what the hell went wrong?

[redskittles]

hi,
im kinda new to the board (posting-wise), but an old avid reader. just wanted to know what some people thought:
i thought i had pretty good stats (3.75, 30T mcat, strong letters of rec, great ECs), but i only have 4 interview so far, and the first two were bomb! still waiting on all the cali schools, freaking out. who said cali schools love cali kids??? i need some moral support. what did i do wrong??? do i slit the wrist, or is there a glimmer of hope out there for me yet!? i'm waiting for tufts, pitts, jefferson, yale (what was i thinking when i even applied??), and usc, and 4 ucs to get back post-secondary. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! anyone else in this boat??

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[Mistress S]

Relax! The interview season is not over yet. I have a 32 MCAT and 3.75 GPA, and only 2 interviews. Lots of things could be affecting your app--did you take the Aug MCAT or apply late otherwise? Did you apply to a wide range of schools? If you applied early (like in June/July) and have been complete since then, you may not get more interviews, but 4 is not bad and you have a decent shot of getting in with that many interviews. Have you heard back from any of those schools yet? If you took the Aug MCAT, that could be slowing things down. Call the schools you are waiting to hear from, and send letters of interest to them and to any schools you are waitlisted at. That's about all you can do at this point. Good luck!

 

[redskittles]

no that's the sad thing, i took the mcat last year, so it's not mcat that is holding me up. i did apply pretty late (most apps were complete middle/end of oct), so i'm worried i screwed it up because now all the classes are full. and i'm worried about the interviews that i've gone to so far--they were both at schools i don't really have good chances at in the first place. i've called everywhere. wrote everyone update letters.... do i just sit back? or is it basically over? honestly, how many people does anyone know who gets interviewed after jan and still got into a med school?

 

[Uegis]

hi,
im kinda new to the board (posting-wise), but an old avid reader. just wanted to know what some people thought:
i thought i had pretty good stats (3.75, 30T mcat, strong letters of rec, great ECs), but i only have 4 interview so far, and the first two were bomb! still waiting on all the cali schools, freaking out. who said cali schools love cali kids??? i need some moral support. what did i do wrong??? do i slit the wrist, or is there a glimmer of hope out there for me yet!? i'm waiting for tufts, pitts, jefferson, yale (what was i thinking when i even applied??), and usc, and 4 ucs to get back post-secondary. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! anyone else in this boat??

California schools are slow and very selective. To have over 3500 applicants for the limited number of seats, they can choose to be as slow and picky as they want. I really did hope you apply to a good range of school. Tufts gets so many applications that they are slow and reject a lot of people. Hang in there and maybe contact the schools or write letter of interests. Good luck. Its tough being a CA resident.

And I have know people getting in interviewing in March, so don't worry yet.

 

[redskittles]

only applied to 19 schools--i'm an idiot!

 

[sdnstud]

Hey fellow CAer here. I am wondering, which schools have you interviewed at? Also, where did you do your undergraduate work?

hi,
im kinda new to the board (posting-wise), but an old avid reader. just wanted to know what some people thought:
i thought i had pretty good stats (3.75, 30T mcat, strong letters of rec, great ECs), but i only have 4 interview so far, and the first two were bomb! still waiting on all the cali schools, freaking out. who said cali schools love cali kids??? i need some moral support. what did i do wrong??? do i slit the wrist, or is there a glimmer of hope out there for me yet!? i'm waiting for tufts, pitts, jefferson, yale (what was i thinking when i even applied??), and usc, and 4 ucs to get back post-secondary. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! anyone else in this boat??

 

[getunconcsious]

Redskittles-Hang in there, and try to keep hope up. I know how it goes, believe me.
Also, like you I could kick myself for not applying to more schools (I applied to 21--I'm from Nevada so I figured blackjack=lucky). But you have to remember how freaking expensive the secondaries were, not to mention the time they took to complete. We could have applied to 50 schools but it would have been burdensomely expensive, and we'd have been doing nothing but completing secondaries for months! Good luck, and I think it will work out for you ;-)

 

[ChiefToma]

only applied to 19 schools--i'm an idiot!

how did you afford that!?!??!?!

that's like $2000 at least?

