insulting but I was so taken aback by this post, I had to respond...

 

[DarkFark]

you have a ways to go to catch up to this...

http://forums.drslounge.com/showthread.php?t=168194

 

[humuhumu]

Wow, I have so many things I want to say to this post, I don't even know where to start.... (The section on how to dress for an interview, for one) so I'm just gonna ask one question... who deemed you qualified to post all this? You're applying now and haven't even gone through it all yourself yet!!!! I'm just curious who these people are who wrote you so many e-mails asking for advice and why they thought you would know what you're talking about... I'm really not trying to be insulting but I was so taken aback by this post, I had to respond...

Not sure what you mean -- he's interviewed and been accepted; for him the application process is done. I think he's just trying to help.

 

[javert]

Not sure what you mean -- he's interviewed and been accepted; for him the application process is done. I think he's just trying to help.

Sure, hes been accepted at some places so far but the process is not technically done if he is still actively interviewing and waiting for acceptances/rejections... he doesn't know which interviews turned out good/bad as far as admissions goes, etc... I'm sure he is just trying to help but he sounds a little ludicrous... did you read the section on how to dress for an interview?! You are not being judged on things such as scuffs in your shoes and buying a new pair is certainly not warranted... Not only that, but I feel like a lot of his advice is not completely acurate and is disheartening... i.e., the world is not over if you don't submit your AAMCAs in June.. (he didn't even mention the existence of non-rolling schools like Yale and Penn, etc) I think in general he tends to be extreme in his advice and he is deeming himself qualified so I don't want all the neurotic pre-meds out there going out and buying new wardrobes for each interview and jumping off a bridge because they didn't submit AAMCAs till September... I just thought this post needed perspective... wow was my only response when I read it.

 

[Thundrstorm]

Wow, I have so many things I want to say to this post, I don't even know where to start.... (The section on how to dress for an interview, for one) so I'm just gonna ask one question... who deemed you qualified to post all this? You're applying now and haven't even gone through it all yourself yet!!!! I'm just curious who these people are who wrote you so many e-mails asking for advice and why they thought you would know what you're talking about... I'm really not trying to be insulting but I was so taken aback by this post, I had to respond...

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Apparition]

I was thinking the same thing.

Me too. "I would have loved to have read something like this as I was applying"... a week ago.

 

[Blue Planet]

However, the OP's post about interview dress is quite accurate. Things like making sure your shoes are polished or that your outfit is conservative are smart moves to make at any level. Dressing for interviews is all about showing the college that you care about the interview - scuffed shoes and too much cologne tell the interviewer that you don't care enough about the school to spend ten minutes polishing your shoes and five minutes to take a shower.

 

[gspot]

Wow, I have so many things I want to say to this post, I don't even know where to start.... (The section on how to dress for an interview, for one) so I'm just gonna ask one question... who deemed you qualified to post all this? You're applying now and haven't even gone through it all yourself yet!!!! I'm just curious who these people are who wrote you so many e-mails asking for advice and why they thought you would know what you're talking about... I'm really not trying to be insulting but I was so taken aback by this post, I had to respond...

wow... 😱 i didn't know haters came out so early in the day! I posted my opinions to give my perspective to future applicants. What works for one applicant may not necessarily work for another, but it doesn't hurt to be informed.

Any seven year old with a keyboard can bash on other people in these forums; it takes real character to offer up some constructive criticism. What I can't understand is why we can't be more supportive of each other. There's a wealth of knowledge out there, insulting other people's ideas get us nowhere. I can very well be completely wrong in all respects, but if you have a difference of opinion let us know and we can learn from you. Come on now, wheres the love 😍 ?

 

[Pewl]

Since when did anyone have to be "qualified" to post here?! This is a damn internet forum! Anyone who bases their application process entirely off of the advice of anyone here should probably jump off a bridge anyway

 

[Thundrstorm]

wow... 😱 i didn't know haters came out so early in the day! I posted my opinions to give my perspective to future applicants. What works for one applicant may not necessarily work for another, but it doesn't hurt to be informed.

Any seven year old with a keyboard can bash on other people in these forums; it takes real character to offer up some constructive criticism. What I can't understand is why we can't be more supportive of each other. There's a wealth of knowledge out there, insulting other people's ideas get us nowhere. I can very well be completely wrong in all respects, but if you have a difference of opinion let us know and we can learn from you. Come on now, wheres the love 😍 ?

I'm all for giving helpful advice, and I often give advice on sdn on things in which I have some level of experience or expertise (e.g. research, grammar), but I can guarantee you that I will not decide immediately after my first acceptance that I am in the position to create any kind of guide on the application process. It takes some real audacity to start advising people on a process that you're still going through. If you had started a thread inviting everyone to share their tips and contributed some of your own, you probably wouldn't have gotten the same response.

