Yenta- “How are the preperations for step 1 going?”
Tough, but it’s progressing. Thanks for asking.
frum scientist 1. What was your GPA?
2. What percentage of schools even sent you a secondary?
my GPA was about a 3.9. I got a 36 on my MCAT. I only applied for MD programs. I had decent volunteering, with no research during application time. If I remember correctly, I got many secondaries. I went on about 6 interviews. Some required flights. My lack of research was brought up on a few interviews. I got rejected by a few, waitlisted by a few and accepted by Downstate off a waitlist (at that point I had done some fine research) (bisyata dishmaya, interviewed by a frum yid at Downstate), which for me was preferable to my waitlist options. I then withdrew from the others. However, it was not a simple process. I limited my applications to the North Eastern region and applied to less schools then I could have.
As an aside, Medical School is not an easy process, no matter how smart you are. I got in the 1500’s on my SATs (the old ones) and still find it challenging and time consuming. Residency will be worse. You have to take that into consideration. You have a very long road ahead of you. Good luck.