2017-2018 Boston University

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Got my first rejection! Complete sometime early July. LizzyM 72. Good luck to all those who got II's. This seems like a great school.
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They might be pulling a UCLA DGSOM move for this year's application cycle.
 
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OldSavage said:
What exactly is a "UCLA DGSOM move"?
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Accepting students with a greater variety of MCAT scores and GPAs, a more holistic approach to scrutinizing applications. This is based off of the MSAR data I saw for DGSOM (David Geffen School of Medicine.)
 
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Ezra Redden said:
Accepting students with a greater variety of MCAT scores and GPAs, a more holistic approach to scrutinizing applications. This is based off of the MSAR data I saw for DGSOM (David Geffen School of Medicine.)
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this would be interesting, especially since boston had the same MCAT median as Harvard last year
 
TheBiologist said:
this would be interesting, especially since boston had the same MCAT median as Harvard last year
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Well if this adds anything, Dr. Witzburg (Dean of admissions) is a pioneer of holistic application review. Here's a journal article he published.
 
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sunc92 said:
Holistic review doesn't mean you can't have a high mcat median.
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I'm just playing devil's advocate here, but what exactly does "holistic review" mean then? That everything is considered? That doesn't seem very unique to one school....I feel like all medical schools claim to be "holistic" and it's kind of an empty word now.

To me, a truly holistic process would be reflected in the GPA/MCAT range. Boston's MCAT median is on par with Harvard and their 75th and 90th percentiles are also incredibly high. 50% of their accepted applicants have a 517 or higher...so clearly they have a strong preference for high MCAT scores. I honestly don't know a lot about the admissions process, but through applying, I have seen "holistic" used by a lot of medical schools and I think all it means is that they will consider multiple factors...which doesn't seem very noteworthy. In the end, stats matter a lot and thinking holistic means otherwise can give false hope to people who don't reach a certain threshold.
 
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stayhopeful1 said:
I'm just playing devil's advocate here, but what exactly does "holistic review" mean then? That everything is considered? That doesn't seem very unique to one school....I feel like all medical schools claim to be "holistic" and it's kind of an empty word now.
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It may be the case that there is a more holistic review for handing out IIs, but for the purposes of the committee handing out acceptances, they may still weigh stats more heavily. Also, keep in mind these numbers are self-reported so they may not be 100% accurate.
 
II, incredibly excited!
Complete late august
 
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stayhopeful1 said:
I'm just playing devil's advocate here, but what exactly does "holistic review" mean then? That everything is considered? That doesn't seem very unique to one school....I feel like all medical schools claim to be "holistic" and it's kind of an empty word now.

To me, a truly holistic process would be reflected in the GPA/MCAT range. Boston's MCAT median is on par with Harvard and their 75th and 90th percentiles are also incredibly high. 50% of their accepted applicants have a 517 or higher...so clearly they have a strong preference for high MCAT scores. I honestly don't know a lot about the admissions process, but through applying, I have seen "holistic" used by a lot of medical schools and I think all it means is that they will consider multiple factors...which doesn't seem very noteworthy. In the end, stats matter a lot and thinking holistic means otherwise can give false hope to people who don't reach a certain threshold.
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I get where you're coming from and I agree with you, "holistic review" probably just means that they consider a lot of different factors. But I don't think that necessarily gives false hope. It would be false hope if BU's adcom had a rule where only 5xx and above MCAT scores can be accepted. Yeah, they're going to have a preference for high mcat and gpa scores because those things impact rankings. Or maybe because BU gets >10,000 applicants per year they can accept high stats students while being "holistic."

But yeah at the end of the day, high stats are going to get you to the door for most schools.
 
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sunc92 said:
I get where you're coming from and I agree with you, "holistic review" probably just means that they consider a lot of different factors. But I don't think that necessarily gives false hope. It would be false hope if BU's adcom had a rule where only 5xx and above MCAT scores can be accepted. Yeah, they're going to have a preference for high mcat and gpa scores because those things impact rankings. Or maybe because BU gets >10,000 applicants per year they can accept high stats students while being "holistic."

But yeah at the end of the day, high stats are going to get you to the door for most schools.
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Yeah, you're right. I take schools at their word when they say the review is "holistic"...but in the end, like you said, high stats will get you in the door at most schools.
 
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stayhopeful1 said:
Yeah, you're right. I take schools at their word when they say the review is "holistic"...but in the end, like you said, high stats will get you in the door at most schools.
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It's one of those things where high stat applicants (of course) will be priority, but low stat applicants will be considered too.
 
Is submitting an update of a recently published paper encouraged? How would I go about submitting that. Haven't gotten a rejection yet so I see that as a good thing....
 
Rejected yesterday.....as if...
first rejection....7 II other places so minimal sting
Lizzy around 80....signing off this thread...good luck to all
 
@Seyeydnav Would you happen to have an idea of what may have gone wrong with your application to Boston? If you have a LizzyM score of around 80, do you think it was just yield protection or something to do with your essays/ECs?
 
Ezra Redden said:
@Seyeydnav Would you happen to have an idea of what may have gone wrong with your application to Boston? If you have a LizzyM score of around 80, do you think it was just yield protection or something to do with your essays/ECs?
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Good question. But he got IIs from 7 other places, unlikely due to his ECs.
 