 

[pseudoknot]

here's the most interesting question I have been asked to date: 'You're an attractive kid, how often do you sex?' I was caught offguard but without missing a beat, I said: 'I don't give her as much as she deserves.'

I don't mean to offend, but anyone who responds to this guy's posts seriously is an idiot.

 

[brandflake1]

Thank you for the information, g-spot. I would agree with your post about many of the things you mentioned. At no point do you claim to be an admissions guru. I believe that your "credentials" posting at the beginning is appropriate, as it helps others to put everything in context. As long as you don't claim to be an expert, and are just offering advice, this is fine. Unfortunately, the "apply early" advice comes a little late for many at this point, but gives all the more motivation to stop sitting on the secondaries.

BTW, Where did the sex interview question come from? Are you being serious? This random comment is hardly believable. Was this a student interview?

 

[Pewl]

I'm all for giving helpful advice, and I often give advice on sdn on things in which I have some level of experience or expertise (e.g. research, grammar), but I can guarantee you that I will not decide immediately after my first acceptance that I am in the position to create any kind of guide on the application process. It takes some real audacity to start advising people on a process that you're still going through. If you had started a thread inviting everyone to share their tips and contributed some of your own, you probably wouldn't have gotten the same response.

I don't think there's any "audacity" involved here. We all have the right to get on our soap boxes to rant. Those who choose to heed it will, those who don't like it will ignore it. As responsible users we should all know that not everything you read here is necessarily good information. And, as mature adults we should have the ability to separate what we should and shouldn't listen to. This is all gspot's opinion. If you disagree with what he/she says then just say so. But there is nothing wrong with posting what you think.

 

[Thundrstorm]

I don't think there's any "audacity" involved here. We all have the right to get on our soap boxes to rant. Those who choose to heed it will, those who don't like it will ignore it. As responsible users we should all know that not everything you read here is necessarily good information. And, as mature adults we should have the ability to separate what we should and shouldn't listen to. This is all gspot's opinion. If you disagree with what he/she says then just say so. But there is nothing wrong with posting what you think.

Of course there's nothing wrong with posting what you think. That's why I did. I just think this thread is really amusing. Maybe "audacity" isn't the right word... how do you feel about "pretentious?"

I will say this: interview reviews are always helpful, and I must thank the OP for pointing out to the gentleman that there is such a thing as wearing too much cologne.

 

[robotsonic]

Wow, at least gspot is confident. I'm applying for residency right now, and I certainly wouldn't deem myself ready to give a guide to residency applicants! One of the reasons I'm reading the pre-allo forum is that I feel like this is one forum in which I can actually give advice.

There should be a disclaimer at the beginning of this thread, though, stating that the guide is being given by someone who hasn't finished the process.

And for gspot: Who asked about the sex life? That's a little hard to believe. You are right about having confidence and dressing conservatively, though.

 

[Hercules022]

What a pointless post.... should be deleted for taking up valuable space and the time of SDN'ers who are going to click on this (as I did) and assume it's by a guy who either is already a doctor or at least in med school. Sure we all have the right to post anything we want, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. Like Chris Rock says, you can steer a car with your feet but that doesn't mean you should do it. Maybe I'll make a post about what residency is like cause I saw some residents on ER once.

And as for the OP's claim that "any seven year old can bash but it takes courage for constructive criticism," that is just dumb. Why would I offer constructive criticism when the post is obviously pointless to begin with? This whole "guide" premise makes no sense when others on here know much more or just as much about the process as you do.

This post is going to get a lot of views because of the way the OP worded the title ("Guide for Med Applicants") and all of them who are immediately going ask "Why is this guy writing a post about getting into med school?"

BTW, one time I interviewed for a job at Goldman Sachs before I became premed.... any questions about getting into i-banking, I'm your man.

Later kids

 

[CTSballer11]

Gspot, good post, man there are some real dousche's in the pre-med world.

 

[little_late_MD]

"

BTW, one time I interviewed for a job at Goldman Sachs before I became premed.... any questions about getting into i-banking, I'm your man.

Did you get the job? I would say not, as no investment banker in the world would ever refer to their profession as i-banking.

Lay off the original poster. He's trying to share what he's experienced. Take it for what it's worth. No need to harangue the guy about it.

 

[tifxiii]

Wow... people are so harsh on this forum sometimes! It almost makes you not want to post anything on this website for the fear of being bashed upside the head with unneccessary rude comments.

It clearly states in his first post that his application year is 2006 and for those of you who think that he doesn't have enough knowledge should just move right along to the next post. But for those that haven't yet begun the application process (and thus have NO knowledge) might just find this information valuable for next June.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Apparition]

The OP, after getting accepted to two schools this early in the process, should not currently be in sober condition and writing any posts regardless of their value.

