Year: I am currently in a non-science, bilingual (Spanish and English) two-year master’s program in Barcelona, graduating this July and likely defending March 2021 (instead of Sept 2020 so that I can use my student visa to stay in Europe for a WHO internship fall of 2020, if that still happens considering the pandemic, funding changes, and travel restrictions here in Europe).
Alma matter: private liberal arts school (would rather not say for anonymity).
Demographic stats: 26-year-old white female
Employment: Teaching English online through grad school--difficult for me to do things related to medical school here due to my visa status.
State: Kentucky, but I have been living outside of the country for almost two years and would rather attend a program that at least has a global health focus. I will still apply to UK and UofL, though. I also lived in Vermont and Arizona before moving to Spain but not long enough to establish residency.
Major: International Studies (International Relations focus).
MCAT: 509 (126 / 128 / 124 / 131)-->509 (127 / 128 / 127 / 127)—I will explain this later.
cGPA: 3.8 (net upward trend).
sGPA: 3.4 (mostly net upward trend).
Research: Research in genetics (1 semester, methods), descriptive research on health systems and government health (population) campaigns in Cusco, Peru; politics & health research for upcoming master’s thesis (Given similar resources, what explains the variation between governments for inclusive or exclusive COVID 19 response plans?), plan to research during gap year with prof regarding asylum seeker (mental) health—no publications yet on my part.
-can give you more details if needed
Clinical Volunteering: 300 OBGYN (Peru) and geriatrics (Colombia).
Shadowing: 300 hours, primarily surgery (Mexico), then cardiology (semi-rural US) and emergency med (semi-rural US), Psych (Spain).
Non-Clinical Volunteering: 650 hours (Disability Resource Center tutoring, early child development and literacy, English tutor, hospital admin).
-1700 hours of AmeriCorps service (social and educational support for refugees and conservation), though technically AmeriCorps members are not volunteers.
Other/Leadership: Fluent in Spanish, NCAA athlete with a final four run, all-conference team, tour guide, peer mentor, pre-med society, Walk for Life coordinator for AFROTC unit as a freshmen, Girls on the Run, certified yoga instructor (was about to begin classes for trauma intuitive yoga before Spain went on complete lockdown).
Employment history: AmeriCorps Service member during gap year between college and master’s, now I teach English online.
Immediate family members in medicine? (y/n): Yes, well, hospital pharmacist, nurse, pharm tech, physical therapist.
Specialty of interest: I am considering internal med or psych. Due to the extenuating circumstances listed below, I’m really interested in the effects of stress and trauma on the body, so I could also see myself in cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology or looking at how the body copes with infectious disease with pre-existing physical and psychological traumas.
Interest in rural health (y/n): Yes, but more interested in migrant health—though these certainly intersect.
Extenuating circumstances/how to best explain this on PS and OP:
-How to best explain extenuating circumstances that lasted for a long time without sounding like I am taking advantage of the presence of extenuating circumstances to boost my application?
-How personal is too personal? Would someone looking at a PS think rape is too personal and/or political?
The year before my junior year, I got a concussion in a game outside of the country, which limited immediate treatment. The treatment regime I was given upon return was to rest and not doing anything…which can obviously lead to depressive symptoms for someone who is used to moving all the time.
Two months later I was raped but couldn’t bear telling anyone about it at the time. Two months after that I got another concussion in my first game back. Needless to say the grades for my junior year are rough (but manageable, only 1 C I think) and my senior year is slightly better (I quit the team in order to give myself more time to focus on school, but obviously this was difficult and isolating as I had played all of my life).
I didn’t really let myself process all of this until 2019 because it was hard to not repress something that did not coincide with my self-concept (thanks psych/soc) as a strong athlete able to take on anything. It was also last year that I realized, without a doubt, that I still wanted to go to medical school (lifelong dream, but needed to check out other social factors related to it first). I studied for the MCAT while processing all of this and going to school, was really prepped and then the night before my MCAT (which I flew to take in Frankfort, Germany) my Airbnb host wouldn’t leave me alone (sexual advances wise) despite me telling him I was there for the test and that was it. I could hardly sleep.
The second MCAT I took while home. Felt very prepared and then the week before I was sleeping on a couch at a friend’s place and I woke up in the middle of the night with her boyfriend's friend's hand on my leg and moving up (who was supposed to be sleeping in the other room...) despite me not being the least bit flirtatious or forthcoming with him in any way previously.