 

[bewitched1081]

hi,
im kinda new to the board (posting-wise), but an old avid reader. just wanted to know what some people thought:
i thought i had pretty good stats (3.75, 30T mcat, strong letters of rec, great ECs), but i only have 4 interview so far, and the first two were bomb! still waiting on all the cali schools, freaking out. who said cali schools love cali kids??? i need some moral support. what did i do wrong??? do i slit the wrist, or is there a glimmer of hope out there for me yet!? i'm waiting for tufts, pitts, jefferson, yale (what was i thinking when i even applied??), and usc, and 4 ucs to get back post-secondary. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! anyone else in this boat??

be willing to go through more. for some people the application process is like a cake walk. they get acceptances right away and their only worries are financial aid packages and choosing the right school. when things get tough, though, they try the best they can to think of ways that their applications could have been improved in order to guarantee that coveted acceptance. unfortunately, even the "best" of applicants may find the road full of obstacles. there are people with extremely high stats and all of the goods to back up their app but are still in the same situation. do you remember that scene in titanic after the ship went under? there were many more people in the freezing water than in the boats. but if you really want to become a dr you can survive this process, and have the strength to possibly go through it again. personally, there are worse things that can happen in life, one of them being suicide. suicide is not defined correctly in my opinion. because when you kill yourself you actually drag a lot of other people with you. you can't cut yourself out of a web without ruining the whole thing. life is full of uncertainties. we are just more aware of them when it comes to something like this.

 

[redskittles]

hi there, ucirvine (wohoo...) interviewed at duke and albany so far--drastically different schools, i know.

 

[redskittles]

oh, and just for a clarification, i was kidding about the slitting the wrist--totally insensitive to the very tragic subject of suicide. my bad.

 

[redskittles]

duke: interview wasnt conversational as other interviewees said they were with them. felt bad vibes. was told that i barely have the scores to get in.
albany: interviewer was too interested in getting back to whatever he was doing before. interview lasted 25 minutes.

 

[MWillie]

my interviews were all easy---even the one I had at Baylor College of Medicine

I can think of numerous ways for an interview to go less than well. I'm glad all your interviews were easy though---even the one you had at Baylor College of Medicine.

 

[Wiggy73]

You're not the only one wondering that, skittles. There are a bunch of us who just haven't gotten a break. But you've still got time, and the nonrollers may come through with acceptances. It ain't over till it's over, so keep the faith!

 

[Haybrant]

You're not the only one wondering that, skittles. There are a bunch of us who just haven't gotten a break. But you've still got time, and the nonrollers may come through with acceptances. It ain't over till it's over, so keep the faith!

ive never understood whats the deal with you wiggy; the way things are going for you with your stats doesnt make sense; your last name isnt bin laden or something is it? I especially dont understand the uchicag thing...

but to the OP dont trip too much; but applying late with your stats makes it tough. It doesnt make it tough for the 4.0/35+ kinda people. I was complete very late too and my stats are just a bit higher but my research helps to set me apart a bit; you gotta find something that sets you apart at this time and really push that in your interviews. That said, im still waiting to hear from alot of schools and kinda losing hope on em, but we'll see what happens in the comming few wks; I reckon if you dont hear by mid-feb from a school post-secondary, may as well kiss it goodbye

 

[nikibean]

