What type of Guy Gets into Harvard Medical School???

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
EMDO2018

EMDO2018

Membership Revoked
Removed
7+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2013
Messages
1,885
Reaction score
1,271
I' m guessing 3.8-3.9 GPA, 38-42 MCAT, 10000+ hrs of research, 20 published papers, saved a few African babies on his mission trip by creating a new vaccine, plays division 1 sports and has a few Olympic gold medals. What do you guys think???
Members don't see this ad.
 
A top applicant with great numbers and strong research. I am pretty sure there are so many to pick from that it feels like pure luck and it probably is to some extend.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
There's an individual on here that I interviewed with last year and is attending HMS. He was a professional poker player. I'm sure his stats were amazing but I also think that the top schools are looking for individuals that have diverse interests and exemplary backgrounds.
 
I would say 76+ LizzyM score, in-depth research, diverse and interesting EC's, leadership activity, and I think maybe 1-2 kooky things in the application that make the applicant stand out in a positive way. Prestige of undergrad probably matters to a certain extent once you begin to split hairs amongst top applicants. Also, don't be unattractive 😛
 
Last edited:
from my experience with my peers, the following seems to be consistent in order to get into top medical schools (not just harvard, but its peers as well)

-3.8+ GPA, 36+ MCAT
-2+ years of substantial scientific research resulting in either a poster, abstract, paper, and/or honors thesis
-solid clinical exposure (both hospital volunteering and shadowing)
-substantial community service involvement
-meaningful leadership roles
-some additional factor: part time job, good hobby, summer study abroad/mission trip, etc.
-wonderful LORs thanks to strong academics and great personality
 
My former roommate currently attends HMS, and I'm not going to lie, when I lived with him, I was impressed in everything he did, very hard worker, and definitely not your average person. OCD/Perfectionist down to maximizing efficiency in everything from room layout to diet, etc.

He had a 3.92+ GPA (more A's than A-'s) at a top university, personally the highest GPA I've seen out of all my friends, had a 37+ MCAT (studied the summer after his sophomore year), and was involved in almost EVERYTHING you could think of (some though not for very long). Honor society, multiple dance teams (captain), crazy research with 5+ pubs (didn't really start until he was an upperclassmen, still don't know how he managed to get so many pubs), hospital volunteering (for a couple quarter), had a lot of friends, everyone loved him, also really big on working out and working hard, probs the most popular guy I knew at my university, partied very hard, and somehow still managed to get good grades, I really don't know how. He had his quirks though, definitely not your average person.

Basically the best of the best.
 
One of the young docs I work with went to Harvard, totally normal, pretty funny guy, haven't inquired about his undergrad experiences though.
 
LostinLift said:
One of the young docs I work with went to Harvard, totally normal, pretty funny guy, haven't inquired about his undergrad experiences though.
Click to expand...

This.

They're NORMAL people who are exceptionally driven during their undergraduate years. My mom's GYN was a Harvard Med School grad from an undergraduate state school. Completely normal guy. He just had a lot of energy to dream big and perform bigger when he was younger.
 
My female Hispanic friend got in last year with 3.9 cGPA, 34 MCAT, not much clinical and volunteer, and 6 months research that resulted in nothing. Diversity factor lolz
 
Members don't see this ad :)
LostinLift said:
One of the young docs I work with went to Harvard, totally normal, pretty funny guy, haven't inquired about his undergrad experiences though.
Click to expand...
Hey, I'm a totally normal, pretty funny guy. Can I go to Harvard too?
 
One of my best friends from HS is at HMS now. I met her in 6th grade. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Hi, I'm Ponyo. I'm new here.
Her: Hi, I'm ___. I want to be a pediatric oncologist.
Me: I don't know what that is. Wanna go to the playground? Watch Arthur? Pokemon?
Her: I want to cure childhood cancer.

Girl was the perfect person all through middle/high school, valedictorian, HYPSM for undergrad, etc. etc. Also the sweetest / most compassionate and idealistic person I've ever met in my entire life. I had lunch with her a while back, she's M2 now I think. I asked her if she still wants to go into ped onc and apparently she does... IMO I can't imagine a better candidate for an opportunity like HMS.
 
nemo123 said:
These guys: http://mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=24705
http://mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=26840
http://mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=26498
Click to expand...

Not gonna lie.. bookmarked some of these as motivation until I apply haha

The only person I know that attends there sounds like what kevin2400 described.. all I knew was that the guy was captain of a dance team and partied a lot and next thing I know he's going to Harvard lol. Coincidentally another person I know that is doing very well this app season also parties more than anyone I know..
 
My dermatologist completed his MD/PhD at Harvard. Frankly, he is one of the most gentlemanly physicians I've ever seen. I told him I was accepted to medical school, and he wrote on the billing sheet "patient is going to medical school, waive co-pay. Tuition." AWESOME DUDE.
 
EMDO2018 said:
I' m guessing 3.8-3.9 GPA, 38-42 MCAT, 10000+ hrs of research, 20 published papers, saved a few African babies on his mission trip by creating a new vaccine, plays division 1 sports and has a few Olympic gold medals. What do you guys think???
Click to expand...
for a guy so gung ho about DOs you sure spend a lot of time on pre-allo obsessing about some really trivial stuff
 
A very motivated/smart/lucky person who has a strong interest in research.

high motivation/intelligence/luck-->
  • great grades-->great opportunities with faculty and various groups
  • lots of participation in organizations--> great LORs and networking opportunities
  • great research positions

Interest in research--> reason to go to a place like HMS, Stanford, JH, UCSF etc.
 
neekzg said:
Not gonna lie.. bookmarked some of these as motivation until I apply haha

The only person I know that attends there sounds like what kevin2400 described.. all I knew was that the guy was captain of a dance team and partied a lot and next thing I know he's going to Harvard lol. Coincidentally another person I know that is doing very well this app season also parties more than anyone I know..
Click to expand...

...UCLA? lol
 
Last edited:
A few years back some hSDNer made a thread saying how he would get into HMS... a few years later he came back and bumped the thread because he actually got accepted to HMS... cant find the thread though.
 
kevin2400 said:
....UCLA? lol
Click to expand...

LOL yeah! I suppose we should leave it at that though. It's interesting how there seems to be a correlation between premed success and level of partying 😛 I know what to do with the rest of my college career..
 
U Wot M8 said:
A few years back some hSDNer made a thread saying how he would get into HMS... a few years later he came back and bumped the thread because he actually got accepted to HMS... cant find the thread though.
Click to expand...

Tag. I want to see this.
 
EMDO2018 said:
I' m guessing 3.8-3.9 GPA, 38-42 MCAT, 10000+ hrs of research, 20 published papers, saved a few African babies on his mission trip by creating a new vaccine, plays division 1 sports and has a few Olympic gold medals. What do you guys think???
Click to expand...
As reflected by some of the pre-meds I've met, apparently the type of guy who gets into Harvard is someone who backstabs his peers, a lot. :naughty:


I'm joking.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

smc285
Chances of Getting Into a T20 Medical School
Replies
5
Views
3K
wysdoc
wysdoc
ace45
Need Advice: what type of masters/grad school should I consider?
Replies
9
Views
406
AJS59
AJS59
D
pasted wrong essay into the "Why... school of medicine"
Replies
7
Views
1K
LunaOri
LunaOri
F
  • Locked
What kind of school to apply
Replies
4
Views
231
chilly_md
chilly_md
arka18
Do I have a chance of getting into med school with a CC DIY postbacc?
Replies
3
Views
916
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
Top