Ezra Redden said:
@Seyeydnav Would you happen to have an idea of what may have gone wrong with your application to Boston? If you have a LizzyM score of around 80, do you think it was just yield protection or something to do with your essays/ECs?
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The vibe I get from Boston is that they're really looking for people who have some sort of underserved focus in their app. They really like people who not only have research, but also demonstrate altruism and a commitment to serving people who are less fortunate than themselves. It sorta goes along with the whole environment - BMC in south Boston serves a lot of people who are homeless, addicted to drugs, or otherwise set back in life. I've also heard from some bu med students that they're coming to "appreciate" high MCAT scores more and more.
 
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If I got rejected, probably due to essay/ECs.
crossroad said:
The vibe I get from Boston is that they're really looking for people who have some sort of underserved focus in their app. They really like people who not only have research, but also demonstrate altruism and a commitment to serving people who are less fortunate than themselves. It sorta goes along with the whole environment - BMC in south Boston serves a lot of people who are homeless, addicted to drugs, or otherwise set back in life. I've also heard from some bu med students that they're coming to "appreciate" high MCAT scores more and more.
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I have to agree with the underserved focus. Not sure about the high MCAT scores. With LizzyM round 80, I am sure his MCAT score is high.
 
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Yogi2008 said:
If I go rejected, probably due to essay/ECs.

I have to agree with the underserved focus. Not sure about the high MCAT scores. With LizzyM round 80, I am sure his MCAT score is high.
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Sometimes you just have to let it go and understand that all questions are not answerable; main essay speaks to service for the underserved and stressed (think hurricanes) in a metropolitan area and my insights garnered from the experience.

Moving on.... and not looking back at this point....oh, and 520 is the score
 
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It's interesting how in the completion email they said apps are reviewed in the order in which they are received, but some of us were complete in July and haven't heard anything. Maybe that means we're on hold?
 
Anyone attend an interview recently and want to share their thoughts on the experience?
 
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darkpauladin said:
Anyone attend an interview recently and want to share their thoughts on the experience?
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I interviewed. It was relaxed, only one traditional interview. Know your application very well! Other than that just the usual presentations about the school, lunch with students. If you have questions feel free to ask.
 
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darkpauladin said:
Anyone attend an interview recently and want to share their thoughts on the experience?
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Interviewed recently and it was fantastic. Very long interview day (7:00 am breakfast --> 7:30 am opening remarks and then you finish by 3 pm, but there is an optional meeting I attended afterwards that runs until 4). The interview is super conversational and they really make an effort to tell you as much about the school as possible.

PRO TIP: Dean Witzburg will tell you some insider information about your interviewer if you ask him beforehand. I was really glad I did because it helped me break the ice really quick and have a great time.

Fast facts from the dean himself for my fellow neurotic pre-meds:
1) They expect 12,000 applications
2) They expect to interview 1,000 - 1,100 applicants
3) They expect to accept around 290 students
 
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tekkenman11 said:
3) They expect to accept around 290 students
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That number seems low, given that their class is around 200 students, no? (or maybe I'm just trying to convince myself that the odds are better for us than they really are!)
 
DrPepperAnn said:
That number seems low, given that their class is around 200 students, no? (or maybe I'm just trying to convince myself that the odds are better for us than they really are!)
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From my notes during interview day, the numbers we were given were: interviewing ~1000 and accepting ~400 for a class of 175. About 50 of these seats are coming from various BU pathways, so it's closer to 120 seats.
 
DrPepperAnn said:
That number seems low, given that their class is around 200 students, no? (or maybe I'm just trying to convince myself that the odds are better for us than they really are!)
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The class actually has about 172 seats not 200. Additionally, there are only 120 traditional MD seats available because the rest are covered by their Seven-Year, Early Medical School Selection, and Modular Medical Integrated Curriculum pathways. Finally, the dean was very clear about how they are accepting less people than they did last year because they have over-accepted every year for the past couple of years.

P.S When I attended my interview we were told that they have interviewed 10% of the total 1000/1100.
 
tekkenman11 said:
The class actually has about 172 seats not 200. Additionally, there are only 120 traditional MD seats available because the rest are covered by their Seven-Year, Early Medical School Selection, and Modular Medical Integrated Curriculum pathways. Finally, the dean was very clear about how they are accepting less people than they did last year because they have over-accepted every year for the past couple of years.

P.S When I attended my interview we were told that they have interviewed 10% of the total 1000/1100.
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So just to clarify- they told you they have interviewed 10% out of the 1000 to 1200 available interview slots?
 
At this point I think that its my essays carrying me through this application process. Complete 7/21. I haven't gotten an II but I haven't gotten rejected yet so...
 
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Yogi2008 said:
Sorry to hear that. But you have other IIs, still have something to look forward to. I haven't got any. Waiting patiently.
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Thanks, yeah I was kind of expecting it but still bummed. I am sure you will hear soon! Maybe it will even be from here. Good luck!
 
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snickers356 said:
Thanks, yeah I was kind of expecting it but still bummed. I am sure you will hear soon! Maybe it will even be from here. Good luck!
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Thank you! Hope you have good news to share from other schools. Good luck to you too!
 
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