Redskittles,
I'm in the same boat. 31R, good spread(10/11/10), I'm even Phi Beta Kappa and have a 3.82 according to AMCAS. My recs are astounding - I have a very famous person who's written one from my humanities days and even one from someone quite important(like a director of a department) at LLNL. I've been a part of a national team, shadowed a bunch of different doctors, lived in different places. I'm a bit older (27) so I guess I'm a non-trad (and yes, at UVA I was asked about "what about a family?" - whatever).
I've had ONE interview and been waitlisted at UVA, no invites since, took the APRIL mcat, had everything back within one week to each school, and have been rejected from cornell and UCLA- and by the way, my friend with a 34 MCAT was rejected as well from ucla. On hold at UCI and UCSD and UCSF. I've been sending in letters of intent, extra recs, and UC Davis told me that they're just extremely slow. I'm also a legacy (third generation and first woman) at UCSF if I get accepted there (I WANT TO GO THERE SO BADLY!!!!). I've heard NOTHING from stanford, harvard (guessing I'm rejected there at this point), uvm, tulane, and a smattering of other places.
Don't give up hope. I haven't. Keep the faith and show those adcoms you're interested. Send in more stuff. Send letters!
PM me at any time.
Take care,
nicnic

 

[MrTee]

I feel for you guys w/ the high numbers without much to show for it so far. It's probably partially due to the semi-randomness of the whole process of med school admissions where quite a few things have to go right for your app to be picked for interview then acceptance. All we can do is sit back and keep our fingers crossed, but with your above average numbers, I would stay optimistic.

 

[Spitting Camel]

I feel for you guys w/ the high numbers without much to show for it so far. It's probably partially due to the semi-randomness of the whole process of med school admissions where quite a few things have to go right for your app to be picked for interview then acceptance. All we can do is sit back and keep our fingers crossed, but with your above average numbers, I would stay optimistic.

I think it has more and everything to do with the schools people apply to. If you only apply to "higher tiered" schools and don't leave room for the unthinkable (i.e. attending a... dare I say it... sub-top 25 school), you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Good luck to all. My heart goes out to all who have to go through the process more than once - God forbid it be any of you. I know I would have absolutely no hair left if I did.

 

[MrTee]

I think it has more and everything to do with the schools people apply to. If you only apply to "higher tiered" schools and don't leave room for the unthinkable (i.e. attending a... dare I say it... sub-top 25 school), you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Good luck to all. My heart goes out to all who have to go through the process more than once - God forbid it be any of you. I know I would have absolutely no hair left if I did.

I'm sure it plays a role, but one of those posters up there has a 4.0 and a 42 mcat, how much more can one do academically to prove oneself to an adcom regardless of what tier the school is in? Of course, it would be a good idea to throw in a couple backups, but some of the people on here have had a bit of bad luck too. If I had a 4.0/42, I probably wouldn't apply to more than 10-15 schools max, even if they were all big-name programs.

 

[NonTradMed]

I sympathesize with everyone here. Granted, I have subpar grades (well, medical school wise) and my MCAT score was on the low end AND it was done in August AND evidently, med schools are telling me I lack clinicals AND....ok, I could go on on all the many things that went wrong

Anyway, I'm still waiting from about 11 schools (hey, I applied to like 24 so yeah, all rejections and one hold, rest still not hearing much) but I'm losing hope. I'm focusing all my energies on getting in next cycle, doing everything, mainly focusing on academics like science GPA and MCAT scores, as well as getting more clinical experience.

I think part of the problem with this entire process is how archiac it feels. I mean, only TWO exams given out? And it takes TWO MONTHS to get back the scores??? It's dumb they can't allow for more times to take the exam, they are incredibly strict. Also, I love how some schools seem to string us along for the ride, just keeping our noses to the mailbox.....I guess I'd enjoy this process much better if I was getting something but I doubt I'll be getting anything this year. The OP sounds like he has good stats, I can't imagine how she/he could get rejected if he/she applied to some lower tiered schools. Reminds me of a friend who had great stats (3.5+ from top 10 school in bio, MCAT 30+ ) but nothing else (no volunteering, only smattering of research), and she got nothing when she applied to all CA schools and ivies. Then she reapplied to some lower tiered schools and got into one, so now she is happily (I presume) doing her third year. Perhaps that's what the OP should do?

