Tufts University School of Medicine: The Journey of a URM into Medical School

Within the next 10, 15, or however many minutes it takes you to read this blog post, I will attempt to bring you into the world of the medical school applicant. However, before we move forward, you must understand that I’m not your traditional applicant. What is the traditional applicant, you ask? Well–roughly speaking–your typical applicant is a white male, a senior in undergrad, majors in a science such as Biology or Chemistry, has an MCAT score of 30+, a GPA of 3.5+, and is between the ages of 20 and 22. What am I, then? I am a URM, two years removed from undergrad, I majored in English: Literature & Rhetoric / minored in Chemistry, I have an MCAT score hoovering around 30, a 3.3 GPA, and I’m 23 years old. Your next question may be, “what’s a URM?” Well, URM is the acronym for Underrepresented Minority, which means I’m a black male–hence the title of my blog, TRENDYBLACKGUY. Given all of this, with persistence, I was able to gain an acceptance into Tufts University School of Medicine, which happens to be one of the top medical programs in the nation. Now that we have that all covered, I think you’ll appreciate the rest of this blog post a tad bit more.

Binghamton University: The Pre-Med Undergrad Years

Let me briefly take you guys back to 2005. The setting is a hot summer, and the graduating class of 2005 from Spring Valley High School in Spring Valley, NY, is gearing up to start college. Equipped with an [old] SAT score of 1240, and an invitation from the Track & Field coach, Mike Thompson, to run the 400m dash at Binghamton University, I was ecstatic for the summer to end so that I could begin my new life as a college student. To sum up my four years at Binghamton University, they were AWESOME. I took the Pre-Med route at Binghamton, which meant simply taking the pre-requisites (courses that medical schools require before you can apply, which are loosely: General biology, Physics with lab, General chemistry with lab, Organic chemistry with lab, Calculus, and English). I decided to major in English, since it is my first love, and later I tacked on the minor in Chemistry. I did well academically over my 4 years at Binghamton University. However, I did earn a C and a D first semester of Freshman year in Chem 107 and Bio 118 respectively, and these two grades would come back to haunt me.

The 1st Application Cycle: The MCAT & Kaplan

By the time Junior year came around (2007-2008), it was time to start developing a plan to apply to medical school. For a typical applicant, this is the year to evaluate yourself and determine if you should take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) and apply to schools between the summer of your Junior and Senior year. Also, medical schools require that you have letters of recommendation from Professors outside of and within your major. I was able to gather 5 good letters. I still didn’t know much about the application cycle at this time, and I had only met with my pre-medical adviser twice in three years. Nonetheless, I decided to take my MCAT–like everyone else–and apply to schools during the summer. Like any standardized test, many companies offer prep courses and prep materials for the MCAT. Without much research, I decided to enroll in a Kaplan prep course in May 2008, and take my MCAT in August of 2008. I had heard that 3 1/2 months of studying was reasonable. I decided to only apply to New York schools, and finished/submitted my AMCAS (American Medical Colleges Application Service) before I took my MCAT (this is how it goes). To shorten the story, Kaplan’s course didn’t do much for me nor did I do much for myself. I studied halfheartedly and ended up not scoring well on the real test. I also didn’t know that taking your MCAT in August was considered a bit late given that medical schools started reviewing applications in late August. At this point, I was at a complete disadvantage. My GPA wasn’t great, my MCAT score wasn’t great, and I also applied somewhat late. Things were NOT looking good. During my Senior year at Binghamton University, my friends/peers began to receive interview invites, and even acceptances, to various medical schools. It wasn’t until towards the end of Senior year that I received two interview invites. One from SUNY Downstate Medical Center and one from New York Medical College. There was hope! Or so I thought…

University at Buffalo: The Post-Baccalaureate Year

I had–what I thought were–two GREAT interviews at both schools, but I was still subsequently rejected from each. I knew my grades and test scores weren’t the best, but I always said to myself, “all you need is one interview and they’ll fall in love with you.” I guess I wasn’t too far off by thinking that because–after graduating from Binghamton University that Spring of 2009–I received a call from the University at Buffalo’s School of Medicine, which happens to be one of the 10 schools (along with SUNY Downstate Medical Center and New York Medical College) that are a part of the AMSNY (Associated Medical Schools of New York). During the phone call, I was told that, although SUNY Downstate and New York Medical College rejected me, they believed that I had something in me and recommended that I enroll in AMSNY’s year-long intensive post-baccalaureate program. The program would be held in Buffalo, NY, but I would choose to either have SUNY Downstate or New York Medical College hold a seat in their class for me upon my completion of the post-bacc. The program would consist of a total of only 22 students chosen from a pool of rejected New York state interviewees, and would be FREE with a monthly stipend, too! I was in disbelief, but when I returned to reality I told them that I would accept the offer, and I would like SUNY Downstate to hold my seat. Good thing I only applied to schools in New York state, huh? There was a catch to the program, though: All 22 enrolled students had to maintain a B in every course. I thought to myself, “only a B in every course? No problem!” Little did I know, my arrogance would be my downfall. Before Christmas break of 2009, I found out that my final grade in Physiology I was a C+. I still believed that everything would be fine, but after the year turned (2010) and I returned to the program at Buffalo, I was told that the contract SUNY Downstate had offered me was rescinded. I was devastated, and imagine how hard it was for me to explain my carelessness to my family!

The 2nd Application Cycle: Examkrackers

My family was understanding but a bit disappointed in me. I was disappointed in myself, too. I never struggled in the program. The events that unfolded were due to the fact that I took everything too lightly. How I could downplay the seriousness of a program like the one I was in baffles me, but what happened, happened. I was allowed to finish the program, but I would not be attending SUNY Downstate upon completion. I told myself that I would take my knowledge from this program and get myself into medical school for the next year. I set up a plan that included finishing the program on May 10th (2010), purchasing Examkrackers’ books, getting a new letter of recommendation, re-taking my MCAT on July 16th, and also re-applying to medical school. As you can see, I gave myself a time limit of two months to re-study for the MCAT while re-applying to schools earlier this time around. I can honestly say that Examkrackers helped me tremendously. Not only was I more mature, but I was now accompanied by great self-study books. Within two months, I was able to increase my MCAT score by 3 points! The way Examkrackers delivered the material was impeccable. I re-applied to 17 schools, received 3 interviews and 2 acceptances (I declined one interview), and, just last week, I decided that I would attend Tufts University School of Medicine. More interviews may come, but I have my heart already set on Tufts.

*Note: Examkrackers does NOT sponsor me or anything like that, haha. I just simply love their approach to studying for the MCAT, and I honestly believe that their books are invaluable. Others’ opinions may differ.

In Retrospect…

Personally, I wouldn’t have changed how anything panned out because it has shaped who I am now. However, I would suggest to new applicants, URM or not, to educate yourself on the application process. It is better to do everything right the first time than to spend time on a two-year roller coaster. Find out what study materials would best suit you. Spend time researching schools that are realistically within your reach. Most of all, ask A LOT of questions!

*Note: this blog post only outlines my pathway into medical school. I have left out information such as my extracurricular activities, my personal statement, and my secondary essays. These are also all very important factors in the application cycle, and if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask!

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