ya it has hard been hard to remain optimistic
Thank you so much for your well-detailed insight. How important is the CasPer test? I took one on May 4th, and I am afraid I didn't do that well.Hi future docs ❤️
I'm a first-year medical student, teaching Assistant and DPMS alum (class 22'). If you've read through the previous threads, you may have seen my profile and followed my journey here hehe. I wanted to chime in and answer/comment on some of the common concerns or questions.
- I am not connected to admissions by any means, so I am only speaking on behalf of my experience as an applicant & working with this year's current cohort as they went through it as well.
- Interview invites are completely random. If you submitted an application in January vs. the day before the application closed, you are equally still in the running to get an interview invite. Do not get discouraged by the updates on this forum - interviews will go on until June.
- The same idea applies to acceptances - even if you interview early in the cycle, does NOT mean that you will hear back early either. Do not count yourself out until you receive an actual rejection email. Literally, anything can happen.
- I understand the timeline of these events is not really ideal as you try to plan for the next steps (I.e moving to a new state, deciding to go with a different program, applying to medical school, etc...). But you must remain patient through this process, which is truly the most difficult part. Part of the complexity of this process is that although DPMS is a graduate school program, it is technically still maneuvered by the College of Medicine. So a lot of times, the ease of how things move along for the program depends heavily on the COM and where they are on THEIR application/interview cycle for the MD program.
- I think the application cycle has closed now, so that means that there are no longer accepting supporting documents or test scores. For example, if you submitted your application in March with an MCAT score of 490 and re-took your MCAT that same month but won't be receiving the scores until the end of April, that NEW score will not be considered because it is past the deadline. If you are offered an interview and ultimately accepted, you will deal with your March score by then.
- For those who are curious about the stats of the people who have been part of the first wave of interviews - I cannot stress enough that the importance of those numbers is very person dependent! DPMS brings students in with GPA/MCAT combinations of all kinds. (low/low, high/high, low/high, high/low)!! Although these numbers are important factors to help gauge where you stand academically, they are not everything. The way someone frames and delivers their story, recommendation letters, and other experiences is a huge component of this process. (In MY opinion, the most important!)
- INTERVIEWS - You must remember that an interview goes both ways. At this point, you need to realize they've liked everything you have presented. The next step is the formality of connecting a person to an application. A big part of DPMS is the culture students bring to the program - i.e., the kind of student that aligns with their values and mission. Equally important, as much as the program wants to make sure you are a fit for them, you also need to ensure the program is a FIT for YOU! [DPMS is an amazing opportunity, but you need to be realistic if this will be amazing for you. This fast-paced, INTENSE program requires you to be 10000% dedicated to it. You will be a full-time DPMSer. Admin can see pretty things on your application, but only you know if you are ready to be committed to this. This is especially important for future Track 1 students - think about having to study for MCAT while having to keep up with graduate-level academics. It's doable (a bunch of us have done it, me included
), but it is extremely challenging and will require even more of you. Ofc, the lower your MCAT score is coming into DPMS, the more work you will have to do to make up for that.] Do your research, connect with past students, and come prepared to ask questions about the things that matter to you! The interview is very important, but this shouldn't be stressful - this is the easy part now - showcase yourself, be confident in your experiences/story, and just be yourself. That's ALL.
- CASPer - just schedule one as soon as you can. If you are interviewing soon and won't be able to squeeze it in beforehand, It should be fine if it's after your interview. If you are waiting for an interview, I suggest you take it anyway so you can be prepared. The scores take a couple of weeks to be sent & you don't actually receive your score for this; they get sent directly to the school. I HIGHLY recommend taking the practice test.
- Want to emphasize this point because I've been in touch with some people that weren't fully aware of this: If you decide to apply to DPMS, by default, you are interested in attending Drexel Univ College of Medicine. If you are accepted into the program and confirm attendance, you are tied to a contract with Drexel and are NOT allowed to submit an AMCAS application to any other school. If you ultimately don't meet contract (3.2 GPA, 499 min 123 each section) you can still graduate with a master's degree you just wouldn't be starting medical school. You would need to wait until the following application cycle to apply to medical school since you signed a contract opting out of applying to medical school for that year.
- Lastly, I need you all to take care of yourselves through this journey! I also was tied to this platform and lost plenty of sleep waiting for people to post updates. What's meant to be for you will always be there. Be confident and stay focused. Continue doing the things that matter to you and your growth as a future medical student (whatever that looks like for you). Do not pause everything in your life as you wait for an interview invite or acceptance. Things may come when you least expect them.
- Wishing you all the best of luck on this journey. It's long and stressful but absolutely worth it. Do not lose sight of your goals REGARDLESS of what happens between now and the next couple of weeks. Do not let imposter syndrome win, you are worthy of being in this field. 💕
XOXOXOXO
What time did your interview start? It says it begins at 8:30 am Eastern time. I am in California, which means 5:30 am here. If it is 30 minutes, please explain how your interview day started.
the day before the interview you will receive a schedule for the day. For me it started with a short introduction then I had my interview 1.5 hours later. Then came the Q&As with staff and students. I'm in California too so it was really early lol but the whole day was pretty relaxed
I submitted mine on the 14th and heard back on May 1st. My interview is on the 10th.
Thank you.
I did. The last day for CasPer was May 4th
According to the website, the interview invitation is extended until the end of May, and offers of admission from May through mid-June.
I'm speculating that interview invites are sent out with dates for the upcoming week. So I'm assuming (and hoping lol) that there will be a possible final wave of interview invites this upcoming week for interviews the following week.
I was given May 3rd, May 10th, and May 15th to choose from.
Congrats!!! just now?
Leggooooo! You got this! remember to just be yourself during the interview.
Same! I’m wondering if I’m supposed to retake casper but for this cycle since the one I applied with to Drexel was taken last year
got it at 3pm
MCAT Jan '22 494 -> June '22 501
Yeah he responds with a confirmation and some information. Then you get the schedule and zoom link the day before your interview
I emailed the coordinator yesterday but haven't gotten a confirmation yet.
cGPA: 3.4
Wait are we supposed to send an email to the coordinator or just reply to the email?
Nvm I figured it out
Can you ask during your interview when decisions will be released?
Unfortunately, they will not have that information and will give you an estimated answer like "towards the end of the month and latest early June". I know it sucks but I don't want you to get your hopes up for a specific date/week.
A 501 with each section at 123 or above would place you in Track 2 = non-MCAT track.
so my MCAT is 503, but my cars is 122, does that place me in Track 1?
Yes, so you would have to re-take MCAT (Track 1). The majority of people that end up in Track 1 are because of CARS; as you can imagine, most of us are not native English speakers and/or simply never had a strong foundation in English/writing/reading etc. for many reasons.
I see, thank you so much for your help!
Yes, the CASPER scores are only valid for that specific application cycle which means you would need to take it every year you plan to apply.
I don't think I've ever heard of anyone even talking about their Casper scores, so I really wouldn't know. But if I had to guess, just like mcat/gpa etc... I'm sure there's a range and I don't think you should be in panic mode over it. Maybe check out the past 2 threads to see if anyone mentioned it.
Someone from the 2022-2023 cohort got into the program with a Casper score in the 25% quartile, meaning the lowest quartile. So I am sure you will be fine.
I hope so! I have not worked so hard to this point only for some side test to get in the way 🥲
I feel that I scored in the lowest quartile. These exams do nothing to show who we are as an applicant. I guarantee I am not a psychopath even tho I did terribly on the Casper lol. Despite scoring low I still got an interview, so there's still hope!
interviews lol