 

[Haybrant]

I sympathesize with everyone here. Granted, I have subpar grades (well, medical school wise) and my MCAT score was on the low end AND it was done in August AND evidently, med schools are telling me I lack clinicals AND....ok, I could go on on all the many things that went wrong

I think part of the problem with this entire process is how archiac it feels. I mean, only TWO exams given out? And it takes TWO MONTHS to get back the scores??? It's dumb they can't allow for more times to take the exam, they are incredibly strict.

so frickin true; why not make the test in July so aug test takers dont get f'ed over. didnt realize how bad it was until i experienced it; shoulda applied md/phd; oh well

 

[MoosePilot]

hi,
im kinda new to the board (posting-wise), but an old avid reader. just wanted to know what some people thought:
i thought i had pretty good stats (3.75, 30T mcat, strong letters of rec, great ECs), but i only have 4 interview so far, and the first two were bomb! still waiting on all the cali schools, freaking out. who said cali schools love cali kids??? i need some moral support. what did i do wrong??? do i slit the wrist, or is there a glimmer of hope out there for me yet!? i'm waiting for tufts, pitts, jefferson, yale (what was i thinking when i even applied??), and usc, and 4 ucs to get back post-secondary. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! anyone else in this boat??

4 interviews sounds good. Your MCAT is barely above average and much closer to average for accepted students. You're applying to Cali schools, which I understand is harsh in and of itself.

Good luck, you've got good stats, I bet you'll pick up an acceptance. I wish I had that GPA!

 

[Spitting Camel]

If I had a 4.0/42, I probably wouldn't apply to more than 10-15 schools max, even if they were all big-name programs.

That's a gamble YOU are willing to take. No one denies the seemingly random way things happen - you just have to prepare for it.

 

[Shaz]

That's a gamble YOU are willing to take. No one denies the seemingly random way things happen - you just have to prepare for it.

I agree...some things, like applying super early, can give you advantages to getting an interview, but getting accepted seems to me a very random process, especially for the "big name" schools. I bet you, a significant portion of people rejected from Hopkins or Harvard this year would have probably been accepted if they had applied a year earlier/later simply because of the luck of the draw (vice versa for the accepted candidates).

 

[Law2Doc]

I'm sure it plays a role, but one of those posters up there has a 4.0 and a 42 mcat, how much more can one do academically to prove oneself to an adcom regardless of what tier the school is in? Of course, it would be a good idea to throw in a couple backups, but some of the people on here have had a bit of bad luck too. If I had a 4.0/42, I probably wouldn't apply to more than 10-15 schools max, even if they were all big-name programs.

If I had a 4.0 and a 42, I probably would stop at 10-15 apps as well, although it's probably foolish not to have at least one "safety" where your numbers are very competitive.
But "academically proving oneself" is only part of the process; if someone with these stats doesn't get in, isn't it more likely to assume there are non-numerical problems with the application, not that the process is too random? You'd have to worry that the person was a bad interview, that the LORs were uncomplimentary, that the PS somehow made the writer unappealing (either due to lack of maturity, lack of focus, or simply was gramatically bad), or that the ECs were relatively nonexistent. Most of the better schools want people who excell in ALL of these areas, and will even sacrifice a few MCAT points to get more well rounded individuals.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

ive never understood whats the deal with you wiggy; the way things are going for you with your stats doesnt make sense; your last name isnt bin laden or something is it? I especially dont understand the uchicag thing...

i said the same thing (not the bin Laden, but..) on another thread...makes no sense

i got interviews at schools she didn't and her statys are better than mine

 

[Psycho Doctor]

only applied to 19 schools--i'm an idiot!

then i'm totally insane, i only applied to 16

 

[mhondy]

duke: interview wasnt conversational as other interviewees said they were with them. felt bad vibes. was told that i barely have the scores to get in.
albany: interviewer was too interested in getting back to whatever he was doing before. interview lasted 25 minutes.

i know people who's interviewers dozed off in the interview and they got in!! to good schools too! don't fret too much.

