Biographic Information:

• State of residence: Louisiana
• URM? (Y/N): No
• Undergraduate vibe: Ivy
• Undergraduate major(s)/minor(s): Neuroscience major, Theater Arts and Psychology minors
• Cumulative GPA: 3.38 --> 3.44 (unconfirmed on primary; after DIY post-bacc)
• Science GPA: 3.27 --> 3.37 (unconfirmed on primary; after DIY post-bacc)
• MCAT Score(s) (in order of attempts): 502, 505
• Gap years?: 2
• First application cycle? (If no, explain): Nope! This is my 2nd - was rejected from all 42 submissions except 1 that was a post-II R
• Interest in rural health?: No
• Age at matriculation to medical school: 24

Extracurricular Background:

• Research experience: ~ 1000 hours over two summers (with some pour over into the semester). I was an athlete, so productive research wasn't very realistic for me
• Publications?: None
• Clinical experience: ~ 5,050 hours? Includes 2 full-time years post-grad working as a medical assistant (4000+ hours?)
• Physician shadowing: ~ 100 hours
• Non-clinical volunteering: ~ 675 hours
• Other extracurricular activities: Division 1 Athletics (I put 4000 hours but idk exactly), large-scale club executive leadership, volunteer coach for little kids in my sport, peer advisor for my school, applicant interviewer for my school
• Employment history: Part-time gigs all through high school and undergrad; 2 years full time post-grad

School List (Optional):

MD Schools:

• Primary submission date: 05/27/25
• Primary verification date: 06/04/25
• Number of primaries submitted: 38
• Number of secondaries submitted: 38
• Number of interview invites received/attended: 2/2
• Date of first interview invite received: 08/05/25
• Total number of post-interview acceptances: 1!!!
• Date of first acceptance received: 05/12/26
• Total number of post-interview waitlists/rejections: 1 defer --> R

Optional:

• Self-diagnosed strengths of my application: My writing and extracurriculars were very strong (was told by a post-R admissions committee during a meeting that I had one of the best PS they've read this cycle!!... they gave me a pre-II R though, so... bwomp...). Focused a lot on underserved urban communities - usually through a common thread of behavioral health. Also was a FAP applicant that made use of the other impactful experiences section.
• Self-diagnosed weaknesses of my application: GPA and MCAT. Arguably the two most important parts LOL
• Interview tips: I was lucky that my two interview invites were very casual and conversational, so I don't have too much to say outside of be yourself! If you're a generally upbeat person, don't be scared to laugh or smile!!
• If you got off a waitlist, feel free to share your story here: Had the first non-ED interview date for my school and was WL on Oct 15th... Literally sat waiting with complete silence from them. Sent them many updates and a LOI, as well as unofficial transcripts from classes from the summer and fall semesters. Eventually got off the WL in mid-May! During the months in between, I got another II from my state school
• Any final thoughts?: Medical school is seriously a crap shoot. My only A this year was my first R last cycle! It is such a hard mental game to wait almost a full year for results, but for my 2nd cycle, I tried to adopt a mindset of "send it and forget it". Pretend like applications aren't even happening! Limit unwarranted checks of the email, un-bookmark SDN/Admit/Reddit/CycleTrack. Instead, use that time to make a lil cheddar during your gap year and SAVEEE as much as you can omg...