If I had scored the same score on that second MCAT as I had on the first in psych/soc (98% percentile), I would have gone from a 509-->513. I was planning on doing my psych/soc review the week before the test because I enjoyed it and I had done so well on it last time, but mentally I struggled to be focused that week and could feel my nervous system on overload the whole week because of what happened/the out of control feeling because of it. I firmly believe I would have done much better had that not happened. I have considered taking the test again, but am worried of doing it a third time while dealing with work, school, thesis stuff and pandemic restrictions
Like I said, I have no idea how to convey this other in the way that I just did…any thoughts? This will not take up all of my PS but it will be part of it because it contributes to why I want to become a physician and how I came to have a new definition of what it means to heal.
MD/PhD: Likely going to apply to some MD/PhD programs (medical anthropology) that consider applications separately/simultaneously
-I do not think I have enough research background; most of that research will happen during the application year, thoughts on this?
-Should I make the effort to apply to MD/PhD programs, considering my background and experience? I have firmly outlined research questions, plans for them, obstacles envisioned, and am already in contact with people regarding them. I am also open to doing independent research once I have the MD and finding an organization that matches my interests (MSF, Physicians for Human Rights, ICRC, etc.) Thoughts on independent research without a backing academic institution?
-I know I want to do continue my research, but want a clinical focus, e.g. 60% clinical 40% research. I know the general theme is that MD/PhDs mainly do research but talking to alums from Harvard, UCSF/UCB, they say you decide those limits
-Also open to applying to a PhD program once I get into medical school, thoughts on this?
I am looking for a school with good community (collaborative instead of hyper-competitive, reputation focus), global health focus, underserved populations focus, migrant health focus, PTSD research, holistic perspective focus (e.g. open to things like yoga for PTSD patients that have not respond to other treatments, etc.), located somewhat close to access to the outdoors, if MD/PhD—clinical sessions integrated into first two years and reintegration course after PhD.
These are some potential schools I am considering but I am open to suggestions/revisions based on the school characteristics I have listed.
School list:
Alma matter: private liberal arts school (would rather not say for anonymity).
Demographic stats: 26-year-old white female
Employment: Teaching English online through grad school--difficult for me to do things related to medical school here due to my visa status.
State: Kentucky, but I have been living outside of the country for almost two years and would rather attend a program that at least has a global health focus. I will still apply to UK and UofL, though. I also lived in Vermont and Arizona before moving to Spain but not long enough to establish residency.
Major: International Studies (International Relations focus).
MCAT: 509 (126 / 128 / 124 / 131)-->509 (127 / 128 / 127 / 127)—I will explain this later.
cGPA: 3.8 (net upward trend).
sGPA: 3.4 (mostly net upward trend).
Research: Research in genetics (1 semester, methods), descriptive research on health systems and government health (population) campaigns in Cusco, Peru; politics & health research for upcoming master’s thesis (Given similar resources, what explains the variation between governments for inclusive or exclusive COVID 19 response plans?), plan to research during gap year with prof regarding asylum seeker (mental) health—no publications yet on my part.
-can give you more details if needed
Clinical Volunteering: 300 OBGYN (Peru) and geriatrics (Colombia).
Shadowing: 300 hours, primarily surgery (Mexico), then cardiology (semi-rural US) and emergency med (semi-rural US), Psych (Spain).
Non-Clinical Volunteering: 650 hours (Disability Resource Center tutoring, early child development and literacy, English tutor, hospital admin).
-1700 hours of AmeriCorps service (social and educational support for refugees and conservation), though technically AmeriCorps members are not volunteers.
Other/Leadership: Fluent in Spanish, NCAA athlete with a final four run, all-conference team, tour guide, peer mentor, pre-med society, Walk for Life coordinator for AFROTC unit as a freshmen, Girls on the Run, certified yoga instructor (was about to begin classes for trauma intuitive yoga before Spain went on complete lockdown).
Employment history: AmeriCorps Service member during gap year between college and master’s, now I teach English online.
Immediate family members in medicine? (y/n): Yes, well, hospital pharmacist, nurse, pharm tech, physical therapist.
Specialty of interest: I am considering internal med or psych. Due to the extenuating circumstances listed below, I’m really interested in the effects of stress and trauma on the body, so I could also see myself in cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology or looking at how the body copes with infectious disease with pre-existing physical and psychological traumas.