 

[LGW]

Can someone guide me on the letter of interest?
I've noticed other students are sending these out and being that this is my first time applying I'm not exactly sure what to do, and not to mention my undergrad institution barely having a pre-med advisor for all its pre-med students!
Some UC schools I have not heard from at all, but no rejection letter as of yet or update on website. UCDavis and UCLA I have not heard from post-secondary, just received secondary from Drew, interview at Wayne next month. No rejections from anyone thus far
For the schools that I have not heard from what should I do? Send letters of interest? call? If I should send a letter can someone help me on the content.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
LGW
"Don't sweat the small stuff...it's all small stuff!"

 

[YzIa]

i said the same thing (not the bin Laden, but..) on another thread...makes no sense

i got interviews at schools she didn't and her statys are better than mine

Correction, her stats are better than everyones. I doubt there are more than a few, if more than one 42/4.0 applicants in any given year

Then again, this just shows how important the right EC's and essays can be to schools.

 

[Wiggy73]

If I had a 4.0 and a 42, I probably would stop at 10-15 apps as well, although it's probably foolish not to have at least one "safety" where your numbers are very competitive.
But "academically proving oneself" is only part of the process; if someone with these stats doesn't get in, isn't it more likely to assume there are non-numerical problems with the application, not that the process is too random? You'd have to worry that the person was a bad interview, that the LORs were uncomplimentary, that the PS somehow made the writer unappealing (either due to lack of maturity, lack of focus, or simply was gramatically bad), or that the ECs were relatively nonexistent. Most of the better schools want people who excell in ALL of these areas, and will even sacrifice a few MCAT points to get more well rounded individuals.

What a choice list of insults!

You guys seem to be assuming I'm some sort of illiterate, one-dimensional, asocial hermit. Not true.

 

[striped sweater]

then i'm totally insane, i only applied to 16

no, you are only insane to apply to that few if you are from california.

 

[Law2Doc]

What a choice list of insults!

You guys seem to be assuming I'm some sort of illiterate, one-dimensional, asocial hermit. Not true.

I wasn't directing this toward you specifically, or maybe even at all. Just noting that it's not solely numbers that drive this system. With extremely high numbers and no acceptances you've got to wonder if there is something else. And I certainly didn't mean that all of these things would apply to any one person.

 

[em31]

hey, how long have you guys been "pending review" at UCI? it's already been a month for me...just wondering how long it should take before my status page says "under review". Thanks!

 

[cammy1313]

I've always believed that age can sometimes play a role in this type of process. In Wiggy's case, for example, she most definately has all her bases covered. BUT, she's 21 years old. I know for a fact that candidates that look great on paper can get shunned by admcoms because they're too young. There are certain levels of maturity that you gain from post-undergrad experiences that can't be replaced by stellar numbers.

 

[redskittles]

HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII... well, ok... so some more clarification on the stats and stuff. yeah my mcat isn't that fab, but i did a lot of ecs and i have nice letters of recs. so i dont think it's that i'm just lacking in everything else. i swear it's just that i was born under an ill-cursed moon or something. april mcat here i come

 

[bidster]

I've always believed that age can sometimes play a role in this type of process. In Wiggy's case, for example, she most definately has all her bases covered. BUT, she's 21 years old. I know for a fact that candidates that look great on paper can get shunned by admcoms because they're too young. There are certain levels of maturity that you gain from post-undergrad experiences that can't be replaced by stellar numbers.

I don't think age is necessarily it. I know "sample size of one" applies here, but I started this app cycle when I was 20, had interviews scheduled before I hit 21 in late October, and am fortunate enough to have a few acceptances...and my MCAT is definitely not as eye-popping as Wiggy's. Plus there are still *plenty* of people who apply their senior year, are 21 for much of the process, and don't turn 22 until later in the school year..

