Gabrielle McGeorge ’21 never believed a person could be accepted by 12 medical schools — until it happened to her.  

“I was overjoyed. I received my first acceptance letter from Johns Hopkins University, a dream school of mine,” she said. “Once that came in, I figured I had a pretty good shot at some of the others. Little did I know it would all snowball from there.” 

McGeorge has been accepted by The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Des Moines University, Nova Southeastern School of Osteopathic Medicine, Touro College, University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Frank H. Netter School at Quinnipiac University, Campbell University, University of Maryland School of Medicine, University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and Wake Forest School of Medicine.  

Once she received those 12 letters, she then began the task of narrowing her focus to her top six, and now she has whittled it down even further to four. 

The Otterbein biochemistry and molecular biology graduate sent her application to schools she felt had the best programs for her to become a cardio-thoracic surgeon. She began by making “pros and cons” lists of all their attributes. She went a step further in her research, contacting students from those schools to ask about student life, what their time commitments looked like, and how their coursework is preparing them to move up each level of exams.  

As it stands now, she will attend either Johns Hopkins, Wake Forest, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, or University of New England. 

The major determining factor in her decision comes down to a value that Otterbein taught her as a student from the first day she walked on campus. 

“I wanted an atmosphere where I knew my professors and we had a strong relationship that could help me down the road with advice, recommendations, and job opportunities,” she said. “Otterbein showed me just how immeasurable those connections can be to my academic and professional career. I wanted that in a med school as well.” 

Standing out in a crowded applicant field can seem impossible, but McGeorge is a firm believer that it was her experiences at Otterbein that truly made the difference. As a first-year student, she joined the Cardinal Corps Leaders, a group of students dedicated to developing and organizing weekly community service projects on campus and around central Ohio. From there, she branched out into numerous university jobs, like being a resident assistant, and volunteering opportunities that provided leadership experience. 

“I had the grades and I had the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores, but what I feel set me apart from the others was my demonstrated ability to consistently show I cared about the work I was doing. I have a passion for getting to med school and my drive in these leadership positions proved I could handle whatever they put in front of me,” McGeorge said. 

Now on a gap year, McGeorge embarked on a three-week nationwide road trip with her husband and friends to see the country before the next hectic steps toward her career begins in the fall of 2022. She’s using the time to fully think about where she wants to end up academically, but also in life. She believes that without Otterbein, she would not be in this position. 

“Being allowed to get involved that early at such high levels was huge and something I’m not sure you can find anywhere but Otterbein. I encourage every Cardinal to find those three to four groups that will fuel their passions and help reach their goals. Otterbein made that possible for me, and it will continue to benefit me long into the future.”