Interest in rural health (y/n): Yes, but more interested in migrant health—though these certainly intersect.
Extenuating circumstances/how to best explain this on PS and OP:
-How to best explain extenuating circumstances that lasted for a long time without sounding like I am taking advantage of the presence of extenuating circumstances to boost my application?
-How personal is too personal? Would someone looking at a PS think rape is too personal and/or political?
The year before my junior year, I got a concussion in a game outside of the country, which limited immediate treatment. The treatment regime I was given upon return was to rest and not doing anything…which can obviously lead to depressive symptoms for someone who is used to moving all the time.
Two months later I was raped but couldn’t bear telling anyone about it at the time. Two months after that I got another concussion in my first game back. Needless to say the grades for my junior year are rough (but manageable, only 1 C I think) and my senior year is slightly better (I quit the team in order to give myself more time to focus on school, but obviously this was difficult and isolating as I had played all of my life).
I didn’t really let myself process all of this until 2019 because it was hard to not repress something that did not coincide with my self-concept (thanks psych/soc) as a strong athlete able to take on anything. It was also last year that I realized, without a doubt, that I still wanted to go to medical school (lifelong dream, but needed to check out other social factors related to it first). I studied for the MCAT while processing all of this and going to school, was really prepped and then the night before my MCAT (which I flew to take in Frankfort, Germany) my Airbnb host wouldn’t leave me alone (sexual advances wise) despite me telling him I was there for the test and that was it. I could hardly sleep.
The second MCAT I took while home. Felt very prepared and then the week before I was sleeping on a couch at a friend’s place and I woke up in the middle of the night with her boyfriend's friend's hand on my leg and moving up (who was supposed to be sleeping in the other room...) despite me not being the least bit flirtatious or forthcoming with him in any way previously.
If I had scored the same score on that second MCAT as I had on the first in psych/soc (98% percentile), I would have gone from a 509-->513. I was planning on doing my psych/soc review the week before the test because I enjoyed it and I had done so well on it last time, but mentally I struggled to be focused that week and could feel my nervous system on overload the whole week because of what happened/the out of control feeling because of it. I firmly believe I would have done much better had that not happened. I have considered taking the test again, but am worried of doing it a third time while dealing with work, school, thesis stuff and pandemic restrictions
Like I said, I have no idea how to convey this other in the way that I just did…any thoughts? This will not take up all of my PS but it will be part of it because it contributes to why I want to become a physician and how I came to have a new definition of what it means to heal.
MD/PhD: Likely going to apply to some MD/PhD programs (medical anthropology) that consider applications separately/simultaneously
-I do not think I have enough research background; most of that research will happen during the application year, thoughts on this?
-Should I make the effort to apply to MD/PhD programs, considering my background and experience? I have firmly outlined research questions, plans for them, obstacles envisioned, and am already in contact with people regarding them. I am also open to doing independent research once I have the MD and finding an organization that matches my interests (MSF, Physicians for Human Rights, ICRC, etc.) Thoughts on independent research without a backing academic institution?
-I know I want to do continue my research, but want a clinical focus, e.g. 60% clinical 40% research. I know the general theme is that MD/PhDs mainly do research but talking to alums from Harvard, UCSF/UCB, they say you decide those limits
-Also open to applying to a PhD program once I get into medical school, thoughts on this?
I am looking for a school with good community (collaborative instead of hyper-competitive, reputation focus), global health focus, underserved populations focus, migrant health focus, PTSD research, holistic perspective focus (e.g. open to things like yoga for PTSD patients that have not respond to other treatments, etc.), located somewhat close to access to the outdoors, if MD/PhD—clinical sessions integrated into first two years and reintegration course after PhD.
These are some potential schools I am considering but I am open to suggestions/revisions based on the school characteristics I have listed.
School list:
- Baylor
- Dartmouth
- Duke
- Emory
- Harvard
- Mcgill
- Michigan State
- Northwestern
- PSU
- Penn
- Rutgers, Robert Wood
- Stanford
- UC Irvine
- UCLA
- UC San Diego
- UCSF
- University of Chicago
- University of Florida
- University of Illinois
- University of Kentucky
- University of Louisville
- University of Michigan
- UNC
- UT system?
- University of Vermont
- University of Washington
- University of Wisconsin
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Wayne State
- Yale
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