I hope you hear something good soon Wiggy! and redskittles

 

[anothertbmember]

I interviewed in Feb. at the school I'm at. My stats were pretty decent', but don't give up hope.

 

[Reckoning]

Redskittles, be careful with how you talk about how you "did a lot of amazing ecs for long periods of time" particularly in your interviews etc. Think about your fellow applicants and the equally phenomenal things they have done. Just make sure you don't come off sounding like you are the best thing since sliced bread. Knowing yourself and your reasons for doing the things you have done are probably more important than the quantity.

As everyong is saying, nothing is guaranteed in this process. Persevere and you will get in.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I've always believed that age can sometimes play a role in this type of process. In Wiggy's case, for example, she most definately has all her bases covered. BUT, she's 21 years old. I know for a fact that candidates that look great on paper can get shunned by admcoms because they're too young. There are certain levels of maturity that you gain from post-undergrad experiences that can't be replaced by stellar numbers.

huh???? most students who start college at the normal, average age and complete college in 4 years ARE 21!! that's the norm, not accelerated and not taking any time off...what do they expect????

 

[Wiggy73]

Thanks for all your thoughts and wishes, everyone!

PD, I think what cammy means is that because I'm still in school I haven't had the time or opportunity to build up some "real world" experiences that might really impress adcoms. I have noticed that a lot of people a few years out of undergrad are having more success. But you're right, there's nothing now I can do about that! I'm proud of what I've done so far, and I'm sticking by my application.

 

[GuyLaroche]

Redskittles-Hang in there, and try to keep hope up. I know how it goes, believe me.
Also, like you I could kick myself for not applying to more schools (I applied to 21--I'm from Nevada so I figured blackjack=lucky). But you have to remember how freaking expensive the secondaries were, not to mention the time they took to complete. We could have applied to 50 schools but it would have been burdensomely expensive, and we'd have been doing nothing but completing secondaries for months! Good luck, and I think it will work out for you ;-)

And to add to this, you must remember that this isn't just a game of chance as many would have you believe. One of the reasons I am against AMSA and other like organizations is that without meaning to (who knows), they all use the same selectors to fill their med school classes. This means that applying to a larger number of schools will generally not improve your chances. What becomes important is what types of schools you've applied to. It's like a well-diversified stock portfolio. It's not the number of shares you hold in a company, but what type of companies you hold shares in... or something.

PS: Getunconscious is very good looking.

 

[cammy1313]

huh???? most students who start college at the normal, average age and complete college in 4 years ARE 21!! that's the norm, not accelerated and not taking any time off...what do they expect????

Yeah, you're right, the majority of applicants are in this age range. But if you look at the average age for each entering class it's usually in the range of 23 or so. And based on feedback I've recieved from former adcom members and my own experiences in this process, the perspective you gain from one or two years out of school is amazing. Just a theory, blows my mind why Wiggy doesn't have at least a handful of acceptances by now. But, I also have no doubt that you'll definately get in SOMEWHERE, Wiggy. Hang in there!!!!

 

[Doc Ivy]

Thanks for all your thoughts and wishes, everyone!

PD, I think what cammy means is that because I'm still in school I haven't had the time or opportunity to build up some "real world" experiences that might really impress adcoms. I have noticed that a lot of people a few years out of undergrad are having more success. But you're right, there's nothing now I can do about that! I'm proud of what I've done so far, and I'm sticking by my application.

hey Wiggy, I know it's tough to be in your position, but just think of the up side, your grades are great, your MCAT's strong. You will always have those numbers, now you just have to add icing to the cake. At least you're not having to make up for poor grades-- if heaven forbid you don't get in this year ( and I doubt that will happen) then just find a really great way to spend the year that will help you mature and give you great stuff to talk about in interviews and personal statements. Go abroad and set up eye clinics, hand out condoms in the hood, counsel at a rape crisis center. YOu'd be surprised how fast a year can go.