 

[DarkFark]

what I don't get, gspot, is how you're already in at UMDNJ-Robert Wood. I was there last month and they said that the first committee meeting where they admit non-ED wasn't until the 20th of October...?

 

[Hercules022]

Did you get the job? I would say not, as no investment banker in the world would ever refer to their profession as i-banking.

Lay off the original poster. He's trying to share what he's experienced. Take it for what it's worth. No need to harangue the guy about it.

Yeah, I got the job, I'm an investment banker but I read SDN to pass the time. And incidentally, several of my friends interned or got jobs in i-banking and have called it that, so don't be an idiot.

And "sharing what you experienced" is completely different than "guiding people through the admissions process." If the OP had claimed that he just wanted to relate some interview experiences that'd be fine, but that's not what he said. Dumb post, enough said, and CTS, learn to spell "douche." Defending this post with one sentence and misspelling a word in it is not the way to go.

 

[Hercules022]

what I don't get, gspot, is how you're already in at UMDNJ-Robert Wood. I was there last month and they said that the first committee meeting where they admit non-ED wasn't until the 20th of October...?

If the OP lied about his Robert Wood acceptance that'd be the icing on the cake of this post

 

[45408]

Get this **** done EARLY. Give yourself about 2 weeks time from start to finish. I had mine done and submitted at 12:01 AM June 1st.

It says you're a 2006 applicant - I thought you couldn't submit until June 2nd this year?

 

[little_late_MD]

Yeah, I got the job, I'm an investment banker but I read SDN to pass the time. And incidentally, several of my friends interned or got jobs in i-banking and have called it that, so don't be an idiot.

Well I guess when I spent an entire summer doing analyst work for First Boston I must have missed all the jargon talk. Never once did I hear any investment banker, from analyst level up refer to it as i-banking. I guess those West Coast i-banking offices must do things differently.

 

[45408]

Well I guess when I spent an entire summer doing analyst work for First Boston I must have missed all the jargon talk. Never once did I hear any investment banker, from analyst level up refer to it as i-banking. I guess those West Coast i-banking offices must do things differently.

yeah, regional jargon is pretty much unheard of

 

[Hercules022]

Well I guess when I spent an entire summer doing analyst work for First Boston I must have missed all the jargon talk. Never once did I hear any investment banker, from analyst level up refer to it as i-banking. I guess those West Coast i-banking offices must do things differently.

Went to school in the Northeast... if you're saying that people don't call it i-banking while at work, I'm sure they don't.... if you're saying people don't call it that when talking about it casually, as in "I'm trying to get an internship in i-banking," that's not the case

 

[doctorFred]

while my criticism isn't as harsh as some of the others who have replied to this thread, i do agree that the post title and tone was a lot more official than it should have been. this is rather informal advice from a novice applicant -- it should be taken as no more and no less.

 

[Hercules022]

while my criticism isn't as harsh as some of the others who have replied to this thread, i do agree that the post title and tone was a lot more official than it should have been. this is rather informal advice from a novice applicant -- it should be taken as no more and no less.

Zahque's point is the kinder, friendlier version of my own.... well said

 

[javert]

Wow, definitely didn't expect to start a debate... that said, most of you seemed to understand my post exactly. I still wouldn't give advice about getting into med school and I'm a first year. If anything, I'd say adcoms or people who have been on the deciding end are the only people qualified, although obviously its not a crime to offer up your opinions... just don't be so arrogant about it and act like you know everything because you've gotten into some schools already.


(Btw, my friends at Wharton refer to it as I-banking....)

 

[CTSballer11]

Yeah, I got the job, I'm an investment banker but I read SDN to pass the time. And incidentally, several of my friends interned or got jobs in i-banking and have called it that, so don't be an idiot.

And "sharing what you experienced" is completely different than "guiding people through the admissions process." If the OP had claimed that he just wanted to relate some interview experiences that'd be fine, but that's not what he said. Dumb post, enough said, and CTS, learn to spell "douche." Defending this post with one sentence and misspelling a word in it is not the way to go.

Good point. Allow me to correct myself. Hercules022 you are a douche bag.

 

[Hercules022]

Good point. Allow me to correct myself. Hercules022 you are a douche bag.

Glad to see you got it right the second time. Keep up the good work!

 

[EvoDevo]

Closing. Name calling and immature behaviour are really uncalled for, though not unexpected round here. 🙄

To the OP: next time qualify your advice with a huge grain of salt. You haven't even started school nor finished the application process, so really, what do you have to offer except your own experiences? Not much, actually. You're certainly no expert.

And while Javert's opinion that ony actual/former adcom members have the REAL scoop on admissions is pretty spot on, there are folks out there with VASTLY more interview/acceptance experience than you who are probably more qualified to give advice than any current applicants.

Be careful that when you get to med school that you don't become one of those "know it all before they've seen it all" types. They're unwelcome and dangerous.

Good luck.