 

[Without Wax]

hi there, ucirvine (wohoo...) interviewed at duke and albany so far--drastically different schools, i know.

Hi redskittles

If you had an interview at Duke, then obviously you are a highly qualified applicant. No worries, you will do fine.

Patience is a virtue.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Thanks for all your thoughts and wishes, everyone!

PD, I think what cammy means is that because I'm still in school I haven't had the time or opportunity to build up some "real world" experiences that might really impress adcoms. I have noticed that a lot of people a few years out of undergrad are having more success. But you're right, there's nothing now I can do about that! I'm proud of what I've done so far, and I'm sticking by my application.

Oh? "Real world" experiences that might really impress adcoms? I'm not sure what they are any more. I think I've seen enough different sides of the real world, whether related to medicine or not, even while going to school consistently but there's always going to be certain situations that sytand out to one adcom and different ones that stand out to another. This application stuff is a game and you'r enot always given the all the directions in order to win. In addition the strategy should not be to play to impress adcoms; it should be to learn real life values, passions, to help others and to learn about yourself in the process...and to see if this is really for you. Adcoms should be able to see through the fluff.

I am totally confident that you will get in and you will go far in life. Keep up the good luck.

 

[anothertbmember]

Yeah, you're right, the majority of applicants are in this age range. But if you look at the average age for each entering class it's usually in the range of 23 or so. And based on feedback I've recieved from former adcom members and my own experiences in this process, the perspective you gain from one or two years out of school is amazing. Just a theory, blows my mind why Wiggy doesn't have at least a handful of acceptances by now. But, I also have no doubt that you'll definately get in SOMEWHERE, Wiggy. Hang in there!!!!

Here's my problem with this. You only need to have one nontraditional student that is out of undergrad for 4-5 years to balance out 4-5 22 year old traditional students yielding an average age of 23. So, the result is that > 80% of the class is traditional students. So this means that > 80% of applicants didn't need "real world experience" outside of their experiences of undergrad. I'm not saying that that year or 2 wouldn't be good for pre-meds, but the truth of the matter is this doesn't happen as often as an average age of 23 would tend to indicate.

edit: I'm not being pessimistic about your chances, I'm just stating my observations.

 

[kamal2toys]

Sometimes I really wonder what the adcom really base their criteria for acceptance on. I am an average (or maybe not) applicants with great motivation and aspiration and I guess this helped. With a high 20something Q MCAT score, a 3.73 cum and 3.71 sci GPA, i applied to 9 schools after taking the Aug Mcat. So far, I’ve had 5 interview, I guess 2 rejection since I haven’t heard from Northwestern by now, and I personally cancelled apps at 2 other school.
3 acceptances so far to great institution and waiting for 2 more.
The whole point of my spill is that adcoms are just as unpredictable as a weather broadcast. Though certain things are standard, but I definitely know that what determines if a student gets that letter goes beyond the MCAT, GPA, and excurr activities.

 

[blump]

Sometimes I really wonder what the adcom really base their criteria for acceptance on. I am an average (or maybe not) applicants with great motivation and aspiration and I guess this helped. With a high 20something Q MCAT score, a 3.73 cum and 3.71 sci GPA, i applied to 9 schools after taking the Aug Mcat. So far, I’ve had 5 interview, I guess 2 rejection since I haven’t heard from Northwestern by now, and I personally cancelled apps at 2 other school.
3 acceptances so far to great institution and waiting for 2 more.
The whole point of my spill is that adcoms are just as unpredictable as a weather broadcast. Though certain things are standard, but I definitely know that what determines if a student gets that letter goes beyond the MCAT, GPA, and excurr activities.

congrats! That's awesome, you should feel very fortunate

 

[redskittles]

just a note on the age thing, i have to agree that taking a year or so seems to help out the app process. the duke interview stands testimony: most people were 24-27 at the interview. but i dont think it is necessarily AGE but maybe more the fact that those people had time off to do extraordinary ECs and/or retake mcat and get higher scores.